Predominance (16 page)

“Yeah!” I responded wryly, still coughing out dust. “Just hangin' out!”

“Can you climb up?”

“I don't know. How does it look from up there?”

“You're not that far down. Try to use the deck-boards as a ladder.”

“Right!”

“Oh, and Victor?” she called again. “Try not to look—”

“Don't say it!” I cut her off before she could remind me. I knew looking down wouldn't do me any good at this point, so I tried to focus on climbing up and forget about the nearly two hundred feet between me and the top of the cliff.

After a great deal of struggle, I finally climbed up far enough to reach Sarah's hand. She then pulled me up by the elbow and helped me over the ledge. I don't know how she managed it, but I was heartily glad she had. “Thanks!” I gasped, trying to catch my breath, thrilled to be once again on solid ground. I put a good dozen feet between myself and the edge before I stopped moving.

“Are you okay?” she asked, scanning my body for injuries—of which she found plenty. Yet her immediate concern was my left arm, which was cut from where one of the breaking foot-boards had scraped across it as I hit, and was now bleeding profusely. I also had a nasty cut across my left eyebrow, which kept dribbling blood into my eye. I brought my hand up to dab at the wound, but Sarah stopped me before I could touch it. “Don't!” she said, tearing a piece off her blouse and folding it into a wad. She then pressed it against my brow and told me to keep pressure on it. And though it hurt like hell, I tried to keep my composure and not complain too much.

“Thanks,” I said, pressing the cloth against my brow. “Are you all right?” I asked, observing her distress. She nodded quickly and continued tending my wound. “Hey,” I said, “Relax. I'm fine.”

Her eyes met my stare, an obvious stain of guilt in them. “You're not fine,” she said, wiping the blood off my arm. “You're banged up. You're going to need stitches.”

“It'll be all right,” I said encouragingly.

She stopped and looked at me with sad eyes. “I'm sorry,” she whispered, as tears rose. “I shouldn't have talked you into crossing.”

“It's okay,” I whispered back, a soft smile in my face. “Really.”

“It's not okay,” she barked, tearing more pieces from the bottom of her blouse, which ended up looking like a crop top. “I almost lost you there,” she added.

An awkward silence followed her words.

“I guess the bridge wasn't as strong as it seemed, huh?” I finally joked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She stopped again and looked at me.

“I'm sorry,” she said regretfully. “I feel so stupid!” She turned to my wound again and bandaged it with the pieces of cloth. 

“Hey!” I stopped her, and held her hands together. I know my eyes were reflecting exactly what I wanted to say. “It's all right.” My voice sincere. “I'm all right.”

Her eyes finally softened then, and she let out a deep sigh of relief. I even saw a faint smile on her trembling lips. “Thanks for the warning,” she said. “I could've fallen too.”

“We're in this together, right?”

Her faint smile broadened. “Yes, we are.”

“Just do me a favor and check the ropes before you wobble next time, okay?” I added seriously. “I'd hate to lose you too.”

Her eyes lifted to meet mine. “I'll be more careful,” she vowed, finishing up with my dressing. “I promise.”

We laughed then, trying to put the event behind us. After Sarah finished patching up my head, we got back on our feet and resumed our dangerous journey. 

***

The mansion was just a couple of miles away now; and Sarah, who was once again leading the way, had found a path that would help us save some time. The way she hiked along the path made me realize she'd probably ventured here before. But I didn't bother to ask. My complete concentration was now focused on getting out of these beautiful but treacherous woods. With every step I took, I was getting closer to a potentially fatal confrontation. But my resolve to get there before something bad happened to Yvette overpowered any fear I had. If anything, it only hastened my pace.

After hours of hiking, we finally arrived at R.C. Labs' long, graveled driveway. By then, the sky had turned gray as the sun began to set behind the trees. Fear, however, was on the rise. I watched Sarah stand in the middle of the road, staring blankly at the way back to town. My eyes, on the other hand, were locked on the edifice in the opposite direction. This place, however loathsome, still held my last and only reason to live—and I wasn't going anywhere until I got her back.

I let Sarah ponder for a few moments, hoping she'd change her mind about coming with me. I knew that if I pressured her to leave, she'd probably do the opposite just to spite me. So I just stood there waiting for her to make her own decision.

