Rewired: Project Insula

Chapter 8

Meera's shoes and socks were instantly soaked through. The wet, but tall grass clung to her legs as she trudged through the harsh terrain.

Daniel was right. Nobody was at the little security checkpoint, except for some empty drink cans and little baggies that once held God knows what.

They were making their way towards the furthest Tower block, it stood high and eerie against the dull backdrop of an English winter afternoon.

“The furthest one is where they stay.” Daniel had said, pointing towards the block.

“What about the others?” Meera quizzed whilst focusing on where her feet were treading.

Daniel looked at the block over to their right, and shrugged.

“God knows.” He replied bluntly. “I've never had any reason to go inside.” He continued.

“So you've been inside the other one then?” Meera asked.

Daniel let out a brief chuckle and shook his head, smiling.

“I don't know what you are worried about Meera. I've been doing this a long time, okay?” He said.

“Ah!” Meera suddenly exclaimed, lifting her eyes from her steps.

“I remember what I wanted to ask you now.” She said.

Daniel chuckled again.

“Fire away.” He said, keeping his eyes forward.

“You say you have been doing this a while right? You seem… well seemed like you knew what you were doing…” Meera started, before being interrupted by Daniel.

“Seemed?” Daniel asked, genuinely shocked.

“Well, when I first met you. At the Station. You seemed… I don't know, more well equipped? For this kind of situation? But now we are in a situation, you don't seem as well equipped as I first thought.” She said.

“It's my fault for assuming, but I assumed that you would be somebody who I would feel completely protected by at all times, but the more I have gotten to know you, that feeling has worn off.” She continued, kind of wincing at her own words.

Daniel squinted his eyes slightly, like he was trying to work a maths problem out in his head. He darted his gaze around making him seem even more perplexed.

“Okay…” Daniel said finally.

“And that was your question?” He asked.

The tower block was getting very close at this point, Meera kept imagining peering eyes from all of the windows. She felt the handle of the gun momentarily and felt slightly better.

Daniel noticed Meera looking up at the windows, he also noticed her touch her gun.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

Meera was startled by his sudden question.

“What? Ye-yes, I'm fine!” She replied slightly flustered.

“And no.” She said shortly after, now recomposed.

“That wasn't my question.”

She decided not to ask what she had really wanted to ask, about Daniel's age; she had recently come to the realisation that this was what troubled her mostly about him. He looked younger than her, yet she was expected to think of him as an expert? Maybe at first, she would have believed it, but now, after spending more time with him, she didn't feel so safe, infact quite the contrary.

Walking up towards this giant menacing block, full of some of London's most violent criminals, she started to think that maybe trusting Daniel was a bad idea.

“We'll save it for another time then.” Daniel said, gesturing towards the Tower block that now stood about 10 feet from them.

“Yeah. Let's hope there is another time eh?” Meera said with a sharp sarcasm, fuelled by fear.

The two detectives approached the large set of double doors, old spray-painted planks of woods substituted the once glass panels.

“Right” Daniel said, lowering his voice to a whisper.

“I know you are scared Meera, but you need to trust me. I know I may seem slightly volatile compared to how I was before, but I assure you, nothing bad is going to happen. We are just investigating a case, and this is a necessity. If you really don't want to be here, then go and wait in the car for me.” He said calmly.

Meera didn't feel calm, nor did she fully trust him right now. At least they both agreed that he seemed volatile. After all they were stood outside a condemned tower block, housing criminals.

But she would not leave. Her interest in the case was either stronger than her fear and desire to run, or maybe the adrenaline coursing through her body was causing her to make clouded decisions.

All these conflicting thoughts came out with a simple “Okay”.

Daniel looked at Meera, slightly confused.

“Okay I will stay.” She reiterated.

Daniel walked up the steps to the door and pressed a small metal button inward. A buzzing sound was made, and Daniel stood and waited for a response.

No response came.

Daniel looked at Meera and shot her a reassuring smile. A smile that Meera saw right through to what it really meant. He was worried.

Daniel pressed the button again, this time longer and this time the buzz sounded for longer. He waited again for around 10 seconds, tapping his thighs whilst doing so.

After he waited, he turned around and shrugged at Meera.

Meera shrugged back, and signalled to start walking back. She privately felt a huge flush of relief, knowing that they wouldn't need to venture inside or speak to anybody.

Daniel began coming down the steps, his hands nested away in his pockets, when he stopped. He stopped on the 3rd step and stood facing forwards. He soon turned his head slowly to the left as if he could hear something coming from the main entrance.

He turned quickly and skipped the 3 steps, back up to the door, pressing his ear against the wooden planks.

The relief that Meera had felt, swiftly went away and back came the questions and uneasy feelings.

He began to frantically wave his arm, gesturing to Meera to come and stand with him.

She obliged, against her own free will and walked up the steps.

Every step her foot landed on, caused a wave of sickness to course through her stomach. She kept her eyes focused on Daniel as she clambered up to him.

She stood next to him, near the twinned door. He put a finger to his mouth and hushed her before she could make a noise. Without needing to be told, she put her ear up against the door, moving slightly to try and get a comfortable position for her ear, finally deciding on a soft piece of wood, which had “Let the f*****g slavs come!” written on it in blotchy white paint.

