They Chose to Stay
It had been a few days since they had fled the compound. As far as they were concerned, none of the toxins had been released from the building. Now, they had set up a perimeter, a team preparing to check it out. The cleaning would be a two-day process.
She would be leading the first team into the building. Mainly scouting the place out. What was touch and what was left behind.
Heading inside, they faced little difficulty being properly suited up. The control panel to begin the filtration was located on the second basement level, just above the labs. A spew of antibiotics and touch of power washing in a few areas would help the clean up process.
A few members headed straight for the control room. Another group had separated almost immediately upon entering and took to the offices to make note of damage and possible missing items. She took the remaining and headed to the labs below.
Nothing should have been touched. The labs were completely secure and the security system would have notified them had there been any unauthorized access.
Rounding the corner, her fast-paced strides had the others tripping to keep up. They nearly ran into her back when she came to such a sudden stop.
Five bodies laid around the entrance to the labs. Unable to enter the labs. Most sat up against the wall, legs tucked underneath them.
A closer inspection of them had her wanting to hurl. The bits of exposed skin looked purple-ish and gnawed on. The bacteria.
Turning away, her group quickly ascended the stairs, warning the others not to venture down as they made their way out. They were the first of their group to return, though the other’s weren’t far behind.
The labs couldn’t be opened until the system read that the building had been cleansed. There would be no work until then.
“Hurry up and get this damn thing off of me!” She wiggled in her suit, not making the process much easier.
As soon as she was free, she bee-lined for a tent and grabbed a chair to sit. Practically choking on air.
He came in, hot on her heels, and barked orders at the other occupants. They scattered like mice.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” His eyes darted over her trembling form, hands following his sight sporadically.
One employee returned with crackers and water for her, before quickly leaving again.
She eagerly drank the water but had no interest in food at the moment.
“The others are being debriefed and in a minute, you’ll be next. You know the procedure.” He pulled up a chair, hands rubbing the nervous sweat off onto his pant legs. “I want to hear it from you first.”
“They… They just fucking sat there!” She leaned forward, her elbows coming to rest on her knees as her fingers pulled at her hair.
Gently, he stopped her, pulling her hands down to her lap where he continued to hold them.
“Who?”
“The… The uh guys. The men from the attack, I guess. They were wearing,” she waved her hand, not even finishing as she continued, “and still had their weapons, but they… They didn’t even try! They just sat there and didn’t do anything about it!” She bit her lip hard before looking up at him, her voice dropping low, “who does that?”
He didn’t – couldn’t respond to that. He barely understood what she had just told him. Unsure, he pulled her for a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an employee patiently waiting. Time for her debriefing.
“Tell him what you saw, okay?” He kissed her temple at her silent nod and stood. “I’ll be back after.”
When he returned, she watched in silence as others worked around her. Mindlessly, she munched on the crackers. He waited a moment more, before concluding she would be okay as he continued to work.
Later that night, they didn’t speak to one another. They ate dinner in silence. Watched a bit of TV in silence. Got ready for bed in silence.
In bed, she snuggled against his back, still not saying a word. He didn’t push her to. No, he simply held her hand over his heart and kissed her knuckles before drifting off.
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