Vance appeared skeptical but obediently left with Logan. The others looked at Rafe with surprise. Rafe ignored them and continued along the corridor heading straight. Hailey and Skyler exchanged concerned looks then reluctantly followed. They walked for several minutes before reaching a large section of stone wall broken away. Beyond the broken wall was the familiar mineshaft tunnel. They only walked ten yards before reaching an old, medieval looking door with extinguished torches on either side. Rafe attempted to open the heavy wood door by its wrought iron ring, but it wouldn’t budge. He looked back at Marcus.
“Where does this door go?” Rafe asked.
Marcus stared at the door with disbelief and shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen that door before. I’ve only been out this far once a few years ago. That stone wall back there had been intact. This tunnel must have been hidden.”
Rafe frowned his disapproval to Marcus’ answer then swiftly kicked the door inward. Despite the thickness of the door, it splintered and nearly broke off its old hinges from the hard hit. Everyone jumped with surprise. No average man would have been able to break down the door as Rafe had. Marcus stared at Rafe, almost certainly amazed by his superhuman strength. Rafe lit one of the torches on the wall, removed it from its base, and entered the dark room. The other three followed him with some apprehension. There were shadows in the short tunnel behind them, following them, but none seemed to notice. Rafe’s torch barely lit the large room, giving little indication to what it contained. They only thing they knew for certain was that the room was very large.
“There must be other torches--” Hailey began but was interrupted by a chilling, familiar sound.
They heard a low snarl from nearby. All four stopped and looked around. They saw several sets of glowing red eyes within the room.
“We are so fucked,” Skyler muttered.
Marcus turned back for the broken door and felt along the doorframe. A sword suddenly appeared before Marcus’ face, immediately stopping him. Logan held the sword only inches from the hardened man’s face. Vance maintained a frozen look of annoyance as he snatched the gun from Marcus’ hand.
“What’s wrong with you?” Marcus demanded with forced panic in his voice. “We need to get out of here! Those things are in here!”
The beasts continued to growl and the glowing eyes circled the room getting closer to them. Hailey watched the glowing eyes then gasped with alarm. Several torches erupted into flames and brightened the large, oval room. Mel could now be seen shackled to an ancient altar with duct tape over her mouth. She stared at them, attempted to scream, and fought the old, metal shackles. There were eight beasts within the room, watching and waiting to strike. Vance eyed the iron gate just inside the doorway, ready to fall at a moment’s notice, and the crude button close to Marcus, which would release the gate, trapping them inside.
“You were right, Rafe,” Vance announced. “The bastard set us up.”
Skyler and Hailey stared at Marcus with surprise to the double-cross. Marcus suddenly sneered at them and didn’t bother denying his role.
“You won’t make it out,” Marcus boldly announced. “The Emperor can’t expect to stop us with a pathetic council put together by a little girl.”
“Will someone shut him up?” Rafe groaned.
“You’ve got it,” Vance announced while smirking.
Vance swung the large golf club for Marcus’ head. Marcus ducked the flying club and rolled out the doorway. The club struck the nearby wall, hitting the button. The heavy gate fell from the ceiling with a loud clang, trapping them inside the chamber. Vance and Logan attempted to lift it, but it wasn’t moving. The ancient pulley system had to be within the stone itself.
Marcus stood just outside the gate and mocked them with his grin. “That worked nicely,” he announced cheerfully.
Logan rammed his sword through the opening in the iron bars, nearly stabbing him. Marcus jumped back with surprise then wagged his finger while chuckling.
“You’re no match for me,” he announced.
