“Don’t move, don’t call for help, don’t do anything unless I tell you to,” I warned, loosening my grip. “You brought in a blonde girl. Where is she?”
“She’s in the northern cabin, bottom floor.”
“How many guards does she have on her?”
“None.” I tightened my grip on the guard, and he grunted in pain. “I swear! As soon as the boss had everything he needed from her, he pulled the guards from the cabin. He said there was no risk of her escaping.”
“How many guards?”
“Thirty. Twenty-five in the camp proper and another five in the mine.”
“What’s Drake planning to do in the mine?”
“I have no idea, but he has a bunch of people caged up there.”
“How many?”
“Dozens, hundreds maybe,” Aidan replied, scowling.
“What is Drake planning? What have you heard?” I hissed.
“I don’t know, but he keeps talking about this ritual. He was ecstatic about a day or so ago. He went into the prisoner’s cabin with a laptop and began shouting like he won the lottery. He’s got everyone in the mine huddled around this weird stone.”
“Thank you for your help,” I returned. I squeezed on the man’s neck until he slumped, unconscious. “Come on,” I said, making my way toward the cabin. “Laurie should be this way.”
“Kacey, we should head toward the mine,” Aidan said. “We can stop everything.”
“No way. We are not leaving her as a prisoner for one more day.”
“Kacey do you have any idea how many people could die if don’t stop this.”
“We have more people on their way. Ripper, Kat, and my dad arrive in a few minutes, and they’re more than equipped to handle anything that comes up.” At the last word, the air filled with the sound of spinning blades. I stared into the distance and saw a helicopter make its way to the center of the camp. The vehicle floated for several seconds and touched down.
“What fresh hell is this?” I asked, inspecting the people that emerged. A woman in a blazing crimson trench coat stepped out. Her raven black hair flowing in the wind the vehicle kicked up. She removed a pair of sunglasses and whistled at the assembled guards. Six men raced over at the gesture and removed a long, steel box from the rear of the helicopter. She strolled into the camp as the last vestiges of daylight faded away. The instant the last rays of sunlight vanished, a claw burst through the container, tearing apart the steel as if it was a wet tissue. A guard stared, his eyes open wide as the top of the box was flung aside. A dark-skinned man with small horns that jutted out from his arms and legs stepped out. Bright green armor with Chinese characters covered his torso, causing a loud clanging to fill the camp with every step.
He grabbed the guard, pulling him in before needle-like teeth tore into his neck. Blood sprayed like a fountain from the wound, covering the newcomer in a fine red mist. He tossed the guard’s corpse to the ground and pointed at the container. The guards fell over themselves, each one desperate to grab the long, ebony sword and hand it to him. The two glanced at each other, and Aidan grunted in frustration.
“I can’t hear them.”
“I can,” I replied, and the conversation came to me as if I was standing next to them.
“How was your breakfast, Ren?” The woman asked, gazing at the site with a smirk.
“Brief,” he replied, his voice booming like thunder as glowing yellow eyes surveyed the camp. “I trust my men have been sufficient to the task at hand.”
“Wei vampires are always useful. However, I fear my son is less than equipped for his ambitions.”
“Wei vampires?” I asked, staring at Aidan.
“They’re a major clan of violent and brutal warriors,” Aidan returned, voice low as he glared at the man. “They’ve been around for centuries; no one knows who founded them or why. They send the young member on impossible missions to prove themselves. They turn the handful that survives into skilled warriors and killers. Each member devotes themselves, from sundown to sunup, to becoming deadlier. They train with weapons, claws, fangs, for hours every day. The actual members are some of the most brutal, violent, and skilled killers on this planet.”
“No matter,” the vampire said, strapping the sword to his waist. “I will see to the girl’s capture myself.”
“Pyrus can take care of the matter.”
“You mean the boy hasn’t told you?” The vampire said, a smirk crawling across his face. The woman raised an eyebrow at him, causing Ren to howl in laughter. The cold, cruel sound boomed like thunder across the camp, causing birds to flee from their nest.
“Pyrus is dead. I smelled his corpse the instant I came into camp.”
“That’s impossible. Pyrus is one of the toughest men I know.”
“I’m afraid it’s true,” he said, pointing toward the ruined cabin. The pair raced toward it, and the remaining guards jogged away. They sent uncertain glances at the two as they ran as far away from the pair as they could get.
“Well, that’s about as good a distraction as we’re going to get,” I said, walking through the tree line to Laurie’s cabin. “Head to the mine. I’m going to get Laurie out. You do everything you can to stop the ritual.”
“No way. I’m not leaving you behind with those two psychos!” Aidan protested.
“I’ll be okay. I’m right behind you. They’ll never see me,” I assured, forcing Aidan to grimace as he marched toward the mine. I slipped through the camp, opening a window and ducking inside the cabin the guard pointed out. Laurie sat handcuffed to a chair with her head lolling back. Scars were dug into every inch of her body, and an open wound oozed where her ear used to be. They ripped apart her pants and shirt. The remains were bare tatters, shreds of cloth that did little to cover her.
