But Jake could hear the anxiety in her voice, and knew that she was as scared as he was.
They both kept their eyes on the time, watching as the seconds passed. Then, at precisely 11.30, they heard a click from the door. Lauren tried pushing the handle down again. This time it swung down.
‘Let’s hope she’s cut off the alarms as well,’ said Lauren nervously.
‘We’re about to find out,’ whispered Jake. He felt a panic in him so bad he could barely breathe. He pulled at the door. It opened. No alarm went off.
‘Maybe it’s a silent alarm,’ he said. ‘It goes off at their control room.’
‘If that’s the case, it’s too late now to change it,’ said Lauren. ‘Jo said she’d give us twenty minutes. Let’s get going.’
They slipped into the building, and then pulled the door closed after them. Let’s hope we can get out, prayed Jake.
Ahead of them was a corridor, lit by banks of fluorescent lights. The building was quiet, except for the hum of electricity. Possibly a generator. As they moved carefully along the hallway, the electric hum seemed to get louder. Maybe it was a machine of some sorts. A series of doors ran along both walls, with windows in the doors so that every room could be observed from this main corridor. Low-level lighting shone through the window in every door, suggesting that no one was actually working in the building at this moment, but that stand-by lighting was in operation.
Jake checked his watch. 11.35. He tapped Lauren on the shoulder, and when she turned, he gestured at his watch. They had just fifteen minutes before the locks shut down again.
Lauren nodded and moved on, Jake close behind her. Where would the book be kept? Would it be on open show? Would it be locked away? In which case, they’d never find it in fifteen minutes.
Suddenly, a movement through one of the glass windows caught Jake’s eye, and his heart almost stopped. He turned, and then froze. Inside the room something was lying on a table, and as he watched it moved slightly. He strained to see into the gloom, and became aware that the thing, whatever it was, was strapped to a table. And then he realised with horror it was a man. Not just any man, but the builder who’d been turned into a mass of vegetation at the building site. Now Jake could see the medical equipment around the table, drips and monitors, tubes and cables going into the mass of vegetation; broad leather straps holding the thing down. The thing moved again, and – as Jake’s gaze travelled along the shape – the top of it turned and a pair of eyes looked directly at him, making him stumble back.
He’s alive! thought Jake. And he’s seen me!
A touch on his arm nearly made him collapse with fright. It was Lauren, gesturing along the corridor. He hurried after her, his nerves jangling, his throat dry. What other monstrosities were there in this building?
He caught up with Lauren as she opened a door and hurried in. She pointed, and Jake saw that on an aluminium table in the centre of the room was a glass case, and inside the glass case was a book-sized object covered in what looked like leather or oilskin. With growing excitement, Jake realised that they’d found it! They’d found the book!
Lauren was already trying to lift the glass case from its base, but it was shut tight. The lock on the glass case wasn’t part of the central security system, but an old-fashioned metal lock set into the glass, with a keyhole in it.
Lauren tried to force the glass cover up, but it wouldn’t budge. Jake tried with her, but even with their combined efforts the glass case remained firmly closed.
So near and yet so far, thought Jake. We’ve come this far, we can’t go without it. He looked at his watch. 11.46. Four minutes before the place went into lock-down. It would take them two minutes to get back to the exit door. If they didn’t leave here soon, they’d be trapped.
Jake cast his eye around the room, and saw a large stone with ornate carvings on it. They looked as if they were Celtic. It was possibly some other ancient artefact that had been brought in for examination. Jake picked up the stone and felt its heaviness. Lauren was still trying to heave the glass cover off. Jake lifted the heavy stone, and then swung it hard at the glass.
The glass shattered, and as it did the ear-splitting sound of an alarm blared out. Lauren swung round, shocked, but Jake was already reaching into the shattered glass cabinet and snatching up the book.
Let’s hope that alarm hasn’t brought the security system back in! he prayed urgently. He ran to the door and tugged at it, and it opened. So far so good; but the alarm was still sounding out, the noise filling their heads.
They ran down the corridor and reached the exit door. As they pushed it open, they ran straight into a security guard standing just outside, and heard the vicious warning growl of a guard dog on a lead right beside him. The security guard seemed as shocked as they were, but he reached out and grabbed Lauren’s balaclava and tore it off her head. Acting instinctively, Jake leapt out and swung his fist at the guard’s face, connecting with his chin. The security guard stumbled back with a cry of pain, and the dog leapt at Jake. Jake felt the dog’s teeth rip at his sleeve.