The Tunnel (Part 2 of 4)

None of us were expecting a survivor from the portal. We thought everyone would die upon entering, or get trapped within that world forever. None of us understood what the hell we were doing, we were following the orders of a total madman, who claimed he had seen this world in his dreams. 

Once the alarm had gone off in the lab, multiple people in labcoats and soldiers in their gear charged down the hallways, heading toward the direction of the portal. Our boss was standing behind the bullet prove glass, and I wouldn't doubt that utter glee was in them. Soldiers and people in hazmat suits swarmed the portal opening. 

A wet hand was sticking out of it. It was waving back and forth, and one of the people in the hazmat suits hesitantly took hold of the hand. The man pulled as hard as he could, and a body slowly emerged from the pink flesh. I saw blonde hair sticking out from the head, and it took me seconds to recognize who it was. 

He was no longer wearing his hazmat suit. He was wearing a dirty yellow bodysuit, that every person was required to wear beneath the hazmat. He raised his head, and several men were whispering amongst themselves. He blinked, his eyes roaming over all of us. 

He appeared confused, his eyes blinking rapidly, as if he was trying to will himself to remember where he was. One of the hazmat's took hold of his other hand, lifting him up to a standing position. He turned to look at him, and the hazmat jumped when he started to lick at his helmet. His tongue flicked up and down like that of a dog, and it was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever seen in my life. 

For a moment, there was a sort of amusement in his eyes, and his lips were moving upward into a smile. 

"Fuck. Looks like he lost his fucking mind," a soldier behind me muttered. An uncomfortable silence remained for a bit, before the boss clapped his hands together, startling everyone. 

"What the fuck are you waiting for? Bring him here!"

The suits reluctantly complied with his orders, and as they dragged him to the contamination room, he continued to dab at the man's helmet with his tongue. Our boss burst out laughing suddenly, leaning against the glass. 

"Oh…oh…what wonders has he seen? We must question him!," he yelled with pure happiness. The boss walked away from the glass, his eyes searching the crowd of people. His eyes landed on me, and he waved an impatient hand. 

"Come, Ale! And get back to work! ALL OF YOU!," he bellowed. 

The crowd disbursed, but the worried whispers never stopped. I followed the boss all the way to the contamination room. We stopped before the door, and we peeked through the glass. Paul was getting sprayed with disinfectant by several men in suits. Paul, a man that I once knew as a colleague. Not as a friend per say, but we knew each other quite well. 

Now he studied everything happening around him with wonder, his eyes never blinking once. 

"Sir. I strongly advise that we get rid of Paul. I don't think it's a good idea -''

"Paul?"

"His name, sir." I hid the irritation in my voice. He never bothered to remember anyone's names. Only the ones that mattered. Like myself. 

"Are you telling me that we should kill him? Why?"

"It might not be wise to keep him alive."

He slapped me across the face. I was used to his antics. 

"Are you mad? After all of the fucking research we did for twelve fucking years. We are finally on the brink of a discovery here, possibly one that could answer questions I have been seeking about the afterlife ever since I died myself. This one is the key."

He turned his head to look at Paul. I did not. 

"So close. I'm so close. Of course, once he's stable, I will personally speak with him."

"I don't think that would be a good idea -''

I felt another sting on my cheek. It was expected, but it didn't hurt to try. 

"I'm the fucking boss. You and everyone else will do as I say. Or I will order one of the guards to put you down for good."

I opened my mouth, but closed it. I was genuinely shocked he would even threaten me, but he has been full of surprises lately. Madness would do that to a person. Especially someone that 'claimed' to have seen another part of the afterlife. I never believed him. How Paul did baffled me, but he was one of the few that could easily be manipulated. 

It was how he ended up one of the few who would walk through that hole. And now he was strapped to a gurney, about to be analyzed. I lifted up head to watch him, and even though I wasn't a fan of Paul, I felt so sorry for him. Whatever happened in that portal killed everyone else, or they never made it back. 

But not him. 

Something was wrong here, wrong with him, and that scared me. 

The boss smiled. 

"Would you join me, Ale? I think he would feel more comfortable and open to talk if someone he knew would be in the room with him."

I would have asked him to have one of the soldiers execute me instead, but deep down, I was curious too. I was planning to sneak any sort of weapon inside however, in case things go wrong. Not for self-defense, but in case I will have to end my own life. I would rather go on my own terms, then possibly get murdered by whatever Paul now was. 

"Yes. I would like that."

The boss patted my shoulder. 

"Good man."

He walked away, leaving me there. I took one more peek through the glass, and while the suits were preoccuiped with the tests, a chill went down my back. Paul was staring directly at me. His head was tilted to the side, like an animal seeing a person for the first time. 

A smile slowly formed on his lips. 

I wished the boss was here right now, slapping me until I passed out. 

Paul's teeth were sharp, resembling a vampire that I had seen in a horror film when I was a mere child. He stuck out his tongue, and I stumbled on my feet, holding onto the door handle for balance. 

It was a dark green, and there were several bits of leaves wrapped around it. 

His tongue was now a vine. 

---

Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn