— What did you inject her ? asked Suzi, worried.
Stacy pointed at Suzi's phone, which she hesitantly handed over.
« Olanzapine, a powerful antipsychotic. With this dose, she has no choice but to calm down. She'll likely fall into a deep sleep. We have a good amount of time. »
— Olanzapine ? Antipsychotic ? Minho, can you explain ?
The three of them turned to Minho, who was once again bandaging someone, but his demeanour was odd. His hands were shaking. He wasn't really himself.
— So, Minho ?
He didn't answer. His gaze was vacant, as though he were frozen in fear.
— Minho !
— Huh ?
— What's going on ? Is Zayn going to be okay ?
— I... I can't do anything.
Agitated, Suzi slapped him hard and grabbed him by the collar.
— Get it together ! Explain to us, we'll figure this out together.
Minho hesitated before speaking, a visible pain in his eyes.
— These injuries were much deeper than I thought… They didn't even have time to heal. They must have reopened during the fight. He's lost too much blood. He's pale, his skin is cold and clammy. His heart rate is way too high. I think he's anemic !
— What can we do ?
Minho looked down.
— That's the problem… He'd need a blood transfusion, but we don't have any of that here. Even if we did, we don't know his blood type. We'd need O- blood, the universal donor, but it's rare… And he doesn't have much time left. There's no way we can get him to the hospital, even if an ambulance could get here, it wouldn't change anything. It's too late…
Stacy quickly stepped forward and pointed her phone at Minho.
« How much time ? »
— Fortunately, the bleeding is slow, but since we've already lost time, I'd say between 20 to 30 minutes, if he's lucky.
« We have what we need to help him, follow me ! »
— "We" ? And where to ?
« Weren't you the one saying we don't have time ? »
— You're right, sorry, let's hurry !
« On one condition : take Maddy with you as well. »
— Are you kidding ? I know this crazy girl well. This is all her fault ! How do you expect us to help her ?! Suzi exclaimed angrily.
« We don't have time !! She won't stay asleep forever either. »
No one understood what Stacy meant by this. Her words implied that Maddy needed help too, but it didn't make sense. She wasn't dying, and no one planned to harm her at the latest news.
Suzi growled in frustration before placing Maddy on her back, while Carina did the same with Zayn.
As they left, Stacy led the way, showing them the path. She rushed straight toward the back door of the school.
— The basement ? Has she gone mad too ? Carina wondered.
— We don't have much of a choice, it's either that or nothing ! Minho replied.
The basement was in poor condition, dust everywhere, and the air was unbearable. Some rooms had pipes making an awful noise, but most were old classrooms, clearly abandoned. Inside, it was a complete mess: nothing was in its place, and everything seemed nearly destroyed, as though a war had taken place here. The further they went, the more their confidence dwindled. What could they possibly find useful here ?
Finally, Stacy reached the door she was looking for. It was close to the entrance. A metal door without a handle. She slid her hand beneath the door, and a small "click" sounded. She could now push the door open.
They entered a small, peculiar room. It wasn't in as bad a shape as the others, but it wasn't exactly clean either. Stacy stood on her tiptoes and touched the top of a bookshelf. There, she pressed against the wood, which triggered another mechanism. Afterward, she pulled the cabinet, as though it were a door. Seeing she had some trouble, Minho came to help. A passage opened, and they descended the stairs.
Carina's steps grew slower, and she was panting loudly.
— Almost there ?
— Hmm.
— What does that mean ? Say "no".
— Hmm hmm.
— Uh… and what was your answer to my question earlier ?
Stacy sighed, irritated.
— Hmm !
— Great ! I'm dead tired !
— Hang in there, Carina.
Suzi tried to put on a brave face, but she was even more exhausted. Sweat was dripping from her forehead, and her legs were about to give way at any moment. They couldn't rely on Minho, he wasn't physically strong. She'd figured that out the moment she first saw him.
Finally, after reaching the end of the stairs, an enormous bunker lit by thousands of lights appeared before their eyes.
— Incredible !
But the setup looked more like they had entered a hotel. The floor was smooth stone, perfectly maintained. There was a long hallway, lined with several rooms, and a red carpet stretched down the middle. Lamps were placed along the path, ensuring the place wasn't lacking in light. The walls were covered in white wallpaper, and a pleasant warmth emanated from inside. A heater, in a place like this ?
Stacy removed her shoes as she entered, and the others followed suit. Someone, hearing their arrival, approached to see what was going on.
Xinyu was of Chinese origin, 21 years old, and in his senior year (third year).
He had slanted eyes, deep blue, and smooth, medium-length hair with the sides cut short. His hair was dark black and fell on both sides of his face, with a few strands hanging in front of his eyes to his own displeasure. However, he only cut his hair when it got too long, out of pure laziness. So Stacy took care of this task for him, and over time, she became quite skilled at it.
He wore glasses, but only when reading or playing video games. Outside of those moments, he found them a bit too geeky. He was thin, not particularly muscular, but made sure to exercise regularly to stay fit.
His style was simple : basic t-shirts and comfortable pants, whether they were sweatpants or linen pants. Before, he spent most of his time in pyjamas, but since meeting Stacy, he'd started dressing more appropriately to always be presentable.
He also wore sandals, which he always kept on him, since, generally, he didn't go out much. His skin was incredibly smooth. Was this a secret known only to Asians ? He had deep dark circles under his eyes, likely from the time he spent playing video games.
— Stacy ? Who are all these people ? I told you that…
Xinyu noticed that the guests were carrying people on their backs and immediately understood that this was a life-or-death situation.
— Follow me, he ordered in a grave tone.