Changes (26 page)

The three guards pulled Rachel down into a place that she had never been before, but she did know where she was. They used the basement for storage for the most part, but it was also used by the lab’s Security Department as their base of operations. They had offices down there, as well as other rooms that were set aside just for them.

They brought her down the stairs, and from there, continued down a long hallway that ended in a single turn to the right. Down the other hallway, they stopped at the first doorway on the left, and there, they brought her into some type of a conference room and pulled her inside it. Once inside and the lights turned on, they took her to the far side of a long rectangular table, and forced her into a chair at the head of it.

It hurt some when they forced her to sit. “You bastards are never going to get away with this.” She felt burned. She felt angry. She gathered her wits. “You can’t hold people against their will.”

One of the guards, the one that threw her into the chair, took the arms of the chair, bent over her, and huffed. “You’re going to sit there until we know what to do with you.” He sounded very matter of fact and kept his voice firm. He had no patience for doing what he was, and it made him angry. He had no idea what to do next.

Rachel saw the determination in his eyes and seeing it, it made her sigh. They intended to keep her there, like it or not.

Seeing her calm, Max Daud smiled. “I thought so?” He stood back upright.

The other guards, Rob Garrett, and Frank Moorland said nothing. They just stayed at the doorway to the room and kept quiet.

Rob looked back down the hallway and had something catch his attention all too fast. A banging sound echoed throughout the hallway, coming back from the area towards the stairs, and it made him jump. It sounded loud. It made him wince. “Did you hear that?” He turned to Frank next to him.

Frank nodded. What he heard sounded like someone had just banged a door. “I think someone’s coming?”

Rob didn’t agree, and took a deep breath, which sounded more like a sigh.

Max left Doctor Garland, and made his way back to the door and joined the others there. “It’s probably Gary?” He stepped out into the hallway, and looked down it with wide eyes. “Maybe now we can find out what the hell is going on?”

Rob looked at him with equally wide eyes. He wasn’t hearing footsteps coming. They all wore military style boots so they should hear them thumping on the floor if someone was walking towards them. The small fact that he wasn’t hearing anything, caused him to grow worried all too fast. The lights suddenly going out over all of their heads didn’t help.

“What now?” Max turned and looked up to the ceiling. The light fixtures, round dishes hanging from the ceiling, were all dark. What little light there now was came from the red emergency lights that lined the walls of the hallway on both sides of it around them. Shadows were now everywhere. “Go check it out?” He turned to Rob.

Rob heard him, but couldn’t bring himself to move.

Max could see that he looked scared. No one could have missed it. “All right, I’ll do it,” he huffed, and looked back to the woman and to Rob again. “Stay here with her.”

“I’ll go with you.” Frank nodded.

Rob swallowed a now dry mouth.

Max nodded, feeling somewhat relieved that he didn’t have to do anything alone. He tried to think about his options. “We’ve got to check out why the lights went out.”

“The breaker is at the far end of the hallway, just past the door to the stairs.” Frank stepped to Max’s side.

Max nodded. He stepped out to the hallway and looked to the direction that Frank had referred to and sighed.

A smashing, banging sound came from behind the three of them, and it caused all of them to jump at the same time.

“What the fuck was that?” Rob was the first to turn to the sound. He saw nothing but shadows. No other sound was there. Whatever caused the bang was now quiet and still.

“That sounded like it came from the other side of the basement?” Frank questioned, joining in the look for nothing but shadows. The entire area seemed overly quiet. The shadows remained still, almost serene.

Max had his mind dry all too fast. “You go check that out.” He turned from the direction that the others were looking, and looked back to the empty hallway that led to the circuit breaker. “I’ll go and find out why the lights went out.”

Frank nodded.

The three of them said nothing else. Frank went to the left, and slowly began his way down the hallway, and Max went to the right, heading back to the stairs. Rob turned back to the room and went over to the far end of the table from the woman, and there he stayed.

