Secrets in the Dark

by Darcy Coates

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Clare slept fitfully. In her dreams, she repeatedly saw Ezra’s face, bathed in the red light, grinning up at her. She woke sweaty and shaking, only to be lulled back to sleep by Dorran’s gentle whispers as his fingers ran through her hair. He stayed sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the door. The second time Clare woke she offered to take over the watch, but he just kissed her and told her to go back to sleep.

  The storm raged through the night, and by the time dawn came, it hadn’t abated. The clock on the wall told her it was eight in the morning, and Clare felt less groggy. If not for that, she would have believed it was still deep night.

  “Good morning,” Dorran murmured as she sat up. He was crouched by one of the drawers but slid it closed and returned to sit next to Clare on the bed. Dark shadows clung around his eyes, and he looked leaner than the day before, but he smiled at her.

  Clare brushed hair away from her face as she blinked at the room. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. I was looking for anything we might use to defend ourselves.” His shoulders rose and dropped in a weary shrug. “This room has nothing sharper than a pencil and nothing heavier than a book.”

  Ezra probably hid any weapons before he started his broadcast. Clare dropped her legs over the edge of the bed to sit at Dorran’s side. “We’ll have to go out soon, won’t we?”

  “If we don’t want to seem suspicious, yes.” Dorran was quiet for a second then said, “He came past the room four times last night. He stopped just outside the door but didn’t try to come in. I would be surprised if he slept at all.”

  For a moment, they stayed on the edge of the bed, staring at the thin door separating them from the rest of the facility. Then Clare inhaled and straightened her back. “It’s only going to be worse if we put it off.”

  “Mm.” Dorran picked up the lab coat Clare had worn the day before and held it out to her.

  They dressed quickly. Clare tied her hair back and checked herself in the room’s mirror. She looked pale. She hoped Ezra wouldn’t notice.

  As they approached the door, Dorran took her hand and whispered, “Stay near me as much as possible.”

  The hallway was empty. Clare couldn’t stop herself from glancing towards the stairs to their left. The storm was muffled in the hallway, but she could still feel the reverberations through her bones and sense the building swaying under her feet.

  Dorran used his ID to unlock the work area’s door. Clare held on to Dorran with one hand and clenched the other into a fist as the door swung open. They stepped through, and she blinked in the sudden light.

  “Good morning, good morning!” Ezra sat at his desk, his hair messy and his grin wide. One hand rested over the laptop’s keys, obviously interrupted in the middle of typing. The desk was littered with empty energy drink cans. He tilted his head a little as he watched them. “I hope you had a good night’s sleep. Except for that little excursion, ha!”

  “Yes.” Clare made herself smile. She’d expected Ezra to be quiet or suspicious of her, the way he’d appeared the night before. Instead, he was almost bouncing with cheerfulness. In some ways, it was even more unnerving. “Um, sorry for waking you.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that.” He waved away her apology. “I was already up. Though I’ll say you gave me quite a fright, appearing on the stairs like that. I’m almost done here. Why don’t you get some breakfast? I went and found more apples for you, Clare, so you won’t have to go scurrying over the building anymore.”

  Clare looked towards the seating area. A small pile of apples had been arranged into a pyramid shape beside the previous day’s stack of chips and chocolate. She did her best to look enthused. “That’s really kind, thank you.”

  Ezra returned to his laptop, his fingers moving at a blinding speed as he built code. Clare exchanged a look with Dorran. He lifted his eyebrows. She gave a small nod, and they approached the food.

  Clare’s throat was tight and her stomach upset, but she still ate. They couldn’t afford to raise suspicion. As far as Ezra was concerned, it was a normal morning.

  The heater was already on, and Clare sat near it as she worked her way through an apple. She barely tasted it. Dorran ate as well and positioned himself carefully to keep Ezra in his peripheral vision without making it obvious he was watching. Ezra didn’t so much as lift his head from the laptop.

  Clare threw away her core, and Dorran passed her another apple. “Eat,” he murmured, bending close to make sure the man at the desk wouldn’t hear. “You may need the energy.”

