"Who the fuck are you? What do you want?" Reed growled into the microphone, her fingers clamping on the device.

What was happening? How was this possible?

Had he been lying all this time?

Her heart squeezed at the thought.

The secrets she shared... Was anything Laine had said even true?

Who was this person?

Her grip tightened.

"Who are you?" she repeated, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

The crackling in her ears felt like sharp knives stabbing into her eardrums, the loud ringing piercing her thoughts and breaking them apart.

"Looking for a notebook, aren't you? Blue? Hardcover, perhaps?" the voice croaked, twisting its words with false innocence.

Reed sat there, stunned with her mouth opening and closing.

A cackle echoed through the speaker.

"What is wrong Rowan? You are so talkative usually... What's wrong?" Another round of laughter followed.

"Don't you want to tell me how bad it is out there?" it continued, taunting her every step of the way.

"C'mon... Let's talk about your mother... Or maybe your sister? How about your father?"

"Who are you?" she didn't know what else to say, her throat closing up around the words.

How much did they know? Had Reed really mentioned all of those things?

She didn't remember... She didn't remember just how much they had discussed.

Despite having asked multiple times, her question remained unanswered as the voice growled out its final words.

"The notebook is in the workshop... Retrieve it."

The line went silent, leaving Reed's ears ringing and her heart threatening to rip out of her chest. Not even crackling could be heard from the radio... The connection died...

Laine was no more...

"Hello? Hello?" she slammed her hand against the call button.

"Can you hear me? Who are you?" she bellowed, the volume feeling like sandpaper being dragged across the tender walls of her throat.

But Laine was gone...

Could she even call him that? Laine?

Was it his real name?

Her knees trembled, the woman hadn't even realised she had stood up. With a shaky step backwards, Reed dropped back into the spinning chair, a punched-out sound leaving her chest. Her hand travelled to her forehead, fingers grazing the spiky short hair.

Her heart was beating too fast... Too loud...

Her world was spinning...

What had happened?

She released a stuttering breath.

The notebook is in the workshop... Retrieve it...

How would she do that?

After the fateful talk, if she even could call it that, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to anymore... It was obviously a trap... No sane person would go for that...

But was Reed sane?

Was there anything else she could do?

It wasn't about the letter anymore...

Reed glanced at Isabella, who had returned to scribbling like nothing ever happened.

For a second there, Reed hesitated, hope rising its head deep within her.

Maybe it was a hallucination after all... Maybe it didn't happen?

But deep down she knew it was real...

Her hand had been dealt and it was up to her what to do with it.

It had been two days... Two days since the voice had spoken to her on the radio,

It had been two days since she knew what to do...

Reed remained in the Radio room, waiting for the broadcast to start again, but to her lack of surprise, the voice hadn't returned.

Every time she thought about it she could almost hear that taunting laughter colour her thoughts black.

There was something important in that notebook... Something Ryan didn't want them to find out...

But perhaps the more important question was... how did the voice know about the notebook or where it is? Could it be Ryan? Just toying with her?

No... No that wouldn't make sense...

Laine must have been observing them somehow... Maybe he had access to the cameras?

Reed thought they were long dead, but she could have been mistaken... It wouldn't be the first time Ryan would lie about something...

Was Laine with the GOI?

Reed's stomach churned at the thought.

What was she supposed to do? It was obvious she would have to commit sooner or later, but the question was simple... How would she get into Ryan's workshop?

She had never been inside. She knew nothing about that room, not even a passcode that protected it. Was it the same as the one protecting the Radio?

Possibly...

She leaned back into the chair, looking at the ceiling.

Should she wait for Ryan to leave the workshop?

Should she force him to leave?

She didn't want to get caught in there... That was for sure...

She could feel her fingers tap against her thighs, Reed's back strung impossibly tight while she thought. A flurry of options would invade her mind, one seemingly more unhinged than the other.

She could lie... Make him investigate something like lights flickering... Except she would have to follow him afterwards.

No... That wasn't a good plan in the long run... Reed didn't know enough about technology to successfully make up a lie.

She could try and break something in the generator, but it was too risky. One wrong move... and she might just cut off the oxygen production... Or worse...

