The Virus Within: The Unranked (Book 4)

Ch. 35: Things Look Promising

My first reaction was to look for the hinges, but they must have been on the other side. My smirk returned; if the hinges were inside, it meant the door would swing inward. The welding bead was really messy and prominent, possibly to make people overlook that detail and try to pull the door open.

I took a step back and gave it a powerful kick. The metal dented from the impact and most of the welds cracked. I frowned and kicked it again. This time, it swung inward and rebounded off the wall with a bang.

I jumped over the plywood to investigate the room. Dozens of filing cabinets had been stuck in a corner, with various computers and laptops piled haphazardly on top. I began browsing through the filing cabinets but found nothing more exciting than outstanding student fees and regular paperwork.

Labeling this room as a lost cause, I went in search of greener pastures and more blocked doors. I left the brick walls to entertain Daniel and broke into the rooms blocked with mere wood.

A few other doors had been welded shut. If it looked like a simple weld, I dealt with the obstacle. If there were support bars firmly welded to the door and frame, it was left for Daniel's entertainment, although his greater strength allowed him to rip one end free and bend it out of the way without too much difficulty.

"Did we find anything decent on this floor?" I asked Daniel.

"Nothing we were looking for. Let's check the next level."

As we climbed the stairs, I peered up. "Something tells me they didn't want us on the second floor."

Daniel paused and aimed his flashlight farther up. Where the door to the second level should have been, light gleamed off the edges of the dusty metal sheet that stuck out from behind the wall of sloppily stacked cinder blocks. A large sign proclaimed, "Food and water on third floor."

We stopped in front of the obstacle, ignoring the stairs going farther up.

"They didn't secure the top or sides," I said, standing on my tip-toes to reach the top brick and pull backward. I skipped out of the way as the top half of the cinder block wall toppled over, revealing a wall of regular bricks right behind it.

This looked far too much like work for my tastes.

"You know what? I'll go check the third floor in case there's traps or something." I promptly headed for the stairs.

The sign post in Daniel's hand was bent and twisted from everything he'd put it through, and I suspected it might not survive this new challenge. I quickly jogged up the stairs, although Daniel was already inspecting the wall with interest.

The door to the third floor was suspiciously free of anything impeding it, and I cautiously pulled it open in case there was, indeed, a trap. The faint creaking was drowned out by the crashing of bricks below.

Nothing happened as I opened the door the rest of the way. I peered through the opening before venturing through it. As I walked down the hallway, I could see piles of water bottles and food in various rooms. A couple of doors were covered with plywood but most were propped open.

Only a few nails secured the plywood to the drywall, making it easy to pry it off. Most of the sealed rooms held food, batteries, and camping supplies, some of which found a new home in my backpack. I even managed to find a prybar larger than my current one, so I hung it off the side of my backpack since I'd likely need it sooner rather than later.

I found an empty lab but no equipment. On a growing hunch, I returned to the stairwell. Daniel had destroyed both walls of bricks and cleared the rubble back, but he was still trying to find a grip on the thick steel plate whose edge had been very smoothly welded onto the metal doorframe.