“Leaving already, Ms. Parson?” one the guards at the first set of doors asked.
“I’m… not feeling well,” she said, running her hand over her gut. “I must’ve eaten something bad at dinner.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, opening the doors and letting her through.
She gave a nod and smile of thanks, keeping her head tilted down, and walked onwards to the second set of doors which lead into the tunnel.
“Miss!” someone called after her. She kept walking, she could feel her heartbeat beginning to race, her skin warming, a sheen of sweat building on her brow. The guards at the second set of doors held their hands out to stop her, pointing behind her.
“Miss!” The coat check girl scooted around in front of her. “Your coat.”
“Oh. Thank you,” Salvi said, fumbling around in her purse for the glass chip. She lumped it in the woman’s hand, took her coat and continued on through the second set of doors now opened for her.
She walked along the red velvet carpet toward the elevator as calmly as she could, head still tilted forward to keep her hair covering the sides of her face. She still had two sets of guards to get through, and she knew she didn’t have long before Erica came searching for her.
As she reached the elevator for the surface, the guards looked at her quizzically.
“Leaving so soon?” the lead asked her.
“Gotta go,” she nodded, finding her mouth thickening with each passing second and her mind starting to sway a little. She slid her hand over her belly again, her face still tilted down, but making brief eye contact. “I think I have a little food poisoning.”
“That’s unfortunate,” he said, eyeing her suspiciously, but he opened the door for her and pressed a series of buttons on the outer console, then stood aside. She was grateful they had seen her enter with Chaney. Would she be able to leave so easily if she hadn’t? She stepped inside, resting against the back wall of the elevator, noticing her vision was beginning to mis-focus. The security guard eyed her carefully again as the doors closed in front of his face.
As soon as they did her body slumped with relief. Then she remembered the security cameras and looked up at them. She smiled.
Look normal, look normal, look normal…
She felt the cool walls of the elevator against her skin and found herself moving her arms slightly, back and forth, as though petting a kitten.
The elevators opened at the top and she stepped out, maybe too quickly, because she staggered a little.
“Whoa!” one of the security guards caught her. “You alright? You want to sit down for a bit?”
She shook her head and laughed it off. She couldn’t let Chaney catch up with her. She had to get back to Ford and Noble and the team.
“I’m… good,” she said with effort, pulling herself from his hands. “It’s jussst vertigo. Food… poisoning…” She tried to walk as soberly as she could, but it was a great effort. With each passing second her body softened, her muscles were turning to mush and her bones were weakening and unable to carry her frame, let alone her purse and coat. As soon as she was out of sight of the guards, through the velvet curtain, she pressed herself against the walls of the darkened candlelit corridor to keep herself upright and push herself along. She could hear the thudding of the Ceiling’s dancefloor and knew she was close. She searched for the secret door, her vision continuing to warp and glitch, her body heat soaring and her heart ready to burst through her chest. She searched and searched and eventually found the handle for the door and plunged through it. For a moment she was lost among the strobing lights and dancers of the Ceiling, but she saw the white tiled floor and followed it to the opposite side.
Her vision was glitching more now, her eyes closing of their own free will, and try as she might to walk in a straight line to the elevator, she knew she was weaving to and fro. She saw another security guard approach her, but quickly propelled herself past him to the elevator.
The doors opened as she arrived, and people spilled out, nearly barreling into her. They laughed at her state and she smiled, her eyes half-closed, trying to fight the desire to collapse to the floor and enjoy the feeling washing through her body. She stepped into the elevator and slammed her hand at the control panel until the doors shut. She leant down and focused hard to find the 2 and hit that too. She wasn’t sure if the elevator was moving, but she pressed her face against the cool metal walls. It felt so good.
The doors opened and she was suddenly awash in Bio-Lume lighting, which confirmed she was on the second floor. Before her were the stairs to the first floor and she was dreading having to make her way down them. She fought hard against the temptation to sit on her butt and slide her way down.
Act normal, act norm…
She couldn’t even hold a straight thought now.
She forced a deep breath and slapped herself, then heard more people laugh at her, but didn’t turn to look. Instead she focused on the stairs, willing herself to walk down them and get out onto the street. Once she hit the street, she could get help.
But her mind fell blank.
Get help from who? Names escaped her.
She grabbed onto the metal bannister of the staircase and held on for dear life, taking one step at a time. Ignoring the passersby who eyed her strangely.
“Fuck,” she muttered, mouth thicker, pressing down her hair at the sides of her face, not really knowing why she was doing it, but knowing it was important somehow.
She finally hit the first floor and pushed through the velvet curtain and past security. She
