CHAPTER 7
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JACK'S POV
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The sun had risen. Holly and I were huddled in an alley, waiting for our chance to duck behind Granger Lab and find an entrance. One wrong move now...and we'd be dead. We were in plain sight.
"Go," Holly hissed, ducking from our shelter and running towards the lab. She made it behind a shadowy, concealed doorway and motioned for me. I stumbled after her a bit less gracefully.
I kicked something, sending a loud BANG echoing around. One of the guards turned and saw me.
I ran for it. He shouted something, but I didn't hear. Holly was pounding down the door...three well placed kicks and it popped open. We rushed inside and I spun around and jammed the door shut.
"Now what?" I asked, almost panicking.
"We need to work really, really fast," Holly said, darting down the hall.
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SILVER'S POV
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The scientists had left us. I was alone with Mephiles in the room, unable to move. He seemed to enjoy my fear, taking his time from moving from one side of the room to the other until he was directly in front of me.
"Well, if I want to get this plan in action, I'd better start now," his clawed hand gently caressed the side of my face. I shivered. "Do not resist me," Mephiles continued. "Doing so will only lead to more pain."
Fear was flaring up inside of me like the Flames. I watched in horror as he drew back his hand, winding up for a devastating punch to my injured side. He lashed out at me as I braced myself for the hit.
It never came. Instead, his fist seemed to vanish as it made contact with my skin, sending an uncomfortable cold through me. If Mephiles could smile, he would have. He held eye contact with me as he was literally absorbed into my side, the cold feeling spreading to every inch of my body. I shivered, but otherwise didn't feel any different. The cold clouded my mind, making me tired again.
I didn't want to fight it, and I didn't have the energy to. I eventually succumbed to the welcoming darkness, relieved to find that Mephiles still didn't have full control over my dreams yet.
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HOLLY'S POV
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I turned to head down one of two halls, but found it blocked by a man in a lab coat. I backtracked, running into Jack and nearly pushing him over.
"This way!" I shouted, pointing down the other hallway.
We took of running again, the man shouting for us to stop. There was a door at the end of our path. I quickly threw it open, relieved that it wasn't locked. We ran in and past some researchers bent over a small table, a large and dead frog being dissected in front of them.
"Don't mind us!" Jack managed to gasp out as we ran past. They just sat, stunned, as the researchers that were after us barreled past them.
"Holly...? I...can't breathe..." Jack wheezed.
"Sorry, man, it's either keep running or probably die." I drew in a deep breath and continued on.
We were now in another hallway, this one branching off into several directions. Perfect. I zipped off into the far left one, pulling Jack along with me. There was a door that lead into an abandoned, dimly lit lab...it would have to do. I shut the door and crouched behind a table, Jack doing the same as he fought to catch his breath. Footsteps sounded outside as the scientists ran by. Muffled shouts were heard briefly, but died down rather quickly.
It was now quiet. Too quiet. I could hear my ears ringing and the blood rushing through my veins.
"Now what?" Jack asked.
"We get out and find Silver," I replied, searching the room for another door besides the one we came in.
"Do you have a clue where he is?"
"No...but I'd guess somewhere in the middle of the lab. Somewhere secure..."
No other door in sight, I stood and headed for the one we had entered in. No one was outside. I thanked the heavens and silently exited the lab, Jack right behind me. I glanced around the other hallways, debating with myself which one to go into.
"How about that one?" Jack suggested, pointing to the middle right one.
"Why?" I asked.
"I dunno. It just seems like a good way to go." he shrugged.
"Ok, fine." I sighed. I quickly ran over to the door and tried the handle.
Locked.
"Anymore good ideas?" I asked.
"It was just a guess."
I sighed and picked a hallway at random. This one lead down around a few corners, obscuring our vision from any oncoming threats. It made me feel very insecure. At the end of this hallway was a door. I tried the handle and found it unlocked, much to my surprise. It opened into a lab that smelled of strong disinfectant, making my eyes and nose burn.
A small bed was pushed into one corner, machines stacked around it. The bed was empty. I went over to it and lay the back of my hand on the mattress. It was warm, as though a small extraterrestrial had lain there only minuets ago.
"We're close." I decided, scanning the room for another door.
I found one nestled between a desk and the wall and opened it. It was an elevator... I didn't know where it would lead, but we had to try. I pushed the button and waited for it to climb back to the floor we were on.
Silently, the doors opened and we were in. I glanced around the door, trying to find the button panel. There was only one, beside a open/shut one. It was unmarked.
"Well? Do we press it?" I asked slightly nervously.
"What else can we do?" Jack shrugged.
"There's still all those unexplored passages down the way we came." I reminded him.
"We might get caught if we go back." Jack glanced towards the door to the lab we were in, as though worried someone would burst through at that minute.
"Ok. Let's see where this leads," I pressed the button and waited.
The doors shut and the elevator lurched down. I gripped a side rail; I was never a fan of elevators. After what seemed like forever, it stopped descending and the doors slid open. We were now facing a hallway that curved to the right. Far-off voices were heard.
"Don't make a sound," I warned, silently exiting the elevator and walking over to peek around the side of the hallway. I was looking in a small room. Two scientists had their backs to us and one was facing the other two.
Standing at his side was Silver. He was staring at the ground, leaning heavily on the scientists' hip, but he seemed fine to me.
"What do you see?" Jack whispered. "What do we do?"
"Silver. Guarded by three scientists." I replied. "And as for a plan...I got nothin'."
"Should we just wait?"
"What if they come back to the elevator? We have nowhere to hide."
"Good point," he muttered. "So what now?"
"I dunno...but I have a stupid idea in mind. Take off your coat. We can use these."
We silently shrugged off our coats as I continued. "We run at them and use these as the element of surprise. I know there's three of them and two of us, but we have to try. Maybe Silver will even help."
"Gotcha." Jack nodded. "So...now?"
"Now," I confirmed.
We darted from the corner, screaming a battle cry. The two scientists that had their backs to us were stunned, allowing us to reach them quickly. I threw my coat over his head and punched him in the temple before kicking him forward so he pushed the third scientist over. I glanced at Jack, who already had his enemy out cold. My two were still very much conscious.
A punch to the third's head and he was out. I whipped my coat off of the second one's head and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "What do you hope to do with him? He's not an animal! You can't treat him like one!"
"N...nothing...! We only want to do r-research!" he stuttered.
A punch to the head and he was out. I quickly turned my attention to Silver, who had fallen to the ground, unmoving.
"Silver! Are you all right?" I rolled him onto his back and he twitched slightly, opening his eyes.
"Oh, good. Come on, we can't afford to stay here and longer, and—" I trailed off.
"Holly?" Jack asked, slight fear in his voice.
So he saw it too. I wasn't completely crazy.
Silver's eyes were not his own. They were acidic green surrounded by bright pink. My breath caught. I knew these eyes.
"Hello, Holly," Mephiles' voice said from Silver's body. His lips didn't move.
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Sorry if you find a boatload of spelling issues and grammar stuffs.
The next few upcoming chapters will be the conclusion, and I hope I don't butcher it...
Hasta la Vista, Readers.
Lordoftheghostking28