Vance removed the gun he’d taken from Marcus and fired several shots at him. Marcus gasped and bolted down the corridor, away from the gunshots. Vance turned with the gun still in his hand, appeared annoyed, and shot one of the beasts. The beast yelped from the gunshot wound then looked at Vance, snarled, and charged for him. Vance squeezed the trigger, but the gun clicked empty. The little black cat appeared through the bars, leaped into the air, and transformed into the white tiger, tackling the beast to the stone floor. The other beasts snarled and attacked simultaneously. Rafe swung his sword and decapitated the first beast, but a second beast tackled him to the floor, knocking the sword from his hand. He wrestled with the massive beast on top of him. Hailey leaped out of the path of the creature before her. It struck the altar, appearing momentarily dazed, then turned around and lunged for her. She cried out and swung the ax, striking it in the shoulder, but the blow didn’t even slow it down. The creature easily took her to the floor. Skyler struck the creature on top of Hailey repeatedly with his baseball bat. Another creature tackled him against the altar. Mel muffled a scream. Stones from the ceiling suddenly crumbled above them. Skyler looked up with alarm, saw a large stone about to fall, and shielded Mel with his body. The large chunk of stone fell and crushed the creature as smaller stones pelted Skyler’s back.
A creature lunged for Logan near the iron gate. Logan scaled the gate and held himself in midair with only a few finger clutching the bars, defying gravity. The beast ran headfirst into the bars. Logan thrust his sword downward with his free hand and impaled the creature in the head. Logan jumped off the gate and reclaimed his sword. Vance backed away from an approaching beast and swung the golf club for the creature’s head. The creature was suddenly thrown upward and across the floor. The creature attempted to return to its feet. Vance leaped for the creature and repeatedly struck it with the golf club. Skyler straightened from his position over Mel and looked across the room to Hailey, who was still pinned beneath her beast and struggled to keep its teeth from tearing into her face. Skyler bolted across the chamber, jumped over the back of the beast that had Rafe on the floor, and reached Hailey. He pulled the ax from the creature’s shoulder. The creature wailed, forgot about Hailey, and swiped its claws at Skyler.
Hailey rolled out from under the creature. Skyler leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the sharp claws, and swung the ax into the creature’s head. The creature barely had time to wail from the ax penetrating its skull before collapsing to the floor. Rafe held back the beast on top of him by the throat and fumbled for his discarded sword not far from his head. He grabbed the baseball bat instead and thrust it in front of his face. The creature bit the baseball bat and attempted to pull it from Rafe’s hands. Rafe placed his foot between him and the creature and catapulted it over him. The creature was thrown through the air with amazing force and harshly struck the iron gate just inches from where Logan stood. Logan appeared stunned as Rafe sprang to his feet.
“You nearly crushed me, Rafe!” Logan cried out.
“I’m working here,” Rafe growled back.
Another creature leaped for Rafe. Rafe threw himself to the floor, grabbed his sword as he rolled into a sitting position, and swung at the lunging beast. His slit the creature’s throat, spattering blood across him and the room. The beast wailed and struck the floor. Another creature charged for Rafe’s back as he straightened. Without turning or even looking, he flipped the sword in his hand and impaled the creature behind him. He casually pulled the sword free, flipped it again, and then looked around the room as the creature behind him fell to the floor with a soft groan. All eight beasts lie dead. The little black cat sat on top of a dead creature and casually cleaned its bloody paws while purring.
As Rafe assessed the number of dead creatures, he snorted a laugh and appeared humored by the sight. “Not bad for a company of misfits.”
Hailey hurried for Mel, removed the tape from her mouth, and stared down at her mod
erately battered friend. It pained her to see Mel scratched and bruised from having been dragged by the creature, although it obviously could have been a lot worse.
“Are you okay?”
“Never better,” Mel gasped and violently pulled against the shackles. “Can we go home now?”
Rafe pulled the ax from the dead beast, approached Mel on the altar, and chopped through the chains binding her wrists and ankles. Mel sat up and hugged Hailey while the others reclaimed their weapons. Vance placed his severely bent golf club over his shoulder and looked around the chamber littered with dead beasts and strewn with blood. Logan marveled at the painstaking construction of the chamber.
“I never would have guessed the hotel came with its own sacrificial chamber,” Logan remarked while shaking his head.
“We should get the hell out of here before Marcus returns with more friends,” Skyler announced, seeming more anxious than usual. He could barely stand still.
