บท 98: Pity-Party For One Please...

--Dr. Camila West POV... "I'm just a veterinarian! Why do I get another POV!?"--

We continue down the white hallways. Researchers bump and elbow each other, staring at their clipboards and hardly sparing a glance to those around them.

'These people! They act like absolutely nothing is happening on the surface or in the facility! How many of their coworkers and compatriots died, yet it's business as usual here!? Wait, could it be that...'

Suddenly I notice a researcher casually walk up to another man drinking a cup of coffee. "Hey, John. You got the data for the proof of concept test we did a while ago?"

Seemingly surprised, the man swallows a mouthful of what must be burning hot coffee. A few tears flow down his cheeks as he turns toward the other man. "I-I think so?" he coughs, "You need them?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you! But yeah, my team needs them if we're gonna make our deadline."

The man named John motions for the other researcher to follow. "Ah, yeah. I'll get them for you then."

As I pass by, the two pause and glance at me with smiles. The nameless researcher speaks first, "I sure hope you're a new hire. We're absolutely swamped down here."

"Haha! That's putting it lightly, but hey, now that the Consortium researchers have left, we can move onto the step we've been waiting for!" John declares passionately.

The two give me one more nod and proceed to walk into one of the nearby rooms.

'...They don't even know anything has happened, do they!? There is no way this ends well for me, is there?' Biting my lower lip and adjusting my glasses, a researcher pushing at least four-hundred pounds, winks at me, apparently thinking I'm coming onto him. Stealthy, I scratch my face with my middle finger making sure he notices. He looks visibly hurt as I resume my internal pity-party. 'Sorry, I wouldn't normally do that, but I'm in the middle of preparing to face death here. I always wanted to die with my feet in the sand, a bloody mary in one hand, and a book in the other. Not in the twilight zone episode this is turning into!'

"Dr. Camilia," the burly guard says, breaking me from my stupor.

'Why'd he interrupt the pity-party. I was just about to light the pity-candles on my pity-cake. Still, I kind of got lost in thought and forgot I was following him.'

"H-hey," I say weakly, "I think Mr. Whiskers will be fine."

'After our very possible deaths.' I stare at the floor. 'Sorry, to have dragged you into this… Mr. Whiskers would certainly not approve of what I've done!'

"Well, I'd hope so, Doctor, you signed off on him personally months ago." He laughs and points down one of the many hallways. "It's this way to Dr. Falenoz's office. He is the one who asked for you, right? Dr. Wright doesn't seem like the type to allow animals."

I straighten my back and shake my head. "No, it wasn't either of them, but one of the researchers. I think they said they were doing something that involved a recent acquisition when the accident that hurt their animal occurred. We should probably just go straight there."

'It would be easier if I could just say take me to the vampire… I wonder if the vampire will give me their autograph?'

"Recent acquisition? I don't know what you mean by that, but we should go to Dr. Falenoz either way. Unless you prefer Dr. Wright, but I think he's busy with something."

"Busy with something?" I ask.

"Yeah, with…" the burly guard pauses for a moment, "Oh, wait, is that what you meant by acquisition? The guy those giant things delivered to us? Actually, I think they got rid of him, but they found another one."

"Ah! I'm certain that must be what they meant." I wiggle my finger with certainty. "So you should take me there, stat. The patient needs me."

"Sorry, doctor, but I don't know where they are. We'll go see Dr. Wright and figure things out. Just don't be upset if he goes off on you. He's the one that called for the lockdown in the first place."

"It's fine my patients bark at me all the time, so I'm used to it…" Pausing, I recall something weird about his previous words. "Out of curiosity, what did you mean 'got rid of him' and 'those things'?"

"Again, sorry, doctor, but I shouldn't talk about it." We round a corner and stop near a door with a golden nameplate. "Anyway, we're here, let's explain the situation."

I stare at the golden nameplate. My heart pounds furiously as I glance at a nearby restroom. "W-wait! I need to use the restroom first."

