by Cheree Alsop
The smell twisted my stomach with recognition. Unwashed bodies, festering wounds, fear, refuse, hopelessness, and rotten food drifted through the pipe to announce that we were close. I gritted my teeth and stopped at the first mesh opening.
“Hold,” Jaze whispered from just behind Nora. He listened to something in his ear piece, then motioned for me to move forward. “Cameras are cut,” he said. “We'll have to move quickly.”
I pulled the screen back and dropped to the floor of the narrow room. The inhabitants looked only slightly interested and I remembered my own reaction when Jaze and Jet came to my cell. It felt like a mirage brought by pain, and then just another of Rob's cruel torments. I ached for them because I knew too well what they were going through.
I reached up and helped Nora to the ground, then Jaze, Jet, Kaynan, and four other werewolves jumped down to join us. Whispers of fabric and light footsteps heralded werewolves and Hunters moving to the next rooms from the vents above.
“We're here to get you out,” I said softly. I knew they wouldn't believe me, but it felt better than saying nothing.
A werewolf stepped forward with a bolt cutter and began to cut his way down the row. The gun felt cold in my hand. I shoved it behind my belt and opened the first cage. The bite of the silver was harsher having been away from it, and I regretted not bringing gloves. The werewolf inside stared at me with baleful, hazy eyes. I stepped toward him and he cringed against the back of the cage.
“No, don't,” I said quietly. His bare back touched the bars, but he was numb to the pain. A tremor ran through my limbs in response as I bent and gathered his frail body in my arms. He didn't protest when I carried him from the cage and handed him to one of the werewolves under the vent.
I watched as he was lifted up to the pipe and pulled carefully inside. The werewolves and Hunters that lined the ventilation shaft up to the mouth would help him climb the steep rise; others beyond were set to rush each werewolf to a waiting vehicle.
Jaze and Jet were already inside the next two cages. I hurried to the fourth where Nora stood staring at a form inside. I used the hem of my shirt to pull open the door, but I could tell by the odor of decay that the werewolf had died a few days ago. I covered the still form with the ratty blanket discarded in the opposite corner, which told me more about the occupant than I could put into words. I touched the body one more time, then closed the cage door behind me feeling as though I left a piece of my soul inside. One more night and I would have died like him.
“He's dead?” Nora whispered, horror tightening her voice.
I nodded, realized her vision was limited in the faint lighting, and forced my voice to remain calm despite the way my heart pounded in my ears. “Yes, but we need to worry about the other werewolves now, the ones we can save.”
“My father will pay for this,” she said, rage giving her voice strength.
“That's why we're here,” I reminded her gently.
I pulled open the door to the next cage, then bit back a growl when I saw the condition of the occupant. She was curled in the corner, the scraps of her blanket inadequately covering her lashed body. Black whip burns covered her skin from head to toe and my own scars gave a sympathetic throb.
I pulled off my shirt and wrapped it around her. She lifted her head weakly and gave me a small smile. “I knew you'd come back,” Gem's voice drifted from the battered body. I blinked and recognized the pixie cut blond hair and blue eyes despite her bruised, swollen face.
“What did they do to you?” I demanded.
She shrugged, then winced and seemed to curl in on herself to stop the pain. “They wanted to know where you went.”
“That's ridiculous. You weren't even there when I escaped.” An inferno of rage flowed through my body so swiftly my hands shook and I had to take several breaths to keep from phasing.
“Apparently one of the other werewolves told them we talked sometimes.” Anger must have flashed through my eyes because she set a frail hand on my arm. “They said it to save their skin, and it wasn't a lie. They didn't know this would happen.” She took a shallow breath as though her ribs hurt. “When they couldn't find out anything, they separated us so we wouldn't help each other. If anyone talked, they came in and beat us again.”
“I'm getting you out of here,” I said. I picked her up as gently as I could, but I heard her breath catch at the pain of each movement. Her head lolled against my shoulder. “I'm so sorry,” I whispered.
“I told you I'd be rescued,” she replied with a shadow of a smile that hinted at her former self.