After a brief consideration, she turned back to me, head down and expressionless, and sighed. Understanding what the rational thing to do was, I waited patiently for her to say goodbye. But then a second, more optimistic sigh brought life back to her eyes and a crooked smile to her lips. Without speaking a word, she began to lead the way back to R.C. Labs. Her decision had been made, and all I could do was respect it. So I followed her lead once more. 

As we trudged towards the Lab, I could feel my brain reaching out into the atmosphere, absorbing the energy that Sarah had talked about. It was impossible for me to tell which of the two forces, maleficent or beneficent, was in control at the moment. All I could feel was the delightful awareness that connected my mind with every single thing around me, living or not, especially Sarah. Through this power, I was able to perceive the forest in a way that challenged the parameters of logic. I sensed the long thoughts of the trees, the quiet whisper of the wind and the scents it carried, and even the animals jolting along restlessly in the woods, scared and confused, as though they were able to sense me too. It was an extraordinary experience that made me wonder how such a beautiful gift could ever be turned to anything evil.

My mind sifted through the vast forest, until it encountered a lone wolf 1.138 miles away. I had no idea how I was able to so accurately calculate the distance between the things I sensed and myself, assuming I wasn't just fooling myself. Yet I was compelled to believe it was accurate. So much was going through my mind at that moment that I decided not to question anything anymore; there was no point in flustering myself even further. So when the wolf reacted to my scan with a high-pitch howl, I only smiled with amazement. Sarah, on the other hand, was so startled that she stopped frozen in her tracks.

“What the hell was that?” she wailed, “Is that a—”

“Yes it is,” I answered quickly, “But don't worry, it's over a mile away.”

“How do you know that?”

“I wish I knew,” I answered earnestly, watching as Sarah wrapped her arms around herself, which made me aware of how cold the evening had become. I was so strangely warm and comfortable that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. “Come here,” I said, sliding my arm over her shoulders. She buried her head underneath my chin and shivered. “You're freezing, Sarah!” I noted, as she wrapped her arm around my waist. I could feel her cold hand grazing my bare skin through my ripped shirt.

“How can you be so warm, wearing nothing but this rag?” she said, teeth chattering.

“I don't know. But under the circumstances, whatever the reason is, I'll take it.”

She chuckled. “Agreed.”

A sudden presentiment made me pull Sarah off the road and hide with her behind some bushes. “What now?” she complained.

I shushed her. “Someone's coming.”

A pair of headlights came into view, confirming my prediction. Sarah and I crouched deeper behind the undergrowth, hoping we hadn't been seen. But when the approaching vehicle stopped not too far from where we were hiding, we knew we must have been spotted; they probably had sensors on the road. We heard the engine idle as the headlights pierced a tunnel of light right through the pitch-black road.

I ground my molars together as I heard the car door open and close; Sarah froze into a statue. Footsteps crunched on the gravel, and with an audible click, a flashlight suddenly illuminated the side of the road. In the attempt to stay out of sight, I signaled Sarah to move deeper into the woods, but the snap of a twig gave away our position, making us freeze in panic. 

“Hello!” a familiar voice broke the silence, “Is anybody there?”

“Denali?” I whispered to myself. Sarah stared at me, confused.

“Hello?” he called again. This time his voice left no doubts. 

I rose and began walking towards the light, palm first, trying to keep it out of my face. Though it didn't hurt anymore, I couldn't suppress three years of habit.

“Victor!” Sarah called with a frantic whisper. “What are you doing?”

“It's okay,” I called over my shoulder, “Just stay put.”

I kept walking towards the light until I saw the silhouette behind it. “Denali? Is that you?”

“Mr. Victor?” Denali recognized me on the spot. He lowered the light and walked toward me with a confused look on his face. “What are you doing out here? Don't you know there's a dangerous patient on the loose?”

I sighed in relief. “Denali, we need your help.”

He flashed the light over the bush where Sarah was hiding, realizing I wasn't alone. He then flashed the light right back at me, his eyes slowly scrutinizing my appearance. I suppose my wounds, along with the bloodstains on my ragged clothes, were probably a lot to take in. “What the heck happened to you?” he exclaimed. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine, but we need your help to get back inside R.C. Labs.” I beckoned to Sarah to come out of the bushes.

