14 - Survived

After we woke everyone up and then took Rin and May into a room together, André examined them and said they were dehydrated because they hadn't had anything to drink in a long time, but that otherwise they were obviously just exhausted.

After that, we all sat in silence. Each of us was thoughtful. It crossed my mind again that if the two survived, maybe someone from the other two groups did. Friends of André or someone from the Romanians.

We all might have had the same thought, except Meng Yao. Because he suddenly jumped up and said, "You know what? You can continue to sit there and brood. I'm going to look for the damn key to that door to the cave. What if those two were chased by those assassins in the cave and now they've brought them right here?"

Then Zhan suddenly stood up and faced Meng Yao and angrily said, "Oh yeah? If that were really the case, then we'd either be fighting or running for our lives right now. But we're not doing that, are we? We are sitting here and everything around us is silent. You're looking for a key to the door? Okay, go ahead. But by doing that, you're taking away the chance of other survivors who might also find their way out here!"

Meng Yao almost hissed and shouted, "You don't seriously believe that anyone other than those two freaks could have survived, do you? If it were up to me, I would kick this psycho aunt out of here and her slave husband along with her. How did those two freaks find us here? Without lamps? Without water they survived this long? And oh yeah, not to mention those creatures down there who might have had a taste for human flesh. Ever think this is just a trap? Let the rabbit live, follow it to its hiding place, and you'll get more rabbits as a reward."

Yanli was watching Zhan very closely and suddenly became very nervous as Zhan took a step closer to Meng Yao and stabbed him on the chest with his index finger. Then I heard Zhan say, "You know what? I wish I had a long sword, I would ram it into your chest very slowly. But unfortunately I don't have a sword, and unfortunately I know you'll always come back anyway."

I stared at Zhan and again his eyes seemed to flash red. Cheng grabbed Zhan and dragged him with him into another room. Damn, what was that?

My brother wanted to go after the two of them, but Yanli told him to wait. Cheng would calm Zhan down and then they would come back. I looked at Yanli questioningly and she immediately avoided my gaze. Meng Yao looked totally shocked and rubbed his chest in a place I know Zhan didn't touch him there.

I heard Meng Yao talking to himself, repeating over and over, "This can't be. This can't be. How is this possible?"

When Zhan and Cheng returned after a while, Meng Yao immediately went after Zhan again and asked him, "Who are you? Who are you really? Answer me!"

Zhan looked deep into his eyes, grinned and asked him, "Who do you think I am?"

Suddenly, Meng Yao dropped to the ground and shouted that it couldn't be. And Zhan responded by saying, "I know!" in a very, very harsh tone.

I couldn't believe all this, just a moment ago everything was fine, Zhan and I were just enjoying our love and togetherness, and now he seems like a completely different man. I had this feeling before, and even then Zhan had become angry and his eyes looked like they were glowing red. Now again. Am I really imagining this?

And what makes me wonder even more, or rather what I wonder is, do Zhan and Meng Yao know each other from somewhere?

Once again I didn't know what to think, yet I stood up, stood in front of Zhan, grabbed his forearm and told him to stay calm and come with me. Zhan looked at me, his body tension relaxed, and he followed me into our room.

After we sat down on our bed, I asked Zhan straightforwardly, "What is it with your eyes and why do I get the feeling you and Meng Yao knew each other before this trip?"

Zhan's answer sounded more like a rehearsed excuse to me, yet I was willing to ACCEPT this answer. He said, "Sometimes I manage to see into other people's past. And I saw that Meng Yao suffered in a past life, but then became Evil himself and did many terrible things. And my eyes don't turn red. That would be new to me."

Maybe it's true and Zhan can see in a person his former self, yes I also believe in rebirth. But, the red eyes thing, I don't believe him. I mean, I saw it for the second time. And the way Yanli looked at him and then Cheng took him away from us, I'm just more convinced that Zhan is hiding something more. The only question is, why am I not afraid to find out that Zhan might be different after all?

*~*~*

After Zhan wouldn't or couldn't tell me anything else for now, I don't know, we went back to the others. Rin meanwhile came to himself and said that he himself didn't even know how he got here and when he found May. Because the last thing he remembers is he ran away from something and then lost consciousness.

