Phoenix Rising

by Erica Stevens

  There was a bed within, and what appeared to be a person on top. It was a trap; it had to be a trap but she knew it was Luther on that bed. She nearly bolted into the room but managed to stop herself before she did. Luther may be in that room, but there were others watching over her, just waiting for her to mess up. She already felt that they'd made the worst move of all by entering this house, but she couldn't reverse that one. She could keep herself from doing something just as stupid again though.

  She turned away from the room to study the dim hallway. The lack of illumination wasn't a hindrance to her, but it would be to the people trying to keep them here. She suspected that they had some surprise up their sleeves, some way to come at her without actually confronting her. They'd had her once before, and she'd barely gotten away with her life. They wouldn't allow her to escape this time. She just didn't know how the children fit into this, or what they planned on doing to her and Luther. Whatever it was though, she had to keep her wits about her if she was going to get them out of this. She had to go on the offensive, had to go after them, and destroy them.

  She moved swiftly into the room on her right and flipped on the switch. There was no point in trying to stay hidden at this point. They'd known where she was from the minute she'd entered this freak show of a house. Cassie swept through the room as she searched for something she could use as a weapon.

  They had pumped gas into the rooms that she and Julian had been kept in before and they had drugged their food supply. The gas they'd put into Julian's room had to have been different than the gas they'd put into her room. Julian hadn't required air and neither did she anymore. The gas would have to be absorbed into their bodies in a completely different way, perhaps through their skin. Cassie glanced at the walls and ceiling, but she saw no vents in this room. These rooms had been designed to lock away something that wasn't as lethal as she and Julian.

  The children, the creepy children who had sat wordlessly by as that woman had led them through the seemingly innocent home. Had they come all this way just to discover that there was nothing worth saving within the children anymore? That they had endured something within these rooms that had rendered them unsalvageable?

  Cassie refused to believe that as her thoughts turned to the boy. There had been something worth saving within that angelic face and astute eyes. He had thought her an angel, his angel. If there was nothing left there to save than he wouldn't have welcomed her here, he wouldn't have thought of her as his savior. There had to be something here worth saving.

  Cassie strode back out of the room and looked to make sure Luther was still present on the bed before entering the room across the hall. She wished she still had her jacket. If it was a gas that was absorbed through the skin, the extra material would have come in handy. As it was, she didn't think her thin sweater would keep her protected once she entered Luther's room.

  It was in the third room that she finally found something of a little use to her. Three sheets had been left behind on one of the cots. She hastily ripped one into pieces and wrapped it around all of her exposed skin and head. She tucked the other one beneath her clothes and carried the last one for Luther. She doubted it was enough protection but there wasn't much else she could do.

  She swept through the remaining rooms but found nothing else of use. In the last room she tipped the cot over and busted the legs off of it. Though she carried a stake she knew she would require more weapons. Unfortunately she didn't think that the two metal legs would be enough either.

  She slapped them against her palm as she exited the room again. Her jacket was still tucked into the door, but she had a feeling that once she went in after Luther, that jacket would be removed. She shuddered at the thought, but there was nothing that she could do about it. Feeling like a Mummy, Cassie returned to the glass window outside of Luther's room. She had to get in and out as quickly as possible. She hovered in the doorway and peered into the room as she tried to learn as much about it as she could. There were vents in the ceiling that were most likely already omitting some type of drug.

  Her hand rested on the knob as she glanced around the hall. She studied every shadow and nook as she searched for any sign of life, but nothing stirred. Deciding she couldn't keep putting it off anymore, Cassie plunged into the room and instantly staggered back.

  The smell of death sent her emotions and senses skittering in a thousand different directions, none of them were even close to sane. Her bloodlust surged to the forefront at the same time that all she wanted was to vomit and flee from the five day old road kill stench.

  She didn't see the death that lingered within yet, but it was there. Luther, she had to get to Luther. She hoped the sheets wrapped around her would be enough protection for a few seconds as she scurried toward him. Seizing hold of his arm she roughly heaved him up and half tossed him over her back.

  He released a low moan that sounded as if he were in pain, but she couldn't think about that now. Not now. Now they had to break free of this trap. Cassie spun but faltered beneath the extra burden of Luther's weight, and the fact that she finally spotted the source of the stench permeating the room.

  There were bodies, at least three of them, tucked within the tiny bathroom. The world tilted precariously, tears burned her eyes and slid down her cheeks as she stared at the massacre. And to her, it was a massacre, because all of the bodies had been children. She didn't know where any of the monsters were in this building, but if she found them, she would destroy them.

  Half dragging, half carrying Luther, she managed to get him into the hall and slam the door closed. Though she felt a little woozy, she thought she'd managed to get out of the room quickly enough not to have too many effects from the gas. She hefted Luther back up and hurried down the hall as fast as she could with him.

  She was halfway down the hall when the first figure emerged. Burdened by Luther's weight, the effects of the gas, and the bulky sheets still engulfing her she barely evaded the onrushing attack. Luther groaned when she cracked his elbow against the wall as she fell back. She almost toppled to the floor as the large figure barreled past and nearly crashed into the far wall before darting into another room.

