Brendan gently grasped my wrist and gave me a small tug, indicating that he wanted me to follow him.
“I need to find my sword,” I said.
He looked at me and nodded.
Chapter Eighteen
~ Brendan ~
I didn’t like bringing her back here, so at the sight of her pausing in the doorway of the lift, I swallowed a frustrated growl. I should have locked her in her room, but that would have been a waste of time; she would have found a way out, somehow.
I split the group off into pairs, with a warning to stay clear of the laboratories. There were Leeches here. I could smell them, oozing between the sharp and potent tang of the chemicals which still clung to the air. They would be in the labs, and our first task entailed killing every single one of the bloodsucking bastards, but the last thing any of us needed was to get hit with monkshood or those damn silver daggers. So task number one became checking all the cells and smaller rooms. They knew we had come for them. No way would their stupid noses be able to miss our scent. So the fact that they weren’t already spilling out into the corridor worried me.
“I need to find my sword,” Heather said as I slipped past her and pulled her hand so she would follow and stay close.
Damn sword. No one should put all their faith in a sharp strip of metal. It would be stupid to believe that one object could keep them safe. Then again, I already knew that the sentimental attachment—Heather’s want to reclaim her mother’s sword—outweighed her actual need for the weapon.
I looked at her and nodded.
“Which way?” She stopped beside me.
Turning down the corridor on my right led me alongside the labs, and with a left, we headed back to the cell she had been stuffed into. I decided to walk farther down the corridor.
I thought she said this facility was huge, Chris’s Geordie accent echoed in my mind.
It appears that way, due to the length and dimness of the corridors. I imagine the labs take up most of the space, May answered him.
Did you want a maze, Christopher? I asked, peeking around a broken door to my right, an empty holding cell.
No, Brendan. I’m just thinking out loud, that’s all.
Bad thing to do when we can hear what you’re thinking, Chris. Dabria’s smooth chuckle eased my growing irritation.
I peeked around the second broken door; the fading smell of venom tickled my senses, along with the scent of Thomas who obviously already checked the room.
“Nothing in here, either.” Heather stood in the doorway of the third room.
I nodded, walking past her and through the double doors at the end of the corridor.
I don’t think anyone is home, Alcander’s gentle Greek accent ghosted through my mind.
Solomon grunted. We killed all of the Leeches who resided here when we came for Brendan and Heather. The ones that are here must be in the labs.
There are four labs. Three are side by side, I said.
I checked the other two large rooms. One seemed a little weird. Dabria fumbled for the word.
Cafeteria type room? Almost like a teacher’s lounge? I asked.
Sì. The other lab looked like a type of gym with an observation room attached to it, Dabria said.
Why haven’t they come out yet? Scott asked.
I don’t know. And the sheer fact they haven’t makes me feel uneasy. Stick to one end of the corridor so they don’t sneak up on you. I’m coming to join—
Sweet Jesus! Alcander’s voice broke through my trail of thought. My muscles tensed as the uneasy feeling in my stomach doubled.
We found the patients, Scott said before I could ask. His American accent thickened as anger swelled within my chest. Heather is right. Christ. There must be a hundred in here, at the least.
We will deal with them last, I said firmly, aware that the growing nausea I felt would be a joint feeling. We all knew how dangerous Infecteds could be, but these patients, these people; merely victims. They lay helplessly in their beds and we had to go in and butcher them, all for the sake of what they could do. Everyone wait at the labs. Watch out for the daggers. I’m coming.
I stopped where the second corridor split three ways. I pulled the scent of the facility into my lungs; I could smell the Pack, their scent overpowering the stink of this hell-hole. I could sense May and John down the small corridor to the left, which ended with a set of grey double doors. What’s in there, John?
Store room, full of old-looking equipment and random bits of rusty trash.
It’s a pretty darn big room, so we’re just checking it all out, May said.
Do you see a sword in there?
A few.
This one has a brown leather sheath with a strap. The hilt is gold with a lot of intricate details marking it. It might be next to a holder of curved daggers, a weird slingshot device, and a small black crossbow.
Anything else? John stifled a laugh.
That’s all Heather brought with her.
Doesn’t pack light, I take it?
Believe me, John, I don’t think she would know how to. I’m going to send her in to look for it.
Okay.
I tapped Heather’s shoulder, then pointed to the double doors on the left.
“You want to go check it out?”
I shook my head and pointed at her again.
She arched her eyebrow. “You want me to go check it out?”
I huffed and reached my right hand over my back, mimicking taking a sword from its sheath. I swivelled my wrist the way she tended to do when she waited for a Leech to attack her, and then pretended to hold the sword with both of my hands.
“You want to play charades?” She crossed her arms over her chest and bit into her pink, full bottom lip. “Now really isn’t the time.”
No time to have a sense of humour, Slayer. I grunted, and pointed to the room again.
“You want me to go and look in the room and see if my sword is there?”
I nodded.
“Is anyone in there?”
