Darn Stupid Brother You Are

(Angel's POV)

I couldn't stop thinking about it.

The door. The warning. Dr. Nixon's face was pale, and she was shaking. Why did she suddenly change? Why was she willing to help us get out of the center now? Did something happen with Dr. Joe? Or was she just playing us? How did she even know we were in the lounge?

Everything spun in my head, and it felt like I was trapped in a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

My body moved on autopilot, and I walked down the hall to my dorm room. The flickering lights cast shadows that felt too long and twisted. I didn't even realize where I was going until I stopped in front of our room.

I knocked once, then twice. My heart pounded.

I wonder why I was knocking but I was thinking of ten different things at the same time, so I didn't even know what my body was doing.

The door creaked open, and there she was. Cylan. Her face was blank, as always. But there was something in her eyes, something curious. "Why are you so up late?" she asked, and her voice was low, barely above a whisper.

I stepped inside quickly. The air in the room felt thick and heavy.

"I need to talk to you," I said, and I closed the door behind me. The other girls were asleep.

Cylan crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "About?"

I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice steady. "The noises in the West Wing."

Her eyes flickered for just a second, then she looked away like she didn't care. But I knew she did.

"I've heard them," she said, and her voice was flat.

I knew it.

"And?" I pushed and stepped closer. "What do you think they are?"

She shrugged, and her gaze still avoided mine. "Does it matter?"

"Yes," I said, more forceful than I meant to. "It matters."

Cylan finally looked at me, and there was something dark in her eyes, something haunted. "What are you trying to say, Angel?"

"I want to find out," I whispered, and the words tumbled out before I could stop them. "I want to know what's going on in this place."

She watched me, and her expression stayed unreadable. I couldn't tell if she was considering it or if she thought I was insane.

"You're going to get yourself killed," she said finally, but there wasn't any heat in her voice. Just a quiet acceptance, like she had already resigned herself to that fate. "Maybe," I said, and my voice got softer. "But I have to know."

I hesitated and looked at her. "Don't you want to know what happened to Emily? Don't you care about what they did to her? We might find some leads or answers there." Cylan stayed silent, and the tension between us grew thicker. Finally, she let out a slow breath and nodded.

"Fine," she muttered. "But if we get caught, this was your idea."

I swallowed hard, feeling both relief and fear wash over me. "Deal."

We waited until midnight.

The dorm stayed eerily quiet, and the only sounds were the occasional creak of the old building settling and the soft rustling of fabric as Cylan and I pulled on our shoes.

I glanced at her, my heart pounding. "Ready?"

She nodded, and her face set with grim determination. "Let's go."

We first glanced at the girls, all sleeping obliviously, before we headed out

We moved silently through the halls, and the darkness pressed in around us. Every step felt heavier than the last, like the air was thick with secrets. My nerves were on edge, and every shadow made me jump. But we didn't stop.

Not until we stood in front of the door to the West Wing.

A chill ran down my spine as I reached for the handle, and my fingers trembled. This wasn't my first time but it was still unnerving. This place was just scary.

Cylan stood beside me, her face unreadable, but I saw the tension in her posture.

For a moment, I thought about Dr. Nixon's warning. Maybe....or maybe not...whatever. I was already on to a lead. I couldn't stop now.

I pushed the door open, and the hinges creaked loudly in the silence. My heart leaped into my throat, and I held my breath, waiting for someone-anyone-to hear us.

But no one came.

The hallway beyond was dark, and the shadows looked long and menacing. The air smelled sterile, like a hospital. Cold and unnatural.

We stepped inside, and our footsteps were muffled on the linoleum floor. My skin crawled with the feeling that we shouldn't be there, that we were trespassing in a place where we didn't belong. "This place is creepy as hell," Cylan muttered in a low tone.

I nodded as my throat was too tight to respond.

We moved deeper into the wing and the sound of our breathing was the only noise in the heavy silence. Doors lined the walls and each one was closed and locked. But it wasn't the rooms that caught my attention. It was the sound.

A low mechanical hum came from somewhere ahead and my pulse quickened.

"Do you hear that?" I whispered and stopped in my tracks.

Cylan nodded as her eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

I didn't answer because I didn't know.

We followed the sound and our footsteps quickened as the noise grew louder. It led us to a room at the end of the hall. The door was slightly open and a faint light spilled out into the hallway. My heart raced as I pushed the door open and the sight inside made my stomach turn.

The room was filled with medical equipment. Machines I didn't recognize beeped softly and their screens showed numbers and graphs I couldn't understand. But that wasn't what made me freeze. It was the files.

Stacks of patient files were piled high on a desk in the corner.

I moved toward them and my fingers trembled as I reached for the nearest one. My name was on the top.

My blood ran cold.

"What the hell?" I whispered and flipped it open.

Inside, there were notes. Detailed descriptions of me. My medical history. My daily routines. Things I'd never told anyone. Things no one should know.

I felt sick.

"They're watching us," I murmured faintly. "They've been watching us this whole time."

Cylan moved closer as her eyes scanned the room. "This place is a fucking nightmare."

Before I could respond, there was a sound. A loud clang came from somewhere in the hallway.

My heart stopped.

"We need to go," Cylan hissed and grabbed my arm.

I didn't argue and we bolted for the door as our footsteps were loud in the silence. The hallway seemed longer now and darker. Every corner felt like a trap. We were almost to the exit when I heard it. The sound of heavy boots. A guard.

"Shit," I muttered and my heart pounded in my ears.

"Run," Cylan whispered.

We sprinted down the hall and our footsteps echoed off the walls. The guard was behind us and his footsteps were getting closer.

I felt my lungs burn and my legs shake but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop.

We burst through the door to the dorm hallway and my chest heaved as I slammed it shut behind us.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then we heard the footsteps stop.

I pressed my back against the wall as my body trembled with adrenaline. Cylan leaned beside me and her face was pale and her breath came in ragged gasps.

"That was too close," she muttered faintly.

I nodded and swallowed hard. "Yeah."

We slipped back into our dorm without another word and the madness of what we found hung heavy between us. I couldn't stop thinking about those files. About how much they knew. How long they had been watching. But just as I was about to climb into bed, something caught my eye.

A piece of paper had been slipped under the door.

My hands shook as I picked it up and my heart pounded in my chest.

There was only one sentence written in jagged, hurried handwriting:

"Stop investigating or you'll regret it."~~

I stared at the note and my blood turned to ice.

I couldn't breathe.

I turned to Cylan and held the paper out to her. Her eyes widened as she read it and her face went pale.

"Angel," she whispered with her voice trembling. "What do we do?"

I didn't have an answer.

But one thing was clear.

Someone knew what we were up to.

And they were watching.