I shivered as the chill of Roary’s ice kissed my freezing skin and I concentrated on forging the metal back into one smooth piece. Metal was the hardest thing to create with my earth magic and I gritted my teeth as I concentrated on sealing it back up perfectly. If I didn’t do it right, the pipe would burst when the water was set loose again and the guards would figure out that someone had tampered with it.
The metal slowly fused back together and I sighed in relief as I felt out the last bumps and ridges to repair.
A cold drip fell on my stomach and I flinched as I continued to work.
A second drip slid into my hair and a third raced down my bare thigh.
My breath caught in my throat as a dull crack sounded above me.
I tipped my head back slowly as fear took me hostage and the orange glow of my Faelight illuminated the tight space.
The ice plug Roary had created to hold back the water sat a foot above my head and as I looked at it, more drips fell down to splash against my skin.
Another dull crack echoed through the pipe and I flinched as a spiderweb of lines splintered across the ice above me.
I choked on a scream as I half expected the whole thing to break in that moment, my heart skipping a beat as my life flashed before my eyes. It was brief and all too unhappy in places. I’d barely even begun to find my place in this world and I sure as shit wasn’t going to lose it now.
I did the only thing I could and relaxed my posture, shrieking as I instantly began to fall. My back and feet were still pressed to the slick sides of the pipe but as I plummeted downwards, I began to doubt whether I’d be able to stop myself again at the junction to the pipe which ran into Psych.
I pressed my hands to the walls either side of me as I fell down the world’s deadliest water slide, my stomach swooping as real fear consumed me and I hardly even slowed at all.
All of a sudden, the pipe to my left opened up and I cried out as I threw my weight that way, my heart leaping as I scrambled to catch hold of the hole.
My fingertips clawed onto the lip of the edge and I swung around as I held on for dear life, my legs slamming into the pipe with a dull thump which echoed around the space.
I grunted with effort as I scrambled to gain purchase on anything at all so that I could heave myself up.
A loud crack echoed down from somewhere above me as the ice continued to give way.
With a snarl of determination, I swung my leg up and managed to hook my knee over the edge of the pipe.
I grunted in effort as the rest of my body followed and I fell to my hands and knees, panting as fear sliced my soul apart.
I started crawling, directing my Faelight ahead of me as I moved as fast as I possibly could on all fours.
Another crack sounded in the dark behind me and I felt it right down to my core.
I kept going. I had to make it down the corridor which led away from the main prison and into Psych if I wanted to get into the vents there.
My pulse pounded against my eardrums as I crawled and crawled, another crack sounding somewhere far above.
My knees slipped and skidded against the smooth surface of the wet pipe and I trembled as I fought to get far enough through it.
An ear splitting roar exploded behind me as the ice suddenly gave way and I screamed at the sound of the water coming for me.
I slammed my hands against the wall, not caring if I’d made it far enough or not as my earth magic punched a hole straight into the side of the pipe.
I threw myself out, tossing a look over my shoulder as a tidal wave of water raced into the pipe from the main flow and charged straight towards me.
I fell into a metal vent and leapt back up, throwing my weight against the flap of pipe I’d bent open as I directed my earth magic into it, channelling everything I had into sealing that hole.
The magic glowed green with the force at which I commanded it and my limbs trembled in utter terror as water began to seep through the cracks.
My wet boots slipped on the smooth metal beneath me as I fought to hold the pipe closed and my magic worked to seal it off.
With a grunt of determination, the final gap sealed over and I fell back onto my ass, panting as the adrenaline shuddered through my body.
“Fuck you, Roary Night,” I hissed as my heart remembered how to beat normally again. “Half an hour my ass.”
I headed down the stairs in the cell block, my boots clanging against the metal as Plunger rushed to my side.
“What does she feel like?” he purred and I growled in warning.
“Get the fuck away from me,” I snarled and he gave me a pouting look, staying at my side.
“Come on, just a few details. Was she moist? How did her folds feel?”
