The Haunted High Series Boxed Set

by Cheree Alsop

  I stared at him. “Are you crazy? Maybe that bite affected your brain before anything else. You can’t seriously expect me to let you not fight.”

  Vicken’s voice was level when he replied, “Who said anything about not fighting? Finn, fighting’s all I have left. I may be a vampire, my place in whatever comes after this isn’t assured and I sure know not to expect any revivals beyond this life, but I get to choose the way I go out, and this is my choice.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I had never heard anyone my age talk about dying. It was unnerving, especially coming from someone who should have outlived me by centuries. Perhaps that was why he was so pragmatic about it. Maybe the thought of living so long was exhausting, but I couldn’t accept it.

  “You’re going to live.”

  “It’s not up to you,” Vicken replied with infuriating calmness.

  I fought back the urge to glare at him. “I will force you to get help if I have to carry you there.”

  An emotion flickered in the vampire’s gaze. It was gone too quickly before I could identify it.

  Vicken put a hand on my shoulder. “Finn, would you rather go out tied to a hospital bed as the blood in your body drives you insane before it heats to a boiling point and cooks you from the inside out, or would you rather give your last day freeing those who are being tortured just for being who they are and hope that perhaps, in the midst of it all, you can die the warrior’s death you always dreamed of?”

  My throat was tight when I said, “Who dreams of death?”

  “A vampire,” Vicken replied. “There’s no way I can make you understand. But you do have to understand that this is no one else’s decision but my own. Respect that because you respect me.” There was pleading in his eyes along with fear. As much as he was putting on a strong front, he was afraid of what the bite would do to him.

  I stared at him for several long seconds before I nodded. I didn’t have a choice, I didn’t know what to say, all I knew was that the vampire who had once been my enemy and was now my closest friend needed me in a way I had never been needed before.

  “I-I’ll respect that,” I forced out.

  He rose with a grace that belied his wounded leg and held out a hand. “Let’s go save some mythics.”

  He pulled me to my feet and we went out of the door together.

  Chapter Eleven

  Vicken didn’t limp on the way back to the Labs. I watched him, sure he would start showing signs of the wound, but he walked as though nothing had happened. Our friends had joined us when we reached the main floor of the building where the demons had been captured. Their faces were jubilant at what we had been able to accomplish. A glance at the door to the newly-filled demon lair showed that it was holding despite the howls and wails of the demons inside. I wanted to feel relieved, but all I felt was numb.

  Dara’s arm brushed Vicken’s just before we reached the park. I watched her out of corner of my eye with the hope that she would say something and relieve me of the heavy secret that was weighing me down with its ultimate finale, but the empath met Vicken’s gaze. It took only a slight shake of the vampire’s head for Dara to turn away. When her eyes locked on mine, they were filled with questions I had no answer to. I gritted my teeth and let her see my frustration for the briefest moment before turning back to the task at hand. If Vicken was determined to get the mythics out before seeking help, I would make sure we did it with as much speed as possible. I would get him help if it was the last thing I did.

  “I still think using blood as a key is disgusting,” Lyris said when Alden let a drop from his finger fall onto the stone beneath the footbridge.

  Dara stood next to me on the sidewalk as we watched. Sparrow stirred when I drew closer. Dara lifted up her hand so the dragon could see me. I held out my hand and smiled when Sparrow wrapped around my wrist. It felt right to have the dragon back. She settled in with a contented sigh and closed her eyes as I ran a finger down her back.

  “Blood is just another liquid,” Lark replied. “So why not?”

  “The liquid of life,” Vicken said. “I agree with Dara. It’s a bit morbid.”

  Lark shot him a scornful look. “This coming from a vampire? Your existence is morbid.”

  I stepped between them before Vicken could retaliate. His hand twitched where it rested over the gun he had tucked in his belt and covered with his shirt like the rest of us. I knew we all felt strange carrying the weapons. I just hoped Vicken didn’t think the gun he carried would be put to good use getting Lark out of our way.