  Though it was unceremonious and probably hurtful, Cassie dropped Luther like a sack of potatoes to the ground. She snatched the metal legs out of the twisted sheets and prepared to use them to beat their attacker bloody if she didn't rip their throat out first. The attacker rushed back out of the doorway, a strangled cry tore from his throat as he charged her.

  Her eyes widened on the stake the man held. They somehow knew what she was, or at least suspected it. The man lunged at her and grunted as Cassie swung out with the metal leg. She didn't get a solid hit in, but she did knock him back a step as the glancing blow bounced off of his chest.

  The man regained his balance and prepared to come at her again. There was a growing hum of power flowing through her as she shifted into a fighting stance. It didn't appear that the man had any real training but thought he could take her down on brute strength alone. His far superior size and strength may have been enough to take down other people before, but he'd never come across someone like her.

  His lunge was awkward and off balance as he rushed at her again. Cassie twisted to the side and clasping her hands together she slammed her fists into his back with as much force as she could. The loud cracking of ribs rebounded off of the sterile walls.

  A small gasp escaped him as he plummeted to the ground. The stake fell from his hand and clattered across the tile floor. His fingers jerked on the ground, he lay for a breathless moment before he rolled to the side and back to his feet. Instead of trying to get away from her, he came back at her with a furious bellow that reminded her of a charging bull.

  Cassie hadn't been expecting that maneuver and didn't have enough time to get out of the way before his hand seized the tangle of sheets. He jerked her off of her feet as he pulled down on the cumbersome material. Her knees and palms thwacked off the tiling. The man clawed at he
r, using the sheets to gain better access as he tried to get at her face. Cassie strained to get free but her legs were entangled in the mess that she had created herself. His hand grabbed hold of her shirt and roughly jerked her forward.

  For some strange reason panic didn't fill her, she didn't fear for her safety or her life. Instead, everything seemed to slow within her as something else rose up to take over. Something that craved blood and death, and wouldn't be satisfied until it got it. A low growl escaped her as she punched the man in the cheek hard enough to knock his head to the side.

  With his jugular exposed, she launched forward, seized hold of his hair and ripped his head back. She didn't hesitate, didn't even think as she dove forward and sank her fangs into his neck. The man howled as he clawed at her in a useless attempt to pry her free. She wasn't giving up her meal; she was not going to allow this monster to live, and he was a monster. As his blood flowed into her she saw every horrendous act this man had ever done, and the great pleasure that he'd taken in torturing and murdering innocent children and people.

  It was more than just righteousness that drove her now. It was also the sweet rush of the blood that eased the fiery hunger that seemed to be ever present in her veins now. She felt the lessening of his life as his essence drained away, but unlike the vampire she felt no grief, no guilt over the murder she had just committed. Instead, she felt a sense of justice that rattled her even more. The man had gotten what he deserved, but it wasn't her place to judge or decide that. Unfortunately, right now, it didn't matter as they were still in danger and she was still willing to rip out the throat of the next person that attacked them.

  She pushed the man back and grappled to get out from underneath his dead weight. She tore at the sheets to rid herself of the nuisance they created now. Finally free she glanced around the hall, her senses and thirst on high alert as she searched for the next attack. With the man's blood pumping through her she felt stronger and less lightheaded as she pulled Luther up with far more ease. She felt almost high and giddy with the sensations coursing through her.

  She wrapped Luther's arm around her shoulders and held his hand as she hurried him down the hall. Cassie's heart sank when she spotted the door at the end of the hall. Just as she'd suspected, her jacket was gone and the door was firmly locked. She cursed loudly and bit back a scream of frustration as she slammed her hand against the steel door.

  She placed Luther on the ground and propped him against the wall. Keeping one eye on the hall she began to search for the mechanism that had to be hidden somewhere within the wall. Panic started to fill her as her movements became more frantic. What if there was no switch on this side? What if the opening for this door was somewhere else within here? She glanced around the hall, expecting another attack, but it remained still.

  Why hadn't they come after them yet? With better weapons and more people they would be able to take her down.

  Then, she felt it. A strange sensation began to creep through her veins, an almost numbing feeling that caused saliva to rush into her mouth at the same time that her body began to feel heavy. She'd felt this before, when she'd been at the mercy of The Commission.

  Her gaze drifted toward the man lying motionless within the hall. Dead, because she had drained him dry. Her mind tripped back to when she and Julian had been locked beneath the school and their food had also been drugged. She couldn't move, she could barely even think as the world lurched before her. They had pumped the man full of drugs and sent him after her as bait. She wondered if he'd known their intentions when he'd attacked her or if he'd been as in the dark as her when she'd fed from him.

  A shiver worked its way through her as goose bumps broke out on her flesh. She turned back to the door and desperately searched for the switch. She fought to remain calm but her mouth was beginning to feel like she'd been sucking on pennies and her legs were turning to rubber.

  She turned back to the rooms lining the hall. None of them appeared to be a control room, but there had to be one that stored all of the supplies and more than likely held the key to their exit. There had to be a way to escape here but she didn't have time to find it.

