by Dale Mayer
But she hated to get rid of her one lifeline to the outside world.
She wanted to call her father again, but that wouldn't do any good except make her feel better by hearing the sound of his voice.
She tucked the cell firmly back into her pocket and picked up the pace. At least she was closing in on them.
Or thought she was. She still couldn't communicate with Cody, but she could sense him.
If she could find him and the others, maybe they could figure out a plan of action, some way to bring these guys down. How to do this began to consume her thoughts. What was the chance she knew any of the top guys in this mess? She hoped not, but their community was small.
She knew her father would know many of them. He'd had a long and illustrious life. The bad guys had to be actively recruited to keep the young blood coming in.
Like the one vamp had said, most of them had no choice. It was stark: death or experimentation. Why did the strongest always exploit the weakest? She hated that. Having been one of the weakest, she had always sided with the underdog.
He'd also said there was a partner and the rookie, as in someone quickly moving up the ranks. Speaking of young men, she hoped Jared was doing okay. He'd lost his phone in the blood farm too; otherwise she'd try calling him. She really wished she could speak with Cody.
She focused hard and mentally whispered, Cody.
There was still no answer. It must have something to do with the density of the mountain.
The tunnel widened the farther she went, and became high enough for her to gain some loft. She leapt into the air, skimming below the top of the tunnel, and landed a good twenty feet ahead. Perfect. She continued to leap through the tunnel, making the miles melt away. She jumped past a side tunnel before she spotted it. She stopped and backtracked, studying the energy as it traveled in both directions.
The flow of energy went down the new tunnel. She followed. This place felt like a back entrance to the rest of the farm. Talk about a maze.
She sent out another questioning call for Cody.
Still no answer.
Then the air became moist, as if close to water.
Around another corner, she came to a large series of vats and a set of rails with some kind of loading ramp. That figured. She slipped around the cylinder, trying to count voices. Where there was machinery, there was likely to be workers. Voices drifted to her from somewhere close by.
Two men at least were talking. And there were trucks up ahead too – weird looking tanker things. They had to be transporting the blood. Excitement built up inside her. Maybe she should try to catch a ride. Figure out the logistics of where the harvest of this blood farm went to next.
Her father would kill her if she did that. But she was here. He wasn't.
Damn it. Why did she have to make these choices? Better if Bart was here; she could send him out on the truck to track down the supply chain.
She slithered around a little more. There. She could see two men checking dials on one vat. She slipped behind the next vat and around the far side. There appeared to be just the two of them. Could that be it? Just one to drive and one here to help load and keep track of the goods?
Something sounded behind her. She froze. Then she pivoted. And wasn't there another big-ass vampire staring at her, a leer on his lips.
She snorted. She knew how to handle him. She raised an eyebrow and sauntered closer. "What's the matter, big boy? Too long in the dark mountain without a good woman in your bed?"
His gaze widened. His leer fell off and he licked his lips. "You don't look old enough to know what you're talking about."
She gave a low, throaty laugh as she came almost within grabbing distance. "You know vamp females start early."
"I'd heard that." He grinned. "Fine by me."
He unbuttoned his shirt, making her skin grow cold. She had to put this guy out and fast. He had plans she wanted no part of. The faster she went through him, the better.
"Hey, Doran, get the hell over here," a voice called from the side. "We need you."
The man in front of her answered, his hands working his belt free. "I'm busy. Be there in a bit."
Tessa froze. This guy was seriously sick. And that meant only one choice.
She gave him what she hoped was a warm smile and, leading with her left foot, took one step forward…and kicked out with her right leg. Her boot tip connected hard with his nose. She drove her leg forward with as much force as she could and sent his nose backwards through his skull and into his brain. He crumpled to the floor and lay still.
He was most likely dead but she didn't want to check.
Shuddering, she slowly lowered her leg. She gulped for air, knowing that her choices had been limited and this was just another in a long line of deaths to be laid at her feet.
And they were getting more personal, the stakes a little higher. What scared her the most – the kills were now getting easier.
And that should never happen.
"Doran. What the hell, man? We need you."
She darted backward. When they found his body, all hell was going to break lose.
"Forget it. That guy is as lazy as hell." Sounds of heavy machinery started, drowning out all other conversation.
She peered around the side and watched as a loader shifted smaller drums. Should she just walk away and try to find her friends? Or take these guys out if she could get to them one at a time? If she took them on two at a time, she'd be in big trouble.
With a last glance at the man on the ground, she realized that once they found him, they'd be searching for her. And she couldn't have that. Nor could she have them telling anyone else.
The one directing the loader was to be the first then.
Crouching down, she crept around the corner of the vat to find the one guy walking toward her but half-turned watching how the loader was doing. Perfect. She jumped off the ground, rose almost over his head, and came down on top of him. She grabbed his neck and twisted it hard. The crack sounded loud to her ears. Yet it barely registered over the sound of the loader.