There was a third option... Perhaps the most terrifying one...

She could let Aksel out.

Reed hadn't visited him once. She didn't know what mental state he was in or if he had changed in any way... And she hadn't really cared up until that point.

Just how stable was he? Had he gotten worse?

She bit her lip at the thought, feeling her nails dig into the meat of her upper thighs.

If she let him out... He could kill somebody... He could kill Ryan or Isabella...

Her heart skipped a beat.

He could kill me...

She closed her eyes.

How much was she willing to risk for a piece of paper?

She didn't know...

She roused from her sleep, feeling the blanket shift around her.

She opened her eyes, her pulse skyrocketing at the sight of Ryan leaning over her.

"What the-"

"I need your help..." he whispered, glancing at Isabella sleeping in a corner of the Radio Room.

"Come... Be quiet..." he motioned at her to get up.

Reed slung her forearm across her face, covering her eyes.

"Are you serious-"

"Yes, get up." He cut her off, already heading towards the door.

He paused by the door with one of his legs already over the threshold, glancing back at her.

"Get up..." he hissed, clearly displeased with Reed's lack of movement.

She sighed as she dragged herself from under the blankets.

The cold air hit her skin, raising goosebumps across her pale flesh. She grabbed the warm blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders to fight the sudden chill as she followed the man out of the Radio Room.

The floor felt icy against her socked feet, Reed's eyes trailing the sharp edges of Ryan's back while they walked through the darkness. It seemed that the man had lost some weight, the shirt hanging loosely from his shoulders, hiding the deflated muscles.

In the back of her mind, she wondered whether she also looked like that... Boney and thin...

It had been a while since Reed had seen herself in the mirror... and she doubted she would like her new reflection.

Her eyes continued to slide along the creases of his shirt, going lower and lower until bumping into a strange fold.

It looked like...

Reed's insides clenched unpleasantly, the woman tensing at the sight.

A gun... He had a gun...

Reed's knees buckled causing her to stumble.

Ryan turned at the sound, glancing behind his back.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah... Yeah, I-I am fine..." she stuttered.

Ryan didn't stop, opting to just keep walking, oblivious to his companion's distress.

Reed's heart was hammering in her chest.

Surely... Surely he wasn't going to...

That was impossible... But the traitorous whispers returned, stronger than ever as they whispered.

He will kill you... He is leading you to your death...

Was she walking towards her execution? Surely not... He didn't seem nervous or hesitant...

But wasn't killing easier after the first victim?

No... No, he wouldn't leave the gun out like that for her to see...

Or would he?

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

"Ryan?" she mumbled quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Why... Why do you have a gun?"

"We are relocating Aksel. I needed Isabella out of the way, so we are doing it now..." he threw over his shoulder.

It felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, her back muscles going slack at the information.

Aksel... They just needed to take care of Aksel...

"I... What do you need me for-"

"I need you to cover me... In case he lashes out..."

"What does that mean?"

"You will open the doors and I will hold him... Simple enough..."

"Yeah... Right..."

They fell into a somewhat uncomfortable silence, Ryan staying oblivious to Reed's discomfort.

The sound of their feet plopping against the floor was echoing in Reed's ears, like an ominous church bell. There, right before her, walked the man who she couldn't help but fear and hate like none before... And yet Ryan behaved like she was his right hand... An accomplice...

She wanted to shout at him, tell him to leave her alone, but her mouth remained shut.

Ryan was not a friend... but she wouldn't make him into a foe.

Not when the man had a loaded gun resting in his pocket.

She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

It was only a few minutes later that they had arrived at Aksel's doorstep, Reed peering over Ryan's shoulder at the heavy-looking door. The man paused by the door, sliding the pistol out from his waistband with a stone expression on his face.

He raised his gun.

"Open it..." Although his voice was nearly inaudible, the commanding tone behind it sent chills down Reed's spine.

With a loud gulp, the woman grabbed the wheel of the bulkhead, glancing at Ryan one last time to ask for confirmation. Her green eyes met a matching set of dark ones.

"Do it..." he muttered, nodding his head.