  I forced my voice to remain low and calm when I told Lark, “Vicken is risking his life to save mythics from the Labs. He deserves a little respect.”

  To my relief, Lark watched me for a moment and then lowered her gaze. “It’s a brave thing he’s doing,” she admitted. “I’m glad this place will get shut down.”

  I shot Vicken a glance. The surprise on the vampire’s face made me smile, almost.

  Lyris pushed the door open. “We better hurry,” she said. “With the demons gone, they may already be on high alert.”

  I nodded. “Everyone knows what to do. Lark, wait by this door and keep the mythics we get out calm and in one place. We don’t need them wandering the city at night in whatever shape we find them.” I looked at Vicken. “Ready?”

  “Ready,” he replied, his face paler than usual.

  Lark grabbed my arm before I could follow the others inside.

  “What is it?” I asked, my tone short. My heart pounded at the anticipation of finally tracking down Professor Briggs, and with Vicken racing against time, I didn’t have the patience for delays.

  “One bite is all it takes, one bite and the dead it makes, one bite and the dead it wakes, stake him now for all our sakes.”

  I clamped a hand over her mouth and pushed her back against the brick wall. I wasn’t exactly gentle, but my fear for Vicken made my voice come out in a growl. “Vicken is my friend. He was bitten because he helped me get out of that demon hole. I will do whatever it takes to save him.”

  “Whatever it takes?” Her blue-rimmed hazel eyes were steady despite my jostling.

  “Whatever it takes,” I replied, glaring at her.

  She watched me and for a moment I felt like she was the one holding me hostage instead of the other way around. She nodded. “Whatever it takes.”

  I let her go and turned to the door in the bricks. I gave Lark one last glance before heading inside where my team waited, oblivious of our tense conversation. Pushing her suggestion to the back of my mind, I lead the way down the tiled hallway, alert for any sign of attack.

  Fortunately for us, the Mythic Labs appeared to have become comfortable with their security. From what I could guess, years of fear of the Labs had kept any mythic from attempting what we were about to. I could understand given that the hundreds of demons who prevented any from escaping would make rescuers reluctant to tempt such a fate. Being taken to the Labs was a death sentence. It was better to avoid them and mourn the lost than to risk becoming another victim at the hands of Maes scientists.

  As sad as that fact was, I was grateful because it meant that we didn’t come against opposition until we were nearly to the core. A surprise attack in the middle of the night after getting rid of the demons had caught the Labs off-guard. Each hallway we passed and doorway we breached without being stopped meant we were that much closer to surviving our foolhardy mission. With my team close behind, I made sure I was the first through each door. Shots weren’t fired until the scent of fear and pain became so strong I knew we were nearly to the center.

  “I hear them,” I warned the others. I checked my gun to ensure that the safety was off. The gun was the first one I had held since going shooting once with my dad when I was twelve. The weight of the weapon felt heavier than I had expected, and even though I knew the bullets wouldn’t kill someone, it put me on edge to carry it.

  Mercer had explained to Vicken that the bullets were non-impact, designed to use a bul
let-borne camera that activated the bullet just before striking a person. The resulting flashbang would then stun the assailant long enough that we could tie them up. Alden had stuffed his pockets with zip ties so the scientists wouldn’t be able to get each other loose when they awoke.

  The theory was great, but the thought of pointing my gun at someone and actually shooting was harder. I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to do it, then the first bullet whizzed past me and I heard Alden’s yell of pain.

  I fired so quickly the pair of scientists at the end of the hall were stunned before they could pull their triggers again. I ran to the fallen men and stood over them with my chest heaving and my gun pointing directly at the closest unconscious face.

  “Finn, wait!” Vicken shouted. When I didn’t look up, he said, “If you shoot them at short range, the camera won’t have time to deploy. You’ll kill them.”

  That made me lower my hand. I glanced over my shoulder. “How’s Alden?”