Closing her eyes, Meera tried to zone in and hear what was on the other side of the door.

“I can't hear anything?” Meera mouthed over to Daniel.

Daniel rolled his eyes and looked around. A moment later he returned his eyes to Meera and mouthed “Ah!” followed by a finger, which normally comes after a “lightbulb moment”.

He counted to 3 on his fingers and pressed the small metal buzzer on the side of the door again. The buzz rang out, but this time Meera could hear it echo into the main foyer, and stop with an abrupt silence.

As soon as the buzz disappeared that's when she could hear it. Grunting and vigorous breathing was heard first, accompanied by frantic footsteps, running around what sounded like just in front of the door.

Panic gripped Meera as she began to feel the breathlessness that anxiety normally leaves in its path. “Not again” She thought to herself, not wanting to replicate her episode from earlier.

Continuing to press her ear up against the door, Meera looked over at Daniel who had begun to merge with the now white sheet of saturated colours behind him. He was saying something to her, but he sounded distant over the loud ringing that had just begun in her ears.

Meera closed her eyes and let her failing arms drop to her side, slumping clumsily onto the door with her shoulder. Her knees soon followed, feeling weaker with every moment and every ring through her head. She allowed them to give way too, dropping awkwardly to a sitting position.

She sat with her head down, eyes closed and ears useless to their purpose thanks to the ringing which mimicked that of anyone who has ever stood to close to a loud explosion.

Her breathing was heavy and in an unusual pattern, each suck of air propping her up briefly, before letting her back down again with each exhale.

…

Daniel had learned from his previous mistake and let Meera have her 5 minutes of feeling faint. It was understandable, he had thought to himself, the noise coming from inside was clearly that of something far worse than a few drug dealers. The breathing, the stumbling, the grunting and growling; it sounded like a scene straight from a zombie movie.

He had wondered to himself why he was so okay, being stood outside of a door which probably contained a near invincible killer inside, not to mention the fact that Meera was sat half-conscious on the floor opposite and had the only protection between them holstered on her thigh.

He also wondered whether it was a good decision to not go and make sure Meera was okay, just to prove to her that he does listen. Besides she had already proven she was a strong character today after tearing him to shreds with nothing but her words, a little faint will be a walk in the park for her.

After a few awkward looks over at her and a few worried listens to the inside of the tower block, Meera finally opened her eyes and looked over at Daniel.

“Feeling better?” Daniel said, worrying whether she was about to bite his head off for talking to her.

Instead of attacking him, Meera simply nodded and got to her feet slowly. A few wobbles here and there, but she managed it gracefully.

Daniel sighed an internal sigh of relief; his head was still attached to his shoulders.

Without saying anything, Meera began to walk back down the grey concrete stairs towards the long-wet grass.

“Where are you going?” Daniel asked, hesitating beforehand.

Meera stopped on the bottom step and shook her head.

“Did you hear what I heard?” She replied, her voice was stern.

“Yes I did Meera. We need to do something.” He said, walking towards her.

Meera suddenly shot round, fast enough for her to lose her balance slightly and step down onto the grass. Her eyes were filled with untried tears.

“We need to leave, Daniel!” Meera said through gritted teeth, her tears still surrounding her large eyes.

“Meera if we let the police deal with this, then how many will die?” Daniel replied, passion beginning to ember in his voice.

“They don't trust me Meera, they don't believe me, nor do they want too.” He continued, his eyes began to glisten from frustration.

“They trusted you enough to send a squadron to his house?” She snapped back.

Daniel looked at the ground.

“You didn't send a squad did you?” Meera said, beginning to walk backwards, shocked.

“I didn't need too! He's here isn't he?!” Daniel replied with a heat Meera hadn't seen.

“You cant just lie to me all the time Daniel, especially if you wan- .”

“Meera he is behind this door right now, we don't have time for any of this! We need to get rid of him, before he hurts anybody else.” Daniel interrupted.

Meera walked up to Daniel and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, making him look like a scolded little boy.

“Daniel. I have seen these f*****g things. It will kill us both far before I can do anything.” She said, almost picking Daniel off the floor.

Meera let go of him and looked sheepishly to the ground.

Daniel looked shocked, he stayed stood on his tip toes or a second, as if Meera had never let go.

“You were right okay? He IS here and it is pretty certain that this is related to the other cases.” Meera said now slightly calmer.

“Everything you are fighting for is right Daniel and you should be damn proud of yourself that you have figured all this out, not worry what the police think of you.”

Meera suddenly averted her gaze directly into Daniel's eyes.

“But you are naïve to think that there is anything we can do right now.”

Daniel finally fixed the collar on his shirt and took a gulp of composure.

“Then what do you suppose we do Meera? If he gets out of here and kills somebody, I could never live that down.” Daniel said.

Meera looked up to the bright winter sky and squinted.

“We should go and speak to Triller, he will surely believe you” Meera said.

Daniel suddenly brightened up, blinking rapidly to accommodate this change in feeling. Of course! He thought to himself.