Chapter 4: The Metal Door

I tried not to look at the man walking beside me. Dr. O'neil was a handsome man, I would give him that but he was cold. He seemed the type to kick someone's dog just out of spite. Since dogs were close to wolves and wolves were closer to what I was.. you could hazard a guess that I was not comfortable with him.  

He had hurried me to change and had dragged me along with him. He hadn't even given me a chance to eat and as if on cue my stomach growled. 

"You should've had something to eat before coming with me, I intend to work till midnight." He said casually. 

"As if I had a choice! You literally dragged me along with you!" I shot him an accusing glance. The man just scoffed and kept on walking down the corridor and I had to follow like a puppy.

"Before we start, Miss Holroyd, I would like for you to go under some security procedures." He warned and opened the glass doors to his lab. I hesitated as I entered. 

"There are a bunch of papers on the desk, please sign them and we can begin with our work." He said, pulling on a pair of gloves. 

"Papers?" I was puzzled. 

"Non disclosure contract. Everything you see, hear or do in this lab can't be disclosed in front of anyone." He explained. His eyes were blank. Did the man have any emotion at all?  

"And if I don't follow the contract?" I asked.

"Trust me you don't want to know." He whispered and disappeared behind the curtains. I gulped and walked over to his desk. I had to squint my eyes to see the small letters on the contract. Who would read such a contract? Exactly. That's what they wanted. To trap unsuspecting employees into contracts with disagreeable terms. I snorted. As if I was some 'unsuspecting' employee. I knew all about the illegal work they were doing at the facility. 

I signed Iris's name on the papers and arranged them in a nice stack. 

"If you're done, Iris, please wear the gloves and very slowly step past the curtains." He called out. 

I did as he said and walked past the curtains, a soft gasp slipped past my lips as I looked at the lab.

The room was crammed with glass cages with a number of different types of creatures suspended in them. They were alive, I summarized from the tick of their heartbeats which were monitored on the small screen beside each cage. 

Was Devon Knight among these creatures? I wondered. 

"Don't get scared, Iris. You'll have to work with me in this environment. They are just some wild creatures which I use for experimenting purposes." He said and flashed me a quick smile. 

I was disgusted. There were more than a dozen creatures in the lab; all from different realms. I wanted to break the doctor's face for doing that to those helpless creatures. 

"You know what those are?" He asked, pointing at small vials containing red liquid. 

"What?" I asked.

"It is vampire blood. No, don't panic. Vampires are real. We have several of them in confinement at the facility. I will show them to you someday." He said, a sparkle in his eyes. This was all exciting to him I realized. He liked doing this work. He was insane. 

I froze as his words registered in my mind. He had vampires. The missing ones! My mind screamed at me. Did he have Devon too? Or was he.. No! He was not dead. I didn't come so far for nothing! I will get him and all these creatures out of here. I promised myself. 

"V-vampire." I stammered, trying to look scared. 

O'neil grinned. His handsome face was now sickening to watch. 

"What e-else do you have?" I asked. Do you have a werewolf? I wanted to ask. But I didn't. I had to be very careful. 

He straightened. His eyes turned glassy. "We have the world's most lethal weapon." He whispered so softly that if I didn't possess werewolf hearing I wouldn't have been able to hear him. My heart skipped a beat. Was he talking about Devon? 

"What did you say doctor?" I asked him, taking a step forward. 

"Nothing, Iris, nothing." He shook his head and pointed towards the vampire blood. 

"Fill those syringes with the blood." He ordered and disappeared behind the cages. 

I walked stiffly and picked up the syringe. I imagined myself plunging the sharp needle in the doctor's neck. I shook myself and did as the doctor had instructed. I scented the vampire blood from the vials and memorized it.

From what my nose could sense, ash, apples, ink; there were three scents. There were three vampires. My eyes burned and for once I was thankful for the contacts hiding my eyes. I was going to track them down.

***

It was night in the human realm, everyone was asleep. It was the perfect time to go tracking. I pulled on my boots and picked up the knife I had stolen from the breakfast tray. I had to track the vampires. 

I slowly unlocked my door and slipped out, the corridors were lit dimly and I took special care to avoid the cameras as I made my way. My nose sniffed the air for the vampires. I kept my feet light and my gait springy which was necessary if I wanted to make as little noise as possible. My nose was my major weapon, it alerted me to anyone's arrival. I sighed as I made my way along the hallways, reaching the stairs that led down to O'Neil's lab. I hesitated only for a minute before giving in. 

It was utterly dark but I could see everything in clarity. My eyes followed the length of the corridor. There were three glass doors and one metal door lining the walls. One of them was O'Neil's lab, the glass doors weren't suitable for confining vampires that left only the metal door. 

I slipped past his lab and stopped in front of the metal door, leaning in, I put my nose closer to its surface and gasped.

Sweet luna.. What was the bastard hiding behind this door? 

There was no doubt that the three vampires were inside because their scent was unmistakable but overpowering all the scents was another, more dangerous scent. I shuddered as I stood there. Whatever was behind the door, it was lethal and deadly but the scent was weirdly familiar.

I placed my hand on the cool metal and closed my eyes. My heart skipped a beat as I heard the growl. I snatched back my hand and tried to control my harsh breathing. 

"Who?" I whispered softly but only silence greeted me. 

***

I woke up to the soft knocking sound coming from the living room. I checked the bedside watch and groaned. It was 7 in the morning. Who was up this early? 

Another round of knocks. I jerked up in the bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Remembering the contacts, I quickly fixed them over my eyes and pulled on a robe. The knocking had ceased by the time I reached the door. I slowly cracked it open and stared at the cheerful face of the receptionist from yesterday. 

"Good morning, Miss Holroyd." She chirped. 

