Page 146 of Almost Midnight

He turned back to the strange, invisible wall, the instant he released them.

The light was brighter now.

That might have confused him, too.

None of them, not even the humans, needed the lights on their suits anymore, so they’d turned them all off in an effort to save power for the shielding.

Now Nick stared at what could only be a radiation dome. He saw a handprint-shaped panel on one side, and, without hesitation, stuck his hand on it.

They didn’t have time to fuck around.

He was already at the very edge of killing all of them.

Three minutes, twenty-two seconds,the light pulsed in the corner of his mask.

The numbers shone red now, and had started to tip into a darker red.

The door in front of him opened.

Nick walked forward, scanned the walls, found the next handprint panel, then exited the small chamber. He stepped all the way back, and waved the others forward sharply.

“There’s no lock,” he said, his voice hard. “Go. It’s a decontamination chamber. Fit as many of you inside as you can. Then whoever’s closest, put your hand on the panel on the right to trigger the process and open the next door.”

When Kit hesitated, Nick had to bite his lip not to bark at her.

Luckily, she seemed to grasp Nick’s panic quickly.

She lurched forward, going all the way inside and squeezing herself tight against the wall. It was obvious the chamber was only made to fit two or three people at a time, max.

Wynter tried to hold back, but Nick practically shoved her.

Go, goddamn it,he thought at her harshly.Jordan and me last. We can stand this a lot longer than any of you. You’ll be dead in under a minute if your shields fail.

She bit her tongue, and he felt anger seethe off her, but she stepped forward and crammed in next to Kit. Tai went in next, then Morley, who Malek pushed ahead of himself.

And that was it. No one else could fit, despite Tai and Kit’s size.

Morley put his hand on the inside panel, and the panel in front of Nick and the rest of them still on the outside began to close.

It closed excruciatingly slowly.

Only when it had closed entirely, then sealed with a low hiss, then hissed again as it presumably decontaminated them, did the door in front of the four inside the chamber begin to slowly open.

“Goddamn it,” Nick muttered under his breath.

Two minutes, four seconds,the clock told at Nick.

The numbers were blood red now.

When it hit two minutes, the numbers began to blink threateningly.

Slowly, the door on the other side of the chamber began to close.

Nick already had his hand on the panel on their side, but the door on their side didn’t move until the one in front of it finished closing inside the transparent frame, then sealed with a barely audible hiss.

Then, excruciatingly slowly, the door in front of Nick began to open.

“Get inside!” Nick didn’t hide his panic now.

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