Chapter thirteen
The group exited the dormitories and headed for the library. They entered and walked to the back of the library. Mulder unlocked the door that Herbert had disappeared through earlier.
They entered the office and saw that it was filled with African artifacts and masks.
"Wow, this guy is really obsessed with Africa," Mulder said as he picked up a small statue on a bookshelf.
"Hey, that looks like one of the statue thingies that Alan had," Shannon said.
Mulder looked it over, "So it does. Except it's missing its arms and head," he said.
"Great. We have two, so two more to go," Stan said.
Scully had walked over to Herbert's desk as the others talked. She found a loaded Revolver and ammunition in his desk along with a reel of film. She picked it up to look at it. It was labeled ARCHIVE 24.
"What'cha got there Scully?" Mulder asked as he came over to her.
"Film reel, and weaponry," she said showing him, "So we have another statuette?"
"Yeah," he said showing her.
"Well, I guess we go back to the amphitheater to view this," Mulder said indicating the film reel.
Scully nodded, "Yeah, so let's head back that way," she said and led the group through the library and back into the hallway.
They were surprised to meet Walden. He looked lost and just as surprised to see them too.
"Oh, you're still here?" he said lightly.
"You again?" Mulder said as he approached him, "You son of a bitch you set us up!" he exclaimed, shoving Walden against the wall roughly.
Scully pulled Mulder back, "Mulder!"
Walden looked at him startled, "Excuse me?"
"You gave us that key to the basement. Friedman showed up and now we're all infected!" Mulder said heatedly.
"You are…I-I didn't know that he would…I didn't set you up…is he still there?" Walden said frantically.
Mulder calmed a bit. Scully released her hold on him, but still stood between them.
"No idea. Now we need to find the antidote," Mulder said annoyed.
"It-it's completed?" Walden asked surprised.
Scully gave Walden a searching look, "From what Wickson said," Scully answered.
"She didn't mention…uh, so you have any idea of where it may be? Does Wickson have it?" Walden asked.
"She's dead," Mulder stated.
"But how? Why?" Walden said appalled.
"Herbert," Stan said.
"He wouldn't…" Walden said stunned but looked at them seriously, "Where's the antidote?" Walden asked aggressively.
"There's a lab in the basements; another part of the basements," Mulder said, "Ever see a big door?"
"No…how are you supposed to find it?" Walden asked.
"Map," Mulder said holding it in his hand.
Walden looked at it and then at the group.
"Will there be enough antidote…for all of us?" Walden asked scrutinizing the group, but then started coughing violently.
The five moved back from him, looking at him startled.
Walden doubled over and coughed up some black stuff. After the fit passed, Walden looked at them alarmed.
The five were still watching him, unsure of what to do. Walden decided to take advantage of their moment of shock. He grabbed the map out of Mulder's hand and shoved him back. Mulder fell against the group and knocked them down.
"Hey!" Mulder cried out angrily.
Walden ran for the exit.
Mulder disentangled himself, with Kenny, from the rest and followed after Walden.
Walden was faster. He made it out of the door and locked it behind him.
Mulder and Kenny started banging on the door.
"Damn it, you son of a bitch!" Mulder called pounding harshly on the door.
"Come back!" Kenny said shoving himself against the door.
The door was barred and just wasn't going to open. Mulder and Kenny finally gave up.
Stan, Scully, and Shannon came up behind them.
"Idiot!" Mulder exclaimed, slamming his fist against the door one last time.
"Mulder, don't worry, we'll find it without the map," Scully said calmly.
He looked at her sharply, "Don't tell me not to worry. You don't have that crap incubating in your body," he snapped at her and walked down the hall to find another door.
Scully looked after him remorsefully.
"Hey," Stan said.
Everyone looked at him.
"Uh, these doors are opened, earlier they were locked," Stan said standing in front of a couple of doors in the middle of the hall.
"They lead to the upper floors of the library and to the third floor of the school," Shannon said.
"They were locked before?" Mulder questioned as he walked over to the doors.
"Yeah," Stan said.
"So we're assuming that Walden opened them. I don't think I trust anything that man does now," Mulder said warily.
"We don't have a choice, it's the only door that's opened," Scully said and walked past into the stairwell behind the doors.
The group followed her, knowing she was right.
The first door up the stairs led to the balcony of the library and they found a third statuette. This one had its hands around its neck, as if it were choking. They took it and headed up to the third floor.
The hall was empty. They walked to the end to the main doors that led to the second floor of the main courtyard. The doors were locked.
Mulder hit the doors, frustrated, "I'm so tired of this," he complained.
No one said anything, but they all agreed with him.
They spread out to search the six classrooms.
Scully and Shannon were looking in the classroom to the right of the stairwell they had entered. Scully was walking around a big cabinet. She saw that behind it was a door.
"Hey, Shannon, help me move this," Scully said.
Shannon looked at her perplexed.
"It looks like something is behind here," Scully explained.
They pushed the cabinet to the right. It was a door and it led into another classroom.
Shannon and Scully searched it. There wasn't really much to it. It was an ordinary classroom.