“You were right,” I agreed. My heart ached at her pain and soared to be near her again. I wanted to protect her from everything bad that had happened, to get her far away from Lobotraz and help her escape the haunting nightmares that would follow as they did for me. I had to remind myself that other werewolves needed me. As much as I wanted to take care of Gem, our rescue was bigger than just the two of us. I carried her gently down the aisle between the cages.
Jet waited under the vent. I was reluctant to let Gem go, but the chance of seeking revenge against Rob was too great to turn away now. I passed Gem to the black-haired werewolf. “Take care of her,” I said.
Understanding showed in Jet’s dark eyes so stark and painful it was as though he knew exactly what we had gone through. “She’ll be safe with me,” he said in a voice full of black emotion that echoed the tormented places in my heart.
I watched her disappear into the pipe above, took a calming breath to collect myself, then hurried with Nora to the other end of the room.
“Is she a friend?” she asked in a whisper.
“She was in the cage next to mine,” I replied. A memory of her handing over a cup of water to wash the silver from my feet flashed into my mind and I blinked back tears. “She was beaten because of me.”
“She was beaten because of my dad,” Nora replied. “You can't help that you were a prisoner here. It's my fault they caught you.”
I shook my head, but didn’t reply. Gem was all I could think about. Her beaten body and the look of suffering in her eyes stilled my heart. She had gone through all of that because of me. My heart clenched at the thought of her in pain and I couldn’t forgive myself for how long she had waited for us to come back. She hadn’t given up.
Gem was so strong in ways that dwarfed anyone else I had met. The fact that she was still alive brought tears to my eyes. I vowed to see her pain-free and healthy again, full of food that would help put weight back on her skinny frame, basking in light and sunshine, and under starlight and the reassuring presence of the moon. I would take care of her. I gritted my teeth and turned back to the job at hand. Nora hesitated, then hurried after me.
Jet and Jaze were lifting the final werewolf to the Hunters above when someone pounded on the door at the end of the room. Jet had slipped a chain through the handles and secured it with a snap hook. The last werewolf cleared the vent opening and Kaynan and two Hunters jumped down to join us as the vent was closed tightly from above.
Jaze pulled a gun from behind his belt. He flashed me a serious look. “Ready?”
I pulled the gun from my belt as well and slid off the safety. “Ready.”
Jet and Kaynan waited on each side of the door. Nora kept back with the Hunters past the last row of cages to be out of the heart of battle. Jaze and I reached the door on silent feet. The banging had stopped, but shadows blocked out the light from the hallway beyond and angry voices came through.
Jet silently unfastened the snap hook and lifted the chain out of the door handles, careful to not make a noise. He coiled it around his right hand. He didn't carry a gun, but he pulled a knife that looked just as deadly from a sheath around his ankle.
Kaynan made similar preparations on the other side, except the knife he used came from a wristband on his arm. I didn’t see how he pulled it out, but he unfastened the band and then a blade glinted in the darkness. He and Jet exchanged a charged glance. Both looked ready for wh
atever would come through that door. I wondered what kind of a lifestyle involved an expectation toward killing.
Chapter 17
Jet looped two fingers loosely around the door handle and waited for Jaze's signal. Jaze listened to his headpiece, then nodded. My heart thundered in my chest. I wondered if I would recognize the guards, if they would be the pair that jostled prisoners the least, or the four who made every day a living nightmare. Maybe Rob had replaced all of his guards after my disappearance. I didn’t have to imagine what he would do to anyone who got on his bad side.
Jet pulled open the door and Jaze shot the first two forms that appeared. I didn’t have time to see their faces against the silhouette of the neon lighting in the hallway before they slumped to either side. Jaze glanced back just as someone else forced his way through. A gunshot sounded next to me and the body collapsed. I looked back to find Nora with a gun raised, the acrid scent of smoke wafting from the end. At my shocked look, her cheeks touched red and she dropped her eyes. “Somebody had to do it.”
“Thanks,” Jaze replied. He took a steeling breath, then pushed through the door with Jet at his side. Kaynan and I followed them at a swift trot down the hall to a set of double doors at the end. The Hunters and Nora went slower to intercept anyone who came up behind us. Before we could reach the doors, shots rang out.