Reed sucked in a wheezy breath, pulling at the wheel until a loud groan echoed through the hallway. The wheel turned, grinding of metal filling Reed's ears while she pulled.

She could have sworn she had heard a rustle on the other side as if something had slithered against the wall.

"Be ready..." Ryan assumed his stance, his cold gaze reminding her of that of a seasoned soldier.

He glanced at her.

"On three... One..."

Her fingers tightened around the steel construction.

"Two.."

They exchanged glances.

"Three!"

With all her might, Reed pulled the steel door towards her, eyes stuck on Ryan.

Everything moved really fast.

Reed's ears were ringing, Ryan's shouting feeling her thoughts as he marched past her, the gun raised high. There were bangs... The sounds of rustling and struggle echoed down the hall before the smell hit her.

The pungent odour of faeces hit her nose like a speeding truck, her insides twisting painfully sending the bile up her throat. It felts as if somebody had wedged their hand into her innards, squeezing and poking the slimy muscles with their fingers. Reed's sinuses burned, every inhale intensifying the sour stench.

She wanted to throw up, retching sounds already escaping her throat.

"I got him! Reed!" Ryan shouted, his voice sounding closer than previously.

Soon Ryan's frame entered her vision, Reed almost immediately pushing against the door to close them before her bowels would expel the little food she had ingested.

The steel construction groaned, slamming shut from the sheer force Reed was pushing it with.

The second the bulkhead was closed, Reed breathed a sigh of relief, muscles going lax. However, her peace was temporary as her mind cleared, the fresh air making her remember just what they were doing.

She looked at Ryan, feeling her stomach drop at the sight of the man he had been holding at gunpoint.

Aksel stood tall, slouched like an animal with his hands bent uncomfortably behind his back. His greasy black hair hung over his eyes, his cheeks swollen under the wild beard he had been growing.

It was obvious that the infection had spread, black crusted streams cutting his cheeks like dark rivers. He looked dishevelled and dirty, like a stowaway pulled from their hiding spot. His scruffy clothes seemed tight on him, the swelling having progressed significantly since the last time Reed had seen him.

His dark eyes glared at her from between the greasy strands, shining like black beetles in the dark. He muttered something in what Reed assumed to be Danish, the growling put the harsh sounding words...

"Shut up..." Ryan hissed, pushing the gun closer to Aksel's face.

The man looked at Reed, eyebrows rising.

"We are going..." He pushed the Dane forward, causing him to stumble.

Reed followed the men quietly, keeping her distance from the man, partially because of the smell and partially because of the fear gripping her soul.

Aksel was a mountain of a man, tall and broad. Even with swollen limbs, the eerie wild looks felt imposing... Threatening.

Reed had never seen him use strength and she prayed she would never have to.

Thankfully, the man seemed to cooperate, trotting in front of Ryan while muttering something under his breath. Reed tried to listen in, barely distinguishing the muffled words...

It sounded like...

Singing?

The words were unclear, but the melody sparked in Reed's mind...

He... he was singing... Brother John...

She knew that song, having heard it so much during her early school years.

His voice would gain volume, bouncing off of the walls like a raspy howl.

"Stay Quiet..." Ryan hissed, poking him with the pistol, but to no avail.

Aksel continued singing, his coarse voice feeling like sandpaper on Reed's ears.

A shiver crawled up her spine.

"Shit, he is going to wake her up..."

The man was practically singing at the top of his lungs, an off-key melody filling the halls like a rumble of nearing storm. There was something so animalistic about the way his voice would crack and fluctuate, dropping from a high whistle to a deep groan.

Reed fought with herself not to cover her ears.

"Reed? Reed?" a broken voice echoed somewhere behind them, the two having already passed the Radio Room.

Reed glanced back, feeling her heart skip a beat.

Isa was fragile... She couldn't see this...

"I will come in a bit! Stay inside!" she screamed, trying to assume a commanding tone.

Just a little bit... Just a little bit further.

Soon, the door to Reed's room came into view, the woman practically leaping towards them and pulling them open.

The sliding door gave in, allowing her to peer into the dark space she once cherished so much... But she didn't care... Not in that moment... There would be time to mourn the loss, but now?