Rachel watched him come in. Except for the lights being off, she didn’t know anything else but that, so she stayed still. She watched the young guard stand across from her and watched him turn back around towards the door. What they were going to do with her was the only thing on her mind.

Max walked slowly down the hallway, keeping his left hand to the wall as he moved. When he reached the left turn, he stopped and peered around the corner to his left. He saw nothing. No one was there. He took a deep breath, and after a brief hesitation, he began again.

He crept along, and instantly, he could see something spark just up ahead of him, on his right. He couldn’t have missed it. It flashed light all around the hallway, and it made him stop.
What the hell is that?

He began again, walking slowly. He walked to the flash of sparks, and soon realized what they were coming from. On the wall, he could see a door on his right. Next to the door, the keypad to the door itself looked smashed and shattered. With the emergency light behind him, he could see that the pad cover even looked gone.

Seeing it missing, he gasped. “What the hell?” He came closer to the pad as the sparks from it twinkled in his eyes. “What the hell did this?” He moved closer to the wall, and heard a bit of a splash come from beneath his boot. The sound forced him to stop and look down.
What the hell is that?

He bent down to the floor and with the light now over him, he could see a large print, maybe the size of his own hand, and it looked dark against the light gray colored concrete of the floor. “What the fuck is that?” Getting closer to the print, he reached out and touched it with the index finger of his right hand, and it came back moist to the touch. He brought his hand back to his face, and noticed that it looked like blood. He looked back to the print. Suddenly, fearfully, he recognized what it was—or more importantly—what made it.
The wolf!
The thought sent his heart racing, and flew his mind into a jumble of rambling images. He stood up fast. He stood with purpose. He turned to his right, and instantly stopped. Something stood there, now, right in front of him, and seeing it, he froze in place.

At first, all he saw was a deep black fir. After seeing that, he saw a sweeping clawed hand come straight to the left side of his face. He didn’t expect to see it. He didn’t have the chance to react to it. It came at him so fast that all he could do was scream.

An agonizing pain shot through his head just after it, and it raced its way down his chest. He felt his feet leave the floor, and felt his own blood streak down the side of his face as it spilled to his shoulders, and soaked his chest. A popping sound rushed around him, sounding like a cork popping from a Champaign bottle on New Year’s Eve, and it echoed around his skull. His screams were short as he could feel his back snap in half. It was such a weird sensation, feeling his life slide away like it was. He died before he felt anything else.

Frank heard what sounded like a scream when he was almost to the stairway on the other side of the basement, and the sound made him jump and stop dead in his tracks. Spinning around was the only thing he could possibly do.

“What the fuck was that?” His mind raced as his heartbeat became nothing but dark. He looked back up the hallway and saw nothing. With it all, he took a deep breath.
That sounded like it came from the other side of the basement.
He couldn’t tell for sure, so he slowly headed back the way he came. He only took one-step when an undying need came up in his thoughts.
What am I doing?
He answered it and reached for the weapon on his side. He took it out and held his automatic out in front of him, and cocked it. Instantly, he felt better, so he gripped it tighter as he let it lead his way.

After several steps, he reached back to Rob who was now standing, just at the doorway to the conference room. Even with the lack of light around them, he could still see that he had a terrified look written all over his face.

“Where did that come from?” Frank asked him as he reached the door. “Where did the scream come from?” His voice sounded like nothing more than just a whisper in the dark.

Rob turned to him and saw the weapon in his hand. With his fear swarming around inside him, he had completely forgotten that he too was armed. Remembering it now, he removed the automatic from his holster and brought it out to his side. “I think that was Max?” He could barely talk. It took everything he had to get his words out at all. Not knowing if Frank heard him or not, he pointed to the hallway to his right instead.

Frank did hear him. “Go inside the room and close the door. Lock it. I’ll come back in a few minutes.” He looked back down the hallway and took a deep and everlasting breath. “Only open it when I come back.”