“I'm sorry, Mr. Victor, but the entire building's in lockdown,” he explained. “I was told to go home and wait until the situation was contained.”

“Situation...?”

“I was told a dangerous patient had escaped from the Lab, and that no one was to enter or leave the premises until further notice.” His tone sounded troubled. “I could lose my job if I go back.”

“Any chance we can continue this discussion in the car?” Sarah said through chattering teeth. “Um, hi, I'm Sarah.”

“Denali.” He smiled and shook her hand. “Please, get inside! I'll turn up the heater for you.” He eagerly opened the door for Sarah and gestured for us to get in.

Inside Denali's 2002 Buick LeSabre, Sarah found an R.C. Labs coat that she shrugged into, while I told Denali about our unbelievable ordeal. His eyes bulged in horror as he learned the truth about his employer and the gravity of the situation. After a minute of musing and hyperventilating, he finally agreed to help us. “All right,” he said. “What do you want me to do?”

I thought for a second. “How big is your trunk?”

Rescue

THE DARK ROAD
brightened gradually the closer Denali got to the gates of R.C. Labs. His clammy hands trembled over the steering wheel and he knew his face was pale as a ghost's. His eyes narrowed in the glare of a flashlight, which beckoned him to stop alongside the security both. He bit his lower lip as one of the guards approached and tapped on his window with his flashlight. He rolled the window down, revealing his forced smile. “Hello, John,” Denali greeted, showing all of his teeth.

“Denali?” The guard gave him a quizzical look. “What the hell are you doing here? Didn't they tell you to go home?”

“Yes,” he answered, too quickly. “But I, uh… forgot something in the Town Car.”

“What?” the guard asked, scrutinizing his face.

“W-what?” Denali stammered, losing his train of thought. 

“What did you forget in the car?” The guard probed, enunciating every word as if talking to a five year old kid.

“Oh!” he snapped and followed with a nervous stammer, “M-m-my wallet. Can't do anything without it.”

The guard's face was bleak and definitely not amused by Denali's unusual behavior. He pointed his flashlight inside the cab and scanned the front and back, spotting nothing but an empty soda cans and a half-eaten bag of potato chips. The guard held his quizzical look while aiming the light back onto Denali's face. Then he sighed and considered for a moment; Denali took advantage of his hesitation. “It'll only take me a minute,” he pleaded. “I promise!”

The guard grunted. “Oh, all right. But, make it quick. I'm not supposed to let anybody in without Dr. Walker's approval.”

“Thank you, John!”

The guard walked back to the booth and opened the gate. Denali eagerly shifted into gear and waved gratefully to the guard as he pulled into the main driveway. Once inside the premises, he drove to the back of the mansion, where the company Town Car was parked. Denali was breathing so heavily that he was just a tad away from hyperventilating again. He backed up toward the building next to the Town Car, parked, turned off the engine, and stepped out.

His vigilant eyes looked everywhere as he walked to the back of the car. He looked again and quickly popped the trunk open. “Come on,” he said, helping Sarah out of the space where we'd been successfully smuggled. “Quickly, before anyone see us.”

“Do you have the keys for the Town Car?” I asked, trying not to lose momentum.

“They're tucked in the visor,” he said.

“Good!” I patted his shoulder and took a deep breath. “You'd better go now. This way, they won't suspect you.”

“But what about you and Miss Sarah? Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, we'll be fine.” I tapped him on the shoulder again, trying to reassure him. “Thank you for everything, Denali—I'll never forget it. Now, go!”

Denali got back in the car and rolled down the window. “Take care, Mr. Victor. You too, Miss.”

“Thank you, Denali,” Sarah said with a warm smile.

Sarah and I merged with the shadows of the mansion while Denali drove away. We moved along the edge of the meadow, like stealthy thieves in the night. I can't believe I'm back here, I thought as
I sidled against the walls of this opulent building. I was back in the place I once thought to be my salvation. Now, I knew that it was nothing but a madhouse that had cursed me for life—however long that might be. Even the meadow had lost all its beauty in my eyes.