I lunged at him as we reached the next level down, throwing him back against the bars of a cell and a metallic dong sounded around the space.
I opened my mouth to threaten him when a scream caught my ear followed by the thundering of footfalls. I loosened my grip on Plunger, turning toward the noise and confusion pinched my features as inmates raced across the bridge into the block with fear in their eyes and screams on their lips.
A group piled into the cell beside me and Plunger, trying to force the door to shut.
“Please! Lock us in!” one girl cried and I followed her gaze to Officer Lucius who was running into the block with everyone else. She pulled her radio from her belt as she leapt off of the bridge, her honey blonde hair falling loose from her usually perfect bun. “We need lockdown in Cell Block D. Close all cells and retract the bridge immediately!”
The bell started ringing to announce the lockdown and Plunger shoved away from me, darting back up the stairs with a wild giggle.
“What’s going on?!” I called to Lucius as inmates poured into the cells all around me.
“Back in your cell!” she commanded, taking her shock baton from her hip.
My heart pounded unevenly. I had to get to level eight to meet Rosa. If I wasn’t there to cut her magic back off and she was found with her cuffs switched off, she was gonna be screwed.
I strode towards Lucius as more and more prisoners raced into the block. The bridge started to retract and my heart lurched as people leapt off of it into the block with screams of panic.
“Go back!” Lucius commanded, her eyes wild as more and more prisoners started jumping across the gap.
I ran forward with my heart in my throat, knowing I was facing loss of privileges and maybe some time in the hole by ignoring a direct order. But fuck it. I wasn’t going to abandon my little pup.
The prisoners piled up on the bridge and screams rang out as the front row were forced forward. My gut wrenched a second before a line of them tumbled over the edge, falling into the void with shrieks of terror.
“Wait!” Lucius screamed, raising her hands and casting a bridge of ice between the gap. The inmates poured over it, racing into the block. I took my chance, running forward and pushing through the crowd to get to the other side.
“Sixty Nine!” she yelled after me. “Return to your cell now!”
I made it out of the block, adrenaline crashing through my veins as I ran against the tide. I didn’t know what the fuck had happened to cause this kind of panic, but I had the awful feeling I was about to find out.
I spotted more guards trying to direct the prisoners towards their cell blocks and I ducked my head to hide as I darted into the stairwell and sped down it. The flow of bodies thinned out until there were just a few stragglers running up the stairs. I spotted the pink-haired girl Bullseye coated in blood as she sprinted up the steps with her sling-shot in hand.
“Hey – what’s going on down there?” I called to her, but she just shook her head in warning and ran on.
My throat thickened as I descended, the sounds of racing footsteps moving far away from me. As I reached level six, a clamour of voices carried from beyond the glass doors of the library. A man was hammering his fists on it, jumping frantically up and down. “
Let me in you assholes!”
I moved to run on down the stairs but my heart turned to a solid lump of ice as I spotted a vile creature below me. The Belorian’s head was bent down on its long neck as it lapped at the blood of a dead inmate beneath it. Its talons were ripped deep into his chest and the man’s lips were parted in a silent scream, painted there even after his death.
I drew in a shuddering breath as fear made a passage down my spine, backing up a step and waving at the guy who was trying to break into the library to try and catch his attention. “Shut the fuck up,” I hissed.
He finally noticed, turning toward me as I pressed a finger to my lips. His face paled as he realised the Belorian was close.
I side-stepped into the corridor and crossed to the other side, pressing my back to the wall. I had to get downstairs. Had to get past that fucking beast. I knew it hunted by heat and luckily for me I had water magic on my side. I just hoped this guy didn’t turn out to be a damn snitch when this was all over, but I didn’t have much choice but to use my power. My gaze shifted to a camera up on the wall which was aimed toward the library doors. I twitched my fingers, casting ice against the wall behind it. It grew outwards into a sharp spike, reaching through the metal cage around it before puncturing the wires and cutting the feed.