  “I’m not sure,” Lyris replied.

  I hurried back to where Alden lay slumped on the floor with his head pillowed in the witch’s lap. She pulled something from his shoulder and held it up.

  I took the little red barb. “What is this?” I asked Vicken.

  The vampire made a face of revulsion. “A tranquilizer dart. According to what Mercer told us, they knock you out for hours.”

  Brack spoke up, his deep voice rumbling. “They want to capture us, not kill us.”

  Fear showed on Lyris’ face when she said, “Then we’ll be experiments like Lark.”

  My chest tightened at the thought. “We need to shoot first. Brack, Dara, take the right side of the hall. Vicken, follow me on the left. Lyris, hang back. If anyone gets through, you have to have our backs.”

  She nodded. “What about Alden?”

  I hated to leave my friend, but we had no choice. “He’ll be safer back here. Lark isn’t going to let anyone through the door and we can’t take him with us. We’ll be able to check on him when we bring mythics out.”

  Inside, I wondered if Alden was the lucky one. I had no idea what we would find when we reached the Labs, but given what Lark had gone through, it wasn’t going to be pretty. I checked the Grim to make sure he was breathing alright and slid him carefully to the side of the hall so that no one would step on him. I moved his arms so that he would be comfortable and was about to straighten when something caught my eye.

  I slid the sleeve of his jacket up his right arm. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of the name glowing in blue on his forearm.

  Vicken Ruvine III

  My throat tightened and my mouth went suddenly dry. I stared at the name, willing it to disappear, to rearrange, to say anything but what it did.

  “Are you coming?” Vicken called.

  I looked up to see my team waiting for me from the next doorway. Someone had taken Alden’s zip ties and secured the wrists and ankles of the scientists in case they woke up. Vicken held one of the tranquilizer guns as if the feeling of the weapon didn’t bother him. He waved the other one.

  “This has your name on it,” he said. “I say we let them have a taste of their own medicine.”

  I swallowed and pulled Alden’s sleeve back down to cover the name. My fingers felt numb. I barely remembered that I carried a gun in my hand as I made my way back to my friends.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled when Vicken handed me the other weapon. I made sure the safety was on for Mercer’s gun and shoved it behind the waist of my shorts, then checked the tranquilizer gun.

  Vicken’s name in cursive writing teased my mind. If it wasn’t for the Labs and the demons, we wouldn’t be in this position. As it was, Alden was down and Vicken was soon to follow in a way that couldn’t be fixed. Anger filled me. Rage so strong I could barely breathe tinged my vision with red. I sucked in a breath, turned, and fired the gun at the two scientists who lay unconscious on the ground. They didn’t flinch at the impact of the tranquilizer darts.

  A hand touched my arm.

  “Finn?”

  I looked over to find Dara and the others watching me with concerned expressions. I felt the slight pull of Dara’s power and knew she could feel the turmoil that threatened to overwhelm me. I shrugged her hand away before she could guess what was wrong.

  “I don’t want Alden to be in danger if they wake up,” I said levelly. I pushed past my friends and kicked open the door the scientists had come through. The room beyond was filled with tables, filing cabinets, and computers. “Put everyone we shoot in here. Dara, guard the door to make sure they don’t escape.”

  “Will do,” the empath replied. If she guessed my motive to keep her out of harm’s way, she didn’t show it.

  A wall of calm settled over my shoulders. I knew I was in some sort of shock, but I didn’t care. The moment I turned the corner and met the attack of four more scientists, everything vanished but the need to protect my team.

  The werewolf speed and power that had surfaced sporadically over the past few weeks answered my call. I shot the first two scientists and then was past them in time to bring down the third with a pistol to the back of the head and the forth with a sweep of a leg followed by a tranquilizer dart to his chest. I watched without emotion as Lyris and Dara zip tied them.

  Vicken set a hand on my shoulder. “Hey.”

  I didn’t hear him until he repeated it a second time. I made myself look at him no matter how badly it hurt.

