examined her wrists, and, with a knowing smile, she scratched off the latex that concealed her hardly healed suicide slash lines.
Having finished restoring herself, Pamela crossed to the exit. Then she caught a glimpse of something in her peripheral vision and momentarily froze in disbelief.
She pivoted slowly to face the opposite wall of boxes.
A box labeled SPECIAL AGENT GRADY NOLAN AKA KEMP, with a reference number printed below, 8783-5683 C.A., sat on a middle shelf.
Pamela seized Grady’s box and pulled it from the shelf. She turned, almost woodenly, and dropped the box on the table.
Then she hesitated. She stared at the box. She reached a hand out but didn’t touch it. Then, with a sudden ferociousness, she ripped the lid off as if tearing off a Band-Aid.
She pulled a dress shirt from the box and buried her face in it. It smelled like Grady. Then, for the first time since Grady’s death, Pamela cried.
Sobbing, she pulled out and smelled more articles of clothing. In the back pocket of a pair of pants, she discovered a money clip. She remembered what Erwin had said. Clutching the clothing to her breast, she opened the clip and found the picture of herself.
Still sobbing, Pamela began to smile. Hope spread across her face and throughout her body. Galvanized, she grabbed Grady’s box and dashed to the exit. She was still dragging the chair.
•••••••••
The DVD had begun to auto-play on the laptop. On the screen, Pamela, wearing a long skirt, twirled on a beach. Grady caught her by the wrists to join in her spin. Then he kissed her passionately.
Pamela entered the office, crossed to the desk, slammed the laptop closed, and ripped it from its connection to the desk top computer. She shoved the laptop and the contents of Grady’s box into Karli’s bag, which was still hanging on the back of the chair.
Turning to the main computer, Pamela opened a search window. Karli had signed in with her password when she’d attached the laptop to the desktop machine, which gave Pamela hope that she’d be able to find some very specific information.
“Where have they got you, Grady?”
Through the window to the corridor, a bloody and terrified Karli suddenly appeared at the office door. It was still locked. She banged on what turned out to be a sound proof window, and so didn’t manage to catch Pamela’s attention. Seemingly out of nowhere and incredibly quickly, Zombie Dwayne leaped on Karli and dragged her to the ground.
Pamela looked up from the computer but saw nothing in the hall. She looked back at the computer and continued typing frantically.
Karli twisted away from Dwayne, and in doing so, flailed a bloody handprint across the window. Dwayne grabbed for her again but slipped, in blood, as Karli fled.
Pamela grabbed a random piece of paper from the desk. This happened to be an internal departmental memo with the subject line CEASE & DESIST UNAUTHORIZED EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENTS/INTERROGATIONS but Pamela didn’t bother to read it. She flipped the paper over and began to draw herself a map. It was an interior schematic of the building, copied from the map she’d pulled up on the computer screen.
Once she was satisfied with her copy, she proceeded to attempt to rip the hard drive out of the main computer and add it to her bag. Except Karli’s computer tower thwarted all attempts to open it. Pamela, rather prettily pissed at this point, dragged the computer processor up onto her chair, and ripped out every cord attached to the back of the tower. No one was going to have copies of her and Grady’s love letters, not if she could somehow help it.
She slung the satchel across her body, then, still dragging the chair and computer, headed for the door. She studied the map.
Pausing as if just hit with a new thought, Pamela turned back to the wardrobe to check her appearance in the mirror. Oddly, if anything could be considered odd anymore given the events of the day, her makeup was still
Having finished restoring herself, Pamela crossed to the exit. Then she caught a glimpse of something in her peripheral vision and momentarily froze in disbelief.
She pivoted slowly to face the opposite wall of boxes.
A box labeled SPECIAL AGENT GRADY NOLAN AKA KEMP, with a reference number printed below, 8783-5683 C.A., sat on a middle shelf.
Pamela seized Grady’s box and pulled it from the shelf. She turned, almost woodenly, and dropped the box on the table.
Then she hesitated. She stared at the box. She reached a hand out but didn’t touch it. Then, with a sudden ferociousness, she ripped the lid off as if tearing off a Band-Aid.
She pulled a dress shirt from the box and buried her face in it. It smelled like Grady. Then, for the first time since Grady’s death, Pamela cried.
Sobbing, she pulled out and smelled more articles of clothing. In the back pocket of a pair of pants, she discovered a money clip. She remembered what Erwin had said. Clutching the clothing to her breast, she opened the clip and found the picture of herself.
Still sobbing, Pamela began to smile. Hope spread across her face and throughout her body. Galvanized, she grabbed Grady’s box and dashed to the exit. She was still dragging the chair.
•••••••••
The DVD had begun to auto-play on the laptop. On the screen, Pamela, wearing a long skirt, twirled on a beach. Grady caught her by the wrists to join in her spin. Then he kissed her passionately.
Pamela entered the office, crossed to the desk, slammed the laptop closed, and ripped it from its connection to the desk top computer. She shoved the laptop and the contents of Grady’s box into Karli’s bag, which was still hanging on the back of the chair.
Turning to the main computer, Pamela opened a search window. Karli had signed in with her password when she’d attached the laptop to the desktop machine, which gave Pamela hope that she’d be able to find some very specific information.
“Where have they got you, Grady?”
Through the window to the corridor, a bloody and terrified Karli suddenly appeared at the office door. It was still locked. She banged on what turned out to be a sound proof window, and so didn’t manage to catch Pamela’s attention. Seemingly out of nowhere and incredibly quickly, Zombie Dwayne leaped on Karli and dragged her to the ground.
Pamela looked up from the computer but saw nothing in the hall. She looked back at the computer and continued typing frantically.
Karli twisted away from Dwayne, and in doing so, flailed a bloody handprint across the window. Dwayne grabbed for her again but slipped, in blood, as Karli fled.
Pamela grabbed a random piece of paper from the desk. This happened to be an internal departmental memo with the subject line CEASE & DESIST UNAUTHORIZED EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENTS/INTERROGATIONS but Pamela didn’t bother to read it. She flipped the paper over and began to draw herself a map. It was an interior schematic of the building, copied from the map she’d pulled up on the computer screen.
Once she was satisfied with her copy, she proceeded to attempt to rip the hard drive out of the main computer and add it to her bag. Except Karli’s computer tower thwarted all attempts to open it. Pamela, rather prettily pissed at this point, dragged the computer processor up onto her chair, and ripped out every cord attached to the back of the tower. No one was going to have copies of her and Grady’s love letters, not if she could somehow help it.
She slung the satchel across her body, then, still dragging the chair and computer, headed for the door. She studied the map.
Pausing as if just hit with a new thought, Pamela turned back to the wardrobe to check her appearance in the mirror. Oddly, if anything could be considered odd anymore given the events of the day, her makeup was still
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