I spun and dropped to one knee, taking aim like I had done a million times at Two during practice. The forty-five in my hand weighed more than the one I was used to, but it responded to the slightest squeeze of the trigger. A succession of bullets rang out from our side, bringing down the six guards who appeared at the corner.
I let out a breath, then a dozen more guards appeared. I ran toward Nora and pulled her into my arms, shielding her with my body as Jaze’s team took out our attackers. Nora trembled in my arms, but as soon as the firing stopped, she lifted her gun, ready to defend us both.
Ballistic shields appeared next carried by six heavily armed men. They ducked behind the thick metal as our bullets ricocheted off. Submachine guns appeared at the top of the shields. I knew the second they pulled their triggers, the entire team would be wiped out. Jaze’s werewolves were behind me, and the Hunters huddled around us. There wasn’t time for anyone to take action.
I pushed Nora to the ground out of harm’s way and took two running steps. I leaped over the shields and phased in the air before I hit the ground. The guns followed my path as the guards turned to defend themselves, leaving their backs unprotected for a brief moment.
It was the split second we needed. Two black blurs and one red one jumped over the forgotten shields and tore into our attackers. Growls and yells rang out, turning the hallway into a cacophony of pain-filled screams as we took down the threat. Within minutes, only a mass of bodies lay at our feet.
Blood colored my muzzle when I looked up at Nora and the Hunters watching from the middle of the hallway. There was no disgust on Nora’s face, only fear that I hoped came from being under fire by the guards. I stepped around the corner and phased, then pulled on what was left of my tattered clothes. Jaze, Jet, and Kaynan followed a few seconds later, their muzzles as red as mine had been.
Kaynan’s crimson fur made him look like a creature out of a horror story. I wondered what had happened to make him so different from other werewolves. The two black wolves beside him phased quickly and I found Jet watching me. “That was brave,” he said quietly.
“A bit foolhardy,” Kaynan replied with a teasing light in his red eyes.
I smiled. “It was the first thing I could think of.”
Jaze handed me my gun. “We owe you for that.”
I tipped my head to indicate Lobotraz in general. “Consider us even.”
He nodded seriously and they followed me back up the hall to where Nora and the Hunters waited. Nora checked me over quickly like she expected to see bullet holes dotting my body, and finding none, she threw her arms around my neck. “You need to be more careful,” she said in a chiding tone that almost covered the underlying quaver.
“I’ll try,” I promised her. I glanced at Jaze. “Let’s finish this.”
He nodded and motioned to the double doors at the end. He and Jet each took a door, then he checked his watch. I wondered what they were waiting for. Anxiety filled my chest at what we would find beyond. The noise in the hall should have alerted anyone who waited in the central room. The element of surprise was no longer on our side. Given Jaze’s attack plan, no one could have escaped down the branching hallways from the center. If Rob was there, we would have to use brute force to bring him down.
A few seconds later, the lights went out, flooding the entire compound in darkness. Jaze and Jet pushed through the doors. I let Kaynan and one of the Hunters go by, then fell in beside Nora. She threw me a grateful look, her figure menacing with a gun held in her hands like she knew how to use it. After seeing her shoot, I didn’t doubt her abilities. She pushed strands of hair off her face and her brow creased with determination. My heart thrummed at a steady, low pace, my phasing instincts under control as long as we had the upper hand.
We followed Jaze’s team into the main center of Lobotraz. Computers glared in stark contrast to the darkness around us while a generator hummed noisily in a corner. A strange, sharp odor colored the air, masking the scent of anyone who might be hiding in the room.
“Stay back,” Jaze warned softly. He and Jet began to sweep the left side of the low-ceilinged area while Kaynan and the Hunters took the right. Both teams walked silently through the room like lethal shadows, their footsteps barely audible on the cement floor.
Figures appeared near the front of the room and shots rang out. The teams dove behind desks and returned fire. I pulled Nora away from the doorway and we ducked down behind a set of filing cabinets. Nora scooted to the far end. I followed her, checking over my shoulder to make sure more guards didn’t appear at the door.