Rob nodded, accepting everything, and turned back to the room and closed the door in front of him. He then locked it and stepped back to the table.

Frank started out, hearing the door close behind him as he moved down the hallway with caution in his pace. He moved softly, not trying to make any sounds. He moved with purpose, holding his weapon firmly with both hands. He gripped it so tight, that he could feel his fingers begin to burn. He liked the feeling, because it told him that the weapon was still there.

Coming to the intersection, he stopped at the left side of the wall, and from there, he peered around the corner to his left. Instantly, he saw nothing. The hallway looked completely quiet with only a slight flashing of light coming from just up ahead of him on his right.

Seeing that, he sighed. Slowly, he moved around the corner, and slowly, he moved with his back against the wall. He slid along it, knowing that his back was covered as he approached the flashing light. He reached the door to the stairs and there, he stopped.

What the Sam hell is that?
He looked closer and could see that the keypad looked smashed. Seeing it, he gasped and his mind went blank, as his eyes burned with fear.
Something’s wrong?
He stepped back, feeling an open doorway now on his left. He never bothered to look inside the room and after what happened next; he wished he had.

A heat came to the back of his neck almost instantly. He could hear something breathing, and that sound made him freeze in place. He didn’t want to turn to see it, and somehow, he already knew that it was death itself.

The wolf moved fast as it stepped to his back. It bit down, and locked its jaws onto the back of his neck.

Instantly, his entire body went limp, and it caused his hands to drop the automatic to the floor. A cracking sound followed the bite with warm blood flowing down his shirt, following the sound. With that, Frank knew that he didn’t have a chance. He didn’t have the opportunity to fight to survive.

Rob waited and watched the door. His mind raced fast, and he couldn’t get it to relax. He couldn’t even move. He couldn’t even find the strength to breathe. He felt locked in place and couldn’t even bring himself to sit in the chair behind him. He just watched the door and waited for any sign of Frank’s return. When a knock came to it, he finally breathed. He finally relaxed. “Oh thank God?”

He moved to the door and reached for the knob, turned it just as fast, and opened the door.

Frank was there and somehow, he didn’t look right. He looked pale in the dim light behind him. He also looked like he was in absolute pain. He even looked—somehow—
taller
. His face hung down and his eyes looked down to his own feet.

Seeing that, Rob also looked down and could see that Frank wasn’t even standing on the floor. His feet dangled in the air.

“Help me?” Frank even said.

Rob looked up and looked to Frank’s face, and behind him, just to the right side of his face, another face was there and it snarled. Drool and teeth showed through its lips. Its bright yellow eyes glistened.

Rob screamed and fell back away from the door.

The wolf let out a roar that sounded like nothing anyone had ever heard before, and it blasted all around him. It sounded like the mix of a lion, of an elephant, and of every other animal in the world.

Rob took the door with his left hand and slammed it back shut.

Rachel watched everything, but saw almost nothing. All she did see was the young guard open the door after the knock. She watched him then slam it again with a huge bang. She then watched him step back. To her, he looked terrified. He had horror written all over his actions, and it made him almost look like a person that looked possessed.

She watched him back away to the left wall of the room, and just after he reached it, a crash of thunder, and the sound of breaking metal came next as she watched the door shattered, and torn from the wall. It felt so strong that she could almost feel the wind of it blow against her face. With it, she flew to her feet. She gasped. She held her breaths. Even with that, everything happened too fast to register with one single thought.

Rob didn’t see what hit him, but whatever it was, it came into his face and chest almost like a hammer. It blew him off his feet and it sent him reeling backwards to the wall. He hit it just as violently, and slid down it to the floor. With it all, it blew his mind. Realizing that the door now lay on him, he pushed it towards the table and sighed. After that, he looked up.

The wolf tossed the now dead man to the top of the table. He bent at the knees and stepped inside the room. It turned to its right and looked down to the floor.