  She was sick of both apples and nuts by the time she was full. She downed a bottle of water and tried to relax. That was impossible as long as Ezra was in the same room. Still, though, he didn’t look up from the computer, and Clare didn’t dare interrupt him. She felt awkward just sitting there and turned towards the bookcase. She picked up a novel indiscriminately—a well-worn thriller—and opened it to a random page. She stared at it without reading.

  Is he faking? Or does he genuinely not suspect? Maybe he’s telling the truth; maybe he seemed off last night because I startled him. Is it possible he isn’t worried about what’s in the lab?

  That seemed impossible, but on the other hand, Ezra seemed completely relaxed. He would either need to be an exceptional actor… or his nonchalance was genuine.

  A chair creaked, and Clare flinched. Ezra leaned back at his desk, arms reached high as he stretched his back. He sagged back down with a hearty sigh then unplugged something from the laptop as he stood.

  The familiar smile greeted them as he sauntered towards the chairs. Clare knew if she was going to establish trust, this was the time to do it. She put the book aside and leaned forward, affecting friendliness. “Dorran and I were talking about our plans for when we leave here. We know a group of survivors less than an hour away; we thought we’d stop by there and see if any of them would take the data to Evandale.”

  Ezra dropped into a chair opposite and pulled one leg up underneath himself. “That sounds great. Did you meet many people before you reached the tower?”

  Clare desperately hoped he wouldn’t hear the lie in her voice. “Yeah, quite a few. I’m looking forward to checking in on them and making sure they’re okay. And telling them about your cure.” Easy, easy, don’t oversell it. “I think it’s really brave. To pick up Ezra’s project and… and try to make things right. A lot of people would have just run. But you didn’t. And I think that’s admirable.”

  His face lit up, though he tried to shrug it off. “Hah. Well. There isn’t anyone else who could have done it, and… it’s not for me. It’s for everyone surviving out there, you know?”

  Clare nodded encouragingly. “They’ll be grateful. I know I am. To think we could have our world back… it’s more hope than I ever let myself have before.”

  “It’s going to be a long road. But we’ll get there. Humans are nothing if not resourceful.” You especially.

  “That’s what I was just coming to tell you.” Ezra lifted his hand. A silver USB drive sparkled in his palm. “I pulled an all-nighter, and I think I finished my code.”

  “You…” Clare stared at it. “Really?”

  “Uh-huh. I don’t know if it will work yet. It’ll need testing. But that’s all up to the people at Evandale now. You two can leave as soon as you want.”

  Clare’s heart flipped. It seemed too good to be true. She dared a glance at Dorran, but his expression remained inscrutable.

  Is it possible… Ezra wants to get us out of the tower just as much as we want to leave? His smile was broad and easy. Clare hunted for signs of tension underneath but couldn’t detect any. Maybe he doesn’t want a confrontation. Maybe he just wants us gone.

  “We… uh… that’s amazing.” She fought to phrase herself diplomatically. “We… we’re really looking forward to going home. We could leave today. Take the USB as close to Evandale as we can, find someone who will carry it the rest of the way, and, uh…”

&nb
sp; “That sounds marvellous.” Ezra glanced over his shoulder, towards the window. “The rain is pretty bad, but I can give you some waterproof covers. And load you up with food. And of course, use the spotlight and radio to give you protection for as long as I can. I think you have a really good chance of getting out of the city.”

  Please. Please let this be honesty. Please let him keep his promise.

  “Thank you,” Dorran said. The words sounded warm, but Clare knew they cost him a lot of effort. “You have been a generous host.”

  “Ah. Just doing what I can to better a messed-up world.” Ezra tucked the USB back into his jacket pocket and clapped his hands. “How soon do you think you’ll leave? You could go right now, if you wanted. It’s probably smart to get a head start early in the day. Maximise your hours of light, such as it is.”

  Clare licked her lips. “That’s a good idea. I’m ready to go.”

  “Fantastic. Let’s get you some supplies. Come with me.” Ezra bounded out of his chair and moved towards the door. Clare’s hope was tempered with a sense of foreboding. She didn’t like the idea of following Ezra into strange parts of the building, but she didn’t have an excuse not to.

