Chapter 40
Chapter 40 (Eleanor’s POV)
The streetlights flickered outside my window, casting long, thin shadows across my bedroom walls.
I sat on the edge of my bed, still dressed, the folder clutched tightly in my lap.
My heart wouldn't slow down.
It thudded painfully in my chest, loud enough that I wondered if someone outside could hear it too.
I stared at the papers again, even though I already knew every word by now.
Subject 011: Carter, Alex.
Subject 017: Hayes, Eleanor.
Crosslink: Persistent.
Memory deletion: Incomplete.
Proof.
Proof they lied.
Proof they failed.
Proof that the love between Alex and me had survived something even science couldn't kill.
\---
I leaned my head back against the wall, closing my eyes.
My body ached with exhaustion, but I couldn't sleep.
I didn't dare.
Not after last night.
Not after the dream.
Not after feeling him so close, so real, so alive in my arms.
\---
The memory of his touch still lingered.
The way he had held me.
The way he had whispered my name like it was the only thing he knew.
I hugged the folder tighter to my chest.
They tried to erase us.
But they couldn’t.
\---
The house creaked softly as it settled around me.
Chris was asleep down the hall.
Mom's shift wouldn’t end for another couple of hours.
I was alone.
At least, I hoped I was.
\---
My phone lay face-down on my nightstand.
Still off.
Still silent.
I didn’t dare turn it back on.
Not after the last anonymous message.
Not after the warning to "watch her."
I shivered and pulled my knees up to my chest.
\---
For a moment, I let myself think about running.
Leaving town. Changing my name. Starting over somewhere far away.
Maybe it would be easier.
Safer.
But I knew deep down that wasn't an option.
Because Alex was still out there.
And running wouldn't save either of us.
\---
I needed answers.
Real ones.
Not stolen files.
Not half-truths whispered through dreams.
Real, solid answers.
And there was only one place I could get them now.
\---
I reached under my bed again, pulling out another paper I had hidden.
A rough map.
Drawn from memory.
The old records room deep underground — the place I had escaped from days ago — wasn’t the end.
I had seen another hallway.
Another door.
One marked E.D.E.N.
\---
At the time, I had been too scared to go further.
Too focused on getting out alive.
But now?
Now I knew I had to go back.
\---
I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to calm the shaking.
One more trip.
One more risk.
One more chance.
\---
I stood up slowly, joints cracking from sitting too long.
I shoved the folder into my backpack and zipped it up carefully.
Grabbed my sneakers from the closet.
Pulled my hoodie tight around me.
\---
Before I left, I paused by my dresser.
There was a tiny photo tucked into the mirror frame.
Me and Lena at the beach last summer.
Laughing.
Sunburned.
Happy.
I touched the edge of the photo lightly.
"I’ll come back," I whispered to it.
"I promise."
\---
Outside, the wind had picked up.
It whipped through the trees, making the shadows dance crazily against the houses.
I slipped down the back steps, keeping low, avoiding the streetlights.
The city smelled like rain, even though the sky was still dry.
Another storm coming.
Maybe it would help cover my tracks.
\---
The walk to the hospital felt longer this time.
Every sound made me flinch.
Every flash of headlights sent my heart into my throat.
But somehow, I made it.
I ducked behind the side of the building, just like before.
Found the old service door.
Prayed the stolen badge still worked.
\---
It did.
The light blinked green.
I slipped inside.
\---
The corridors smelled the same.
Bleach and something colder underneath it.
Fear, maybe.
Or memories that wouldn’t stay buried.
\---
I moved quickly but quietly.
Down the empty halls.
Past the laundry rooms.
Past the storage closets.
Toward the old elevator.
\---
This time, I knew what to expect.
I swiped the badge.
Held my breath as the elevator slid open.
Stepped inside.
Punched the lowest level button.
\---
The ride down felt endless.
Every second stretched out, heavy and thick.
When the doors finally opened, I stepped out into darkness.
\---
The flashlight in my hand shook as I clicked it on.
The same long hallway stretched out before me.
But this time, I wasn’t going to the archives.
This time, I turned left.
\---
Toward the door marked E.D.E.N.
\---
It looked even more intimidating up close.
Heavy steel.
No windows.
No keycard slot.
Just a keypad.
\---
I stared at it, heart sinking.
I had no code.
No way in.
But then I noticed something.
Faint, scratched into the paint just above the keypad.
Numbers.
Barely visible.
5207.
\---
I hesitated.
Was it a trap?
A test?
Or a forgotten mistake?
\---
Either way, I had no choice.
\---
I punched in the numbers.
Held my breath.
\---
The lock clicked.
The door creaked open slowly.
\---
Inside was a room unlike anything I had seen before.
Rows of computers.
Glass walls.
Medical equipment that looked like it belonged in a sci-fi movie.
And at the center...
A massive machine.
Cold. Sleek. Terrifying.
\---
I stepped closer.
The machine hummed softly, like it was sleeping.
Waiting.
\---
On a nearby desk, there was a small folder.
I grabbed it with trembling hands.
\---
Project Eden: Phase III
Final Testing Candidates:
Subject 011: Carter, Alex
Subject 017: Hayes, Eleanor
\---
I flipped the page.
And froze.
\---
Photographs.
Of me.
Of Alex.
Together.
Apart.
Dates written underneath.
Notes scribbled in the margins.
\---
Observed emotional reconnection despite memory separation.
Recommendation: Immediate containment or elimination.
\---
The words blurred in front of me.
Elimination.
They weren’t just trying to erase us.
They were ready to kill us if we got too close.
\---
A noise behind me made me jump.
\---
Footsteps.
Coming fast.
\---
I stuffed the folder into my backpack and bolted.
No time to be careful.
No time to be quiet.
\---
I sprinted through the lab.
Out the door.
Down the hallway.
\---
Shouts echoed behind me.
Footsteps pounding.
\---
I didn’t look back.
I just ran.
\---
By the time I reached the elevator, my lungs were burning.
I slammed the button over and over.
Come on, come on, come on.
\---
The doors opened just in time.
I dove inside and hit the button for the ground floor.
\---
As the elevator rose, I clutched the backpack to my chest.
Breathing hard.
Heart racing.
\---
I had the proof now.
Proof of everything.
Proof they would kill to protect.
\---
When the elevator doors opened, I slipped out and blended into a crowd of nurses.
Kept my head down.
Moved fast.
Didn’t stop until I was outside again.
\---
The night air hit me like a slap.
Sharp and cold and real.
\---
I ran.
All the way home.
\---
By the time I stumbled through my back door, I was shaking.
Sweaty.
Terrified.
\---
I locked the door.
Collapsed onto the floor.
\---
For a long time, I just sat there.
Breathing.
Existing.
\---
Then I pulled the folder out and spread it across the floor.
The truth.
Finally, in my hands.
\---
But the truth came with a price.
\---
Headlights flashed across my window.
I froze.
\---
Another car.
Another shadow.
\---
I tightened my grip on the folder, heart pounding.
They were coming for me.
And this time, I didn’t think they planned to let me get away.