She would do just about anything for him to stop.

She looked back at the two men, eyes widening at the sight.

Why have they stopped? Why weren't they walking?

It felt as if somebody had punched her in the gut, Alex's face flashing behind her eyes.

She knew why...

Aksel had straightened up, his imposing posture almost covering the entirety of Ryan. The singing had stopped, but the silence felt just as suffocating if not more...

The air felt still, Reed's heart beating in her ears.

Aksel refused to move any closer, pushing against Ryan who grunted behind him.

"Move... Aksel... Fucking move..." Ryan would grit out.

Aksel muttered something in coarse Danish, eyes glaring at Reed from across the room.

"R-Ryan?" she muttered, unable to look away from the pools of darkness staring at her from across the room.

Was he about to charge?

Should she run?

Ryan had a gun but she had nothing to defend herself.

The click of a gun being cocked silenced the screams in her head.

"Move... I am not joking..." Ryan's voice went uncharacteristically low.

Aksel stilled for a moment, his beady eyes darting to the side.

Ryan nudged the Dane's cheek with the muzzle.

"Into the room..."

Aksel closed his eyes at the words, still rooted to the ground. He hadn't even moved an inch.

That mountain of a man just stood there, with the pistol squishing his cheek, looking completely unfazed. He wasn't sweating or trembling... Just standing upright.

With his eyes closed, the man's lips began to stretch in what Reed could only describe as lazy if not a little laconic grin.

Her heart stuttered in her chest.

"She asked about you..." he muttered, his voice vibrating through the walls of the corridor.

Ryan's wrist loosened at the words, his eyebrows rising.

Aksel remained silent.

It took Ryan's face only two seconds to harden once again, the man pushing the gun into Aksel's face much harder. Reed could see the red mark blooming on Aksel's swollen face.

"To the cell..."

"She told me things... they all did... They all remember you..."

Before Reed could do so much as blink Aksel was already turning around, his hand clenched in a fist. Ryan barely avoided his swift right hook, firing a shot completely blind.

Reed didn't see the bullet, but she sure heard it, bouncing around the room in search of its victim. Fortunately, it was Aksel who had received the bullet's kiss, howling like a wounded hound.

Crimson splashed before their eyes, the ricochet tearing through the muscle of Aksel's bicep.

A banshee-like shriek joined the cacophony of voices, echoing somewhere behind them, but Reed didn't have time to investigate.

Aksel fell to the ground, slipping on his own blood while he pressed his hand against the wound.

He groaned upon impact, a mess of limbs and tumbling to the ground like a discarded puppet.

But Reed's breath finally was released from the clutches, just in time to shout at Ryan in absolute terror.

"Stop! Ryan!" she shouted, seeing as the man aimed his gun at the man on the floor.

There it was... that same blank stare...

Please, stop! He is dead already!

Ryan's eyes met hers, a switch turning on visibly behind his eyes.

"What-"

Before he could finish, Aksel jumped to his feet, his wild dark eyes jumping around the corridor in agony. He stumbled forward, like a feral bear ready to maul anything standing in its path.

"No..." she could only utter, standing by the door like a deer in the headlights... Ready to be run over by the speeding truck...

But the impact never came... Instead, the door had been practically ripped from her hand, her fingers almost getting caught between the sliding door and the door frame.

She heard the lock inside click shut.

"Fuck! Fuck, he locked himself in..." Ryan materialised right beside her, pounding with the grip of the gun against the glass.

"Aksel! Aksel, open the-"

"You can't do anything! You can't fucking do anything! Vi er alle en del af et system!*"

"Aksel, we have to treat the wound-"

"Melanie fortalte mig alt!"*

„Aksel! Wait, Aksel!" Ryan banged against the door, but Aksel had disappeared from behind the visor. There was some rustling behind the door and along the walls, but the man disappeared inside the room, narrowly avoiding the view from the visor like his life depended on it.

"Fuck... Fuck! We have to break down the fucking door-"

"S-stop..."

The two snapped their heads towards the source of the broken whisper.