  “You going to leave some for the rest of us?” the vampire asked.

  I looked at my friend, really looked at him. Shadows circled his yellow eyes which were duller than I was used to. His skin looked taut and when he smiled, the humor didn’t show on his face. He appeared exhausted and though he kept up a strong front, I could tell that he was favoring his leg now.

  “They won’t hurt any more of my team if I have anything to do with it,” I replied.

  “Finn,” Vicken began with worry in his voice.

  I shook my head, angry at the vampire for getting bitten, angry at myself for not preventing it, and angry at the world for being a place where things like this happened to teenagers who should have been going on dates and driving beater cars instead of fighting for their lives to rescue those they cared about. With my jaw clenched, I cut him off. “I’m fine. Don’t push yourself.” I moved on without waiting to see if my team followed behind.

  Vicken caught up to me and limped at my side. We reached the next corner, took down three scientists, then surprised two more who walked through a door. Four more waited in front of a set of double doors through which wafted the scents that made my stomach turn.

  Vicken’s accuracy with the tranquilizer gun was even better than mine. He gave a grunt of approval when the two scientists on the right side slid to the floor. The two on the left quickly followed. Everyone in the team had replaced their guns from Mercer with the tranquilizer guns from the Labs because they were far quieter. Vicken and I took a second pair from the men and women we downed, and left the last ones for our team.

  The vampire and I had acted in silence since the first scientists fell. Even when tranquilizer darts had missed us by mere inches, we had taken down the scientists and advanced without a word. It was a silent comradery, lethal, stalking, two predators protecting those they cared about. We left our team behind to take care of the scientists we dropped. It was an unspoken agreement to keep them out of danger as long as we could.

  I put my hand to the door and broken the silence. “This is it. You ready?”

  Vicken nodded. His face was drawn and when he put his hand to the other door, I saw his fingers tremble. In spite of that, he lifted his gun. “Let’s free some mythics.”

  I shoved open the door and we both ran inside. The doors led to the second story of a laboratory far bigger than anything I had expected. A walkway went around the entire second level, overlooking the cages, tables, and operating equipment below. Curtained dividers separated the spaces into individual rooms, blocks, and equipment
storage, but it was all visible from above.

  Vicken used our advantage to take down the scientists guarding the perimeter. Some below continued to work as though they thought that their comrades could handle the situation or had decided that the work they did was greater than the threat we posed. Either way, as soon as our tranquilizer guns ran out and we switched to Mercer’s weapons, Vicken and I found out how accurate the mage’s new bullet system truly was. It took thirteen shots to take down twelve scientists, and that was because I accidentally clipped a light with one and sent sparks showering down. Vicken had quickly made up for my miss.

  “I think I’m starting to enjoy this,” the vampire said.

  I nodded in agreement and turned to say something when he stumbled back against the wall. I ducked under Vicken’s arm and lowered him to a sitting position.

  “Stay here,” I told the vampire.

  “I won’t let you go down there alone,” he protested weakly.

  I motioned toward the hallway where I could hear our friends carrying scientists to the holding room. “Our team is on their way. Rest for a minute. You deserve it.”

  I could tell by his expression that he didn’t like the thought of me continuing down by myself, but he knew he would lose if he struggled. I slipped a gun from the hand of a scientist I had downed and handed it to him.

  “Think you can cover me from here?”

  He nodded. “Without a doubt.”

  “Good,” I replied. “Tell the team to come down as soon as the scientists are under control. By the looks of things, we have our work cut out for us.”

  That was an understatement. As I made my way down the stairs, I couldn’t help cringing at the sight of mythics strapped to tables and in various stages of surgery. Along the far wall, more than a hundred cages held mythics of every variety. As soon as the shooting had started, cries for help and rescue rebounded around the huge room. I also couldn’t help noticing the pile of body bags along another wall. It was obvious by the shape of them that they were full. My stomach twisted at the thought.