Final Theory by Mark Alpert

Author:Mark Alpert [Alpert, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2010-03-27T03:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

IT WAS FULLY DARK BY THE TIME THEY REACHED CARNegie’s Retreat, but in the glare of the Hyundai’s headlights David could see enough of the place to know that Andrew Carnegie would’ve never spent a single night there. It was no more than a shack, a one-story cabin constructed from railroad ties in a small clearing in the woods. Fallen branches littered the front yard and a clumpy carpet of wet leaves covered the porch. Carnegie Mellon University had let the place fall into disrepair. It was clear that no faculty members had visited the cabin since the previous summer, if then.

David opened the passenger-side door and helped Professor Gupta out of the backseat. The old man had recovered from his panic attack but his legs were still wobbly. David had to hold him by the elbow as they stepped over the dead branches. Monique and Michael got out of the car, too, leaving the headlights on so they could see where they were going. When they reached the front door, Gupta pointed at a flowerpot that contained nothing but dirt. “The key’s under that pot,” he said.

As David bent over to grasp the thing, he heard a distant, muffled boom that echoed against the hills. He instantly straightened up, his muscles tensing. “Jesus!” he hissed. “What the hell was that?”

Gupta chuckled and patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, it’s just the locals. In the evenings they like to ramble through the woods with their shotguns and hunt down their supper.”

David took a couple of deep breaths. “I’m beginning to see why none of the professors at your school come here.”

“Oh, it’s not so bad. The people in this area are quite interesting, actually. They have a church where they do snake handling on Sundays. They dance around the pulpit holding rattlesnakes over their heads. Amazingly, they hardly ever get bitten.”

“Come on, let’s get inside,” Monique urged. She was peering nervously at the dark canopy of leaves overhead.

David bent over again, lifted the flowerpot, and picked up a rusty key. He inserted it into the lock, and after a couple of tries the key turned and the door opened. He ran his hand along the wall until he found the light switch.

Inside, the cabin looked a little more inviting. There was a stone fireplace against the far wall and a brown shag rug on the floor. A tiny kitchen with an ancient refrigerator was on the left and two small bedrooms on the right. In the center of the room was a massive oak table holding a computer, a monitor, and several peripheral devices.

Professor Gupta led them inside. “Come in, come in. I’m afraid there’s nothing to eat, the cabin’s been empty for so long.” He went straight to the oak table to turn on the power for the computer system, but as he hunted for the power strip under the table, he saw something else. “Oh, look at this, Michael! I forgot that we left this thing here! And the batteries are still charged!”

Kneeling on the floor, Gupta flipped a few switches.

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