Laura hardly breathed as she crept through the underground passageways. She took a couple of wrong turns but was able to double back and find her way. Finally, she reached the rickety staircase that led to the trapdoor in her old apartment. The Dean's apartment. Laura took the stairs one agonizingly slow step at a time and waited several minutes before she finally got up the courage to lift the trapdoor and peek out.
The room beyond was completely dark, but her time underground had helped her adjust to the lack of light. There seemed to be no sound or movement in the room above her, but even so Laura waited with her heart pounding. She was afraid because she truly didn't know what could be waiting for her. Perry could be lurking just out of sight, ready to pounce. Or maybe she had brainwashed J.P. to attack any intruder. Laura fought to steady her breathing; it was now or never.
Slowly, Laura lifted the trapdoor, careful not to let it go as she inched her way through the gap and painstakingly settled it back into place. She gave herself a moment to unfold from the awkward crouching position she had been holding and surveyed the space. Other than a throughout cleaning, nothing much had changed. Many of her own possessions were still scattered around the room. Her TARDIS mug sat on a side table, her grey cardigan was draped over the back of a chair, and her laptop -
Her laptop.
Laura tiptoed over to the desk and checked her Mac, a gift from her dad when she started university. She swiped a finger over the track pad and blinked when the screen lit up. A quick search revealed that some footage had been recorded after she, Carmilla, and LaFontaine had escaped, but she didn't want to risk opening the file there. She ducked down and unplugged her charger, wrapping the cord into a neat loop before she snapped the lid of the computer shut and snatched it into the safety of her arms. This was enough. She wouldn't have go any further. There had to be something here that would help them.
She was just about to descend once more, when she heard a soft padding of footsteps behind her. She froze, too scared to move, until she heard the person speak.
"Hello, Laura."