TEKULA: SUBJECT ZERO

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

HIS GAZE LOCKS with her's, his eyes widening at the sight of her. An emotion flickers across his features, one she can't quite figure out. Shock, maybe? Or was it fear? Quinn only stares back, her eyes unable to look away.

That is, until she is forced to.

"Hey!" A voice suddenly calls. Quinn immediately jumps back, whipping around. A guard walks swiftly down the hallway.

"You're not authorized to be here," he says authoritatively. Quinn's eyes widen, her feet already starting to carry her backwards.

"Sorry I... uh..." Quinn tries to respond, but gives up half way.

The man stalks closer, a crowd growing around them. "Ma'am, I'm going to need you to come with me," he says, reaching for her arm.

Quinn jumps back on instinct. No, she has just started discovering things. She can't go back now! What about the boy--man--whatever he is?!

"Uhm... No?" She says.

She doesn't give him a chance to respond before turning her back on him and sprinting away as fast as possible. She shoves and elbows her way through the crowd, the shouts of the guard sounding behind her. She vaguely registers him speaking anxiously into a hand-held radio.

Her sneakers slap loudly on the floor tiles, their pace increasing with her adrenaline. She skids sharply around a corner, slamming straight into a petite Asian woman. Quinn stumbles around her, looking back to see the guard has gained an acomplace. Oh this is so not good.

Quinn keeps running, her heart thudding in her chest. She can't feel her legs at all, but if the pain in her chest is any sign, she is beginning to tire. That, or she is having a heart attack, which at this point is completely possible.

Another pair of guards round the corner ahead of her, and Quinn stops in her tracks. Her arms flail to keep her balance as she skids to a stop. Her eyes frantically search for some sort of escape as the guards close in on either side of her. The door just to her left is closed, a sign beside it indicating it's the stairs. Sirens suddenly begin to wail, the noise piercing her eardrums painfully.

Without further thought, she heads straight for it. "Hey! Stop!" She hears the men behind her shout, but she only keeps her focus on escape. A part of her realizes she is just making her case worse by running, but her survival instincts are telling her that getting caught is the last thing she wants.

That, and she has unfinished business.

Her shoulder slams roughly into the door, the pain of the harsh metal only background noise in her adrenaline filled mind. She stumbles into the stairwell, her loud pants now amplified in the closed room. Her knees are like jelly as she begins to descend, her right hand reaching out for the handrail.

Her head snaps up as the sound of footsteps begins to follow her. She stumbles, nearly losing control of her legs as she begins to tumble down the stairs. She grips the handrail tightly with both hands, swinging herself back up to a standing position.

Deciding the stairs are no longer a good option for escape, she opens the nearest door and pushes her way through. It opens to reveal an empty corridor, there are no sirens here, and she wonders why. Instead, there are red emergency lights blinking along the walls.

An entire entourage rounds a corner to her left, Quinn quickly backpedals. They shout commands at her to stop, but she ignores them. She glances a look back, but she wishes she hadn't. They have guns.

Real guns.

She's seen them before, even fired a few, but there is a huge difference in being on the other end of the barrel. Quinn begins to feel the weight of dread and hopelessness sink around her ankles, holding her back and dampening her speed.