Creed stepped into the house and walked toward the living room. A mournful howling came from down the hall that stopped him in his tracks.
“Oh, don’t worry about him. Maze isn’t too happy with me for shutting him in Meg’s room,” Alik waved dismissively toward the sound. “We’ve got to tell everyone you’re here.”
“Sure. I’ll wait here,” Creed said.
“No, you won’t. You have to come with me. No one’s going to want to leave Meg, and they’ll all want to hear what you have to say. We’ll just get you scrubbed in,” Alik spoke while leading the way down the corridor toward the lab.
“Scrubbed in? Like at a hospital?” Creed asked, pretending he had no idea there was a lab onsite.
“Well, yeah. We’re pretty well set up back here in the lab. And to be sure no containments are brought into the sterile room, you’ll have to get scrubbed in,” Alik said matter-of-factly, as though it were completely normal to have a hospital-like clean room in an estate on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
“If you say so,” was all Creed could think to say. He was trying to brace himself for what was about to happen.
Creed stood to the side and watched as Alik slipped a blue gown over his clothing and tied the paper-like belt to secure it. Then he ripped open a package, and took out a premoistened, blue, plastic scrubbing brush. He began working vigorously on his hands, focusing especially under his fingernails and continuing up his forearms. Creed mimicked everything Alik did. Finally, they put on light blue masks that covered their noses and mouths and were held in place by wrapping small elastic loops around their ears.
Creed was feeling queasier now than ever before, which was saying a lot considering how many times he had been put in situations of extreme stress.
But this was different.
He was about to see the sweet-faced girl who made his heart leap inside his chest. He was about to meet her family, and he was about to confess who he was. Nothing about the next hour was going to be easy.
The first of the double doors to the lab slid open automatically, and closed behind Alik and Creed. Then the second set of doors opened.
The room was large and immaculate. All the equipment looked shiny, new and expertly maintained. Half a dozen people were in the room, all dressed in the same sterile surgical gowns he wore himself. Even though each person in the room was completely covered in blue, including their faces, Creed could tell immediately who was who. His eyes stopped scanning the moment he found Meg.
She looked so much worse than she did last he saw her. Alik was right; she wasn’t doing well at all. Though he could only see the eyes of those who spoke, he could read them clearly. Everyone in this room was terrified and exhausted, but they all looked at Creed with a glint of hope as though he would have some magic answer to their questions. Creed knew he wasn’t going to be able to be their solution. At least, not the way they were hoping he would be.
“Everyone, this is the guy who found Meg yesterday,” Alik announced to the room.
The room murmured “welcomes” and “thanks for coming backs.”
“You’ll have to forgive us if we seem rude, but we’re desperately trying to determine what is wrong with our Meg. So, we’re going to skip introductions and jump right in with some questions, okay?” Margo began.
“Yes, ma’am,” Creed responded formally.
“Tell us what you saw when you found Meg,” Dr. Paulie began.
“She was jogging. She stopped, looking like she was dizzy, and held on to a tree to steady herself. Then I saw her slump to the ground holding her head. By the time I reached her, she was completely out,” Creed replayed the scene in his mind trying to stick as close to the truth as possible.
“Wait a minute,” Alik said. “Yesterday you said you just ‘found her’ on the ground. Now you’re telling us you saw her before she passed out?”
“Yesterday, you looked like you were about to rip my head off for touching her. I was trying to save my own skin!” Creed said, only half lying.
“Regardless. So you say she collapsed holding her head,” Dr. Paulie redirected the conversation.
“Yes, sir. Like she had a migraine that came on fast,” Creed answered.
“Did she say anything to you when you approached her?” Margo asked.
“No, ma’am. She was completely out,” Creed responded.
“How long from the time you saw her jogging until she was on the ground unconscious?” Dr. Andrews asked.
“Seconds, sir. It all happened fast. I’d say maybe fifteen seconds,” Creed estimated.
“Was anyone else around to see what you saw?” Margo asked.
“Not that I know of, ma’am,” Creed lied. These people were not to know about Farrow. That wasn’t part of the plan.
“What were you doing on the path when you saw her?” Evan asked.
“Excuse me?” Creed asked, stalling.