Page 35 of Stardusted

My heart lurched. I slapped a hand to my chest.

Whirrrrrr-CLANK.

A metallic groan echoed through the door. Unnatural and high-pitched, like metal grinding against metal. Then another whoosh, like a hydraulic lift pressing down.

Then silence.

The hair on my arms stood straight up.I backpedaled, shoes squeaking, breath rasping as I stared at the doors.

Someone was in that lab.

No, not someone. Something.

I didn’t wait to find out what. My survival instinct finally kicked into overdrive.

I turned the other way and ran.

My backpack bounced behind me with each step as I sprinted deeper into the basement, aiming for the double doors at the far end of the hall.

I’d only been down here a few times, but I remembered the layout. The storage room waited beyond those doors. And the clean lab past that.

Another way out.

Behind me, that mechanical shriek sounded again—closer now. They were moving faster.

Clank. Grind. Whir.

I didn’t look back.I didn’t want to see what was chasing me.Gaining on me, if the loudness was any indication.

I crashed into the storage room doors, and they squeaked once—short and loud—when I rammed them open. The ringing in my ears muffled the sound as I stumbled forward. A single white light shone down at the entrance, blinding me to everything except the concrete beneath my shoes. I veered to the side and broke into a sprint, bolting past the first set of shelves until I reached the end, near the wall.

Only then did I pause, chest heaving. I pressed against the cold edge of the metal rack and gripped my book bag strap in a death grip. Hiding.

Fromwhat?

I didn’t know. All I knew was that my instincts were screaming and dread coated my throat. A waiting, ominous silence had fallen.

I squeezed my lips together to quiet my breathing and reached for my phone with shaking fingers. When I thumbed the screen on, wincing at the harsh blue glow, there was still no signal.

Damn it.

Panic rising,I shoved it back in my pocket and closed my eyes, the back of my head knocking against the cool shelf.

Okay.Think. Focus. Keep breathing.

I mentally mapped the room. Rows of shelves stretched across the massive space, all labeled and catalogued with meticulous care. I remembered from my first volunteer tour that the far side housed the more sensitive artifacts. The clean lab entrance waited just around the side of the shelves.

…and there was an emergency exit in there. Stairs. I distinctly remembered the glowing sign.

Which was great, since this definitely counted as an emergency.

Shit. Except I also remembered the lab room’s door had an electronic lock. The professor had said something about getting authorization if you needed access. I hadn’t.

My stomach sank, and I leaned my head back.

So I was trapped. If whatever I’d heard came in here…I was screwed.

That was it. I was about to join the unconscious guards crammed into the bathroom.