Chapter Ten
My footsteps echo through the dim old warehouse, but everything is quiet. I scan the shadows, searching for any sign of Ray. Where could he be in this maze?
I pull out my phone, rereading the cryptic message I got last night.
This is me.
Even now, those three words send a shiver down my spine. There aren’t even numbers at the top of the stream, just dashes. If I wasn’t expecting his text or call, I’d assume it was spam.
When I saw it this morning, I texted back.
Where are you?
My heart pounds, hoping he’s somewhere in the electrical labyrinth that runs beside and underneath this warehouse. The military doesn’t receive shipments into this space any longer, but it still has pallets stacked up on every aisle, so there probably are live cameras monitoring the space.
I keep my steps purposeful and quick, heading for the electrical room door on the far end. I’ve been here once before with my boss, who’s responsible for walking all the wires once a month to maintain ongoing repair tickets.
My mind drifts back to the conversation with Sara last night when she got home. It was late… after one in the morning. At first, I thought she was just too tired to remember what I told her in the conference room before my debriefing.
But no.
Sara doesn’t remember anything.
She doesn’t remember me being gone. Or hearing that I was back on base and coming to see me. And she certainly didn’t remember me telling her what happened.
When I realized she was serious, I quit pushing. As it was, Sara almost passed out when I kept asking her to remember what she was doing at that time. She kind of swooned—and I never understood that term until now. She actually swayed side to side before collapsing back onto the couch.
So... somewhere along the line, the military managed to wipe Sara’s memory of our conversation. I can guess how, just not when it happened. It was so fucking weird.
Of course, then I was afraid to even discuss it with her because what if the military keeps wiping her memory? What would that do to Sara’s brain or memory long term?
It’s not worth the risk. Maybe the less she knows, the better. I love Sara, but do I really want to take the chance of her slipping up and them coming after me? Again?
So I just laughed it off and let Sara go to bed. Then I spent an hour contemplating my predicament before I could sleep. But it just makes me want to talk to Ray all the more.
I couldn’t have made this up!
Ray is the last connection to my alien abduction, and I really want to see him to reassure myself I’m not losing my mind.
Sweat drips from my brow by the time I’m standing at the door to the old electrical room, and the weight of my master key feels heavy in my hand. Anxiety gnaws at my nerves, threatening to consume me. But I can’t let it.
I need to find Ray. He has to be starving.
I packed enough in my lunch bag to share. Although, now I’m second-guessing the decision. But I can’t let him starve.
“Okay, Summer, you got this,” I mutter to myself, taking a deep breath and summoning every ounce of courage in my body. With trembling fingers, I insert the key into the lock and turn it, hearing the satisfying click of the bolt unlocking.
My heart races as I push the door open, revealing a dimly lit stairwell that hums with electricity. The air is thick with energy, and I can tell the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. It’s fitting, really, considering the man I’m searching for has become something more...
The metallic scent of the electrical wire fills my nostrils as I step down the stairs quietly. My footsteps still echo around me, amplifying the eerie atmosphere. I can’t help but feel a shiver run down my spine as I hold my phone’s flashlight pointed at my feet.
I didn’t turn on the light. Even though I sent Ray a text as I headed this way, I’m not sure he saw it. The last thing I need to do is scare him deeper into the maze of tunnels under here.
As I get to the bottom of the stairs, I can’t help but feel my heart pounding in my chest. My military training has taught me to be cautious and wary of my surroundings, but nothing could have prepared me for this.
I’m not just searching for a man. I’m searching for someone who may have become something more than human, thanks to those alien doctors who held him.
My worries grow as I cast my light up and down the narrow aisles. I know Ray has a strong sense of justice and a drive to protect others, but what if his newfound powers have changed him?
What if he’s been transformed into something dangerous?
“Ray?” I call out quietly, stepping further down the first row. My footsteps echo around me, and I grip my phone tightly in my other hand, casting its beam across the massive room filled with wires and equipment.
When I texted him back this morning asking where he was, the reply was pretty vague.
It’s a room with shelving and where all the electrical connections converge. Like a hub.
Not very helpful. But the shelving… that’s not a common thing.
My phone’s light barely illuminates ten feet over my head, but off in the distance on the far wall is a purple glow, bouncing off the ceiling. That’s new.
I make my way towards it, feeling both dread and determination swell within me. The chilling air of the underground room bites at my skin, raising goosebumps along my arms as I inch my way down the dimly lit corridor. My heart beats frantically against my ribcage, the echoes of each thud bouncing off the cold cement walls.
I turn a corner, the shadows from the shelving dancing around me like malevolent spirits, and I flinch. Dammit, Summer, get a grip. It’s just your overactive imagination.
A scuttling sound off to the left has my feet slowing as I twist my phone, running it up and down the equipment humming next to me. It grows louder, and I press closer to the shelving on the right, willing my frantic heart to slow down.
My muscles scream at me to run, but I don’t, freezing in place. Then a small furry creature darts out from the shadows. Fuck!
Just a rat.
I exhale shakily, swallowing hard. Fighting back a giggle, I skip forward ten feet or so, fighting back the heebie-jeebies. The purple glow doesn’t help, but I’m close now. It’s at the top of the shelving in the middle of this far wall. Thankfully, there’s a ladder for every other shelf, and I grip the rung, ignoring the grit against my skin.
Turning off my flashlight, I let my eyes adjust, staring up at the purple glow. Now that I don’t have a light, the lilac haze looks brighter, spreading out across the ceiling. Weird.
I just want to get this over with, so I pull myself up, trying not to look too closely into the shadows on each shelf. There are miscellaneous small boxes, and I recognize some of the familiar parts we use for tying up wires along with screws.
The purple glow gets brighter until I peek over the edge of the top shelf, stunned to see bare feet next to me. Purple bare feet.
What the hell? Is he… dead?
I focus on my hands and feet, moving up another rung to get a better look.
There, sprawled across the metal shelf, tangled in wires, lies Ray. But he looks...different. His skin flickers with an unearthly purple sheen and his features seem almost alien.
My breath catches as I take in the sight. What has he done?
Near his head and left arm is a mammoth hole in the wall, and I realize that he’s removed a panel that gives access to the wiring conduit. Those feeds must run from the equipment all over the center of the room. What did he get into?
Tentatively, I reach out and touch his foot. It’s warm. That’s a good sign.
“Ray,” I say, giving his leg a shake. “Can you hear me? It’s Summer.”
But he doesn’t stir.
Until his eyes flutter open, two points of purple light in the gloom. And they focus on me with no recognition.