Chapter 33
Chapter 33 (Eleanor’s POV)
The deeper I went into the hallway, the colder the air became.
The lights overhead buzzed quietly, throwing thin shadows across the walls.
Each step I took sounded too loud in the silence.
I kept glancing behind me, half-expecting to see someone lurking there.
But the hallway stayed empty.
For now.
---
At the end of the corridor, I found a door marked simply "Records - Phase III".
No keycard needed.
Just a heavy metal handle.
I hesitated for a second, heart hammering in my chest.
Then I reached out and pushed it open.
---
Inside, the room was lined with shelves.
Notebooks.
Files.
Hard drives.
It smelled like old paper and dust.
The air was heavier here — like all the secrets had soaked into the walls and refused to leave.
---
I stepped inside quickly, pulling the door half-shut behind me.
The flashlight beam danced across the shelves.
Everything was organized by code numbers and dates.
I moved carefully, scanning labels, looking for anything familiar.
For a second, it felt almost too easy.
Too quiet.
---
Near the back wall, I found a file cabinet labeled "Crosslink Pairs — Experimental Subjects."
I yanked it open, heart in my throat.
Rows and rows of manila folders.
My fingers shook as I flipped through them.
Carter, Alex — Subject 011.
Hayes, Eleanor — Subject 017.
My name.
His name.
Together.
Linked.
---
I pulled the folder out and opened it.
Inside were pages and pages of notes.
Graphs tracking heart rates.
Brain scans.
Emotional reaction scores.
One line jumped out at me:
"Subject 011 and Subject 017 show unusual emotional resilience. Crosslink remains active despite Phase II separation protocols. Memory reactivation probability: 84%."
I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying to steady my breathing.
They knew.
They knew we couldn’t be erased.
---
I flipped to the next page.
There was a photo clipped to it.
A blurry image.
Alex and me.
Sitting together under a tree.
Laughing.
Hands touching.
The sight of it hit me so hard I had to sit down on the cold floor.
---
Memories flooded in.
Him tossing pebbles into a river.
Me teasing him about missing every shot.
His hand catching mine suddenly, pulling me close, laughing.
It was real.
It was always real.
---
A loud clatter broke the silence.
I jerked, heart slamming against my ribs.
I realized with horror that I had knocked over a clipboard resting against one of the shelves.
It hit the ground with a sharp crack that echoed through the room.
I froze.
Breath held.
Praying no one heard.
---
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Fast.
Coming closer.
---
I stuffed the file into my backpack, zipped it shut, and scrambled behind a tall cabinet just as the door creaked open.
A beam of light swept across the room.
Voices followed.
Two men.
Both dressed in scrubs, carrying flashlights.
---
"You hear that?" one of them asked.
"Yeah. Sounded like it came from here."
The other man muttered something I couldn’t hear.
They moved deeper into the room, searching.
---
From my hiding spot, I could see just the edge of their movements.
One of them picked up the fallen clipboard and frowned.
"Someone was in here," he said.
"No kidding," the other snapped.
"Check if anything’s missing."
They split up.
---
I pressed myself tighter against the wall, barely breathing.
If they caught me...
I didn’t even want to think about what would happen.
---
"Boss wants everything moved out by next week anyway," one man said, flipping through some folders.
"Yeah. Reed said Phase III’s getting relocated. Too much risk staying here."
Reed.
The name echoed through my head like a gunshot.
Mr. Reed.
The government agent.
The one who wanted everything buried.
---
The men kept searching.
Getting closer.
I needed to move.
Now.
---
When one of them turned his back, I slipped out silently from behind the cabinet, crouching low.
I moved toward the door, keeping my body pressed to the shelves.
My backpack shifted slightly, making a soft rustle.
One of the men turned.
"Did you hear that?"
I bolted.
---
I sprinted down the hallway, heart exploding in my chest.
Alarms blared suddenly — loud, jarring, shattering the silence.
Red lights flashed along the walls.
Footsteps pounded behind me.
Shouts.
---
I didn’t look back.
I didn’t slow down.
I just ran.
---
Somewhere ahead, the elevator doors were still open — just about to close.
I threw myself forward, slamming my hand against the door sensor.
The doors slid open again.
I dove inside, hitting the close button repeatedly.
---
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
I could almost feel their hands reaching for me.
---
The elevator doors finally slid shut.
The car jerked upward.
I sagged against the wall, gasping for breath.
Tears stung my eyes but I blinked them away.
I couldn’t break down yet.
Not here.
Not now.
---
When the doors opened on the ground floor, I slipped out quickly, blending into a group of nurses changing shifts.
I kept my head down, moving fast but not too fast.
Normal.
Invisible.
---
Outside, the night air hit me hard.
Cold.
Sharp.
Real.
I stumbled down the sidewalk, away from the hospital.
Away from the alarms still blaring inside.
---
I didn’t stop until I was four blocks away.
Only then did I duck into a dark alley, crouch down, and finally let myself breathe.
My hands were still shaking.
My heart still racing.
But I was safe.
For now.
---
I pulled the backpack closer to me and hugged it tightly.
Inside was the proof.
The truth.
The piece of Alex that they couldn’t steal from me.
---
I stared up at the sky.
Clouds drifted slowly across the stars.
Somewhere out there, he was waiting.
Somewhere out there, he was feeling the same emptiness.
The same pull.
The same need to find each other again.
---
And now, I had the first real piece of the puzzle.
The first real weapon.
The first real hope.
---
I wiped my face roughly and stood up.
Squaring my shoulders.
Steadying my breathing.
---
They could chase me.
They could threaten me.
They could try to erase me again.
But I wasn’t stopping.
Not now.
Not ever.
Because love — real love — was stronger than any memory wipe.
Stronger than any experiment.
Stronger than any lie.
---
And I would prove it.
One step at a time.
One heartbeat at a time.
One memory at a time.
Until I found him.
Until we were whole again.