“Where do we go?” Hailey asked.
“Marcus isn’t stupid,” Rafe casually informed them. “He won’t risk anything in front of the guests. If we stick together, we’ll be safe in Hailey’s suite for tonight.”
Vance casually indicated the iron gate across the doorway. “There’s just one minor setback,” he announced. “How do we get out of here?”
Rafe casually approached the iron gate and pulled it up with one thrust. The gate grinded as it ascended roughly back into the ceiling. He walked out of the chamber without a care. The others exchanged looks.
“You know,” Logan announced while shaking his head, “I always found that man to be a little intimidating. I was wrong. He’s beyond intimidating.”
Skyler and Vance helped Mel from the altar and to her feet. She was still unsteady from an evening of excessive drinking and sore from being dragged away by a snarling beast. Hailey again had more questions than answers as she looked at her battered friend.
“After the creatures brought you here, who shackled you to the altar?” Hailey asked Mel, since she knew it wasn’t the creatures who cuffed her.
“I don’t know,” Mel replied while shaking her head, appearing almost dizzy. “I passed out when that monster dragged me into the woods.”
Hailey glanced over the scrapes and bruises along Mel’s entire backside as they headed for the chamber doorway. She felt bad for her friend, but at least they saved her from whatever fate that awaited her on the altar. Hailey took one last look around as they left the blood-strewn chamber. She was sure it was the same room where Penny had been killed. If the creatures were killing guests for food, it would make sense, but that wasn’t the case. What happened to those who died? How did they become fossilized into the mineshaft walls? It was almost too much to think about with Mel having come so close to learning the answer.
Chapter Twenty-six
Mel sat on the sofa within Hailey’s suite wearing one of the plush, signature hotel bathrobes. She had a drink in her hand and appeared moderately sedate, although being drunk was a possibility. Vance, Rafe, and Logan stood at the breakfast bar while studying a map of the hotel and attempted to pinpoint the location of the sacrificial chamber in relationship to the tunnels. Skyler was standing alone on the balcony and stared out to the ocean. He hadn’t said a word since they’d returned to Hailey’s suite from the sub-basement. Hailey sat in the overstuffed chair with the black cat nestled on her lap. The cat purred as if it didn’t have a care in the world. Hailey stared intently at a lit candle on the coffee table and flicked her finger at it. Nothing happened. She was quickly becoming frustrated and glanced at the guys by the breakfast counter.
“What’s the point of having powers if you can’t control them?” she demanded.
“Join the club, Hailey,” Logan replied while leaning on the counter near Rafe.
“The only one who seems to have control of his powers is your little protector there,” Vance remarked and indicated the little cat on her lap.
Hailey lifted the black cat and looked into its eyes. “What’s the secret?”
The cat appeared completely relaxed while dangling in her hands and purred. She returned the cat to her lap.
“Forget it, he’s not talking,” she remarked.
Too many unexplained things had happened that night, and she was growing tired of more questions than answers. The last few days had thrust upon them some bizarre notion that they were brought together for an unknown assignment against never before seen creatures. Now Marcus was thrown into the mix. Again, there were more questions than answers. She casually turned in her chair to watch the guys at the counter.
“What does Marcus know that we don’t, Logan?” Hailey asked with a defeated sigh.
“He said you were sent by some emperor to stop him,” Logan replied then shook his head with limited understanding. “I don’t know anything about an emperor. Perhaps he’s the ruler of the kingdom. I’m guessing whatever world you came from, Marcus was a part of it.”
“I lived with my uncle as far back as I can remember,” she bluntly informed him. “I was a little girl when he died. I may not remember much, but I can assure you we lived on this planet. I think I’d remember coming from an alien world. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Your uncle had to be from that same world and brought you here when you were very young,” Logan replied. “He may have been the one with all the answers, but he died before he could share them with you. Without your uncle, you would have been left to your own resources.”
