“Do we even want to visit this Dr. Heinrich?” Noah asked. “The guy is the head of Insight or whatever, so he’s definitely a prick. Remember I have a keycard; we can leave anytime.”
“I don’t mind meeting him,” Leah replied. “I kind of like the idea of sabotage, so we might just have to play along with their scheduled plans until we can get around to throwing a wrench in the works. I’m thinking it would make the most sense to do it tonight after most employees have gone home, maybe mess with those vats you mentioned. Something along those lines. There’s just too many people out and about right now. I doubt we’d manage to get out before someone stopped us, even with that keycard.”
May nodded in agreement, while Mark and Violet looked away neutrally, clearly wanting nothing to do with their plans. Noah noticed Elias seemed moderately interested, but it was possible he was just wondering if there would be a chance to eat anyone in the midst of whatever chaos they caused.
“Alright,” Noah said. “Makes sense to me.”
There was very little conversation over the course of the next hour, with the exception of Brian and Clarissa. They soon realized that they both carried quite the collection of random gear and knick knacks, and began rapidly pulling out the contents of their respective storage in a sort of competition. They were quite closely matched in terms of sheer quantity. Noah tried his best to ignore them, but they kept gasping at whatever the other person pulled out, making it difficult to concentrate on anything else.
“The doctor could be back anytime,” Leah eventually reminded them. “It might be best not to have your entire worldly possessions spread across the room.”
“Yeah,” Brian agreed without sparing her a glance.
“Brian. You don’t want them to confiscate your stuff.”
Clarissa finally checked her watch and sighed grudgingly. “She’s right. We should pack up.”
They began the lengthy process of repacking.
“You don’t have any batteries, do you?” May asked Clarissa as she carefully placed her possessions one by one in its designated place within her coat.
She looked up. “What kind?”
Understanding May’s intention, Brian picked up one of his flashlights and a screwdriver that happened to be lying nearby, and quickly removed the case. He plucked out one of the batteries and held it out. “Got any C’s?”
Clarissa shook her head with a sigh, disappointed she didn’t have the exact item they needed. “Sorry, I don’t carry any of those. If you need another flashlight, though, I’ve got a couple pen lights right here. Feel free to borrow one until you can get yourself some batteries.”
“That would be great, thanks,” Brian said, looking relieved. He pocketed one of the small flashlights. “Darkness is kind of our fatal weakness, so it’s much appreciated.”
She glanced up. “What do you mean?”
Brian hesitated. “Well, if you’re not fully numb yet, the condition probably wouldn’t affect you, so it’s hard to explain.”
Violet glanced over. “I lost my sense of touch hours ago. What’s the big issue with darkness?”
Brian opened his mouth, then paused. “Close your eyes and cover them with your hands.”
She did as instructed.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Do you know what’ll happen to her?” Leah asked the other three students as they waited for the blindness to take effect.
Mark and Clarissa shook their heads, seeming bemused. Elias, however, dipped his head with a haunted expression. “They blinded me when I tried to attack the doctors in the treatment room. It was probably the single worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
“Hold up, what?” Violet asked nervously. Before she could further react, she sagged in her seat, nearly sliding to the floor before Brian grabbed her shoulders.
“Open your eyes,” he said quickly.
Her hands had dropped away, so her eyesight was immediately returned to her when she blinked her eyes open. “What was that?” she asked shakily, looking around to regain her bearings.
“It just happens,” Noah said with a shrug. “Something about not being able to feel makes you go limp in perfect darkness.”
“Well, I kind of hate it.”
“Oh, for sure. In a lot of ways the sickness is surprisingly subtle. This is probably the only symptom that really sucks.”
Several pairs of eyes turned his way. “Does cannibalism not count as a bad symptom?” Leah asked after a moment, eyebrows raised.
Noah gulped as he realized he’d said something wrong. “Of course. Yeah.”
Leah exchanged concerned glances with Brian and May, which Noah pretended not to notice.
“What if a blind person got sick?” Violet asked thoughtfully. “Someone without any sight at all.”
“They’d probably have a really bad time,” Noah answered. “The sickness would be debilitating.”
It was at that point that the door finally opened, signalling the return of the doctor and the assistant. Brian quickly swept his remaining possessions into his backpack before anyone could comment on the mess.
“We will now bring you all to see Dr. Heinrich,” Phil said without preamble.
Noah sent Elias a warning glance as they all stood to follow him outside. The starving student just waved his concern aside with a knowing smile.
The kid’s learning, Noah thought to himself with pride.
Phil waited until they were all outside, gathered around him, before starting his way down the hallway. As they passed the first door, it lit up green as the doctor and the attendant passed, and then again as Noah walked by a moment later. He looked around anxiously, but neither employee seemed to have noticed.
Noah sidled up close beside the doctor, trying to get close enough that their cards would activate the doors simultaneously and mask the fact that he also had a key. His approach caused Phil to send him a nervous look and his hand strayed to his pocket.
Noah smiled reassuringly, but the doctor flinched and stepped away in response. Noah looked down, feeling faintly indignant, and settled for trailing a few steps behind. Surely no one would notice if the green lights remained lit for an extra second or two than usual.
They went to the end of the hallway and passed through the double doors Noah had let Penelope through earlier. His thoughts went to her for a moment, and he hoped she had managed to find her way out.
“Where do the cured students get sent?” he asked Phil.
The man glanced consideringly at him. “Insight is providing transportation back to Oakridge campus.”
“Oh, how thoughtful.”
The doctor nodded expressionlessly at his response. He led them to the staircase which Noah had noticed the sign for earlier, and they ascended two flights before emerging into a new corridor. Instead of mirrors, one wall was painted a pleasant light blue, while the other was a slanted floor-to-ceiling window presenting a view of the city block below.
“I didn’t realize we were so high up,” Leah murmured. “The bus must’ve taken us up a couple floors.”
They turned down another hallway, this one without any windows, before coming to a stop outside a door with a small placard displaying Dr. Heinrich’s name. No other information was included. Noah also noticed a distinct lack of any green indicator light over the door; keycards would not be capable of unlocking this room.
A few seconds passed before the door swung open. At first, all Noah could see was the silhouette of a tall man seated behind his desk. Another full wall of windows allowed the harsh midday sunlight to illuminate him from behind. As his eyes adjusted, Noah saw that the office was impressively large, so much so that there was enough space for their group of ten. Dr. Phil and his assistant went to stand on each side of Dr. Heinrich’s desk, while the students stood uncertainly just inside the door.
“Please, come in,” Heinrich said, his tone warm. He tapped something on his desk and the door shut behind them. “I apologize for the lack of seating, but as I understand it, most of you are not physically capable of feeling discomfort. A marvelous condition, I must say.”