Her chest heaving, she clambered back to her feet and studied the guy in front of her. In the fight in the warehouse, so many of the vamps had died, even though they weren't supposed to. These guys looked like real vamps. Normal vamps.
A broken neck wouldn't normally kill him then. And she couldn't afford to have him come after her. She searched his pockets, just in case he had another cell phone. She'd become almost paranoid about those. His pockets were empty except for…
She brought out a metal spike.
She tossed it from hand to hand and wondered. Was it a tool or a weapon? The men were working around machinery; could they need such a thing here? Or could it be real silver? Was it an old weapon repurposed for today's war. But shouldn't it be wooden stakes and silver bullets? Not a silver spike?
Then again, times had changed. She shuddered to think of someone like her father being stabbed with something like this. But it might do the job here. He was already dead – at least, she thought he was. She placed it, pointed end down, between the vamp's ribs and, with her boot, stomped the spike into his chest.
Instantly the vamp incinerated in front of her. She jumped back in horror. Heart pounding and her skin clammy, she realized what she'd done. What she'd had to do of course
She had to keep reminding herself of that. But, holy… That spike was as effective as sunlight. And how wrong was that? Did all these vamps have these? There'd be no way to win against them if that were the case. It made her fear for her unsuspecting family even more.
To think of vamps using hated weapons like these on their own people…
She didn't dare leave any behind. Pocketing the spike, she ran around the vat to the far side where she'd left the first vamp. Searching his pockets, she found another spike. She repeated the actions and watched as he flared to ash in front of her.
Hating to, she bent and lifted the spi
ke from the pile of ashes and stuck it into her pocket to join the other one. Her pocket pulled down with the weight of the metals.
And yet, she felt more empowered than ever. She wasn't without weapons of her own, but now she had more. Hopefully, she wouldn't need them, but she suspected they'd see hard use before this day was done.
How sad was that?
Then there was the sound of the machinery being shut off. Shit. She froze.
Footsteps came up behind her. A harsh, gravelly voice spoke, startling her. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
She slowly turned to find the third vamp facing her, a nasty smirk on his face, and a nasty silver spike in his hand.
Crap.
*.*.*
Cody entered yet another long corridor with high vaulted ceilings. Three weird beds with straps and lots of equipment stood ready. But, from the crumpled towels on the floor and discarded equipment, Cody didn't think they'd been empty for long. In fact, he was damn sure of it. So either someone had escaped or these people had been released and were waiting for them.
Either way, there was once again no way to know friend from foe.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he could barely breathe. This place was making his nerves edgy.
David stepped beside him. Giving Cody a nudge, he pointed out the wall of doors. "I think we should check it out."
Motre nodded. But Cody wasn't so sure. Doing the expected was likely to get them all killed. And now that he knew what they had for weapons, he was a little more leery about attacks. He'd rather go on the offensive than be caught in defensive mode again. He glanced up, the reminder of the upper room suspended over the blood farm never far from his mind. Sure enough, the room had a high ceiling and just enough confused piping going on up there to hide any number of enemies. He nudged David back.
"I'm going to do a quick check."
"No, wait," said David, but his comment came too late. Cody, in a graceful leap, took to the air. With one strong pull of his wings, he soared up high.
The room was more of a cavern. He could see the dirt ceiling above his head. He could also see two vamps running along a catwalk on one side.
Like hell they were going to warn anyone…or attack his friends.
He swooped down, grabbed the closest man, lifted him, and dropped him down in front of Motre and David. Both looked up in amazement as the vamp crumpled to the floor. Motre regained his senses first and plunged his spike into the vamp's chest. Cody could barely see what his friends were doing, as he'd locked on the first vamp. The vamp appeared to be talking to someone.
Shit.
A communicator. Why hadn't they thought of that? This asshole was probably bringing reinforcements on to them right now. Cody slammed into him from behind.
"Oomph!"
Both of them tumbled into a heap. Cody struggled to find the device the guy had been using, but the asshole wouldn't just lie there quietly. He rolled and kicked, heaving the much smaller Cody up and off. Cody, his wings pinned safely back in place, slammed to the ground hard. Black spots filled his vision and he could barely take a breath after the last kick. And then the guy jumped him.
"Thought I'd be easy for a flier like you, huh?" The vamp laughed, his fingers squeezing Cody's neck as a coarse, harsh sound echoed through the cavern. "Well, you thought wro—"
Cody's fist connected with the protruding bones of the vamp's throat, sending him backwards. Quickly, Cody rolled over the vamp, pinning him beneath his body. He grabbed for the vulnerable spot on the guy's neck and knocked him out. Yet he didn't release the vamp, holding on to the spot for twice as long as normal. This guy had a neck like a damn hippo.
Groaning, Cody heaved himself up and off the fallen vamp – only to tumble down as the vamp pulled his feet out from under him. What the hell? Cody rolled, just catching a glimpse of something silver. He grabbed for the hand stabbing the spike toward him. Shit.