Hailey groaned and allowed her head to fall into her hand. “And I gave us away to Marcus,” she scoffed then looked back at the men. “That’s why those things attacked us on the beach. He sent them to destroy us. I’m so stupid.”
“What did he intend to do with me?” Mel finally asked, seemingly coming to life on the sofa.
Hailey had almost forgotten her friend was still with them. She’d been unusually quiet since their return. Hailey wasn’t sure she wanted to tell Mel about her suspicions. It would only cause her further stress. She seemed frightened enough from her ordeal and didn’t need any added trauma. While Hailey thought of a tactful response, Vance felt compelled to answer her question.
“Judging by the condition of the victims in the tunnel, he somehow absorbs their fluids,” Vance replied. “Maybe it’s how they survive. A feeding process?”
Mel stared at him with her mouth hanging open. “You mean he wanted to suck my blood?” she suddenly cried out.
It would seem Hailey was the only one concerned for Mel’s delicate emotions at the moment. She was about to scold Vance when Logan chimed in.
“It would explain the disappearances over the years,” Logan remarked. “I’m guessing all those victims were abducted from the hotel at some point, drained of their fluids, and mummified into the cave wall.” He shook his head. “Being sucked dry has to be an awful way to die.”
Mel had a look of alarm clearly plastered on her face. Hailey groaned softly and moved onto the sofa alongside her terrified friend. She placed her arm around her shoulder and attempted to comfort her.
“Guys can be so insensitive,” Hailey gently informed her while attempting to keep Mel from freaking out.
“I need another drink,” Mel muttered and attempted to get up, but seemed unsteady on her feet.
Hailey gently pulled her back down onto the sofa. “Maybe you should try to get some rest.”
“Are you kidding?” Mel gasped with alarm. “I’m never sleeping again!”
“There’s more to the story than we know,” Logan announced to the guys. “We need to find out what Marcus knows.”
Rafe was becoming annoyed with the entire conversation. “How about we just eliminate Marcus and forget about the petty details?” he demanded.
Vance glared at Rafe and smirked with a hint of irritation. “I doubt he’s simply going to roll over and play dead.”
Rafe flashed an insincere grin at Vance. “I’ll ask nicely.”
“Marcus has had year
s to guard his game,” Hailey informed them as she stood and joined them at the counter. She couldn’t deny the tinge of envy she harbored. “He’s ahead of us on the learning curve. I’d feel better if we knew half what he does.”
“You’re giving him far too much credit for intelligence, Hailey,” Rafe announced.
“Are you serious?” Hailey demanded while staring at him with surprise. “He knew who I was. I don’t even know who I am these days.” She couldn’t believe someone as smart as Rafe could be so naïve at times. He lacked any sense of curiosity and only concerned himself with the urge to swiftly and harshly deal with any threat. Of course, as the Guardian, being a warrior was his only job. “Where is he getting his information? How many of those creatures are there? How does he control them? We need a few more answers if we hope to survive another day in this nightmare.”
“Don’t overcomplicate things,” Rafe announced boldly. “Who cares why? He controls the creatures, so we eliminate him. Problem solved.”
“Run in guns blazing, huh?” Logan announced demandingly. “The problem with your solution, Rafe, is you don’t know what you’re running into. You see a cockroach, and you think stepping on it will solve the problem. What about the one million others hiding in the walls? You can’t step on all of them.”
Rafe placed his hands on the counter, leaned forward, and stared Logan in the eyes. “Oh, so now I’m supposed to take tactical military advice from the froo froo lounge player?”
“Did you just call me froo froo?” Logan suddenly demanded while throwing his shoulders back as he straightened, puffing his chest to its full size.
“Come on,” Rafe snorted and appeared humored by Logan’s intimidation attempt. “You’re an overgrown Boston Terrier!”
Vance laughed but refrained from comment.
Logan glared at his playboy sidekick and appeared offended. “Oh, the pretty little Pomeranian finds that funny.”
Hailey shut her eyes and groaned. So much for her mystic warriors.
Misfits, Inc. Page 15