Isabella stood behind them, clutching a pillow like a child awoken from a nightmare. Her face was swollen with tears, cheeks and nose flushed from excessive rubbing.

"Just... J-just leave him a-alone..." she mumbled through tears, voice breaking every few syllables.

Reed's world was rapidly falling apart, the smell of smoke paired with the stuffy air of the vault making her head spin.

Somebody... Somebody had said these words before...

Her hand trembled.

No... No, she didn't do it... She didn't kill him... that was Ryan...

How dare she?

How fucking dare she?

Reed gritted her teeth, feeling anger sipping through, but before she could hear anything, Ryan snapped.

"Fuck you... Fuck you..." he gritted out glaring at Isabella.

He opened a hidden latch in the door, pulling out a clamp, to permanently lock Aksel inside.

"Fuck you... This doesn't fucking involve you... I am done with this fucking circus..." he barked.

Without a second thought he marched past Reed, walking towards Isabella. She seemed to shrink in his presence, hunching as if to hide her face, but Ryan's shoulder collided with hers anyway, sending the woman stumbling to regain her balance.

Ryan scoffed, only his footsteps echoing through eerie silence of the halls.

Reed felt a spark of anxiety course through her gut.

She knew the feeling... the boiling, unexplainable anger...

Were they going mad?

Perhaps... Perhaps they weren't as immune as she thought...

Reed felt the exhaustion weigh on her like a sack full of bricks, her muscles aching from staying up all night. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, gut twisting unpleasantly at the thought, but it had to be done... She couldn't wait any longer... not after what had transpired the day before...

She inhaled deeply.

It was time.

Three sharp knocks echoed through the chamber, Reed's gaze fixed on the workshop door.

Ryan hadn't left his hideout for almost twenty-four hours, leaving Reed just enough space to prepare.

There was some rustling behind the door, a sound of metal parts falling before the door slid open, Ryan peering at her through the crack.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice rough from sleep.

Reed opened her mouth, trying to push the lie through her throat.

"The lights are flickering..."

Ryan raised his eyebrow sceptically.

"What lights? We don't use lights-"

"The console in the Radio Room is flickering-"

"You woke me up because it's flickering?"

"It interrupts the signal... Can't call for help without it..."

"And who would you call, huh?" his laconic laugh felt like a knife to the gut.

The hurt must have been visible on her face, Ryan's eyes looking away from her face.

He sighed.

"What is flickering?"

"The... the whole console sometimes... Sometimes just a few bulbs... I don't know exactly..."

She wouldn't meet his gaze, knowing she would fall apart if their eyes ever met.

Reed could feel his stare on her, eyes studying her face.

Had he caught onto her plan?

Was she about to get busted?

What if he asked her to come with him?

What would she do then...

"Alright... I will go check it out..." he closed the door momentarily, some movement echoing behind the door.

Soon, Ryan had exited the room with a toolbox in hand, peering down at Reed.

He promptly closed the door behind him, the lock clicking shut before he turned to her.

"Can you show me which ones?"

Her stomach dropped.

She had anticipated it, yet at the same time foolishly hoped he wouldn't ask.

But... Luck seemed to be on her side as the man shook his head, rolling his eyes at the dumbfounded expression she had been wearing.

"You have no idea, do you?" he asked, a corner of his mouth lifting.

She nodded hesitantly, embers of hope igniting deep within her.

He shrugged.

"Alright... Just grab me some food and leave it by the door. I am starving... The fridge should be in the Common Room... " he passed by her, the metal tools clinking against each other as he walked.

Reed watched him leave with bated breath, feeling the sweat gather at the base of her neck.

Just a little bit longer...

Ryan disappeared behind the corner of the hall.

Having seen that, Reed practically lounged at the door, trying to pry it open... but it wouldn't budge.

Had he truly locked it? She had heard a sound, but she assumed the door wasn't powered anymore...

She looked at the keypad hesitantly.

His door was still operating on a passcode? What on earth was he hiding behind that door?

The paint on some of the buttons was smudged, narrowing Reed's playfield to just a few numbers... but that wasn't enough... Not when the combination was clearly supposed to be seven digits long.

She bit her lip, eyes trailing the edges of the silicone buttons.