I patted my chest, and held up two claws. Hopefully, she would understand that meant two of the Pack.
She nodded, then headed down the corridor.
John? May? Don’t jump out at her. She’s heading in. She pushed the doors open. Don’t let her do anything stupid, and don’t leave her side.
We won’t, May said.
I headed down the corridor to my right. One of the Pack had broken the doors and checked out the rooms, but I still stopped to look in the middle cell. The memory of seeing Heather, wild-eyed and flailing in my arms, slammed into my mind; she had been such a mess. The room had smelled of fear and anger. Whatever Lance wanted from shoving me in there with her, he wouldn’t have gotten it. And after we shredded those stupid results, no other Leech would get to find out what our two species could possibly create.
I continued down the corridor and turned to the left…the lights went out.
At least we now know someone is home. I grunted.
Do they seriously think that is going to help them? Solomon laughed harshly.
Sol. Dee. Take lab number one. Scott, Al, number two. Thomas and Chris, care to join me outside door number three?
We’re coming, Chris said.
John, May? Take Heather and guard the elevator, so none of them gets out.
Sure thing, John said.
Everyone be careful. I pushed open the double doors in front of me and stepped into the room.
Don’t you look first? Thomas asked, coming up beside me.
What do you think I am doing?
Walking in and waiting for someone to throw something at you.
We don’t have time for games. Something doesn’t feel right. I inhaled deeply. The smell of damp, ancient earth had faded slightly. The equipment had been trashed and had been thrown all over the floor.
Watch the glass shards, I said, walking farther into the room.
They trashed the place? Christopher said from the open doorway. Why?
<
br /> They knew we were coming, I said.
How?
Perhaps it was obvious, Thomas said.
Sol, Scott, anything? I asked, as I yanked opened the drawers of a filing cabinet. Empty.
We’ve got two dead Infecteds on the opposite side of a large pane of glass. The lab is completely trashed. Solomon said.
Same in here, Scott said.
Look for paperwork. I rummaged through every cabinet I came across.
Already have been, Dabria said.
I don’t get it. Their scent is still too strong, they were only here—I heard Chris inhale behind me —about half an hour ago, I would say. We would have seen them.
Al, go find their quarters. They must have a hole to hide in for—
The elevator doors have been sealed, John interrupted.
I stopped looking through the cabinets. What?
We got here and they were shut, so I thought I would open them and look up the elevator shaft. They have been sealed somehow. I can’t get them open.
How the hell did they manage to get past us? Scott growled.
Thomas is right. It was obvious we would be back. It has been eight days since Heather and I got out of the facility. We killed every Leech here and left. They are on our territory, they hurt one of our own; of course we would come back. They have trashed the place and probably taken all their research with them, I replied as calmly as possible.
Not all of it. What about all the patients? Al asked.
Dispensable, I said. They can get more if they need them. Sol, Dee, go and help May and John get the doors open.
The elevator has already gone back up, May said.
I realize that, but it isn’t really important—
May, do you smell gasoline? John’s voice cracked.
My gut twisted.
Yeah, I do. Oh, shit, John, are they—
John snarled. Sons-of-bitches.
Brendan? They are dumping gallons of gasoline down the elevator shaft.
Get the doors open. Now. It is still our only way out at the moment. I turned to Thomas. Thomas, you and Scott go and see if you can find us another way out.
Thomas nodded and left the lab.
If we have to claw our way through dirt, we are getting out of here, do you all understand?
Yes. Their voices gelled as one.
I walked out the lab and headed left. Does Heather have any idea what is going on?
I don’t think— May’s voice stopped.
What’s wrong? I pushed open the double doors and jogged down the long corridor.
Solomon, Dabria, John, and May stood staring through the windows of the metal doors at the bright oranges flames that danced behind them. The sound of whining metal invaded my ears, along with the all-too-familiar roar and crackle of fire.
We can’t get it open. The door is too hot, Dabria said as I stopped in front of it.
The bastards want to cook us, Solomon roared.
We had underestimated them, thinking this facility held some importance to them. Anything that may have been important, they had already taken. Had they slipped past us? Obviously, they had, which meant there must have only been a few of them.
Al, how many Vampires did you say you and Flynn saw the other day?
Only six. They looked like they were here for business—
But not to stay? Solomon growled.
How exactly am I supposed to know that—?
You weren’t, Al, Dabria interrupted him. Arguing is not going to help any of us. She had no doubt added that for her hot-headed husband.
They were up there, waiting for us. Watching. Knowing that we would come down here and kill them all, Chris said.
Solomon snarled. Why did we think they would be so stupid?
This facility is on the Alpha’s personal territory. No matter what, we would have come back. That is that. Now, split up. We need to find a way out. A loose panel in the wall, anything we can break and dig our way out of.
May’s voice whispered through my mind. What if—
No what ifs. Just do it. I turned to look at them, and clenched my hands as I realized someone was missing.
