Page 26 of Beautiful Prey

A desk shoved to one side and rows of filing cabinets and boxes greeted me. And in one lone corner, there was a large safe.

I set the flashlight on the desk and looked around. I was willing to bet every cabinet was filled. Even from where I stood, I could see files piled into boxes that bulged at their sides.

I took my time with the file cabinets at first, taking a seat at the desk and going through each file. I found records of drugs they were testing like Uncle Wes had mentioned. I found the tests they did on the rabbits, those that were successful and those that failed. Some had pictures showing the different physical side effects. Rabbits with eyes bulging nearly out of their sockets, or their stomachs so enlarged that they were stuck on their sides. The images made me feel sick and I hated that we did the tests at all. I wanted to call Uncle Wes back and yell at him but instead I held myself back for now.

As time went on, the more irritated I became. Nothing was organized as it should be, nor named.

When I had gotten through three of the cabinets and two boxes, I was starting to lose steam. Groaning, I kicked the last box back on the bottom shelf. As I straightened, I looked around again now at the desk filled with papers I had pulled that gave me a crumb of information. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, a headache starting to form.

Sighing, I moved over to the safe and eyed the combination pad. I tried Dad’s usual passwords, gripping the handle and pulling down, but nothing happened. The door didn’t budge. I hit the top of it before leaning my forehead against it.

Theonetime.

But if Dad put this much effort in a password to keep people out, then there definitely had to be something hidden inside.

I pulled away from the safe and looked around again. There had to be something, maybe he wrote it down somewhere.

I checked the cabinets again, then moved to the desk. I spied underneath a few drawers and pulled out each one. Pens, notepads, coins. Then I pulled out the last. Inside was a small metal box.

I took it out and set it on the desk. It used a key lock but I could already tell the set of keys I had were too big to fit.

Determined, I marched out of the office and rifled around the metal shelves, letting items crash onto the floor until I found a toolbox. I took a hammer and a screwdriver and returned to the office.

Several minutes later the box was open and mangled beyond repair, the top half bent and nearly off the hinges. But I got what was inside. Not a combination like I hoped but a key tied to a plastic tab.

Confused, I turned the tab in my hands. It read: Elevator.

Elevator?

What the hell?

A slow drip of anxiety ate at my gut as I gripped the key in my hand. I left the office again and looked around the warehouse.

I never saw an elevator, but then I wasn’t exactly looking that hard the last time I was here. I peered around at the outer metal walls, then stopped on the gurney that was settled against one side. I got closer and stared at the wall. Something seemed off,there was a gap, though nothing more than a sliver. I wrenched the gurney aside and saw what hid behind it. A handle.

I pulled it and the wall slid back an inch. From beyond, I saw the metal gate that served as the elevator door.

Why would Dad have this here? To bring in more supplies? Except the warehouse was only one level.

Or I had thought it was.

Putting the key in the pocket of my jacket, I gripped the handle with both hands and pulled hard. The wall screeched open as it slid back. For a moment I stood there staring at the gate until I finally pulled that back too.

I took out my phone, activating my flashlight from the screen, and aimed the light around the small enclosed space.

Rust creeped along the edges of the walls and dust and dirt gathered on the ground. I pressed my foot against the floor to see how sturdy it was. When the elevator didn’t budge, I stepped in and found the panel to one side. No floors were indicated, just two buttons, one for up and another for down.

I placed the elevator key in the lock indicated above the button pad. As I turned it, the elevator came to life, the light flickering on above, an eerie orange glow. Below, there was a soft hum as the ground vibrated at my feet.

I hesitated to press the down button, knowing whatever I found couldn’t be undone. Then I told myself I was just being dramatic and there would be nothing more than what I found in the rest of the warehouse. I jammed my finger against the button, and it turned on.

The elevator hummed louder as it crept down into the earth. Even as I told myself it was fine, my anxiety spiked, unease swirling in my stomach. As the elevator settled to a halt, I reached again, this time with trembling fingers, and shoved the gate aside and then the outer door.

Beyond was pitch black, a hulking darkness that felt cold and alive. The scent of earth and something dead hit me, nearly making me choke. I should have gone back up then but now the anxiety turned to a panic in which I needed to see. See why this place felt so wrong. I lurched out and drew my light over to the first inner wall, looking for a switch by the door. That looming dark felt like it was going to crash back in any second and something within would drag me away. Wildly, I searched as the fear hit me and I found the switch by a wall a little farther in. I flipped it and let my eyes adjust as the bright light flickered to life.

I turned and found a hallway with a few doors on either side. Definitely not a storage space like above. Terrified, I opened every door. One was a boiler room, another a storage closet, then a bathroom. It was clear they used this space like they did the rooms at the company. I got down to the end and the scent of bleach filled my senses along with the strong odor of death. I looked for a wall light again, and when I flicked it on, cold sweat dripped down my spine at the sight.

Cages. So many cages.

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