5234624?

The lock beeped.

Combination rejected.

"Fuck... Ermm...." She mumbled.

Her hands were trembling.

3245623?

Combination rejected.

"Fuck... Think Reed... Think..."

What could she do? There were thousands of combinations to go through and even if she did try them all, there surely wouldn't be enough time. The last thing she needed was to get caught...

No... No, she had to think...

What was the combination of the Radio Room again? It felt like ages had passed since she last had to use the code to access it... It was something similar...

Reed's lips quirked upward.

Got it... I know...

5633426?

Her fists tightened.

Combination rejected.

"Fuck! Stupid piece of shit!" she gritted her teeth, rising her fist.

She didn't have time for that... She didn't have time to guess...

Think... You have to think... Something, you must have seen it somewhere...

Except the last few days were filled with nothing but fear and sorrow...

What was there to ponder about?

She was lost... She had failed before it even began.

There was nothing...

She looked from her feet, her last attempt at cracking the code before she would abandon her endeavour.

The available numbers were 2,3,4,5 and 6 and the code was seven digits long...

Reed's eyebrow quirked upwards.

These weren't just digits, the buttons also had letters.

Surely... Surely it was foolish to think it would be a word...

And yet she tried to piece whatever letters she could.

Seven letters... She could do it... It was just seven letters...

How many hours had she spent playing the word puzzles on her phone? She didn't know, but she hoped for once her procrastination would pay off...

Her hand stilled, muscles tensing.

She had found a word... Perhaps accidentally... or perhaps because she had heard it before...

She hesitantly pressed the first button.

6-M

She held her breath, holding the second button longer until she heard a chime.

3-E

Another one.

5-L

Beep.

2-A

6-N

4-I

Last one... It was all or nothing...

3-E

Code accepted... Welcome Doctor Woods

She couldn't begin to unpack the questions that budded in her brain...

The door cracked open, allowing Reed to pull it open and slip inside.

The second she had found herself in the workshop, she had to pause the unfamiliar room.

Here she was, intruder in the kingdom of steel and cogs... Unfamiliar and cold, like the person Ryan had become.

Her eyes slid across the shelves stretching along the room walls, filled to the brim with all kinds of machinery... Wires, cogs, bolts and nails... Whatever she could think of, she could most likely find if she put her heart to it...

But Reed wasn't interested in the various expensive tools or strange-looking accessories.

She had one objective.

Notebook... She needed to find it as soon as possible.

The plan was moving along and that was all the motivation she needed.

All she needed to do was swap the contents of the book...

Reed had cut off the cover of one of the other hardcover notebooks, removing the text block before stuffing it behind her sports bra, thanking heavens it was tight enough to hold it against her chest under her oversized t-shirt. All she needed to do was get what she came there for...

She began wandering the chamber, peering over the shelves and opening drawers.

The object of her desires was nowhere in sight... But it had to be there, right?

Laine said that it was... But could she trust somebody who had been proven to lie before?

Why hadn't she questioned it?

She felt a chill run down her spine.

Had she entered here for no reason?

No... No, that was impossible...

She continued rummaging through the workshop, opening compartments and looking under the baskets and boxes.

Shelf after shelf, cabinet after cabinet, she would go through Ryan's stuff with impressive speed, desperate to find the notes before the man returned.

After all, it could only take him so much nothing was broken...

But with every stone turned, Reed succumbed deeper and deeper into despair, the squeezing pain at her temple worsening with every passing minute.

It had to be there... Laine said it would be...

She closed the last drawer, feeling the world spin around her.

Her hand travelled to her temple, resting against the feverish skin.

It wasn't real... Had she hallucinated that?

No... No, it couldn't be... Isabella heard the whole conversation...

Except Isabella wasn't exactly a reliable witness...

Her chest felt tight, and the workshop suddenly stuffy.

Where was the notebook?

Did it even exist?

Had she made it up?

She stilled,  her whole body strung up like a violin cord.

She could hear it clearly as day, echoing through the corridor.

Footsteps...

======================

 Vi er alle en del af et system!*- We are all Part of the system

Melanie fortalte mig alt!- Melanie told me everything