A hand shot out and wrapped around Nora's neck. A gun was pressed tightly to her head. My breath caught in my throat when Rob appeared triumphantly behind her. The sight of his face sent a surge of rage so strong through my body that all I could think of was ending his life to stop the torture. I aimed my gun at the bit of his face that I could see. I took a steady breath, then blinked and saw Nora’s wide eyes just to the right of my target. Her face grew pale with terror as the gun pressed harder into her temple. I lowered my weapon.
“Well, well, if it isn't the vanishing werewolf,” Rob said. His hand tightened around Nora's neck. “Along with my errant daughter.”
“Let her go, Rob,” I growled. My heart pounded in my chest. The gun shook in my grip and I couldn't trust my aim.
“After I just found her again?” he replied. He backed up, dragging her with him.
Nora's eyes held mine, begging me to free her. I looked around, but couldn't see a way to flank him in the tight quarters between the desks. Both sets of werewolves were being held back by shots fired from the far end of the room. Rob pulled Nora back with him toward his guards. A dark mahogany desk took up the entire length of one wall with filing cabinets on either side. The guards ducked behind it when Jaze’s team returned fire.
“You don't deserve her,” I growled.
Rob’s eyebrows lifted and a mocking smile showed at the corners of his mouth. “And you do?” He pulled her around the dark desk. I took a step to follow them, but he motioned me away with the gun. Several bullets whizzed past and I ducked back behind the filing cabinet. “Stay over there, and she won't get hurt,” Rob said. The honesty of his words sent a chill through my body. He would hurt her to get to me. I couldn’t risk her life, but I also couldn’t sit by and do nothing.
I flanked him on the outside of the table. Jaze and Kaynan fired at the guards to keep them out of sight; the bullets that flew by me barely registered in the face of Nora in danger. For the briefest instant, I entertained the thought of jumping over the desk and crushing Rob with the weight of my body, drawing his fire to me instead of Nora.
I crouched to spring just as Rob reached under the desk.
A loud explosion sounded. I was thrown backward as debris and wood flew around the room. A deep, shuddering noise reverberated above me. I glanced up to see massive cracks run through the ceiling, thick fissures parting the cement. Another shudder sounded, then the roof caved in. A chunk of cement bigger than one of the desks crashed on top of me and pinned me to the ground. Nora screamed my name, but her voice was faint as though she was no longer in the room. Water began to flow around my body as I struggled to get free. Blood streamed through my hair from the explosion. I tried to push up, but the cement was too heavy.
“Quick, get it off him,” Jaze shouted.
The pressure of the cement eased slightly. A pair of hands grabbed my ankles and tried to pull me free, but my shoulders were trapped. Water rushed up past my face. I struggled against the hands and the cement, heedless of the way the rocks tore my skin. My breath screamed in my chest. The cement shifted again. Several hands grabbed my arms. I put all my strength into one last surge and pushed out. The cement tipped to the side and hands slid me free.
I sat up gasping for air. Water poured from the huge gap in the ceiling and it was obvious that if we didn't move quickly, we would all drown.
Hands held pressure to the back of my head. “Can you stand?” Jaze asked above the roar of water filling the room. “Rob and Nora disappeared during the collapse. We have to find them.” He put a hand to his ear to muffle the roar of water. “Tris, Roger, there’s a breach in the dam. Get everyone out now!”
I stood up gingerly. Red touched the corners of my vision and a black wave danced in front of my eyes. I stumbled forward, but Jaze and Kaynan caught me. Jaze's concerned eyes met mine. “Rob and Nora disappeared behind this wall. There’s a catch somewhere and we have to find it before the room fills. You know Nora's scent best; we’ll search with you.”
I took a steeling breath and straightened up. I touched the back of my head and my fingers came away bloody. I gritted my teeth and made my way around the debris-covered desk. Water reached half-way up the mahogany now. If it wasn't for the others, I would have drowned under the cement. I shuddered and pressed forward, but the only thing on the other side of the desk was a flat gray wall.