The Unknown

x. (continued)

Doc pushed me into the room he had just emerged from.

Inside, Kyle was seated on the floor, his eyes closed and body limp. I wasn't certain if he was unconscious or just trying to appear that way. The lower half of his face was smeared with bright-red blood. The sight of it made my heart jump.

Doc followed my gaze and muttered, "His nose has been bleeding like a faucet."

One of Kyle's arms was suspended by a handcuff affixed to his wrist. The other end was latched around the handle of a drawer that I had to assume was locked. Doc didn't strike me as stupid enough to handcuff someone to a drawer that could simply be pulled out of its slot.

"Since you're here, I take it things didn't go well between you and Jason?" He paused, but I didn't respond. "My son has had a little crush on you for a long time."

He cleared his throat, then continued, "I'm confident we will catch all of you and your friends. You remember when we planned the evacuation procedures, right?" This time he barely paused. "Anyway, we set a rendezvous location where we could meet back up if everyone scattered. I picked it myself." The corners of his mouth twitched with the beginnings of a sick smile that turned my stomach. "The government already knows the location. Everyone who does manage to escape will be met by a slew of soldiers waiting for them there."

"Why did you do this? How could you?" I stared hard into his eyes, trying to pour the intense hatred I was feeling into my voice. I was more disgusted by him and his actions than I had ever been at anything. I had known him for years, and I truly believed he was a decent man who had done so much for us, who had cared for us.

His face hardened. "I gave up everything—my entire life—to come here. Don't think I enjoy doing this. This was the only way my son and I could go back and live our lives." He panted, focusing his eyes on me. "You can come with us. You can still say yes, Tess." He spoke slowly now. "Tell me, and be honest—if you and him," he nodded toward Kyle, "could have done the same, wouldn't you have?"

At the suggestion that he could tell there was something between Kyle and me, I felt my face flush with a warmth that I hoped wasn't noticeable. 

His question was so absurd that I didn't grace it with a response. I would never betray my friends—family, practically. 

Instead, I drew my knife from my pocket and lunged for his neck. 

There was a loud bang, and suddenly Kyle was beside me, helping to restrain Doc against the wall. An empty drawer hung from his arm by the handcuffs. I felt my heart surge again, but this time it was with a feeling of triumph. I grinned wildly in Doc's face.

"What will happen to everyone? What do you know? Tell me right now, or I swear to God I will drain all the blood from your body," I said, applying more pressure with the knife on his jugular vein. I could feel its pulsing increase. Kyle shot me an odd look.