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They don’t know they’re leaving here, I think Of course not They’ll just be woken up in the ht andback, I’ll bet They’ll always fear the possibility
Still, I have orders I turn toward the staircase as the sheet onback againstup at the second floor, but we’re going to the basement and she doesn’t ease up on the resistance until she realizes that fact for herself I look between her and the first few steps leading up, and wonder what the hell is up there to provoke that immediate, unconscious response--to turn her so inside out with dread she’d be willing to challenge a Red, even for a second
I tug her forward, down the steps, feeling like the uncaring assle she , the easierthere We take the two of the Olsen is standing in the corner with a younger guy, no e is swinging froestures harshly toward the PSF, his faceto make it if you don’t helphim as we come fully into vieait for her perirl, butto catch her words when she speaks again "Handle thisbest you canit’ll be okayagain"
The base mirrors the structure of the first level: it’s T-shaped, one long hall running horizontally--this one packed with expensive-looking medicalit The sheet tellseach kid to office number twelve, which seeift It lets lance inside the rooms that have been left open, assess what’s still left inside Shelves, filing cabinets,a stack of boxes in his ar theirl over to the side to make way forwith to in and out of all of us, shouting, "Cos of blood in their hands
I glance back, alarht opens and twothe nurses inside the roo his buzzed hair, the other is in a white coat We reach office twelve before their words can carry down the echoing hallway, but I feel unsettled as I guide the girl inside and kick the stool over so she can clihts try to connect to one another, and then a third, but I force the a way back into the kennel today I have to make sure she’s okay
I position myself by the door, near the small counter with its jars of cotton balls and ear swabs I letover to the computer’s ht It’s on, I think, but the screen it brings up is locked and the only thing on it is a space for entering a password
The door swings open behindto allow the person in Gray scrubs, reddish-brown hair--it’s the guy fro with Olsen When he turns to shut the door, he takes ahis expression When he faces the girl again, he’s not ser looks like he wants to rip someone’s head off
The nurse steps past et to the computer My eyes dart down to the keyboard as he types his password: Martin09! I track his progress as he clicks through several different prograirl’s file Chelsea Her na you any trouble?" he asks, and, tothe questions The girl relaxed theher hands raw She shakes her head, keeping her eyes on the toes of her shoes
Right No eye contact
The nurse reaches up into the cabinet on the wall and unlocks it Inside are rows upon rows of bottles and jars I shiftas he turns around and fills a paper cup ater fro with two pills
He takes a long, thin piece of latex and ties it around the girl’s arets a grip on her aret the needle in
"You have to stop shaking," he says
Her gaze slides over toback to the nurse’s face Her bottoht between her teeth, bloodless with how hard she’s biting it A look of understanding breaks across the irl clutches the exa Halloween mask I can never take off
Oh, I think
"Oh," he says To his credit, it only takes him a second to steel his nerves and turn toward me with that sa: R Dunn "Step out for auntil I’ain, and the door is shut behind ain I pressmy face away I don’t want to hear it For some reason, it feels like a rejection--it feels like I’ve been stung, and I’ with toxic resentment