Shannon was looking through the desk, "Hey, Agent Scully, I found a set of keys," she said holding a ring of keys.
"Great, hopefully these work for this building," Scully said and they went back into the main hallway.
Mulder and Stan were trying to figure out a way to open the main doors.
Scully walked over to them, "This might help," she said showing Mulder the keys.
"Hope so, unless Vick thinks this joke is funny a second time around," Mulder said as he tried the keys.
Scully only rolled her eyes, deciding not to point out that the janitor was dead. She didn't need a discussion about the dead having a sense of humor too.
The fifth key Mulder tried opened the door.
"Yes," Mulder said opening the doors.
"Well, let's head over to the amphitheater," Scully said.
"Yeah, hopefully we met Walden again," Mulder said as he withdrew his gun to check that it was loaded.
Scully gave him a reproachful look.
Mulder caught it, and shrugged, "He's mutating, I'd have the right to kill him," he said.
"After he's mutated, all right," she said firmly.
"Potato, patato," Mulder said nonchalantly.
The five headed over the amphitheater's projection room. Mulder set up the film and played it.
It was silent and in black and white.
This time it showed Leonard, Herbert, and Elisabeth as they worked in a lab. In the beginning, it seemed that they worked on bugs, mice, and rats. The film scene then changed to looking at paperwork on a desk. On the paper written boldly were the numbers 0582 and they were circled. The film ended.
"Those numbers looked important," Scully said as she wrote them down in her notepad.
"They might open that gate," Shannon said.
"Cool, then let's head back there," Stan said.
They walked backed to the stoned courtyard. Shannon entered the code and the gate opened.
The five walked through the gate. The gate closed behind them.
The area they entered was completely covered with overgrown bushes and trees. The path before them was a little tricky to maneuver. They started walking careful not to trip over the underbrush.
They came to a turn in the path and saw that up ahead of them were two mutants that seemed to have just turned.
Mulder signaled Stan and Kenny to go ahead with him.
The three killed the monsters before they could attack them.
They continued onward and the path ended at a gate. They walked through.
The next area was still a path heavily covered with bushes.
As they approached a small bridge, Mulder looked in the water. He saw something huge swimming in the stream under the bridge. He stopped Scully and pointed it out.
Scully looked at it apprehensively, "Do you think it will attack?" she asked.
"I don't know, but let's just hurry past in case it decides to," Mulder said as he rushed the others over.
They came to a fork in the path. The right path was a dead end. To the left they met up with a fully transformed monster. Its hands were just long sharp claws and its mouth was only tongue and teeth. Kenny and Stan killed it.
"I'm never going to get used to this," Kenny said slightly shaken.
"Yeah, well, if you turn into one, you won't have to worry," Stan said.
"Shut up," Shannon snapped, punching Stan's shoulder hard.
"Hey, sorry, it's just…well isn't that what we're all headed for," he defended.
"We'll find the cure," Mulder said calmly.
"And if we don't?" Stan challenged.
"Look, let's not get discouraged yet," Mulder said, "We need to keep moving, it'll be light soon," he said looking at his watch.
It was nearing five am.
They all agreed and started walking again.
The path ended at a crumbling wall. Stan, Kenny, and Mulder dismantled it and they continued.
The path came to another fork. The five went right and ended up at a decaying gazebo. Mounted on an alter in the gazebo was another statuette. This one was of a man on his knees praying.
"Great, now we have all four," Shannon said taking it.
"How do we use them though?" Stan asked.
"We'll find out once we get to where they belong, wherever that is," Mulder said.
"That's vague," Kenny scoffed.
"Hey, do I look like Friedman? I didn't set this up!" Mulder snapped, "Let's just get going," he said and walked ahead of the group.
They followed. Scully watched after him worriedly.
They headed to the left side of the path and ended up at a wrought iron door. They walked through and saw that they were on the side of a house.
"The mansion," Scully said.
"Hey, this is where I started when I went missing," Kenny said as he studied it.
Mulder tried to front door, "It's locked," he said.
Kenny went to the other side of the house, "The doors that lead to the basements are opened still," he said edgily.
"Well, let's get going," Mulder said and headed for the doors.
Kenny held him back. Mulder looked at Kenny inquiringly.
"Those things are loose now," he said.
"I know," Mulder said, "They're all over the school," he said impatiently.
"Yeah, but in there is ground zero, it's mostly just the transformed or fully transformed," Kenny explained.
Mulder sighed. He knew that Kenny didn't want to have to face those things again. He didn't know fully of what Kenny experienced these last few weeks.
"Look, we have to go down there. There isn't any other way, obviously Friedman or Walden aren't coming back to give us the cure," Mulder said, "We have to go down there, and we aren't going to separate."
Kenny looked at him torn. He obviously didn't want to go back down into the basements. After a moment, he nodded.
"All right," Mulder said.
Stan led the group, but immediately ran back out of the basement entrance as three monsters followed him. They had just transformed.
The group shot them dead and then proceeded, cautiously, down into the basement.