  Dorran’s smile had faded, and his eyes were sharp. He took her hand, and together, they stood and followed Ezra across the room.

  “Where are we going?” Clare asked.

  Ezra held open the door for them, rocking on the balls of his feet, one arm directing them towards the stairs. “Just up to the lab.”

  Clare nearly faltered. A sickly sense of dread rose, pumping through her veins, making her lightheaded. “Oh?”

  “The hazmat suits will be a good way to keep you dry through the rain and protect from the hollows, and we can get a container to keep the USB dry. Oh, I haven’t shown you guys the labs yet, have I?” Ezra thrust his hands into his pockets as he sauntered towards the stairwell. “I used to love working up there. When all of the rooms were full, it was like a buzzing beehive. Everyone working on their own tasks, but also working as a group. If one of us was having trouble, we could tap on the glass and get our neighbour to help us brainstorm ideas.”

  “Sounds like it was fun.”

  “Oh, absolutely.” He took the stairs quickly, jogging up two at a time and swivelling on the landing to watch them follow. “I miss those guys.”

  Clare was torn between reluctance and trying to appear enthusiastic. Her smile was growing painful. She matched Ezra’s quick pace, and Dorran stayed at her side, shadowing her.

  Ezra stopped at the metal doors and waved his badge over the reader. “Here we are. The hallowed labs. Try not to touch anything, I don’t know what all of my co-workers were building, and there might be some monster viruses in test tubes or something.”

  The lights blinked on, moving through the vast room in waves, and Clare had a painful sense of déjà vu from the previous night. Her hand was sweaty, but she didn’t let go of Dorran, and he didn’t try to release the hold.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ezra extended a hand towards the rooms. “Aspect poured literally millions into this space. They could afford to, considering some of the stuff that came out of it. Each new hire had a space custom fitted for their needs. Mine was pretty simple—just a bench, some proprietary tools, and some tubes to grow the biological components. Ezra got a whole wall to himself.”

  Ezra led them through the room, seemingly happy to take his time and admire the contents of each chamber. The closer they drew to the final room, the tighter Clare’s nerves wound. She was sure she hadn’t left any evidence of her presence there. She’d turned out all lights, closed all doors. There was nothing Ezra could use to prove her knowledge about—

  No. A spike of panic, sharp enough to turn her momentarily blind, speared through Clare. Her heart missed a beat then redoubled its efforts as her body’s flight-or-fight instincts kicked in. Dorran felt the change and sent her a concerned glance. She opened her mouth, but there was no way to communicate her fear to him.

  She’d left Peter’s body uncovered.

  No. No. Why didn’t I pull the coat back over him? Why did I leave him exposed? Did Ezra see? Is that why we’re up here?

  Ezra’s path was leading them steadily towards the chambers at the back of the room. In a few more paces, he would be close enough to see Peter’s uncovered body. Clare pulled on Dorran’s hand, stopping their progress. Her voice sounded too tight. “Peter? I, uh, I can put the USB in a bag I have. We won’t need the case.”

  He turned to face her, his smile horribly wide. “No. I guess you don’t.”

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Ezra’s hands came out of his pockets. A glint of metal accompanied them. Clare didn’t even have time to breathe before he aimed the pistol at Dorran’s chest. Ezra’s smile seemed as though it had been fused to his face. “Get into the chamber.”

  Dorran lowered his centre of gravity. It was a subtle change, but one Clare had seen before. He was braced to attack.

  “Uh-uh, no.” Instead of pointing the gun at Dorran, Ezra levelled it at Clare’s face. “Move, and she pays for it.”

  Dorran bared his teeth. Ezra took a step back, but his aim didn’t waver. “Go into the right-hand chamber. Both of you. The door is unlocked.”

  The atmosphere felt thick enough to choke on. Dorran was wound tight, his grip on Clare’s hand strong enough to hurt. She could see the muscles in his face twitch as he ran through their choices. But there was no choice. Nowhere to run. No way to defend against the pistol.

  Clare moved first, stepping towards the glass wall, and Dorran reluctantly followed. She coaxed shaking hands to turn the handle. It beeped as it opened, and the stench of rotting flesh flooded around them. She heard Ezra gag behind her and shot him a glance.