Tears ran down her eyes as she tugged at the handcuffs before hanging her head, defeated. My eyes widened in horror as a dozen horrifying scenarios ran through my head. I ignored them and gave her a consoling smile. I walked over to her, picking the lock on the handcuffs and tossing them away.
“Hey,” I said to her as I tried to help her out of the chair. She stared at the floor, unmoving as she groaned in agony. “Hey, come on girl. Get moving.”
“Water,” she rasped, pointing toward the plastic bottle on the table in front of her. I handed it to her and helped her drink. She sputtered and coughed before waving me away.
“Are you good? Come on, let’s go.”
“Why?” she asked, her eyes blazing as she stared at me. I helped her out of her chair, and we stumbled to the door. I struggled to open it as the bulk of her weight bore down on me. The door flew open, and we slipped past.
“What do you mean? We’re sisters, remember. Come on; there are bad people out tonight.”
“You’re not my sister,” she groaned. “You left me to die.”
“Laurie…”
“They tortured me and used me as a tool time and time again,” she groaned, eyes leveled at the floor. “They told me you were why. They never wanted me. They did it because of you. It’s all your fault. It’s all your fault,” she repeated, the words echoing like a mantra with every step she took. Each word was a knife in my chest. I couldn’t look her in the eye. Each scar was a reminder of my failure, every one reminding me that I let down my best friend. Laurie was right; her pain was all my fault. The guilt settled in my stomach like rotted food, and it took everything in my power not to puke as I carried her through the forest. She whimpered with each step she took, her eyes half-closed as she slumped in my hands.
“Stop. I need…I need to rest,” she rasped.
“We need to keep moving. If they find us
…”
“I can’t…I have to stop. Please.”
I saw a stream close to us, and I strolled over. The sound of the water crashing filled the forest with a persistent melody. I lay her at the edge of the stream, and she watched the fish racing down it. I handed her the water bottle I’d taken from the table and handed it to her. She grimaced with every movement. She downed the remaining liquid, sputtering as she swallowed the last bit. I took the tattered remains of her shirt, tearing it into bandages as I inspected her wounds. Most didn’t heal and left twisted and ragged scar tissue covering her body. A series of shallow cuts dug into her stomach, each one oozing blood and other fluids down her body. She cried out as I bandaged the wounds, and I stared at the ground.
“Sorry,” I said. She didn’t respond, her eyes burning with hate as I finished bandaging her. I tossed my jacket around her, zipping it up to preserve her modesty. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No,” she said, walking away from me. I took my boots and popped open the false heel Kat had created. The GPS transmitter continued to blink, and an ear bud lay idle next to it. I popped it in and heard the sounds of Kat, Frank and Ripper talking to each other.
“Hey, is anyone near the stream on the west side of the forest?”
“Nice to hear you’re okay,” Frank returned. “I am, what do you need?”
“I managed to free Laurie. We need to get her to a hospital.”
“Negative on the hospital. All the ones in town have Olympus working their security. Putting her in a hospital would be setting her up to get shot.”
“She needs medical attention.”
“She’ll get it. I have a kit in the back of my truck, and I have some training as a field medic. I should be able to take care of her.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, you and the super-people can take care of this without me,” he said as he trudged up the path. A bandolier of grenades lay across each shoulder, and his rifle was slung over his back. “The least I can do is get your friend out.”
“I appreciate it,” I said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. He strolled over to Laurie, beaming at her.
“I take it you’re Laurie?” he asked. “My name’s Frank. Frank Wilkins. I’ll be your driver for the day.” She stared at him, scooting away as he walked closer.
“Are you like them?” she asked, her eyes darting around the forest as he held his hand out.
“No ma’am, I’m not. I’m better looking,” he quipped.
“Are you…human?”
“Last time I checked.” Laurie rushed over so fast she stumbled, grimacing in pain as her sore ankles impacted against the forest floor. “Are you good to walk a few miles?”
“I can try,” Laurie returned. She raced behind Frank, using him as a shield to keep me from coming any closer. Frank raised an eyebrow.
“Long story,” I returned.
“I’m sure it’s an entertaining one, but we have to go. You might need this,” he said, unstrapping the bandolier and setting it in a backpack.
“I have no idea how to use those.”
“It’s not difficult. Pull the pin and throw the grenade at whatever you want dead.”
“I think I can manage that.”
“Good. Give ‘em hell. Everybody’s meeting at the entrance to the camp. Good job with the GPS idea.”
“Thanks.” I watched as Frank and Laurie trudged through the dense vegetation, not satisfied until they walked out of sight. I grinned and jogged through the forest. Before long I came to the edge of the camp where Dad and Kat were standing.
“Thank God you’re all right,” Kat returned.
“Thanks. Where’s…” I heard a light crunching of leaves behind me and rolled my eyes as I felt cold steel laying on my shoulder. “Hello, Ripper.”
“I’ve heard mammoths stomping through the forest that made less noise than you,” Ripper stated. He slid the sword further up my neck and sniffed.
