Sam was resting on the table, unable to move. I stood up and walked around the room scanning for more clues. Apart from the organs and meat scattered all over the tables, nothing, in particular, captured my eyes except for the empty glass shelf situated near the microscope I was looking through before.
I brought myself in front of it and opened the glass door - luckily, it wasn't locked.
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"H2SO4"
"H2O2"
"7:1"
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There were bottles of this inside the glass shelf. I picked one up. "H2SO4... H2O2..."
"Piranha solution," Sam said.
"What?"
"Ah..."
"What is... that?"
"It's... 'that' thing..."
"That...?"
"The thing used to dispose of..." Sam got up from the table and shifted his eyes from Ray towards the meat. "Probably those..." A millisecond later, he looked back at me away from 'that'.
I didn't particularly understand what 'piranha solution' was but I did recognise what 'H2SO4' and 'H2O2' were.
The lights in the room were dimming a little.
I held on to the bottle and looked up then glanced over towards the door.
"Why... is the lights-" Sam began to mutter but he was interrupted.
*Clack*
The door began to open inwards slowly. My heart began to race as I gripped on the bottle even more harshly.
"Who is it? Who could it be? Down here??? Did someone follow us?" These thoughts passed my head and I stepped towards Sam slowly.
"Sam!!!" I whispered. "Come over here-" I stopped my talk and quickly looked around for a hiding place.
"Hahaha!" I heard through the receiver.
"Hey, we didn't finish checking this room, why are you turning the lights off so quickly?"
The voice we heard was muffled. It was like he was speaking through a thick face mask.
I quickly swayed my hand at Sam indicating towards the taller table behind him.
Sam quietly got off the table and step by step, he ducked under the table.
There wasn't anything around me except the glass shelf. Thankfully, there was a little gap between the wall and it; I hid there still holding on to the bottle.
The person walked in. He was wearing a full-body white suit that covered his head as well with a transparent front face.
Somewhat, it looked familiar to me. The shape, the colour of the suit, the way he talked.
He closed the door behind him and continued to speak to the receiver. "Well, it seems like everything looks usual." He shifted to the next table looking into the glass boxes. "This one as well... *Yawn* I feel sleepy... let's finish this quickly..." he muttered.
"Hey, check them carefully, you'll be responsible if anything happens," the receiver said.
"Yeah... nothing's gonna happen-" he paused. "Wait."
*Step*
*Thump*
*Step*
*Thump*
*Step*
*Thump*
My heart raced as I heard the steps clearer and clearer, louder and louder.
"Is he heading towards me...?" I glanced over towards Sam.
Sam was circling around the table and then hid on the other side away from my vision.
The person walked towards me but then stopped at the microscope. "Hey... did I forget to turn this light off?"
"Light?" the receiver said.
"Yeah, the microscope light was still on. I was inspecting the slide earlier but maybe I forgot to turn it off."
"Well, just quickly turn it off and inspect the other stuff."
"Got it." He turned it off and took the slide out of the microscope. He turned towards the glass shelf. "Ah, wrong direction!" He turned back facing away from me. "The slides should be in this direction- wait." Slowly, he twisted his body towards the glass shelf once again.
"What is it? Hurry up and place the slide back!" the receiver said.
"But..." he said raising suspicion. "Why is that open...?"
"Huh...?"
The person walked closer to the shelf. "Wait, I'll talk to you in a moment." He placed the receiver back into the pockets of the suit.
*Step*
*Step*
He was getting closer each second. He swayed a little side to side as he continued forward as if he was waiting for something to pop out at any time.
Thankfully, the reflection in the glass door of the shelf blocked out most of my body's view; I was crouched down and hiding in the corner.
Sam, who was in the background still hiding around the table, poked his head out and gazed at me waving his small hand.
In the other hand, Sam was holding Rose's bag while slowly approaching behind the person. He stepped out and around the table but then, the organs began to race.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*
The sound increased like a jet engine and shocked Sam. He released his hands and the bag began to fall on to the ground. He hurriedly tried to place his leg forward stopping it from hitting but slid, creating a screeching noise.
The person, who was a few steps away from the glass shelf, jumped and turned around looking at Sam.
After a moment of silence, the person panicked and began to reach his hands into his pockets - his back facing towards me.
I dashed forward. Opening the zips furiously, located in the back of his suit, I spoke up, "Hey. Stop what you're doing."
He paused in his action and said, "What... who are you..."
"..."
Inside the suit, he turned his head and was staring straight at me. His eyes shuttered and shook. At first, we had eye contact but then, he looked towards the side; he was looking at my hand.
I was holding the bottle and gripping it tightly from before. My hands were trembling a little as I tried to suppress it from showing. The fluid inside swayed and the person began to sweat heavily.
"Hey... hey... please..." he began to say. "Don't..." He looked at me and then at the bottle again.
"What is he..." I thought but then I realised it.
"H2..." I slowly said. "SO4... H2O2..."
His shaking legs made the zips creak.
"Piranha solution," I determinedly said.
"Don't do this... let's..." he mumbled. "Let's talk this through... please..."
I raised my arm holding on to the bottle.
"He was afraid of this." I thought to myself.
His eyes were glued to the bottle and followed where ever I was raising it to.
"I'll throw this at you if you don't..." I began to say.
I didn't need to finish my sentence before he interrupted me.
"Yes! Yes! Anything! Anything! Please! Don't throw that!!!"
"Then..." I stopped. My hands were still raised.
Sam was hinting something in the background.