Chapter 7.2
Chapter 7.2
“Protect me? Wait a minute. I don’t understand a word you’re saying, Doctor.”
“A guide to the underground labyrinth. Damn it, haven’t you considered why people don’t know about this book? The authorities doesn’t want ordinary citizens, no, ‘you,’ reading it.”
“Why? It’s valuable information that could lead to interaction with other districts.”
“Interaction. That’s the problem. Didn’t you read the book? ‘So I replied, “But the thirteenth is the safest, child. Outside, there are serpents with poison.’”
It was true. The novel emphasized it repeatedly: the thirteenth is the one and only paradise, a place perfectly designed for the lions.
“But…”
“We’ll address other issues later. I’ll explain slowly. For now, there’s only one thing you need to remember.”
Kyle looked directly at her through his glasses, his eyes like chips of glass. It was the first time she’d seen any emotion in them. Desperation, sincerity, and beyond that…
“Never speak of this to anyone else.”
Fear.
“You can’t trust anyone. If people came to your house after Damian disappeared, your house is probably bugged.”
A flicker of terror crossed his eyes.
Adeline opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. Kyle narrowed his eyes and asked, “Has anyone seen you with that book?”
Someone who saw the book… the book…
“That Dr. Susan, from your lab.”
Kyle muttered a curse. It was incredibly strange to see him so emotionally agitated.
“Damn it. Do you think the deaths of those 47 expedition members were an accident?”
A chill ran down her spine.
“What… what are you saying?” Adeline managed to ask after a difficult swallow, her mouth dry. Her mind reeled as if struck by a hammer. Her heart pounded.
“If it wasn’t… an accident, then what…?”
The moment her gaze met his chillingly bright green eyes, Adeline’s breath caught. Kyle looked at her silently, his expression cautious, as if choosing his words carefully.
“46 of them died solely because of Damian. You’re in the Security Forces; you must have heard something strange. Isn’t it odd? The unintelligent Serpiente setting traps. Mutations immune to tobacco dust.”
Adeline’s trembling legs took a step back.
“Don’t spout ridiculous conspiracy theories. Are you saying Damian was murdered…? But he must be alive. Right? Damian read the book too. He could have gone to another district.”
At the mention of Damian’s name, Kyle’s expression darkened. Why had she ever thought of him as machine-like? He was so full of emotion.
Now he seemed like a humanized machine. The dissonance was unsettling, disturbing.
“Yes, Damian is probably alive. But that’s…”
He took off his glasses and buried his face in his hands. This wasn’t the usual cool, composed Kyle. The emotion he displayed was closer to forcibly suppressed pain.
“…a tragedy. And now, the same is true for you.”
Tragedy. The ominous premonition those two words carried swept through her entire being. It wasn’t a completely unfamiliar sensation. She’d felt this same foreboding the day Damian disappeared, the morning after a disturbing dream.
“What do you mean?”
“You know nothing. Nothing at all. Explaining would take too long. But there’s only one thing I can tell you.”
He paused, then spat out the words as if grinding them between his teeth.
“Run.”
A shiver crawled up her spine.
“Right now.”
Sometimes, logic fails us. In certain situations, only instinct speaks the truth. Adeline’s instincts screamed at her to obey the man before her, to run for her life. But where to? And from whom? Frozen in place, unable to move, she watched as Kyle slowly approached.
He whispered urgently, “Take only the guidebook and leave District 13. Susan saw you. The authorities will be after you soon. Your only escape is the labyrinth. Just as the book says, go through the corridor, past the traps, to District 12. It’ll only buy you time, but at least…”
His voice trailed off. “At least you’ll see…■■.”
The last word was garbled, lost in static. Frowning, Adeline started to ask him to repeat it, but Kyle spoke over her, even faster now. “You probably have Damian’s watch.”
“Watch? Do you mean the gold one with the eagle?”
“Yes. That’s the key. The first door opens with it, no other authorization required. Go. Now.”
“Wait, just a minute. I can’t just leave like this. I have so many unanswered questions. Everything you’re saying sounds like riddles.”
“You’ll find the answers you seek as you navigate the labyrinth.”
They were standing before the elevator at the edge of the common area. Adeline had thought she was walking aimlessly, but she realized Kyle had planned this escape route all along. As he finished speaking, he pressed the elevator button as if on cue. Because it was late, most of the elevators were idle, and the doors opened immediately.
“No, wait. Doctor.” Kyle practically shoved her inside. Adeline was too stunned to resist. Too much information flooded her senses, swirling in her mind.
He quickly pressed the button for the ground floor and stepped back, his expression grim. “Good luck,” he said.
The doors began to close, his last words barely reaching her. Adeline gasped, unable to reply.
Then, the doors slammed shut.
Discussion
1 CommentBiP