I hurried into action, raising my palms and casting a wall of ice across the archway that led into the stairwell, concealing us behind it. There was still a lot of noise coming from the library so I quickly cast a silencing bubble over the door too. The guy stared at me in surprise, looking to my cuffs.
He rushed over to me with desperation in his eyes. “Hey, do you have a key? Give it to me. Open my cuffs. I’m Dirk, you know, me right? I gave you my honey pot once, remember?”
He caught my arm and I shoved him off of me with a snarl. I wasn’t going to start unlocking people’s cuffs like a fucking idiot. I was risking enough as it was for someone I actually gave a shit about. He lunged at me again, tearing at my jumpsuit as he tried to get into my pockets. I threw him backwards with a growl and his spine hit the opposite wall.
“Fuck you, man!” Dirk spat.
A deep growl sounded beyond the wall of ice and my spine prickled as the Belorian’s towering shadow appeared behind it.
I used my magic to chill my blood, shivering as a wave of cold ran over me and ice started to form on my skin. I couldn’t stay like this for long, but it would give me a chance to run if I had to.
Come on, move upstairs you fucker.
A sound like a knife scoring against a plate filled my ears and a claw sliced through the centre of the ice, ripping a hole in it.
Dirk panted heavily and I raised my hand, telling him to stay where he was, sure he was about to do something stupid.
The Belorian lowered its head to the hole and I caught a glimpse of the flaps on its face lifting. Holy shit. It was using its heat sensors to see. Panic clutched my heart and I directed my magic onto Dirk, urging his body to chill. He gasped in surprise and the Belorian growled in response, its talons suddenly ripping at the entire wall.
Dirk ran at me with terror in his eyes, throwing a fist that I deflected with a growl of fury. He lunged for my pocket once more and I shoved him back a step, but he kept coming like a mad man.
I caught him by the collar, and hissed in his face, “Shut the fuck up!”
I threw him toward the library door, backing up and raising my hands to cast another wall of ice to conceal us, goosebumps rising across my flesh. A crash like breaking glass sounded as the beast broke through the first wall of ice and I stilled as silence fell once more.
The monster drew in a shuddering breath that set off a gurgling noise in its chest and I stilled in horror as it inhaled deeply again.
It could smell us.
“Let us in!” Dirk jumped up, hammering his fist on the library door.
The Belorian shrieked and I frantically threw a silencing bubble around Dirk to quiet him, my magic stretching towards breaking point. I hadn’t laid in the sun to restore my power since yesterday morning and I’d used too much in the Compound since then. Freezing the pipe for Rosa had depleted my reserves even more so. If I’d known I was going to need it to fight the fucking Belorian, I would have been more careful.
The beast threw its whole weight against the wall and I swore, raising my hands to cast more ice to keep it intact. A deep tug in my chest told me I was getting close to the last of my power and fear scratched at my heart.
Fuck what do I do, what do I do?
I came up with the only solution I could. I reached into my pocket for the key to free Dirk’s power. I was going to need help if I was gonna survive this. As I tugged it loose, the lemon Sin had given me fell from my pocket and rolled across the ground between us. It hit me with an absolute clarity that Sin had done this. He’d let out the Belorian like a fucking maniac despite Rosa telling him not to.
I ignored the lemon, holding the key out to Dirk as I fought to keep the wall intact.
“Here!” I called and he ran toward me with hope in his eyes. I unlocked his cuffs, refusing to part with the key before stuffing it back into my pocket. Fire magic flared to life in his palms and I opened my mouth in warning not to use it just as the Belorian ran at the wall full force. The monster burst through it, sending a shower of ice shards everywhere. With a yell of alarm, I transformed them into water before they hit us and they splashed over me, melting away some of the ice coating my skin.
The Belorian dove toward Dirk as fire flared in his palms and he fell to the ground with a cry of fear. Dirk directed a huge flame toward me, casting it above my head and the beast lurched away from him, racing for me instead.