"Huh? But Dr. Camilia, isn't this an emergency."

"...Oh yeah." I stop midstride and smile awkwardly. "T-that's right. N-no time to go to the restroom."

He nods seriously and raises a big fist. **Knock. Knock.**

"Dr. Wright, this is Security Officer Leslie, I'm here with Dr. Camilia," he says in a low voice.

Immediately an irritated voice answers, "Doctor who? I don't know a Dr. Camilia."

He glances at me awkwardly and turns back toward the door. "Dr. West, the veterinarian."

"Dr. South, East, North, it doesn't matter, I don't know any of them. Besides, why is a bloody veterinarian here? This part of the facility isn't allowing anyone in!" There is a heavy sigh from the other side of the door. "Just forget it! Come in so that I can yell at your faces!"

As soon as we enter, a voice shouts at Leslie. "What is it you peabrain nematodes want!?"

Leslie blinks a few times. "...Peabrain nematodes, sir?"

"I heard someone say it the other day, and I've been looking for an opportunity to use it. This seemed like a pretty good occasion."

Stepping out from behind Leslie, Dr. Wright glares at me. He is an older man with gray hair, wearing a purple button-up and khakis.

Suddenly, a short beep emanates from a white lab coat that is hung on a nearby coat rack. Dr. Wright stands and reaches into the pocket of the coat. The small beep grows slightly louder as he stares at a small device. Turning toward me, he raises an eyebrow and scowls; however, it quickly changes into a frightful smirk.

"Security Officer Leslie, you may leave now," he says with a motion of his hand, "I need to have a chat with Dr. Compass alone."

"But, sir, there's a anim—"

"Leave!" the doctor yells.

Leslie glances at me, whispering, "I'll wait for you outside."

The heavy door shuts behind him, leaving us in deadly silence. Dr. Wright studies me closely while holding the device. He raises it toward me, causing it to beep louder and more frequently than before. Feeling hot, I start to fan myself nervously with my lab coat.

Quickly he rushes toward one of the nearby file cabinets. Meanwhile, I stand dumbfounded and unable to process whatever is currently happening.

He pulls a silver dart gun from the cabinet. "Who the hell are you?" he asks threateningly.

"...A veterinarian."

"Cut the veterinarian bullcrap. Who do you serve?"

My brain fizzles as the Doctor raises the dart gun at me. "Uh… all animals? But I specialize in small mammals and reptiles."

"Are you a bloody moron?"

The gears in my head grind against one another. "N-no, I'm a vet—"

"A veterinarian, I know already! Stop playing dumb."

"...I'm not trying to play dumb. I genuinely don't understand what is happening."

'There's no way he figured me out just by looking at me, right!?' I open my lab coat and glance at my armpits, finding them heavily stained with sweat. 'Oh… Maybe he did. This whole situation is nerve-wracking! I can't help it!'

Dr. Wright holds up the beeping device with his other hand. "This device goes off when someone is actively utilizing mana. That means you!"

"Mana?... Like Trixie uses?"

"Who's Trixie!?"

"...The vampire, Trixie."

"The young lady from before? The one who told me to call her 'C'? You're working for her!? How long ago did she plant you in this facility!?"

"Trixie is sadly not a real person, doctor," I say with raised hands, "If she was, I'd want her to know I'm her biggest fan."

'What am I even saying!? Why did I say that!? This whole conversation doesn't make any sense to me!'

"D-Doctor, can you not point that dart gun at me?" I ask weakly.

The Doctor scoffs, regaining much of his composure. "Just don't move," he says.

Suddenly, I feel something tug my ankle, causing me to stumble. I grab a nearby lamp in an attempt to catch myself. That lamp falls behind me, causing the lampshade to pop off and roll away. The still illuminated bulb stretches my shadow.

"Inept idiot," he says, picking up a phone, "Now that I know you aren't who I thought you might be, I can have you detained."