This was now the cradle of my resentment and hatred, the birthplace of the monster I was turning into—and Dr. Walker, its father and creator, was the Reaper who'd destroyed all my dreams. Only one thing was keeping me from letting my anger and hate consume all my humanity: Yvette. The thought of seeing her again was keeping me going. The hope of holding her in my arms again was worth everything to me. I needed to tell her, before it was too late, that I now understood that the little boy she once knew had never stopped loving her… never.

All the security personnel were on high alert. Searchlights on top of the building swept the entire meadow, as if guarding the yard of a maximum security prison. Running the numbers in my head, I noticed the ten-second window in which the lights left our path in the shadows. So I told Sarah to keep her head down and wait for our opportunity to move in closer. I reached for her hand and locked my eyes on those lights, counting the seconds for our window. Then, without wasting any time, we ran as fast as we could, towards our only hope for a break-in. We stopped and crouched behind the weeping willow where I'd last seen Yvette, and waited for the light to pass. Sarah, trying to catch her breath, looked at me with a confused look on her face. “What are we doing here?” she asked with an anxious whisper.

“This is our way in,” I noted, throwing a quick glance towards the second floor.

“What?” she questioned in disbelief, “Through the window? How do you know that's not going to trip every alarm in the place?”

“Trust me,” I assured her. “I know.”

“I hope you're right.” She sighed. “All right, then, let's go!” Her command was followed by a deft move that put her on top of the first branch. I stepped back as I watched her thrust her way up the tree, as if she'd done it her whole life. “Come on!” she hissed over her shoulder, staring down at my stunned face. “Hurry up!”

“Right,” I muttered, remembering my lack of dexterity when it came to heights. Though I have to admit that after climbing a two-hundred-foot cliff while hanging above a family of steep boulders, climbing a tree to a second-floor window didn't seem all that difficult. Still, Sarah had to jump to the rescue when she saw me struggling at the edge of said window.

“You know,” she grunted as she pulled me inside the bedroom, “For someone with acrophobia, you certainly do a lot of off-ground activities.”

“Not by choice,” I panted.

When I'd caught my breath, I whispered Yvette's name as loudly as I could, hoping she'd be there; my hypersenses apparently saw no reason to help me at the moment. My hope vanished with the flip of a light switch. The room was empty, and apparently left the same way she'd left it before the procedure. Yvette's partially unpacked bag was still on the bed, along with her father's flask and some letters bound together by a red ribbon. Sticking out of her open purse was her passport and a return airline ticket to New York City. I quickly gathered these items and headed for the door. My room was just across the hall, and I needed to check to see if my things were still there.

Sarah and I moved fast and quietly across the empty hallway and locked ourselves inside my room. Everything was exactly as I'd left it. I grabbed my backpack in a hurry and shoved Yvette's stuff inside of it, along with my own passport, cell phone, return ticket, and some cash. I donned my jacket, followed by my backpack, and headed for the door. Before I opened it, I turned around and met Sarah's anxious stare. “We've got to go down to the Lab,” I told her in a low voice.

“I know,” she murmured, heaving a long, heavy sigh. “Let's go.”

Sarah led the way to the elevators and opened the same panel Nurse Jacky had used to take me to the Lab. She entered a code and waited. “I managed to program a master code before I left,” she explained. “Let's hope it hasn't been overridden.”

After the longest five seconds of my life, green lights lit up the panel and the elevator doors hissed open. We stood there, staring at the open elevator. Sarah's face was pale as a ghost; I wondered if she was secretly hoping for the code not to work, so she could tell me to get the hell out of there. But I think she knew by then that I'd have just found another way to break into the Lab. “Are you ready?” I asked, my eyes fixed on the inside of the elevator.

“Are you?” she countered. I turned to her and meet her fearful eyes. “You...may not like what you'd find down there, Victor.”

I turned back to the elevator and thought about her words, imagining the horror of finding Yvette dead. But I shook my head in vehement denial and climbed into the elevator car. “You coming?” I asked. Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed in defeat, climbing onboard. She shot me a solemn look and pushed the button for the lab.

Her face looked even paler under the elevator's florescent lighting. Her eyes flickered with a mixture of fear and determination, as though her conviction to stay alive was trying to overpower the dreadful thought of dying. I took her hand in mine as she let out a deep, shaky sigh. Her eyes flew to our entwined hands and then back to my eyes. “I'll keep you safe. I promise,” I said softly.