Where is Heather? I asked as my eyes tripped over the entire corridor.
Christ. She was here a minute ago, Brendan, I swear, John said, before he headed down the corridor.
Did she find her weapons?
Yes.
Then I know where she will be.
The heat of the door brushed against my back, causing my stomach to knot tighter. The metal behind the door whined again.
Fuck. This really isn’t good.
~ Heather ~
I couldn’t explain it.
One minute I stood there, watching as a small black Wolf with blue tints and a light brown Wolf stared at the shut elevator door. The next minute, I felt the need to go back down the long corridor that Brendan and I had walked down only five minutes before.
I knew by the tension in both of the Werewolves’ bodies that something bad was going on. Plus, the lights had abruptly gone out—never a good sign, but at least, I could see fairly well in the dark. I also knew Brendan wanted me to stick close to these two Pack members—they had made sure I knew it by gently pushing me in front of them and guiding my direction—so I imagined no one would be happy with me when they realized I had walked off.
Every muscle in my body screamed for me to turn away from the elevator and walk down the corridor. The familiar awareness that I had come to recognize as some form of danger warning sizzled under my skin, causing me to grip my sword tighter. I had been so happy to find it shoved on some dusty shelf along with my other weapons that I could do nothing but smile as I kitted up.
My left hand hit the wall. I turned to my right, placing my left hand before me once more. My fingers pressed against the left metal door. I pushed it open, bumping my right shoulder on the right door, and headed down the second corridor.
My fingertips danced along the walls as I walked. I tried to listen out for the footfalls or steady panting of one of the Pack. The last thing I needed was one of them jumping out at me while I had my sword in my hand. My fingers floated in the air as I passed the corridor that lead to the huge, old storage room, which had been full of strange and unimportant rusty pieces of equipment.
My fingers hit the wall again and my stomach clenched. Realization filled my body as a familiar sound whispered to me from the darkness. A strong smell tickled my nose, causing me to flinch. The sound of movement in the distance tried to snap my attention, and deep down, I knew I should turn around and make my way to the source of these distractions, but my feet continued forward and my muscles wound tighter with each step.
Crackling echoed above me as the lights of the corridor flickered with an unsteady buzz, but even they couldn’t break my concentration. I didn’t even give them a second thought as they tried so hard to come back on. I just let my left hand drop to my side, thankful for the little slice of light, as I continued walking down the long corridor, listening to the familiar sound that called me in the twitching darkness. Beckoning so I could follow. It sounded like dripping water, but I knew it wasn’t. I had heard it before, but for some reason, my head refused to register the answer. It refused to help me make sense of what I could hear. My head felt like cotton wool had been packed tightly inside my skull.
I pressed my left shoulder against the wall and continued walking, moving as quickly and quietly as I could. The lights choked above me, the earlier smell getting stronger as my sight grew a little hazier.
The noise got louder. As I turned the left corner, my hazy sight locked on to the set of metal doors at the end of the corridor. The sound became clearer with each step.
A steady string of beeps. No, a familiar string of beep…beep…beep….
My heart tightened as I stopped in front of the double doors. The beeping echoed so loudly from the room behind them. I pressed my left hand against the cold metal; the wool in my mind melted as I remembered I fea
red what stood on the other side of this door. What I knew I would see once I stepped inside; what I would have to do.
I pushed the door open and walked into the dim-lit room.
The overhead lights spluttered. The smell of chemicals and blood clouded my senses instantly as the steady beat of a hundred hearts thumped in my temples. My mouth began to water.
I shouldn’t be in here alone.
I ground my teeth and forced myself to concentrate. It wasn’t safe in here; they weren’t safe.
I forced myself to walk forward.
I will not lose it. I will not lose it. I will not lose it… These people are dying. They are dangerous. They are not for feeding on….
I faltered. My body froze as the beats continued to echo in my mind. Panic overwhelmed me as the itch in my throat started to burn. My eyes wandered along the lines of beds… along the bodies of all the patients. I looked at their brittle, sickly skin clinging to their bones. At the tubes protruding from their arms and necks...tucked in their veins...spreading clear liquid into their flowing blood.
So much blood ….
No! No blood. These people are sick, Heather. Have to help them. Need to help them, somehow.
I forced my right foot forward and continued to walk down the aisle. How could I help them? I didn’t even know what had been done to them. Were they just normal Infecteds, or had Lance done his sick experiments on them? It seemed likely. Everything had been an experiment to that bastard.
Where the hell do I even begin?
The sound of all their heartbeats filled me. Their hearts, beating together, drumming along with my own. I stopped in front of one of the beds and looked at the needles in the woman’s arm. Her skin was pale, almost transparent. She looked so sick. They all did.
Clear liquid made its way into her body. What the heck is it? I looked at the tube stuck in her mouth, watching the blood as it pushed its way along the small lines, feeding her. The hilt of my sword dug into my hand as my grip automatically tightened. My throat felt so dry.
Cranberry Blood Page 25