"Yeah." I whispered and raked my fingers through my unbound hair. 

"You know what time it is?" I asked. My head aching from not sleeping enough. 

"Why, it's just 7 in the morning, Miss Holroyd." She answered. 

"Exactly." I said. 

"It's the time to sleep in your bed peacefully." I eyed her name on her ID which was pinned to her coat lapels. 

"Clara, goodbye." I said and started closing the door. 

"But Miss Holroyd! Dr. O'neil wanted to work early and he's sent me to fetch you!" She gushed. I groaned. 

"Tell him I will be there." I was pissed off.

"Very good, Miss Holroyd." She said and breezed away. I sighed and leaned against the closed door. 

After having a quick shower, I got dressed and left the room, my footsteps echoing in the corridor. There were young scientists walking the hallways today with their eyes set ahead and their minds busy with God knew what. A group of female scientists stared at me curiously as I walked past them. I ignored them and descended the stairs and stopped dead. The metal door was open. My heartbeat quickened as I rushed towards the door and came face to face with Dr. O'neil. I sucked in a breath as he stood there motionless. 

"I expected you minutes ago, Iris. I value punctuality." He said, his eyes hard and unblinking. I tried to look past his shoulders but he was tall and all I could glimpse was darkness. But the scent.. It was stronger, more distinct and I clenched my hands into fists as a particular scent caught my attention. The scent of old pages, leather and Devon Knight. 

Devon was there. Beyond the doors. I was utterly still as the doctor locked the metal door and walked past me. 

"Come, Iris." He said. I didn't move, my eyes pinned on the closed door. 

"Iris?" 

"What are you hiding behind that door?" I asked him in a low voice. 

He didn't answer and I finally looked behind my shoulder as the silence pressed between us. 

O'neil was fiddling with the keys as he watched me intently. 

"You want to see what is beyond that door?" He asked. 

I stared at him hard and then gave a nod. 

"I will show you but you're not ready yet." He said and flicked his hand impatiently at me. "Come. Don't waste my time." 

I gritted my teeth as he disappeared behind the glass door. My hand reached behind as I placed it on the cool metal surface. 

"I will take you away from here." I whispered to the door and walked away. 

After filling thirty syringes with vampire blood and organizing his desk I was finally allowed to go. I was rolling off the gloves from my hands when I heard the phone ring. O'neil picked up and I pressed myself behind the curtains, my ears alert. 

"Hello, Zetsev." The doctor said. 

"Doctor, my team caught two more of those creatures last night." The raspy voice replied. It was the commander who had checked me outside the gates. 

"Werewolves, Zetsev. They are werewolves. Tell me where." The doctor said with a laugh. 

Werewolves. My heart stilled. 

"Near the portal in Iquitos. We have them drugged and they are on their way to the center in Peru." Zetsev replied. 

"Peru! It would take days to reach there!" The doctor hissed into the phone. I stood still as Zetsev replied but the sound was lost as the doctor walked out of the lab.

Oh my God. They knew about the portals. My mind flashed back to the two humans who had helped me. The black paint, the weapons; it was not for scaring the tribesmen. They were guarding the portal. I reeled back and pressed myself flat against the wall. These people, whoever they worked for, we had to stop them. I pushed away from the wall, feeling sick as I stumbled out of the lab. I had to do something. I had to inform Hemsworth that they were guarding the portals! 

"Iris!" Doctor O'neil's voice stopped me dead. 

"Iris.." He said again as he stepped in front of me but I was too disgusted with him so I just stared at his shoes.

"I have to leave tonight for Peru. I want you to keep everything in check while I am not here. I will write down the instructions about caring for the creatures and.." He paused suddenly and I quickly looked up. He was staring at the metal door. His mouth clamped shut. 

"Doctor?" I whispered. He jerked at my voice and sighed. 

"I guess I should just tell you." He muttered.

"Doctor?" I called out. 

"Iris, listen carefully. Don't panic. I am going to show you what is behind that door." He said. My eyes widened slightly. I tried to look scared.

"Come with me and don't make too much noise." He said and walked over to the door. I followed silently, my heartbeat quickening with each second. 

He pulled out the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. 

"It's dark inside. Follow me down the stairs and don't fall." He warned and waved me in. I walked into the darkness, my eyes quickly adjusting to it. There were stairs leading downwards. We walked down the stairs and into another hallway. There were floor to ceiling glass doors lining the walls and I could tell the rooms were dimly lit from inside.

"These rooms house the vampires." O'neil whispered from behind me, his breath wafting over my cheeks. I moved away from him and he laughed.

"Don't worry. The vampires are drugged with vervain, a very potent herb which acts as a drug for vampires." He said, his eyes sparkling with interest. I tried not to scowl. 

"It will be your job to keep them drugged when I am not here. The vervain is in the second drawer of my desk." He said.

"What about feeding them?" I asked before I could stop myself. A human who has just been informed that vampires exist should not ask such questions! I should act scared damn it!  I cursed myself but the doctor just stared at me through the dark.

"You're a tough one, Iris. I’m going to like having you as my assistant. The kind of work I do requires tough people and don't worry, I have fed the vampires with blood. It would keep them full for a week. They don't require much." He said, grinning at me. I looked away and froze. There was another metal door at the end of the hallway. Devon was behind that door. I knew it in my bones. I shuddered. 

"What is that door for?" I asked him. My voice trembled slightly as Devon's scent grew stronger. 

"I will show you." He said with a smile and walked past me to the door. I didn't move as he opened the door. A soft growl reached my ears and I felt my knees quiver. What was wrong with me? I felt scared. 

"Iris." He called out to me. "The world's most lethal weapon. My greatest experiment. Come, Iris, have a look."