Chapter 21 - Cindy

After leaving Leon in the stairway, I got a drink at the bar and searched for Kiera. Passing some of the lab personnel I knew, I had to stop twice for a bit of small talk. Moving toward the other side of the party, I spotted her. I was sure Leon was wrong about Kiera, but I decided to keep my eye on her just in case.

She was talking to a couple of the professors from the upper-level offices. I had no idea what type of research they did. Another man joined them, one I had never seen before. He leaned closer to Kiera and seemed to be whispering to her.

Her eyes widened as he spoke, and she looked concerned suddenly. After saying something to the two scientists, she walked out the back door with the stranger. I decided to follow, hoping that Leon hadn't been caught.

Opening the back door as quietly as possible without looking conspicuous, I peeked around the door. It felt like my heart was beating in my throat. I swallowed hard, feeling sure that I could be heard for miles. It looked like a parking garage, but there were no cars.

Treading in, I silently closed the door behind me. Moving slowly, trying to stay hidden, I noticed flashing lights toward the left. There were two rapid blue ones and then a long red glow. I froze in place, hiding behind a large pillar. Once the lights stopped, the area went dark again.

In the distance, I heard voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Sticking my head around the side of the pillar, I saw what looked like large trash bins not too far ahead. Taking a deep breath, I stayed low as I moved forward.

My heart was now pounding not only in my throat but it was also vibrating through my entire body. My ears clogged like when you entered certain areas and you had to open your mouth to clear them. I sat with my back against the bin and breathed in softly with my mouth wide open.

Once I felt sure my legs would hold my weight, I turned and slowly looked over the top of the bin. I placed my hands over my mouth to prevent the scream that was pushing up inside me from escaping. Swinging around, I sat back down. Had my eyes deceived me?

My mind was sweeping left and right in panic mode, trying to make sense of what my eyes saw. Kiera was not the woman I thought she was. Leon was right about her.

Turning on shaky legs, I slowly rose and took another look. There she was, the woman I idolized; she stood before three life-sized tanks filled with blue liquid. Each held a human being with tubes running in all directions.

To the left was an operation table of sorts. On it lay another person and the man whom I had seen for the first time this evening was injecting a bright red liquid through a tube into the person's arm. Kiera stood with her back to me reading a chart of some form.

The blood drained from my face as I realized she was experimenting on humans. I was sure it had to be some of her ‘harmless' chemicals. A cold sweat broke out across my face. I knew I had to get out; I had to run.

Turning a bit too sharply as I started to flee, I bumped into the bin, and a loud thud echoed through the emptiness. Glancing back, I saw two large men coming my way as I proceeded toward the door I came through.

I realized I wouldn't make it to the door before they caught up. On the pillar next to me was a fire alarm. Looking around, I saw that there were fire alarms on each pillar. As I ran past the second one, I pulled the lever. The room lit up like a Christmas tree with flashing red lights and floods of water filling it.

The two men stopped for a second and looked back at Kiera. She waved her hand, showing them how to proceed. But this gave me just enough time to get to the door. As I opened it and stepped through, I felt a hand closing on my arm. The people in the room were running left and right like headless chickens.

Some were exiting through the lobby; others were running for the stairwell. But most didn't seem sure where they were supposed to go. Turning, I pulled with all my might. I swung my bag at the large man's face and felt his grip on me slipping. But I also felt my legs giving away as I stumbled backward.

The two men appeared to be stuck for a second as they tried to squeeze through the door at the same time. If I weren't scared shitless, I may have found it funny. Afterward, I most likely will, but my fear was stronger at that moment. I squirmed back like a worm on my ass, trying to get away as they popped through the doorway and came charging at me.

Seeing the end nearing, I fell back and closed my face with my arms, hoping they wouldn't hurt me. A second passed, then another before I heard a big thump. Moving my arms apart just enough to peek, I saw Leon standing tall before me.

To the side lay one of the men in a fetal position whimpering. Leon was sitting on the other, smashing angrily at his face. The man had his hands up before his face as I had just seconds ago. But Leon wasn't letting go. He pounded at the man's arms but soon moved to the sides of his head.

The man's head bobbed left and then right. As his head moved left again, his arms fell to the floor. Blood covered the left side, and it looked like both his eyes were swollen. Leon glanced at me and then stood up.

He lifted me into his muscular arms and walked out the door. It felt like I was staring in an action movie. The hero carried me out with water pouring down and sparks flying around us. People were still scurrying around, although they were now mostly outside. As we got to his truck, the fire department arrived. Leon handed me a small blanket from behind the back seat. He was grinning wildly as we drove home.

Pulling into the driveway of the mansion, Mila, Konstantin, and Piotr stood waiting for us. Leon was beaming as we stopped. He got out and ran around to my side. Opening the door, he held out his hand. I took it and got out.