Breaking Boundaries

"So what's going on now?"

"They're releasing all the experiments in twenty minutes. We have to get inside before then."

I followed her out of the cabin then through the forest. When we reached the clearing, it was nothing like the estate I used to wander about when I was younger. It was unrecognizable. There were numerous isolated quarters. They looked like trailers, only bigger and seemed sturdier.

"Are those---" I began asking.

"Yes. The experiments are kept inside of those."

"You mean all of those have experiments inside them? How many in each of them?" I asked.

"About fifty to a hundred. Some of the experiments tend to eat the others so I can't give you an accurate number."

"Will the facility hold? What if those monsters break in the lab? Everybody will die then."

"Don't worry." She said. "Come on."

We ran to the old summer house which looked nothing like in my memories. To say it was remodeled was an understatement. The doors and windows had been replaced by thick metals. Cassandra, the nun, took a lab coat from the rack and handed it to me. I put them on and followed her. I kept my head down the whole time, afraid someone would recognize me. She guided me through a couple of hallways then into her office.

"So tell me, what really is the plan?" She asked.

"Once the monsters have been released, there's a high chance they'll be running wild and try to escape the property. Once they've gone to the boundaries, the vampires will take care of them. When the coast is clear and there are no more monsters near the lab, we make a run for it." I started explaining.

"To the tunnel in the cabin?"

"Yes. The other end is at the forest away from the boundary. It would be safe for us there." I said. "Do you think he'll come with us?" The tears started forming in my eyes.

"I don't know. But I know how devoted he has been in this research. It would take extra effort to convince him to leave, even if it's you." She said.

"What about the others?"

"There are some staff members that had been feeling uneasy about the whole operation. I've gathered a bunch of them and they're willing to go with us and take responsibility for their actions." She said. "The Church officials will probably go with us to save themselves once they see that their plan was a perfect failure, but I doubt they'll surrender just like that. I'm pretty sure they'll only try to run away once we get them safely out of here."

"That's alright. I've already asked Father Sinclair to position a few trusted underground members outside the tunnel. They won't be able to escape." I assured her. "But why? If you're so against it then why are you still here?"

"Where can I go? I have nowhere else. I've been in the orphanage for as long as I can remember." She said. "At first, they were only experimenting on homeless people. I thought it was okay, for that I'm sorry. But when a lot of the experiments died, the Church turned to the children. They said they needed younger test subjects." She said, tears welling in her eyes. "I knew then that I couldn't leave. If I leave, who would watch over the children?"

"Then, why did you give me those documents?"

"When you started volunteering with your cousin and your friend just a little after Amelia disappeared, I concluded you must already know something. At first I didn't want to trust you since you're the Church leader's daughter. But you were so persistent. I wanted to put my faith in you."

"But I failed." I said, sounding dejected.

"And now you're here to make things right, aren't you? You are a lot stronger than you think." She gave me a wide smile, a slight piece of guilt was lifted from my shoulders.

Then suddenly, the loud alarm went off.

"It's time."

I followed Cassandra through chaotic hallways. People in coats were walking in swift strides, some seemed frantic. It had began. The monsters had been released to the open. I could only hope that the vampires and the people from the underground would be able to manage all those experiments. No. I had faith in them. I knew they could do it. I had my own mission to fulfill. We arrived in a huge room filled with people in front of monitors. I took a peek at the monitors and saw what was happening outside. It was a good thing the place was filled with cameras; at least we knew when to move.

"How dare you show your face here?!" I turned to see an angry looking man with his nostrils flaring.

"I'll explain later Eric." Cassandra told him.

"Explain? What kind of explanation will you give? You brought a traitor in our base!" He shouted. Then suddenly, he grabbed me by the collar. "You have no idea how many of my teammates died that day. I was just lucky to have gotten out of there in the nick of time." He let me go and then he lifted his sleeve to reveal his arm covered in burn scars. "See this? You did this to me."

"But what you're doing is wrong. You're sacrificed countless people and children for this research." I argued.

"And what makes you any different? You burned them all, didn't you?"

I couldn't talk back. He was right.

"Now, get the he---" Ting! A loud sound echoed as metal hit the back of his head. The man collapsed, and behind him was the person responsible for it.

"Perfect timing Sam." Cassandra told the guy in spectacles. "Don't mind what he said. You did what anybody should have done. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

"This must be Krista." Sam said. "It's nice to meet you." He shook my hand. "Just ignore that guy."

"The coast is almost clear." A female staff in front of one of the monitors said. "Only a few vampires left around the lab, and we'll be able to go."

"Can we see what's happening near the boundaries?" I asked.

"Not anymore. It seems all our cameras had been destroyed from the fighting."

Then, we heard an explosion.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I don't know. It seems like it's from the west entrance. The cameras there aren't working anymore. This is bad." The female staff said.

"What do you mean?" I asked though I already knew the answer.

"The lab will be infiltrated by the monsters soon. We just need to pray they're dumber than we think."

"Then, we have to go. Gather everyone and head to the cabin." I told to Cassandra. "I need to get to my father. Now."