  He held one arm across his mouth and nose, eyes squinted nearly closed, but the gun remained steady. “Stand by the door there. The right-hand one. Don’t move.”

  It put them closer to Peter’s body than Clare wanted. She tried not to stare at him. Even bloated, even decayed, his face had a friendly quality to it. She wished he’d been the one to greet them at the tower. Her chest ached.

  The computer on the opposite side of the chamber was already turned on. Ezra backed towards it, never taking his eyes off them, and pressed a button. The chamber door clicked, and a hissing noise told her an airlock had been released.

  “It’s open. Go in.”

  To Clare’s surprise, he sounded subdued. Sad, even. It might not be too late to reason with him. He’s a murderer, but he’s also desperate. “Ezra…”

  “In!” he barked.

  She pushed on the door. It glided inwards, and Clare stepped through. Dorran’s narrowed eyes stayed fixed on Ezra as he moved behind her. As the door closed, it clicked, and Clare knew it had locked.

  Ezra lowered the gun with a heavy sigh. He tossed it onto the bench, almost carelessly, and pulled out the roller seat. Instead of sitting in it, he stood at its back, hands braced on the fabric and head bowed.

  The containment room was void of furniture. Its back walls were white-painted concrete. The floor was tile. The front wall was glass, as was the barrier separating them from the adjacent chamber. Clare glanced to her right. The other chamber had been unusually quiet, considering what lived in it. Frosting ran up the lower half of the glass, and Clare edged closer, trying to catch a glimpse of their companion.

  Ezra sighed a second time then pushed his chair closer, until it was directly outside the door. He sat in it, facing them, and folded his hands in his lap as he leaned forward. The harshness had left his face. He looked gaunt and tired, and his lips twitched as he glanced between them. “I don’t know how to say this. But… I hope you will understand. I am so incredibly sorry. For everything.”

  Clare licked her lips. She had never felt so much pressure to choose her words well. “Ezra… we can fix this.”

  He lifted his head, and his eyes glistened. “Can we?”

  “We’ll never speak a word of th
is. You have my promise. And I don’t break promises.”

  One side of his mouth lifted into a lopsided grin. “You’re nice. That’s been the hardest part. When I put out the signal, I was hoping some crazies would show up. Because you’d have to be crazy to listen to a radio that played nonsense, right?”

  Clare didn’t understand. She swallowed and tried again. “I don’t think you want to kill us.”

  “No, I don’t.” He dropped his head into his hands, fingers digging through his hair.

  “And you don’t have to. We won’t cause you any trouble. We… we just want to leave peacefully. We won’t take any of your supplies.”

  He didn’t move. Thunder crackled outside the walls. She was so sick of it. The constant noise, the constant energy, charging the air and making her head buzz and her muscles ache. One peal barely died before another one began. She wanted to scream.

  Keep it under control. Stay patient. He’s responding to kindness. Do this for Dorran.

  Dorran stayed at the rear of the room, head down, shoulders bowed, and hands behind his back. They had an unspoken understanding. Ezra liked Clare. He didn’t like Dorran. He was afraid of Dorran, and fear could be dangerous. So Dorran sank into the darkest corner of the room, where he blended into the grey walls, forgotten. He was good at it. Clare guessed he’d learned to be inconspicuous at Winterbourne, where it would have been a survival mechanism used around his mother. Out of sight. Out of mind. Out of danger.

  Clare stepped up to the glass and rested one hand on it. She made her voice as gentle as she could manage, head lowered. “Ezra, this will be all right. You’re not a murderer. And… we don’t want to push you to that. You can step back and unlock the door. We’ll go straight away. You won’t ever have to worry about us again. I’m sorry for making you worry in the first place.”

  He leaned back. His face had been handsome, but now, it was creased with deep lines as his expression twisted. Lips pulled up as though he were trying to smile, but Clare thought it was more of an attempt not to cry. “You’re nice. I’d hoped I would get one of the crazy prepper types. Someone who was a drain on society, so I could lead them straight up to the labs and not feel guilty about it. But you… you looked so relieved to be here. And sad. And scared. And I couldn’t do it.”