“Motherfucker!” I cursed, coating my skin in more ice and darting away from the charging beast.
It crashed into the wall beneath the flame, unable to find me, but my magic was stuttering and I could feel the ice melting against my flesh already. Fuck!
Dirk scrambled to his knees and started to run but the beast lurched around, blocking his exit. The Belorian dove at him then jerked away with a shriek as its face came close to the lemon on the ground. It turned its head to the ceiling, shaking it violently as if the fruit had hurt it somehow.
My eyes locked with Dirk’s as we both realised the power of that lemon and he snatched it into his grasp, jumping to his feet. He held it out in front of him and the Belorian backed up with a roar of anger, its spiny tail whipping through the air and slicing across my forearm. I released a yell of pain, clutching the wound as I stumbled back. The beast swung its vile head around, its eyes locking on me and I dove away from it, using the final drops of my power to coat my skin in ice once more.
It lunged forward blindly, hunting me by scent alone as it snapped its vicious teeth in the air. Dirk tried to run past it, but the Belorian’s spiny tail caught him in the stomach and knocked him to the ground with a thwack. He wailed as blood leaked from the wounds on his gut and the Belorian twisted toward him, the metallic scent filling the air. The guy screamed in agony and the lemon fell from his hand, rolling toward me. The monster lunged, tearing into Dirk’s chest with sharp teeth and I grimaced at the sound of crunching bones.
I went to heal my arm but my magic stuttered out before I’d even started and the spells around me died with it. My heart lurched at the clamour in the library filling my ears and I knew I had no more seconds to waste.
I darted forward and snatched the lemon into my grasp, racing past the beast with my heart jack-hammering in my chest. Dirk was fucked, but I had a whole lot of life yet to live so I couldn’t look back.
I ripped into the lemon with my teeth, squeezing the juice all over my arms and neck as I sped into the stairwell with his dying screams following me. I stuffed the lemon back into my pocket, leaving enough juice for Rosa and focusing on what I had to do as the adrenaline in my blood hit a peak. I held my hand over the wound on my arm and tried to ignore the burning sensation that was racing through my bloodstream.
I had to find her. I had to get her back to her cell. And I had to beat the living hell out of Sin Wilder for freeing that motherfucking monster.
The vent narrowed as it headed into the Psych unit and I pushed aside any thoughts of claustrophobia with an iron fist. I wasn’t turning back now. Hell, I couldn’t turn back considering how tight this damn shaft was. It was forward or nothing. My hips and shoulders were firmly rammed against the sides of the metal shaft as I crawled along and the only light that reached me was through the sporadic grates which looked down into the empty corridor below.
Everything in Psych was white which seemed super cliché to me, but there it was. White floor, white walls, white doors. Not that I could see much beyond floor level.
The vent continued to tighten around me and I fell still as I reached another grate. I couldn’t go on. Which meant I had to go down.
But that was easier said than done when the corridor beneath me was likely monitored by CCTV.
I craned my neck as I tried to get a look beyond the thick bars which blocked the grate beneath me, but it was no good. I couldn’t see anything other than the floor and a few inches of wall on either side of the corridor.
I cursed beneath my breath and cast an amplifying spell to make it easier for me to hear anyone close by.
For a long moment there was nothing at all, but then a high pitched scream came to me from far away. A shiver danced along my spine at the sound, but I clenched my jaw against the fear which wanted to take root in me. This wasn’t the time to let useless emotions take hold. To get the job done, I needed to keep my head clear and my emotions out of it.
I needed to escape this prison. For that I needed a Polethius Mole Shifter. And my Polethius Mole Shifter was in this damn unit.
I reached for the grate, curling my fingers around it and unleashing my earth magic so that the metal bowed to my commands and released its hold on the vent. I lifted it out of the hole it had occupied and dropped it on the far side of the vent, my silencing bubble hiding the sound for me.
Darkmore Penitentiary (Supernatural Prison for Dark Fae Book 1) Page 47