Page 30 of Sergi
“Is he one of the guards?”
“I don’t think so. It sounds like they captured him outside the building. Another vampire is interrogating him, and he keeps asking who sent him. The prisoner won’t speak. He won’t even give them a name.”
But he had spoken. To me. A shifter. He had to know I was a shifter. Not that he’d said anything of value. At least, nothing that would have been important to the interrogator. But somehow, it had meant something to me. A vampire had thanked a shifter.
I shook my head to dispel the memory. He was probably hoping I’d feel sorry for him and do something foolish like try to help him.
“Are you sure he came from outside the building?”
I gave a light shrug as I pulled out another rack of orange vials with green dots. “That’s what it sounded like. Why?”
“I need to go back to the cabinets. You seem to understand the task.”
I understood. He didn’t want anyone who might be watching the monitors to think we were together longer than we should be.
Only taking a moment to stretch, I glanced up at the cameras. I knew where they were, but I wanted to confirm their position in relation to where I stood and the location of the red hazardous waste tub. The tall container was only a couple feet away and in clear view of the cameras.
After removing all the vials from the fridge, I stepped back. There were twenty-one racks of vials with yellow dots. I grabbed two rags, doubled them up, and cleaned out the shelves in the fridge, mentally reviewing the crazy thoughts pressing on me.
Of the twenty-one racks of vials, twelve of them appeared to contain human blood, if my interpretation of the labels was accurate. If memory served, human blood lasted a few weeks when refrigerated. I wasn’t sure how long it was viable if not stored in a cool environment.
Once the shelves were clean, I laid the rags next to the racks of vials requiring disposal while I put the others back in the fridge, ensuring they were on the correct shelves and pushed to the back as requested.
Then I turned to the vials to be tossed, keeping my back to the camera.
I closed my eyes. This was crazy. It was a huge risk, and the penalty would most likely be lethal.
My uncle might question the actions I was about to take, but I had to know why the vampire was being held prisoner. The hopeful eyes of the shifters chained in their cells haunted me. If the vampire had been caught outside the building, he’d beenthere for a reason. The lab was too remote for it to have been a hiker who got lost—certainly not a vampire hiker. Then why had he been out there?
I kept my back to the camera as I separated the two rags, leaving each one open on the counter. The first step was to follow the order I’d been given. I removed four of the colored vials from their rack and made a show of dumping them in the waste container. I repeated the action a few more times until half the racks were empty.
The next step was easy enough. I removed nine vials labeled H-9 and placed them on one of the rags. I rolled up the rag, folding it so the vials were wrapped tightly together to prevent breaking, then tucked in the ends.
Another deep breath. This wasn’t crazy. This was insane.
I grabbed a few vials and made three short trips to the waste container until all the racks were empty. Without a glance at the camera, though I seriously wanted to take a peek, I dragged the container toward the counter and to my left. I turned to the right and stuffed the empty rag in the pocket of the lab coat while I stuffed the package of vials in the left. The container should have blocked the camera’s view of my left side, but it was a risk.
There was one blind spot S-272 had pointed out to me the second day we worked together. It was in the same place in both of the larger labs where the experiments took place. I picked up the container, holding it tight against me, and moved toward the hazardous waste receptacles on the other side of the lab.
I slowed as I reached the blind spot, and taking two more steps, I stopped and dropped the container, allowing it to tip on its side. This time I did look for the cameras, and I couldn’t see either one. I pulled the vials out of my pocket and pulled up my shift, stuffing the package under the waistband of my underwear. I gave the box a slight kick, then stumbled into view of the cameras as I picked up the container. It seemed dramatic,but I hoped if anyone had been watching, all they saw was me stumbling over my feet and dropping the waste bin.
Shaking off the nerves, I shoved the container in the receptacle and returned to the area where S-272 worked. If he’d noticed anything, he didn’t mention it. For the next two hours, I moved slowly, occasionally rubbing up against a counter to push the package back in place and managing to complete my tasks within the allotted timeframe. I was cleaning off the last counter when the assistant came in.
“S-473. Come here.”
I jumped, startled. Had they already discovered my theft? My hands shook, and I slowed my breaths in a vain attempt to calm my nerves.
“Now, girl.”
With my hands in my pockets, hoping the package would stay where I put it, I shuffled toward the female.
“I spoke with your morning guard. I didn’t realize they’d assigned you additional tasks without informing us. It’s obvious you’re a bit slower this afternoon, though you did manage to get your tasks completed. However, this won’t do for our new schedules.
“Starting tomorrow, you will no longer be cleaning the guard’s room, though you will be required to clean the cells. That should give you a half hour to eat.” She glanced over at S-272.
“S-272. You will both be working in Lab One tomorrow. The same routine.” She turned and spoke to the two guards who’d stepped up behind her. “Return them to their cells. They can eat there this evening.”
I tossed my lab coat in the bin outside the lab and followed the guard, consciously aware of the package slipping toward my left leg. I scratched while pushing it up, taking the longest walk of my life down the stairs and to my cell.