  Cassie fell before Luther and grasped his shoulders as she shook him roughly. He didn't so much as moan in displeasure. "Luther!" she hissed. "Luther you have to wake up! Luther!"

  Cassie shoved herself up and staggered to her feet. She almost fell back to the ground but managed to steady herself by bracing her hand against the wall. The drugs were wrapping her within their tentacles and trying to draw her into the dark depths of a sea she wouldn't awaken from. She tried to remember how long she'd been able to stay awake when she'd been drugged before, but she couldn't quite recall. There had been nights she and Julian had stayed up talking for hours before drifting to sleep, but that didn't mean anything. The Commission could have decided not to drug them on those days, or they could have given them those hours in order to manipulate them and watch their relationship grow.

  The night they'd escaped, Julian had been far more drugged than she had. But he'd also dealt with a fair amount of torture that day. They may have given Julian more that night in the hopes that he would recover faster and they could renew their games, or he may have just been more susceptible to the effects of the drugs in his weakened state.

  Either way, it didn't matter, if she didn't get them out of here soon than they weren't going anywhere.

  Cassie wracked her brain for some solution to the problem but either the drugs, or the panic, were keeping her from processing thoughts properly. She was at the first door before she realized she'd traveled this far. Before realizing she had no idea where she was going, or what she was trying to do. She shook her head as she tried to clear her cloudy mind but she failed miserably at it.

  She retreated toward Luther, determined to keep him protected for as long as possible. She may have failed him, but she wouldn't let them take him without a fight. She crouched before him and had to steady herself with both hands in order to keep from falling over. She was starting to see double as stars began to burst before her eyes.

  Her thoughts turned to Devon. This would destroy him, he wouldn't survive it. Tears built in her eyes, she fought to stay awake, but she could feel her lids drooping as they became heavier. Luther stirred but she wasn't surprised when he remained unconscious.

  Cassie wished that he would wake up if only so she could say goodbye. She heard the sounds of people moving about before she spotted them creeping out of their hiding spots, coming for them already.

  She pressed herself against Luther as she strained to keep her bleary vision focused. Sister Anne stepped into the hall, but her caring, open persona had been discarded, along with her phony nun attire. Now her dark eyes were cold and malicious. A muscle twitched in her cheek as she glared at Cassie. A fully loaded crossbow was pressed against the side of her thigh.

  Another man and woman stepped out from behind her. They also bore weapons but Cassie knew it would be Anne that came for her, if that was even her real name. Cassie seized hold of Luther's hand as she tried to draw strength and comfort from his warm touch.

  She still had Dani and Joey's powers, something that these people had no way of knowing. However, she wasn't sure how well either of them would work right now. Zane's astral projection would have been handy, but she already felt as if she were splitting apart without actually doing it. There was Adon's fire power, but that would be a last resort. She was a little nervous that she may kill them all if she used it in these tight confines.

  She could feel the pulse of life that signaled the electrical pull of the earth surging into her hand. She didn't know if she should make the first move, but she did know that she couldn't simply crouch here and wait for them to attack her. Anne took a step toward her and raised the crossbow as Cassie slammed her hand off the ground. Though it wasn't the way that Dani released her power, it felt right to Cassie.

  The power thrummed from her hand and sizzled across the ground in a bolt of electricity
that she could actually see as it zigzagged toward her enemies. Shock and horror filled their eyes, apparently they hadn't known what she was capable of, or they'd thought that the drugs would keep her abilities locked away. Either way, she had the brief advantage of surprise on her side.

  Anne fired the crossbow seconds before the electrical bolt hit them and knocked them off their feet. Cassie didn't have the reflexes or thought processes to react quickly enough. She fell to the side to get away from the arrow but it wasn't good enough.

  A cry escaped her as she was knocked back from the force of the impact. The arrow drove into her shoulder, sliced through muscle and shattered bone before bursting partway out the other side. Cassie was briefly stunned by the pain tearing through her, and the fact that she'd just barely gotten out of the way in time.

  She grabbed hold of the end of the arrow and grit her teeth as she broke it off. A low moan escaped her and she began to shake as a thin layer of sweat coated her body. She was wobbly and barely able to focus as she righted herself and sought out her predators. Closing her eyes she wiped the sweat from her forehead before forcing her lids open again. She didn't know how much time she had bought her and Luther, but she didn't think it would be much.

  She was barely aware of the blood trailing down her shoulder, soaking her clothes, and dripping off of her fingers as she turned back to Luther. She was unsure what it was that she sought from him as she grabbed his arm. She just knew that she couldn't sit in this hall and wait for them to be picked off like fish in a barrel.

  She managed to get Luther almost to his knees before she lost her footing in the puddle of her blood and they both sprawled onto the floor. Luther's head flopped to the side and his chin dropped to her shoulder. She grabbed his chin to try and wake him again but a fresh wave of agony tore through her. She looked down to find a stake protruding from her stomach. Her eyes shot back down the hall as the other man regained his feet. Thankfully, he was a crappy throw, but it was only a matter of time before one of them hit the mark.