Rob watched it step right to his feet. He looked up, marveling, oddly, that it was even walking on its hind legs.

The wolf growled, sounding like thunder rolling over the hills of a valley—deep and trembling.

Rob heard it, and when he did, he gasped. He realized that he still had the weapon in his right hand, so he lifted up in front of him and aimed it at the beast.

The wolf saw it and snarled.

Seeing its teeth, Rob’s body froze. Tears welled up in his eyes. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t think. His hands came down, and with them, the weapon fell into his lap.

The wolf saw this, and almost seemed to sigh.

Rachel screamed as she backed up into the chair, and the chair went into the wall behind her, making it impossible for her move any further back. Trapped, she left the table and moved to the corner of the room to her right, and there, she found the wall, and took it with both palms of her hands. She kept her eyes forward the entire time, and did nothing but try to breathe, but even that felt difficult to do.

She watched something—she had no idea what it was—now step to the door. It looked huge. It looked like a mammoth. It filled up the entire doorway, and looked so massive that it blocked out all of the light from the hallway behind it. She could see that it looked black. She could see how massiveness it looked. She could hear it breathing. She could smell a heavy mustiness all around it, which almost made her gasp by the smell. It sounded raspy, and it sounded coarse. It sounded heavy and deep, and it made her wince from all of it at once.

It came through the door, having to bend at its knees to duck into the room, and it turned to its left. It snarled with a heavy rasping sound as it looked to the floor to its right. With its head turned, she could see its long protruding snout. Seeing it, she gasped. It looked like a dog. It looked like a large man-sized wolf walking on its hind legs.

It walked in towards the table and looked right at her. Its feet thudded along the floor as it moved around the table and walked towards her. It sounded heavy. It stopped right in front of her as its shadow now covered her completely.

She looked at it with awe and took a deep breath. The smell of must filled her nose. She blinked, trying to force herself back to thinking straight.

The wolf looked down at her and its snarling stopped, and a moaning, whining sound followed it.

She gasped again as it looked down at her, and with her eyes widening, she could feel her face go pale. Her heart thundered in her chest.

It came closer and with its right arm, it reached out to her with an open hand.

She flinched back and grabbed the wall behind her.

It dropped its arm, tilted its head to its left shoulder, and looked like it tried to understand what she just did. It then straightened again. The moaning began again and even grew stronger, with the whining continuing and a chatting sound coming in with it.

It sounded almost like it tried to talk to her. She didn’t know what to think, but a sudden thought flashed through her mind. “Jimmy?” she whispered, thinking back to everything he told her. She didn’t know why it made sense, but it did. In fact, she felt better hearing herself say it. “Jimmy, is that you?”

The whining intensified and its head tilted to the right as it stared her down. It sounded almost like a large dog trying to get its owner’s attention. It sounded almost like a purring. It sounded almost like magic, hearing it.

She had to be certain with what she felt, so she stepped forward one-step and reached out to the wolf with her right hand.

The wolf reached out to her hand as well and the tips of their fingers touched.

“Jimmy, is that you?” In the dimness of the room, she could almost see the wolf smile. Its lips curled up, and the sight of it, real or not, codified every thought she had.

The whine grew stronger.

“What did they do to you?”

The wolf gave her a soft, subtle howl.

She dropped her arm back to her side. “Oh Jimmy. I,” A sharp hissing sound suddenly cut her off. It sounded like it came from behind it.

Obviously hearing it, the wolf stopped its whining and it turned back towards the door. A snarl flared from the beast.

She turned to the door, having to tilt her head some to look around the massive creature, and through the doorway, she could see a flashing of light coming from somewhere outside of the room. With the wolf’s reaction to it, she knew that something had to be wrong. “What is it?”

The wolf spun around, and faced her again. The snarling stopped the moment it turned, and the whining began again, as it reached out again with its right arm.

