There were murmurs of relief and even a few smiles, the dark mood lifting a little.
“First, though, we will be showing you a video that explains the safe zone you’ll be taken to after you get inoculated. So please relax and we’ll get it started.”
Several hands shot up.
Dr. Harvell took a step forward. “We understand that you have a lot of questions. Some of those will be answered by the video. If you still have questions after, we’ll be happy to answer them then.”
Though Terrell had heard the words before, their true wickedness hit him hard this time. They were for the doctors’ benefit only, so that they wouldn’t have to face any longer than necessary those who were about to die.
The survivors lowered their hands. As Terrell was about to look away, he saw the girl again. Unlike the others who were watching the doctors, she was looking at him. It was almost as if she were trying to see into him to find the truth.
He blinked and tore his gaze away as the lights began to dim.
The doctors and guards made their way out of the room, then Terrell and Diaz grabbed the double doors and began to close them. As he swung his half around, Terrell tried to resist the urge to look back at the girl but failed. She wasn’t looking at him anymore. Her eyes were on the screen, and he could see the faintest bit of hope on her face. His breath caught in his throat.
Click. The doors sealed shut.
Click. A switch flicked on inside him.
Per routine, the doctors headed back to their offices. They would stay there until twenty minutes later, when they would be needed to verify everyone was dead. All but two of the guards also left. The two who remained took up positions in front of the airtight doors while Terrell and Diaz made their way to the control room.
“Evening, guys,” Harris said as they entered. He was the board operator and had been the one who’d dimmed the lights.
A wide-screen monitor on the front wall displayed a feed from inside the room. A few of the survivors were fidgeting in their chairs.
“Showtime,” Harris said as he hit a button that dimmed the lights the rest of the way.
A second button started the video projector, and on the screen in front of the survivors, the image of Gustavo Di Sarsina appeared. As the man started speaking, Diaz stepped over to the controls that operated the gas. A turn of the key and a tap of the switch would set things in motion.
Terrell watched as his partner removed the safety guard and reached for the key.
“Wait,” Terrell said. “Can I?”
Diaz raised an eyebrow. He’d always been the one who had to perform this task.
“About fucking time,” Diaz said.
He stepped away and made a grand motion of ceding control.
As Terrell stepped into place, Diaz said, “You know what to do?”
“I know what to do.”
Terrell placed his hand on the key, feeling the curved top and the hole where a ring would go through. Just turn and push the button and they would all die.
“Anytime now,” Diaz said, a laugh in his voice.
Enough.
The key slipped out of the slot surprisingly easily.
Diaz was still grinning as Terrell whirled around and jabbed the jagged piece of metal into his neck. Though unintentional, the aim had been perfect. Blood pumped from Diaz’s carotid artery, gushing down on the counter and covering the touch screen.
“What the fuck?” Harris said, turning at Diaz’s gargling sound.
Terrell launched himself forward and slammed into Harris, ramming him back against the other counter. There was a loud smack as Harris’s torso connected with the sharp edge. He screamed as his face twisted in pain. Terrell jammed the bloody key into the man’s neck. Unfortunately, he was a little off this time, and had to dig around for a second before ripping open the artery with the uneven edge of the key.
Harris dropped to his knees, clutching at his wound.
Terrell leaned against the wall, hyperventilating as the reality of what he’d done hit him. Both men were on the floor, unmoving. Unconscious or dead, he didn’t bother to check.
Keep moving! he told himself. He was all in now.
He ran over to the control room door and inched it open. He could see the two guards down the hall in front of the sealed doorway.
He opened the door a bit more and said, “Excuse me.” The guards looked over. “Could one of you come down here? We’ve got a piece of equipment malfunctioning and need to move it. Could use some help.”
As soon as the nearest guard was headed his way, Terrell pulled back.
This was going to be trickier, he knew. A guard wasn’t a defenseless tech, and wasn’t likely to allow a key to be shoved into his neck. Terrell grabbed an unused laptop off the table near the door. It was the only thing near him with any heft to it. He then moved to the other side of the door.
As soon as the guard entered, Terrell pushed the door closed and brought the edge of the laptop down onto the back of the man’s head.
The guard buckled but didn’t fall. As the man put a hand over where he’d been hit, Terrell brought the computer down again, and again, and again. Finally, the guard joined the others on the ground.
Working quickly, Terrell retrieved the guard’s rifle and returned to the entrance. He cracked the door open and peeked outside, expecting the other guard to still be back at his station, but the man was heading toward the control room.
“Everything all right?” the guard asked.
Terrell widened the opening. “A bit more trouble than we thought. Sorry.”
The guard was about a dozen feet away now, his eyes narrowing. “What’s that on your face.”
Terrell lifted a finger to his cheek and felt a drop of something sticky and wet. Blood, he realized.
The approaching guard seemed to sense something was up a half second after Terrell realized his ruse had run its course, but he had enough time to raise his rifle and pull the trigger before the other man could do the same.
As the guard dropped to the ground, the echo of the shot reverberated down the hall. Knowing it wouldn’t be long before someone came to investigate, Terrell raced out of the room, snatched up the other man’s rifle, and ran to the Reassignment Room door.
The rubber seals sucked loudly as he pulled the doors open.
When he rushed into the room, several of the survivors screamed, and all jerked back as if he were about to attack them. Which, he quickly realized, was what barreling in there with two rifles probably looked like.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to get you out. We need to go now!”
No one moved.
He searched out the girl and spoke directly to her. “Please. If you stay here, they will kill you.”
“Who will?” the girl asked.
He gestured with the rifle back toward the rest of the warehouse. “Everyone!”
She stared at him, confused.
“Don’t you understand?” he said. “We didn’t bring you in here to vaccinate you. We were supposed to gas you.”
Shock and terror rippled through the room.
“Come on,” he said. “There’s no time!”
He turned for the door, hoping they would follow.
The girl was the first to get up. “He’s right. We all knew something was wrong. We need to leave.”
“What if it’s a trick?” someone argued. “What if he kills us out there?”
“Here. There. What does it matter?”
The girl ran toward the door. Before she reached it, the others were up and following.
Terrell moved into the corridor and checked both ways. No one was there yet. Perhaps the others hadn’t heard it, or maybe had been behind closed doors and hadn’t registered what the noise meant. If so, it was a blessing, but one that would last only until someone noticed the guards weren’t where they were supposed to be.