The room smelled of formaldehyde and was cold, which wrinkled my nose and made goosebumps spring to life all over my naked flesh. I straightened and looked around wildly, searching for something to put on. I’d run through this building buck-ass if necessary, but I preferred not giving the psycho outside a peak.
I spotted a row of spotless lab coats hung on one wall and ran over to grab one. It was too big, but I didn’t care. I pulled it on, put my things in the big front pocket, and then moved to the door on bare feet, buttoning it up as I went.
Once again, I applauded campus maintenance as the door swung open with barely a whisper. I listened first, then poked my head out into the corridor to see if the coast was clear. Then, with a quiet curse, I closed the door and sagged against the wall next to it.
Where the fuck was I going to go?
I didn’t know the science building like I did the arts or the library buildings. The only time I ever came here was to attend chemistry class and those classes were held on the third floor.
My eyes lit up. Chemistry. Louis’ stink bombs!
My mind raced. He’d tucked those three vials of whatever chemical he’d been talking about into the drawer and had left without them. What if they were still there?
He said they’d smell like rotten fish. It wouldn’t be fun on my olfactory senses, I was sure about that, but the guards would be too busy dealing with the rancid stink to smell me cutting across campus to the nurse’s office. I grinned.
All I had to do was get to the third floor without being caught and murdered. Fingers crossed.
I’d have to open doors, so going as a wolf was off the table, which meant my hearing and sense of smell would be only as acute as the man hunting me. I’d be wide open in the long, cream-colored hallways with rows of locked classroom doors. My only saving grace was that he’d come in alone and couldn’t be two places at once.
I couldn’t take the elevators, I’d be a sitting duck, but the stairs posed a similar problem. I’d have a bit more coverage, but not much. I thought about all the suspense movies I’d watched on weekend nights with Sara and Bethany, wondering if all those wasted hours would hold an answer.
My gaze shifted to the ceiling. I’d hidden behind a ceiling panel in the library to avoid detection already, so I was, apparently, a modern John McClane. I cocked my head to the side and thought the problem over.
I had a couple of options here if I was going to pull a Die Hard moment. I could access the vent system and crawl my way up to the third floor or I could climb up the elevator shaft. Neither option was particularly palatable, since I wasn’t really a risk taker in that way. But, my life had never been threatened before. I’d already risen to the occasion today, why not push it even more?
“What the hell am I thinking?” I muttered, realizing a moment later that I was possibly insane. There was only one way I’d get to the third floor; the stairs. It would help if I knew where that damn guard was, though.
My eyes widened as I realized the extent of my idiocy. I pulled the walkie-talkie from my pocket and considered it. I’d turned it off by turning the knob, so turning it back on was easy enough. Not wanting to be heard, I turned the volume down low and held it to my ear, hoping to hear something concerning the science building.
I listened for five minutes, getting progressively irritated when I heard only messages of “all clear” and “10-4.” Xavier was going to be cold if something didn’t change.
I’d heard enough of the chatter, I could pretend to be asking about the building. If the guard was still inside, there was a chance he’d answer. Or, there was a chance they’d know immediately that I wasn’t who I was claiming to be and find me quicker.
Still, I had to do something. If I wasn’t going to pull out all the stops, what was the point of even trying to get to the nurse’s office for the antidote? I lifted the walkie-talkie to my lips and pressed down on the button.
“Update on Science building. Out.” I said in my gruffest voice then squeezed my eyes shut and prayed.
I only had to wait a few seconds before the comm buzzed and the answer I’d been waiting for came through. “All clear. Out.”
The breath I’d been holding wooshed out of me. I was in the clear.
I turned off the walkie-talkie again and tucked it away again, then inched the door open and peeked out. There was a chance he was still in the building even though he’d said it was clear. I breathed in the air, searching for any trace of his scent and found only the faint smell of cleaner.
My feet padded almost silently on the cold floors as I dashed down the hallway and tucked myself behind a big urn filled with some kind of plant that was big and bushy, perfect for coverage.
The next hallway was clear, as well, as was the first set of stairs that led from the basement to the main floor. I moved in quick sprints, taking cover wherever I could find it, with hope and anxiety coursing through me in equal measure.
When I made it to the third floor without being shot, I hit the floor running.
The chemistry lab was locked, just like every other room, but I’d suspected that would be my next challenge, so I didn’t get too upset. I’d been hoping to find a random crowbar or something along the way to help me break in, but that had been wishful thinking. My hands were empty and my mind was spinning as I eyeballed the door.
I needed a key or something to smash the door in.
Since I didn’t expect to find a handy dandy key just laying around, I searched the hallway for something big or sharp. I found it hiding in the wall in plain view, right next to the eye wash station.
“Yes!” I grinned as I opened the case and pried the fire axe from its mount. This wasn’t going to be quiet, but it was going to be effective. I hoped.
I’d chopped wood too many times to count, so I knew how to swing an axe. I’d never chopped down a door, though. I pushed John McClane out of my mind and channeled The Shinning.
By the fifth swing, my arm and shoulder were singing and sweat covered my face. The door, however, had only a slight dent in its perfect metal finish. Curses bubbled up from the depths of my soul, but I bit them back and refused to give into despair.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have counted on movies to save the day,” I grumbled, then looked around for another idea. If I couldn’t get into the lab, my entire plan was ruined and time was flying by too quickly.
I chewed on my lip and stared at the stupid door, at the barely-there dent, at the shiny surface, at the three long hinges. My eyebrow quirked up.
I needed something slim and hard. Something like… I strode down the hallway and bent down to grab the pen someone had dropped. It’ll work, it’ll work, it’ll work. I kept repeating the words in my mind like a mantra as I pulled the ink free of the hard plastic shell, refusing to give my doubts power.
Carefully, I placed the pen beneath the middle hinge, fitting it into the little hole at the bottom, and raised the axe up to gently tap it up.
The screw moved!
I did a little jig, then calmed myself down and tapped again. If I hit the pen too hard, it would break, and I’d be screwed again.
One by one, the screws popped out of their hinges, leaving the door unsupported. I put them in my pocket, leaned the axe against the wall, and grabbed the door.
It was heavy but I managed to pull it off the hinges and shuffle it to the side.
“Pirates of the Caribbean for the win!” I chuckled and promised myself I’d tell Bethany if I didn’t die today. It was one of her favorite movies.
Now that I was where I needed to be, nerves bubbled to life. What if I’d done all this and the vials weren’t even there? Louis had said there’d only been one chemical in them, pyra-something, and he’d pointed to a glass case, I remembered. If they were gone, I’d break into the case. Simple.