Where We Go | Book Three

26. Laboratory One

"Follow the path," he grimaced. "It'll be on your left." 

A groan escaped his lips, and he squeezed his eyes closed. The wound on his arm had bled through his shirt and was seeping over his fingers.

"Why were you out in a storm anyway?" Chris asked. "Did they kick you out or something?"

Dr Monin shot him a sharp glare. "Precautions," he said simply before turning back to the window. 

The rain hammered against the glass, still as unrelenting as it had been earlier like rushing water against my ears, flooding my brain with white noise.

We followed the curve of the road and on our left, just as Dr Monin had said, a building stretched out from the night. It was bathed in darkness. Not even the flicker of torchlight touched the moss-covered brick.

"You're sure this is the place?" I asked.

"I live here," he strained as the engine switched off. "I think I would know."

"You lot ever thought of investing in some lights?" Chris retorted.

"Lights attract attention," he replied. "Attention gets you killed."

We opened the doors and were met with an uncomfortable silence. Only the rain drowned out the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that we were walking into something we weren't prepared for.

"Nice shot," Ben muttered with a raised brow, stepping closer to me.

I rolled my eyes. "It wasn't his dominant hand. I did both of us a favour."

"You shot his right?"

"And he was aiming the gun with his left..." I patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, at least one of us observes these things."

Dr Monin led the way to the front of the building. From the outside, it looked abandoned, old, and derelict. Anyone walking past would've stayed 100 feet away for fear of walking straight into a den of freshly bitten Infected. 

Still, he knocked twice on the door and the metal hinges creaked as it swung open. In the doorway, stood a man dressed all in black and the strap of a heavy gun draped across his chest.

"You're back soon?" the man said before darting his eyes to the three of us stood behind. "And you brought tourists... Did you forget the rules?"

"I created the rules if you don't remember, Stephen," he said pushing past him. "And these aren't tourists. They have requested an audience with Dr Lawson." Dr Monin looked at us with his brows raised. "Follow me."

The guard seemed taken aback as he stood aside to let us through. "We're just handing out favours now, are we?" he said, his voice echoing down the hallway.

"Ignore Stephen," Dr Monin said over his shoulder. "He hasn't had a good day since the start of the outbreak."

The hallway was dimly lit but surprisingly clean for its surroundings. The white walls had not lost their bright colour and the floors looked freshly polished. After a few turns through various doors Dr Monin stopped outside one of the rooms. An engraved glass sign against the wall read 'Laboratory One'.

"Bringing you lot in here is a big deal," he said quietly, looking at Ben. "So, you better have something worthwhile." 

He pushed on the door and a room with bright, white light opened before us. Scientists in white lab coats stood at each bench. Their heads darted up as we stood still in the doorway. Everyone froze, not daring to move an inch. Pipettes hovered above glass vials as if they thought because they weren't moving, we couldn't see them.

"Dr Monin," one of the scientists said finally. "You're bleeding..."

"Well observed," he replied, closing the door behind us. "Anyone care to find a first aid kit or is everyone going to stand around with their mouths open while I bleed out?"

The scientist turned and hurried to the back office. Within moments, she returned with not only the green first aid box in her hands but a tall, older woman beside her.

"Sarah," Dr Monin seemed surprised. "I thought you were out today."

Her eyes scanned the four of us, sharp and snake-like with a curiosity I couldn't quite place. "I was..." she replied. "Found what I needed sooner than I expected." Her gaze shifted to his wounded arm and the first aid kit he took from the woman. "Please go and get yourself bandaged up before you get more blood on my floors."

Dr Monin looked to us and hesitated.

"I will deal with your guests."

"Sarah, they're-"

"They're no longer your concern if you've brought them this far."

He nodded and took that as his cue to leave, brushing past us as he left the laboratory.

"I suppose there better be a good reason for him to bring you here," she said as we both turned back.

"Sarah Lawson?" Ben asked.

Dr Lawson scowled, looking down her nose. "You know my name? Have we met before?" Her short blonde hair tickled her shoulders and there was a loose strand hanging from the fabric of her lab coat.

"No." Ben scanned the lab, at the scientists who still stood behind their benches. "You're trying to make a cure?" he said. "Are you not?"

"If that's the first question you're asking, I'll ask one in return. What's brought you all the way out here?"

"We have what you need," Ben explained. "But we don't have long."

The room exhaled murmurs and quiet laughs. "They've come to save the day, Sarah!" one joked.

"Seven PhDs in the room and it's three kids who will save us," another laughed.

"If seven PhDs can't figure out a cure, I guess you should probably ask why you haven't already looked elsewhere," Chris muttered.

Dr Lawson crossed her arms. "What did you say to Dr Monin? What do you want from us?"

"We want a mass-produced cure," I replied, noticing the slight tilt of her head. I stared her down, locking on her dull green eyes. "And you need someone who's already been cured."

She stopped. "What are you talking about?" The scientists around her only stared with their mouths parted just enough to notice the disbelief and the flickering sight of hope in the pupils. They wanted not to believe it, but they couldn't. "How would you have such a thing?" Dr Lawson snarled with a wave of her hand. "You're wasting our time."

"No," Ben refused.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. As he turned, I pulled the blue lenses from my pupils and dropped them carefully into the vial in my hand. 

The door to the back office opened once again as I lifted my head. I blinked and stared up at Dr Lawson and Will.