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He didn't even ask who we are,…
As Steve and Karen started to enter the tu
Steve nodded and moved off after the strange Dr. Ki
They turned the first corner, Karen hanging onto his shoulder with a cold and sweating hand and the researcher was just rounding a bend farther ahead, a good hundred meters away. Steve caught a glimpse of fluttering white and the heel of a black loafer, and then he was out of sight, clattering footsteps moving away.
Great. Lost in a goddamn sea cave labyrinth because Dr. Strangelove has a schedule to keep…
Karen let out a low moan of soft distress and Steve felt the cold, hard knot in his stomach clench tighter, his fear of getting lost nothing next to fear he felt for Karen. She was leaning on him more heavily, her feet dragging against the dank limestone floor.
David, John, Rebecca, please hurry, please don't let Karen get any worse…
He pulled her along as quickly as he could, con– cerned about catching up to Ki
"Watch him carefully, Steve…"
Steve held on to Karen's side, fumbling through his thoughts for ways to stall, to reason with Ki
–what would happen to Karen? "You will come to the lab," Ki
Steve felt a helpless shudder run through his body. Ki
his cold brown eyes, sat at the corners of his slack and
expressionless lips.
Oh my God… "You will come to the lab or I'll kill you," he repeated, and this time, he raised both weapons holding them inches away from Karen's sagging head. Steve knew she was dying, knew that there was a good chance she'd lose against the virus and becomea violent, insane creature before the night was through -but I have to protect her for as long as I can. If I sacrificed her to save myself and there was even a chance that she could've been cured…
Steve wouldn't, couldn't do it. Even if it meant his own life. Holding Karen tightly, he stepped ahead of the thing and started to walk.
Enough time had passed. If the intruders had done what they were supposed to do, they would have split up, some of them heading mistakenly for the pen, some accompanying the good doctor back to the lab. If Alan had failed, he'd at least have stalled the intruders long enough to keep them out in the open. Either way, it was time.
Griffith tapped the control panel for the Ma7 enclo-sure, thinking wistfully how much fun it would be to see the looks on their faces. The red light flashed to green, signifying that the gate was fully open. No matter, he supposed. So long as they died.
FIFTEEN
The winding tu
Lied to by an Umbrella scientist? Perish the thought…
Tired sarcasm aside, Ki
Or did he send us off on a snipe hunt, some dead-end cave – or even a trap, something dangerous, meant to keep us out of the way while he…
…while he did something to Steve and Karen. The thought frightened her even more than the concept of walking into a trap. Karen was desperately ill, she wouldn't be able to defend herself, and Steve…
…no, Steve's okay. He'd be able to take Ki
heartbeat…
Except that Karen was with him. A very sick Karen,
struggling just to stay upright.
Their jog had slowed to a shag, David and John both breathing heavily, frowns deepening across their exhausted faces. David held up a hand, stopping them. "I don't think it's this way," he panted. "We should have seen something by now. And the piece of paper with the key card said southwest, east – I'm not sure, but I think after that last turn, we're heading west."
John bobbed his head, his short, tight hair glisten-ing with sweat. "I don't know which way we're going, but I know I think Ki
Clank! They froze, staring at each other. From somewhere farther down the endless tu