André took another look at the wound on the back of Rin's head. But we immediately explained to him that he got this wound in the room with the first door when May went crazy and pushed him aside to run away.

His story seems to be credible for us, at least for the time being. For he muttered to himself, rubbing his head, as he looked at his wife: "How can that be? How did you find me? Did you bring me here?"

And once again, our real plans were postponed. Only this time I don't plan to comply. I'll go look for an exit together with Zhan later. I won't wait here anymore. I don't want to stay here any longer. Who knows how many days have passed since we left for the forest?

I wonder if we've been overdue long enough for the local police to come looking for us. After all, they know about us and the policeman promised that if we are overdue, they will look for us. But if we stay here in this strange place, they'll never find us.

*~*~*

After the last meal was divided, everyone went to their rooms to rest some more. Zhan and I, however, were alert and waited a bit until we left our room and went to the stairwell. We went up to the next station, which we didn't really want to explore, but we still took a look inside. It was built and equipped very much the same as the station we spent the night in. Nothing was different.

So, we went up to the next floor and above its double doors it said "Development." We tried to open the door but, both doors were locked. Maybe we would just have to take the elevator and then we could enter the station that way? Well, Zhan and I weren't keen on that and went to the last station.

"Station 1, Patient Admission, Medical Examination, Operating Rooms 1-3" It says on the door, one below the other. There was no other staircase going up. So we had to go through there. The double doors had been open.

Like everywhere else in the complex, it didn't look like business had ever stopped. Instead, it looked more like the next shift just had to start. We stood there, in this large room and in front of three corridors. We went to the left first, but only came to the three operating rooms, which still had all the equipment, but hadn't been used in a very long time, as we could see from the dust.

So we went to the corridor to the right and found several offices, "Admission interview Dr. H. Maoman and Dr. J. Henriks" was written on the door of the first office. Then came two examination rooms, a visitor's restroom, another examination room, then a treatment room with "Please keep room sterile" written on the door, and last but not least, a large waiting room.

What we noticed immediately was the lack of windows. No matter which room we entered, there were no windows after all!

Finally, we went to the middle hallway and found ourselves in front of a door labeled, "To the stairwell." Zhan and I looked at each other in confusion. Another stairwell? Where does that lead to? And then why are there only these floors in the elevators and not more?

To find out, we went to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. Zhan said the door is right above the door that would take us into the cave. Just a few floors up. So would we end up only in the cave here again? That can't be right, can it?

"I don't think we've even left the cave yet. I think this whole complex here was built inside the cave. Maybe we'll find the exit right behind this door, but, it could just as easily lead us into another part of the complex. But without a key, we won't be able to get the door open by ourselves. We need to get back to the others and get them." Said Zhan.

So we headed back downstairs and woke up the others to tell them about our little tour. Of course they were mad because we went alone and didn't tell anyone, but, they were also immediately in favor of us finding out what was behind that door.

*~*~*

After checking the two elevators, which apparently can still be used without any problem, we put our injured and exhausted in the elevators. André accompanied Leni and Han. My brother accompanied Rin and May. We, still fit, took the stairs.

Once we reached the top, the others were already waiting for us. Zhan and I then showed them the door and we thought they would immediately try to get it open. Instead, everyone who could went to look around first.

And Missy then found something very interesting in the room of the two doctors. Something that tells us where we are, or at least who owns this complex. On a desk she found an admission form on whose letterhead it says: "Research and Development - Crane Institute". But that can't really be, can it?

Because Crane is the place where we spent the first night and which, according to the two old ones in the other place, burned down about 40 years ago. But then I just did the math. This complex here was abandoned 26 years ago. Could it be that Crane didn't burn down 40 years ago, but 26? Or maybe this institute has nothing to do with the place at all and it's just a coincidence?

And why didn't the two old ones say anything about this institute? Does that mean they didn't know about it? Was the place Crane maybe just a cover? I'm so confused right now.

Meng Yao, of course, immediately took the opportunity to let loose the wildest fantasies again.

But he was stopped when we suddenly heard a laugh. Or rather, two people laughing. We turned around in a jerk and looked into two strange faces. "So you survived the cave too." Said the man thoughtfully and looked at us closely.