I walked cautiously with slow, silent steps across the soft blue lit corridors. Moving forward hesitantly as instinct led me on the path far ahead.
I paused and held my breath clinging to the shadows as I thought I heard some muffled sounds in the distance.
I knew I should have gone back lest anyone spots me but my curiosity made me take tentative steps towards the distant sound.
"This is a really bad idea..." I muttered to myself as I clinged towards the darker parts of the hallway.
CLANK!
I froze.
What the hell was that sound!
A gate shutting down perhaps...
I walked even more uncertainly towards that direction my resolve slowly withering.
I froze in my steps in horror as I looked down at the metal floor in front of me.
Blood.
Fresh blood.
A trail of blood led towards the gate which had just been shut.
Like someone was dragged while they were bleeding...
This wasn't good.
I should go back and pretend I never saw this.
Yes it might seems quite cowardly...
but I was no hero...
I was no hero.
Saving people was not part of my job description.
I am merely a scientist.
Nothing more and nothing less.
Yet curiosity was in my blood.
It was in the nature of a scientist to have an inquisitive mind.
That's why I couldn't help but follow the traces of blood.
That's why I couldn't help but be curious as to where it led.
I came across glass enclosed cells that were numbered systematically.
As I moved ahead the blaring sounds of sirens grew louder.
The screeching sound waves made me feel rather uneasy and my discomfort rose rapidly.
I found a line of numbered cells amidst the pathway that were made of reinforced glass.
Upon looking closer, I noticed to my horror that there were traces of both old and freshly spilled blood splattered amongst the bland grey walls of the cells.
But what was even more unnerving was the fact that every single cell seemed to be unlocked.
Something is definitely wrong here...
I briefly wondered if it worth it exploring further.
Was it truly something I wishes to risk my life for?
Against my own wishes I felt myself move forward towards the direction of the heavy footsteps.
Something lay ahead of me. A dark looming figure stood guard near one of the gates in uniform.
I hid amongst the shadows and just stood still observing the guard from a distance.
He had a gun and I had a feeling I would be shot on sight were he to see me approach the gates.
So all I could do was stay still hidden amongst the shadows and wait for him to leave.
Well I didn't have to wait too long.
Something did happen, just not what I hoped it would be.
I heard a another set of footsteps approach the guarded gate.
"Identify yourselves!" The guard commanded in a booming voice.
There was no answer.
The room filled with gas and I heard gunshots.
I dare not look up.
Not yet...
But I was certain of one thing.
The frightened screams of the startled guard and the gurgling sound and scent of blood indicated the guard was now dead.
I held my breath and tried to calm down my racing heart fearing the sound of my heartbeats were much too loud for my liking.
I only dared to glance up when I heard the sound of the gates open.
Three prisoners made their way through the gate, stepping over the bloody pile on the floor.
One of them turned back before the gates closed and his eyes met mine.
He smirked and put a finger to his lips indicating silence.
Before I could react, he was already gone.
The gates clanged shut.
I stayed still unmoving and afraid.
It could have been several minutes perhaps even hours.
Time was still for me and I dare not move, my eyes affixed on the corpse laying in front of me at the gate's entrance.
A couple of guards suddenly barged in and I dodged immediately behind the convinient placed crates for cover.
They didn't seem to notice me and headed on ahead beyond the gates, their communication device giving incoherent curt commands to them.
The gates shut once more and I only stood up when I couldn't hear anything else.
The silence was slightly reassuring.
I didn't know what compelled me to but I found myself taking the now dead guard's keycard with me.
I managed to open the gate using the blood drenched card.
I felt ill as I felt the liquid slide down my hands.
It was dark but I knew by its coppery scent it was definitely blood that I had on my hands.
I kept on unlocking gates after gates, doors after doors not knowing where I was headed to.
That's how I ended up in what looked like a control room of sorts with multiple monitoring screens.
It was rather unsettling that such an important room was left unguarded.
Speaking of which...
Where even were the guards?
So far I had not met a single guard.
That was really strange...
I felt something at my back.
It was too late that I realized that I was bring followed.
Someone was following me all this time.
Their footsteps matched mine.
Every step I took forward towards the screens they moved at a similar pace matching mine.
I stopped and looked up at the screen.
The sound of their footsteps stopped too at a distance.
My hands were sweaty and I couldn't bring myself to speak, the voice dying in my throat.
I clenched my fist tightly trying to stop it from shaking and swallowed.
'The person following me couldn't be a guard. The footsteps weren't heavy and they seemed cautious in their approach which meant they didn't want to be noticed.'
The thought calmed me down to a certain extent.
I quickly took in the information charts provided on one of the screens.
[Prisoner Brain Activity Live Tracking]
Oh! It all made sense now.
I had a feeling that I now knew exactly what was going on here.
Well not exactly yet... But I had a general idea what the prisoners were being used for.
I needed to think carefully how to proceed now.
I didn't know exactly who was watching me right now.
I needed to first find out who my unknown pursuer might be and what side they were on or what was their goal in shadowing me so discreetly.
Depending on that, I would have to plan out my strategy.
I walked towards a spot on the right which had a metal surface.
I even dared to hum slightly and go at an easier pace to make them think that I did not realize I was being followed yet.
This would give them a false sense of security and lead them to follow me confidently without hesitating or turning away at the last moment.
It was crucial that I act as natural as possible.
As expected they kept their pace heading towards the direction and spot I calculated they would be at.
They were not aware of the fact that they fell right into my trap.
I glanced discreetly at the metal surface and clearly saw the reflection of the figure standing behind me.