“I doubt that,” I quipped, earning a grunt from him as he sheathed his sword.
“My point, kid, is that you need to be silent. What would have happened if one of the rent-a-cops managed to hear your little foot race?”
“Terrible, awful things I’m sure. Lesson learned, can we get to work?”
Ripper stared out toward the camp. “What do you have?”
“Olympus Security is guarding the exterior. The ritual is taking place in the mines beneath the camp. Aidan should already be there.”
“Pyrus?”
“Dead. Two new people arrived in a helicopter, though.”
“Who are they?”
“No idea, some woman and a vampire.”
Ripper grunted. “It shouldn’t be too hard to get inside. Kat, call down some lightning on the guard towers. They should light on fire and collapse. We can get in while the camp is on fire.”
“That’s a terrible idea,” I shot back.
“Why?”
“Because that would kill everyone in the camp.”
“That’s the idea, kid.”
“They’re people doing a job! They don’t have any idea what Drake is, let alone what he’s planning!”
“Yet they would not hesitate to kill us.”
“I get that, and we should deal with them, but in a way that sends them to the hospital, not the morgue.”
“We are not trying to deliver kisses and fluffy puppies to them,” Ripper grumbled, his eyes flashing as he glared at me. “If we fail, Drake will unleash an army of monsters on this city. They will cut a bloody swath through it and give everybody they meet a slow, bloody death. We have to do whatever it takes to stop that.”
“No, we don’t. We have to be better than that. Drake may not care if he hurts people to get what he wants, but we sure as hell should. We can’t kill anyone who gets in our way. If we do, we’re no better than Drake. We’re on the opposite side.”
Ripper ran his fingers through his beard. “Alright, let’s hear your plan then.”
“It’s not great,” I admitted, grimacing as I stared at the camp.
“Well you feel the need to criticize mine, you’re smart enough to come up with your own.”
I grimaced at the rebuke. “Kat, do you think you can conjure some fog?”
“How thick are we talking?” she replied, cocking her head at me.
“So thick the guards won’t be able to see more than two inches in front of them.”
“I can, but this is Colorado, not Maine. They’ll know something’s up.”
“If we play our cards right, we’ll be inside before they’re able to signal anyone. Once they’re blinded, we can sneak in and take them out, one by one. I’ll take the guard towers, and…”
“I’ll take the guard towers,” Ripper interrupted. “I can take out the guards without making a sound, but they’ll hear you coming a mile away.” I glared at him, and he pointed at my shoes. “Designer boots will make a hell of a racket against steel.”
“Each tower has four guards. Do you think you can take down sixteen guys before one of them raises an alarm?”
“You worry about your job; let me worry about mine.”
“Fair enough. If we’re lucky, they won’t shoot us.”
“I doubt it. They won’t start shooting at us unless they can see who we are; otherwise they run the risk of hitting an ally. With how thick Kat will make that fog they won’t see us until we’re right on top of them. If they have any training whatsoever, that means they’ll go for their knives.”
I scowled at Ripper, my eyes wide. “How
do you know all that?”
“It’s simple. I’ve been doing this a while, and I’m not dead yet. David, if something goes wrong, have Kat drop the fog and come out swinging.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he glared at me. “And try to make sure you don’t kill them.”
Chapter 24
Kat’s eyes went pale blue, and a thick white cloud crawled across the sky. It flowed like a blanket over the forest, so thick that it was impossible to see through. It rolled over us until it hung over the camp like a balloon. Ripper strolled into the fog before vanishing in a flash of light.
I stared at the space in front of me and reached out with my senses. The fog seemed to disappear as I focused. The sounds of the guards shuffling, the smell of the gunpowder in their weapons, and the beating of their hearts echoed around me. The sounds and smells coalesced into a picture far clearer than anything my eyes could see. I moved through the fog without a single sound, my footsteps lighter than air as I stalked the first guard. I gritted my teeth in frustration as I reached halfway up his back. Why doesn’t anybody hire short guards, I thought to myself as I walked up to him. I swept his feet from underneath him, sending the guard crashing to the ground. His head raised in surprise and I slammed it into the hard, packed ground. Blood spurted from his nose, and he slumped, unconscious.
I was a predator. A strange thrill ran through me as I realized that no one could touch me. I was the shadows themselves, and the guards were obstacles, waiting for me to dispatch them. I moved from guard to guard, incapacitating each with no trouble. Before long, the guards were shouting. Each one began screaming that there was someone or something loose in the camp. Their hearts beat faster as they heard their companions drop to the ground. I could smell the sweat flowing from their bodies and hear the chattering of their teeth as they waved their weapons through the air. They swung their hands through the empty air in a vain attempt to catch me.
The last one raced through the camp like a frightened squirrel, his weapon swinging. The gun fired, cracking like thunder as he shot at every shadow and movement he saw in his blind panic. I walked next to him, and he stopped dead in his tracks as if he could sense me. I tapped him on his shoulder and snatched the weapon out of his hands as he spun around.
Dauntless Page 22