But before he can press a button, my shadow bubbles, and a demon explodes from it. The demon grabs Dr. Wright's head and slams into the desk with a loud bang.

Covering my mouth, I wave my arms. "S-stop," I say with a muffled voice.

**Knock. Knock.**

"H-hey, Dr. Wright, Dr. Camilia, everything alright in there? There's a lot of noise?" Leslie asks.

"Yes! Everything is fine. I just tripped no need to worry!"

"Okay, if you say so," he responds.

With a sigh, I stand and walk over to the strange demon man. He crosses his lean and muscular arms, stretching the black leather. With a sigh, he pops his neck and licks his teeth seductively. His long black hair sways as he turns to gaze at me with indifferent eyes.

'He looks straight out of a magazine or an exotic romance novel. If only he would have put me on the back of a motorcycle and whisked me away from here... Instead, he poisoned me and committed double homicide.'

"Stop looking at me like that," he says in a cold voice.

I remove my glasses and wipe the fog from the lenses. 'I don't even know what he's talking about! Must be speaking in some demonic language!'

Glancing at the Doctor, I find him still breathing, but with blood oozing from his forehead. The once pristine and expensive desk now has a dent in it from the Doctor's head.

Seeing the Doctor, I start to feel a bit faint and nauseous, so I turn away. 'Unfortunately, I can't call for help. I'm sorta a hostage, so I hope you understand!'

Overwhelmed, a few tears leak from my eyes, but I quickly swallow them.

"Thanks," I say, staring into the demon's rectangular pupils, "I thought you were gonna let him detain me for sure."

He looks at me with confusion. "Why would I have done that?"

"Because that's where your friends probably are?"

"Fuck," he says in a small voice before following it up with a long sigh, "...Anyway, you start looking through his stuff, and I'll tie up the elder human."

'The jerk!'

Now with pursed lips, I go through Dr. Wright's belongings.

"Didn't expect he could detect mana like that," the demon man says.

I motion toward the shadow at my feet. "Can all demons do that?"

"Do what?" he asks, staring at the tile floor.

"Go into shadows like it's a vat of oil."

"Nah, I can only do it with the help of a goatskin parchment my Gramps left me… Wait, how'd you know I was a demon?"

"Because of the horns," I reply.

"Psh. Lots of races have horns," he whispers to himself.

Finding a black journal in a drawer, I attempt to open it, finding it locked. The demon noticing what I'm doing, grabs the journal and jams a brass-knuckle dagger hybrid thing into the flimsy lock, breaking it instantly. I swallow nervously, and with renewed haste, I grab the journal, skimming its contents.

'Stubborn old coot! Didn't trust his own computer, so he wrote everything down.'

Meanwhile, the demon ties Dr. Wright to a chair nearby and stuffs the doctor's mouth with a sock he took from his feet.

"Figured if I gutted him in front of you, you might not be so inclined to follow orders," he says lazily, motioning toward the man.

'You already murdered two people in front of me, you psycho, or did you already forget!?'

Shaking my head, I resume reading the journal, but it starts to take an unexpected turn.

"Dr. Wright is a Consortium plant?"

"Don't care about whoever the fuck that is at all," the demon man says, "More importantly, it looks like the vampires are in this giant room thing here."

I turn to see him pointing at a big whiteboard full of formulas and stray messages. However, in one corner, words like, "Incisors, red eyes, sensitive skin, etc." are written. Then below that is a schedule with things like "drain fluids, send to the lab, place in the chamber.".

"We don't know for sure that schedule is for the vampires…" I answer, stiffly.

'That sentence would make me feel really stupid if it wasn't a demon man that told me they were vampires.'

The demon man holds up a goatskin parchment. "Well, it's the best we've got, and I've got one more of these. So let's go."

'He only has one more!? But how does he plan to get out!?'

Before I can say anything, the parchment lights up, and the demon disappears into my shadow with a splash.