She squeezed my hand with a faint smile on her face. “I know you'll try.”

In unison, we lifted our eyes the floor indicator, trembling with every changing number, watching a countdown we couldn't stop. We were only three levels away from the Lab when another spark in my mind rattled my senses. Images began to bloom in my mind, fuzzy at first but soon clear as water. Two armed men waited for the elevator at the Lab level, and they sure as hell weren't expecting two uninvited guests coming their way.

I knew with absolute certainty that these visions were not only real, but that they were triggered by the presence of imminent danger. Knowing that reaching the Lab level would be the end of us made me react with the only solution I could think right then. I kept my eyes on the floor indictor and waited for the right moment, then reached out, quick as a snake striking.

“What are you doing?” Sarah asked, disconcerted, when I pushed the stop button.   

“There are guards waiting for the elevator at the Lab level. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. You have to trust me on this, okay?”

“After what I've seen you do, no problem. But what are we going to do now?”

“If I've calculated correctly, the elevator's between two floors, right above the Lab. We only have a few minutes before they realize it's stopped, so we need to hurry.”

“Hurry doing what?” she asked, and I could sense the hysteria bubbling under her words. “We're trapped!”

“Hardly,” I said, pointing upward at the overhead hatch. I interlocked my fingers and held out my hands, nodding at Sarah, hoping she'd get the point. She gave me a half-angry, half-admiring look, stepped into my hands, and launched herself upward to the hatch. Lucky for us, it was unlocked and easy enough to open. Sarah climbed up on top of the elevator and I jumped up to the hatch to follow—but a slip of my hand left me dangling from the edge. Sarah came to my rescue, again, pulling me up and over as soon as she saw my struggle.

“Geez!” she protested under her breath, pulling up. “For a guy with telekinesis, I sure have to help you out a lot. How many times do I have to pull you up from a ledge?”

“Thanks!” I gasped, finally on top of the elevator.

“That's three you owe me now, buddy.”

I gave her a stern look as I panted, “Let's try not to keep score, all right?”

She gave me a crooked smile and helped me shut the hatch beneath us. No need to make it obvious where we'd gone. Once it was closed, we were left in complete darkness; but my night sight was back, and we managed to find the ventilation shaft easily enough. We crept into the narrow flue and crawled towards the Lab. A moment later, a loud buzzer followed by a metallic thud behind us alerted us that the elevator had been overridden and was now on the move again. We registered the event and kept crawling toward the faint light at the end of the tunnel.

Soon we reached a slotted panel underneath us that overlooked the Lab, and watched the two guards from my vision board the elevator and leave. With the Lab now empty, we unclipped the grill and climbed down onto a capsule that sat immediately below. If I wasn't mistaken, it was Tom's; and my stomach twinged as I realized that the nice man I'd met a few days before was now probably dead. Once I hit the floor I began to check every capsule, looking for Yvette, while Sarah ran to the control panel and locked down every entrance to the Lab, sealing us safely inside.

Capsule after capsule, I found nothing. My heart was sinking fast, fearing that I'd been too late. But the last capsule brought hope back into my heart. Its mechanism was on, proving someone still lay inside, but the foggy glass shield made it impossible to determine who. So I rushed to open it with Sarah’s help. Finally, I yanked the lever and stood back while the glass shield slid open. Sarah and I stepped in closer as fumes escaped the capsule, dispersing and disappearing into the air.

The shocking contents startled us both, making us stagger backwards in horror. A cold shiver crawled up my spine, lifting the hairs on the back of my neck “Oh, my God!” Sarah exclaimed in shock, turning her face from the horrific sight.

I found myself struggling to register the gruesome spectacle, yet my intensified senses left no room for doubt—the nightmare was real. Swallowing hard to keep from vomiting, I scrutinized the blood-splattered interior of the capsule, where the body of a male patient lay, lifeless, his head blown apart like a burst balloon.

His right eye, which barely remained inside what was left of its orbital socket, reflected the most disturbing look I've ever seen—as if he'd been conscious at the moment of death, and his death had been excruciatingly painful. It looked like his head had blown from the inside out, like an egg in a microwave. The identity of the poor soul was revealed the moment I checked his ID bracelet, which read: William Delgado.