Chapter 37

Inside, the room resembled an operating theater, except for the fact that its patients were no longer alive. Everything was white and sterilized, with so much light that it hurt my eyes. There were beds where the bodies were placed, and beside them were tables with tools for dissection. A faint smell of antiseptic hung in the air, presumably to mask the odor of decomposition, but it clearly wasn't doing its job well.

In one corner of the room, there was a small cubicle equipped with state-of-the-art technology, computers, and dozens of devices for collecting samples, including test tubes and syringes. In front of us was the reason the temperature had dropped by about ten degrees since we entered; there were at least two dozen freezers that were undoubtedly in use. They were made of iron and metal, and I could see the temperature at which they were being kept—below freezing. My teeth chattered in response.

I turned on my heels to examine the room in detail. Finally, I spotte