This time she could see its eyes slightly in the dimness of the room. She almost understood what they said. They had to get out of there. They were coming.

It turned, dropped its arm and moved back to the door.

Slowly, she walked behind it as it bent at the doorway and went back out into the hallway, and turned to its right. She followed it there, stopping just at the doorway itself.

It looked down the hallway towards the direction of the flashes, and snarled. It grimaced and showed its huge teeth.

She watched the wolf step out to the center of the hallway and stop. She saw the flaring of light. She could hear the hissing. “We have to get you out of here?” Standing there, looking at it, she could now see it clearly, and it made her gasp. It looked powerful, with its black fir shining within the dim red light above it. It looked far taller than she was, with her head only coming up to its elbows. She looked up and noticed that its pointed ears touched the high tiled ceiling above it. It looked like the most incredible thing she had ever seen before in her life.

The wolf turned from the hallway and looked back to her, and its yellow eyes sparkled as it moaned its whining song.

“We have to go?” She stared at its face. She could feel its hot breath on her cheeks. “They’re going to be coming for you. We have to go now.”

The wolf blinked. A crash came behind it, and the floor seemed to shake. The air broke the sound, and it sounded like someone had just broken down a door. It turned and snarled loudly to the sound.

She looked and saw that the flaring light stopped. Off in the distance, she could hear the sounds of people talking. The sounds of obvious footsteps on the concrete floor came next. If they were going to leave, now was the time. “Jimmy, we have to go!”

The wolf turned so fast that it caught her completely off guard. It grabbed her strongly and lifted her off her feet. It took her into its arms, and with great strength, it ran.

The musty odor of its fir rushed through her nose and covered her face. All she could see was its fir. All she could feel was its strength. She watched as the hallway moved behind them. She bobbed with each step it made. They moved fast as it thundered down the hallway with massive strides. With everything happening so fast, she just went along for the ride.

It ran, turned the corner and continued on, never once losing its pace. It came to the door to the stairs but didn’t stop, and instead, it plowed through it without losing its stride.

A crash of metal and wood echoed all around her as she could see a door shattered behind it, and then, she saw nothing but stairs.

It ran up them to the first floor, stopped when it reached it, and set her down gently back to her feet.

She found herself now facing another door. Through the window in it, she could see the hallway to the office side of the building. Seeing it, she breathed and caught her breath.

It looked down to her and moaned. It brought up an ID card that it must have held in its left hand to the keypad and used it. The pad beeped and the light went green as the door clicked. The wolf then opened the door for her.

She couldn’t believe what she saw. She couldn’t believe what it showed her that it could do. It seemed smart. It knew how to do things, and seeing it, she had to catch her breaths again.

The wolf lifted its right arm towards the door, motioning for her to go through it first. It moaned and whined as a grin crossed its snout.

She knew what it wanted her to do. She went through the door and once through it, she stopped. She looked right and then left. No one was there. The area looked quiet. She turned back to the wolf, but all she saw was the door closing again between them.

No!
She reached for the door. She reached for the handle, but it wouldn’t turn. She looked through the window in the door, and just caught the back of it as it headed back up the stairs. It ran up them and disappeared.

Seeing that, she shook her head, knowing that he left her there. “No.” She reached for her card that she normally kept on her belt, but couldn’t feel it. Realizing that the guards took it from her before they took her to the basement, she panicked fast. “Fuck!” She couldn’t follow him. She couldn’t go after him. “Jimmy!” She banged on the door, and from the other side of it, she heard a howl come from the stairs. Hearing it, she knew what it meant.
He wants them to follow him. No, he can’t do that. They’ll kill him. I can’t let him do that. I have to help him. I have to get to him. Why didn’t he let me?
She gasped. She sighed. She had to do something with only one idea coming to her that made any sense.

She turned from the stairs, ran down the hallway, and headed to the back of the building. She had to get outside. She had to do whatever she could to save him.