Gritting his teeth, Cody wrapped his legs around the other man's and rolled again. The vamp fell sideways, his elbow hitting the ground. It was enough. Cody slammed his wrist to the ground, knocking the spike free. He once again grabbed the guy's neck and held on. The vamp sagged. Cody snatched the spike and shoved it into his chest.
The vamp damn near blew up under him.
"Holy crap!" Cody rolled as far away as he could from the disaster happening beside him. The heat of the combustion still fanned his face and scared him shitless. This time was so much worse than the others they'd spiked. Why?
That was so not the end he was looking for.
He scrambled up. Hanging on to the catwalk, he bolted to the far end, then bent over to catch his breath. When there was only cooling ash remaining, he slowly walked back. "What's the chance the communicator survived that?"
The spike was there, but it even appeared to have been affected, as it was twisted and bent slightly. He didn't get it. This guy had been bigger, yes, but surely not big enough to account for the higher, hotter conflagration?
What the hell were they doing to the vamps here? Giving them something that powered them up? Or injecting them with combustible chemicals? How wrong was that? Carefully, he kicked through the last of the ash, his boot clinking on something. Excitement rippled through him as he bent and searched. A moment later he pulled out a blackened belt buckle. Hoping the communicator would be metal as well, he went back through the still warm ash with his gloved hand. A lump of something which had melted together from the heat caught on his glove. He studied it. But it was beyond recognition.
He pocketed it, grabbed the railing with his right hand and, with a last glance around him, jumped over the side.
*.*.*
Jared wished he could have stayed at Tessa's house. He had no other place to go to. He could go back to the home, but he'd always had this gut feeling that it was one step away from a prison. And if they wanted to, the authorities could keep him imprisoned here. He'd never seen any locked doors or signs of anyone else being locked up, but it wasn't a sensation he liked or could shake off easily.
And, of course, after his lovely blood farm experience, the paranoia was even worse.
Yet, he'd asked to be taken back up to that damn place. Still, it wouldn't the same. The place was safe now. There were guards, council members, doctors – all there to help those poor people.
And he couldn't stand it that his father might be up there. He wouldn't let him stay there. Death had more dignity than being a stuck pig for the rest of your life.
Anger burned bright. It helped keep the fear stomped down. Of course he was afraid. Terrified, actually. But he refused to let that stop him. He had to go. And if there were other missing kids, maybe he could help them, too.
Nervous energy ate at him, making him doubt his ability to carry out his plan. If he could have stayed at Tessa's house it wouldn't have been too bad. But going back to her house gave him time to think…and back out. But that would be cowardly, and Tessa would hear about it through her brother.
Out here in the broad daylight it was easy to forget what that horrible blood farm had been like. But the minute that memory snapped back to his mind, all the same revulsion and despair rolled right back in with it and made it easy to come up with excuses to not go back.
His stomach churned. He'd thought about getting something to eat, but was afraid he'd toss the contents back up as the trip approached.
And that just pissed him off. In fact, he was a bundle of nerves looking for something to hit. How had his world spun so much out of control? He'd lost track of time. How long had it been? A week of his life? Not even that. And yet, look at how much had changed and, strangely, how much had remained the same.
His people still weren't there for him, yet he was going back to the blood farm with a vampire. Talk about things staying the same and yet changing at the same time.
Four weeks ago, he'd never have thought of being around vampires.
Then he hadn't kno
wn about Tessa. And he'd do a lot to be around her some more right now. And just to be contrary, Sarah, the girl who'd sat on his lap in the car when he'd gone back to help Tessa…well, she was never far from his mind either.
He wandered into a corner grocery store and stopped in front of the granola bars. Tessa always had her pockets stuffed with them. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. He couldn't eat right now, but in a couple of hours he was liable to be starving. Decision made, he picked up a selection and added a couple of chocolate bars.
Back outside, he ripped open one chocolate bar, tossed the wrapper, and downed the treat in a couple of bites. He still had several hours to waste. He could go to the mall and hang out. But he didn't want to face more questions and explanations. There was a certain comfort in being with people who'd known what he'd gone through, who didn't look at him oddly and who had seen and experienced much of what he had.
In short, people who understood.
Decision made, he started back to Tessa's house.
He'd wait there.
*.*.*
"Rhia, have you got any idea where Serus may have stashed the computer that he recovered from the blood farm?"
Rhia opened her eyes, hating the weakness still paralyzing her limbs and the fog still invading her mind. She hated knowing that her own people had done this to her. And that she was essentially a prisoner while everyone else tracked down her family.
She shifted in her bed and studied her sister. It had to be the tenth time she'd asked a variation of that same question.
"Gittora, I told you no. I wasn't awake when I arrived here and I don't know what he might have done with it. I only have your word that he even had it."
And computers were so not his thing. But if they had taken it from the blood farm, Serus might have stashed it away somewhere to keep it safe. And possibly it was here. But she couldn't look for it with her guard in place.