Chapter 73
The dry wind blew across the outskirts of the city. We followed beyond the railyard. There were broken train lines and decaying old train cars. The place was full of overgrown vegetation and rusted, corroded metals. Past the abandoned streets, the twisted silhouette of an old, dilapidated laboratory stood off in the distance, long forgotten.
"This place..." Evan muttered, his voice low and uneasy. "It belonged to our father almost 10 years ago."
Duke scanned the area with his Sourusensa, the device pulsing steadily. "He's inside. Josh is alive. I've got a faint signal. There must be interference between us and them."
Becky edged closer. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! We can't waste time!"
I glanced at her, seeing the worry fraying around the edges of Becky's usually calm demeanor.
"We'll get him," I spoke gently and calmly. "You know we will." Deep down, my skin crawled. Every instinct screamed that this place was wrong—that I think I had been somewhere like here before. Something awful stirred in my gut.
Everyone moved in silence toward the run-down structure. The laboratory walls were cracked and streaked with moss, and its long, shattered windows were covered in algae and hard water. Rusted chains swayed in the breeze, cracking like the groans of ghosts. The exterior was wrapped in fencing and warped scaffolding; some of it bent over time, and some was clearly broken by force.
We slipped inside through a side door, prying it open with a soft metallic groan.
"Shhh... We don't want them to know we are here, I told Evan.
Inside, the air was stale and lifeless. The smell was unsettling—chemicals, mold, old blood, and something faintly metallic. Every breath tasted like copper and dust. The entrance hallway was long and dim, lit only by broken emergency lights that flickered in and out like dying fireflies. Wires spilled from the ceiling like tendrils. Water dripped steadily from rusted pipes overhead, tapping out a rhythm like a death clock.
I stayed near the back, already feeling uneasy. A sharp, sour scent was making me sick. My heart hammered harder than it should have, and I could feel the hairs on my skin raise.
Peeling linoleum curled under their feet, revealing layers of scorched tiles and dark stains. Some doors had been kicked in and had clawed lacerations, revealing collapsed workstations and shattered screens. Others were sealed tight with red warning signs from decades ago still peeling on their frames—BIOHAZARD. LOCKDOWN PROTOCOL. ACCESS DENIED.
Micah whispered, "This place shouldn't still be standing…"
"It's barely holding together," Duke said. "Be ready for anything."
Ducts ran along the ceiling through the halls to rows of containment pods that lined the walls—tall, cylindrical chambers made of reinforced glass. Some were shattered, with glass shards strewn across the floor.
Others still pulsed faintly with old energy, casting an eerie greenish glow that bathed the hallways in an alien light.
Inside the intact pods floated horrific remains of half-formed creatures, misshapen experiments with elongated limbs, vestigial wings, or extra eyes sealed beneath layers of murky fluid.
Some looked almost human.
Some didn't.
Micah shivered. "What the hell was he doing here…?"
POV: Evan
Kaysi stumbled, one hand shooting out to steady herself against a cracked wall. She stood there, clenching her chest. She was quite a distance behind us. But once I recognized this place, I wondered if Kaysi's memory loss would trigger something.
POV: returns to Kaysi
Flash— I was strapped to a gurney. A bright surgical lamp prevented me from seeing much around me. I had wings? I saw as I fought to look around and keep consciousness, pain ripped through my head, ribs, and other parts of my body.
Flash—I was somewhere else again. I could barely make out the blurry nature of my surroundings. Was I floating in some form of liquid? Wires were threaded into my arms, spine, and temples, picking up signals, I guess.
Flash— A figure of a man's silhouette stood beyond the glass.
A voice: "Subject shows promising tests for DNA replication. The alteration of the genetic sequence is possible. Current conditions are as follows: Accelerated in regeneration. Mental resilience… Weapon viability: pending. The subject is still unresponsive to stimulation and refuses to awaken."
Electricity shocked my body, causing pain and jerking me. My legs buckled beneath me.
Seconds from hitting the ground, Evan grabbed me.
"I knew it..." I heard him whisper. Kaysi? Are you okay? His voice was soft and calming, calming the chaos in my mind.
"Evan." My palm was on my head, and I pressed my fingers to my temples. "I feel sick. I think I am remembering some of what happened to me, but it is still all so blurry. It was a place much like here."
"It's okay, I got you. He held me tightly in his arms, and his words echoed in my head with comfort. Did he save me before?
Becky darted over to us. I started to stand. "Hold on. Take it slow, Kaysi. We will get you out of here."
No... Let's keep going. There are muffled sounds of people talking down the chamber ahead. We are close.
As we crept closer, we could make out some of what they said.
"...Once we get the ransom and the information, we will disappear!"
"Why even wait? The old geezer is a monster; he even did experiments on his own kid there!"
"What are you talking about? We are no better; we did the same."
"Well... yeah, but we volunteered. Now, let's go get the equipment and wait a bit longer for his call.
The two men left.
"Josh...Becky rushed over and uncovered his mouth".
"I am okay. I am only faking it to get the information that they want from my father. Once I have it, I will leave. This is a signal to you."
"But they are talking about leaving," Becky argued. '
Duke interjected, "Now we know he is safe, let's stay close and give him a bit of time. We know nothing of his father's plans, and they affect us too. We will get him if he can't make it on his own as soon as he steps foot out!"
"I don't like this, and I don't feel safe leaving you like this." Becky pouted. She leaned in, touching his bruised face gently, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I can't tell you to do anything reckless; you are already just staying alive," she whispered fiercely. ":
Josh smiled crookedly and kissed her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere."
A ringing phone came from close down the hall.
"Go...Go..." Josh whispered. Becky slid the cloth back over Josh's face to avoid arousing suspicion.
I paused at the entrance, glancing back at the lab, feeling unassured. My head was still throbbing violently from the flashbacks as we waited for the guys to leave so we could jump them and get Josh back.
BOOM.
A thunderous explosion tore through the laboratory behind us, blasting everyone off their feet. The ground shook violently. Fire blossomed into the night sky, swallowing the stars in an orange and black smoke roar.
I hit the ground hard when I landed, coughing and gasping for breath. The lab crumbled inward, pieces of flaming debris raining down.
Becky screamed, trying to run back inside.
"Josh! No—Josh!!"
Evan caught her, yanking her back just as the main roof collapsed with a final groan.
He didn't speak—his face was pale, his fists trembling.
The Sourusensa in Duke's hand gave a single shrill beep—
Josh's signal blinked—
And then vanished.
I sat there curled into a ball, sobbing into the dust, my mind fracturing from the experiments.
No one is coming.
No one is saving me.
Trapped.
Pain.
Now Josh was lost, and the pain was happening all over again.
Becky screamed into the smoke, her voice ragged with grief.
Evan stood frozen, his face twisted in a rare, raw fear.
Baby and Micah pulled me away from the flaming wreckage as I was paralyzed with nausea and terror.
The fire consumed everything.
The monsters.
The secrets.
And—Josh, once loved, had died in the inferno.