Page 3 of Claim Me
"I’ll do everything I can," I whisper, wanting to add "for you," but I keep that part in my head.
His hand lands on my shoulder again. This time it slides a little higher, and his fingers brush over the surface of my neck gland. I let out a quiet breath, and Marcel smiles faintly.
"You’re very important to us, Gabriel. We rely on you. I rely on you," he emphasizes.
The words knock the air out of my lungs. Damn… maybe something will finally change between us. Maybe we will get closer?
I nod and get back to work.
The program scans the network. A few devices show up on the list. One door controller and three IP cameras. I click the first one. The corridor appears on my laptop screen. We are not visible yet because we are still behind the door, but the moment we open it, this camera will catch us.
Edgar instinctively steps back from the door.
"Fuck."
Marcel says nothing. I can feel his gaze on the back of my neck.
"Security is watching this from the control room." I tap the screen, and the whole group leans in, trying to see over my shoulder.
I launch a small tool in the signal reader and capture the video stream. I freeze the image on a clean frame. Empty corridor, closed doors, nothing suspicious.
"So what now?" Edgar asks.
I send a command from the interface board. The camera keeps running, but the monitoring system only receives that one frozen frame.
"Now," I say, "the camera sees an empty corridor. Permanently."
I check the preview again. The image is perfectly still. Good. I close the program and unplug the network adapter. I put the cover back on the box, push the access control panel into place, and tighten the screws. The interface board and laptop go back into my backpack.
"We have a few minutes," I say quietly. "For security, this corridor looks like a static screenshot. But every screen has a small timestamp in the corner. If the minute doesn't change and someone is paying attention, they will notice something is off. So we need to move."
Edgar looks at the lab door, then at me. He says nothing, but I can see the tension in his jaw. It is obvious I proved my usefulness again while he just talked.
Marcel gives a slight nod.
"Let’s move," he says. "Great job, Gabriel. We would not manage without you." It hits me again, that rush of warmth I always get when I have his attention.
Then everything repeats. They enter the corridor first. Doors line the walls, leading to smaller labs. They are already unlocked, so the group moves in easily and starts collecting canisters. They begin splashing gasoline wherever they can. I see excitement on Marcel’s face. His eyes shine as he watches the yellow liquid spread into puddles and streaks.
And right then… I feel it.
My special sense starts to activate without my control. It always happens when something intense is about to occur.
There is a pressure at the back of my head. No vision yet, but I know it is coming.
"We pull out. I’m lighting this whole place up," Marcel shouts.
I want to yell, "Wait, something’s wrong," but it is already too late. The group rushes back, abandoning the canisters, and Marcel drops a match to the floor.
"Shit," I say as the vision floods my sight.
Images overlap.
A scene from the future: I hear screams. One, two, three… seconds ticking.
My visions always come a few seconds before things actually happen. Usually five. As we move past the main doors, the fourth and fifth seconds hit me. Then… reality catches up with the vision.
This time, we all hear it. Distant cries filled with terror.
