He pushed the door open enough so that he could slide into the closet. The voices were audible now. He recognized one as being Dr. Saeed’s.
“You’re going to jeopardize everything. Don’t do this,” Dr. Saeed was saying.
“All the experiments have proven our theories are correct. The girl is the key to unlocking the power that I need.”
That male voice sounded familiar. Harry’s heart started pounding hard against his chest. His hands suddenly felt clammy. He took a step closer to see inside. He was surprised that behind the hidden door was a high-tech medical laboratory with expensive medical equipment, machines, and computers. His eyes panned to where Dr. Saeed was standing, close to an examining table, his back facing him.
Harry saw the shape of the man Dr. Saeed was talking to. The color of his pants was tan, and the sleeve of his shirt, beige. Dr. Saeed moved slightly to the left, giving him a full view of the man he was speaking to. Harry sucked in his breath.
“I don’t know what to say. You show up here and want everyone to believe that you just arrived today?” Dr. Saeed shook his head. “We buried you, for crying out loud.”
Dear Reader,
Find out what happens to Harry, Cristal, and Kerim by purchasing the full novel “Doubt” (book 1 of the Among Us Trilogy). If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to become a Truth Seeker and register at the official Among Us Trilogy website to enter Rafflecopter contests for free Amazon gift cards and more at http://www.amongus.ca.
If you enjoyed the novella “Cristal – Seeking the Truth” (which contains parts 1 and 2 of “Doubt”), please take a few minutes to submit a review wherever you purchased this book. I really appreciate your support, and it will inspire me to continue writing. As an independent author, it is you, the reader, who help me bring my characters to life. Without you, my work is meaningless.
I’ve included the next chapter of Part 3 of the full novel on the next few pages. For more information about my other books and film projects, visit my blog at http://www.anne-raevasquez.com or send me a tweet @write2film.
Till our paths cross again,
Anne-Rae Vasquez
Truth Seekers and Geeks Unite!
Sneak peek of the next chapter in Part Three of “Doubt”.
Part Three
If You Only Knew
The dawn has come
And the morning sun’s rays
Streak the painted sky, warm crimson shades of orchard rose
While the ocean tide caresses the damp dark beach
And a silent tear slides down her cheek.
AR Vasquez
Chapter 22
In The Flesh
“SAEED, I’M TELLING YOU, it worked! I’m living proof.”
Harry watched in shock as Aaron Doub danced around in a circle, shaking his arms like a mad man.
This man is not my father. My father is dead. This stranger has my father’s voice, his face, and even his ridiculous comb-over that hides his bald spot. Aaron Doub looked exactly the same way he did the last time Harry saw him alive.
Dr. Saeed said in a soft voice, “But you were declared dead at the hospital.”
The hair on Harry’s arms stood on end. What is going on here?
“Don’t say that word! You know I don’t like that word.”
That was the kind of eccentric talk Harry knew and grew up with—the paranoid scientist. My father is alive. Somehow the shock didn’t register, as it should have. Aaron’s presence made a strange kind of sense in Harry’s mind.
“Sorry, Aaron. I forgot,” Dr. Saeed said quietly. “My only guess is that something must have happened at the hospital. If someone took you from the hospital and then cremated another body, then that could explain how we were made to believe that you died.”
“Saeed! Didn’t I tell you NOT to use that word?” He jumped up and down like an infuriated gorilla.
“Would you like me to give you a sedative? It looks like the trip has made you quite anxious,” Dr. Saeed said, crossing his arms.
“No! No sedative,” Aaron said, his anger suddenly dissipating. He slumped down on the examination bed, and whispered, in a breathy tone, “I don’t feel well.”
“You’ve just travelled through time at superluminal speeds. The human body travelling at warp drive, theoretically speaking, could affect the atomic molecular structure of the person, agitating the body at a cellular level. You need to hydrate and rest. When you are rested, I will do some testing.”
Dr. Saeed helped Aaron step down off the examination table and got him safely situated on a nearby bed. He reached for a folded sheet and covered Aaron’s body.
“Here, drink this,” Dr. Saeed said, as he handed Aaron a plastic cup filled with water.