But then my eye catches Doctor Moore. He’s lying on the floor, clutching his right knee, wailing in agony. I follow Sean’s stare over to Erin. She still has her gun pointed at the doctor, her hand shaking, her eyes locked on his shattered knee.
Sean leaps onto the floor to snatch Doctor’s Moore’s handgun, leaving me to take Ben’s weight.
Erin lowers her weapon. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Stunned, I watch the doctor wriggle and buck on the floor, blood pooling beneath his leg, his eyes closed tight, in agony.
“Come on!” Erin barks frantically as she unlocks the door. “We need to go now!”
Sean and I march Ben towards her. “Thank you,” I say, still struggling to believe her u-turn.
“Don’t worry about it,” she replies, just as I hear the name ‘Nia’ in my head.
Erin opens the door.
‘Nia!’
Oh shit!
“Don’t open that—” Before I can finish, the creature has Erin’s arm locked in its jaws, its teeth piercing her shirt.
“Noooooo!” Sean fires Doctor Moore’s gun, but the bullet scrapes the creature’s shoulder, almost hitting Erin in the process.
He fires again. This time the bullet tears through its chest.
The monster doesn’t flinch.
Shot after shot leaves the barrel until the gun is empty.
Sean tries to run to her, but I grab his arm, pulling him back. He twists and squirms, crying out in turmoil as the creature rips her to shreds, swinging her limp body around like a soft toy.
“Run!” I scream, dragging him and Ben towards the office. The moment we’re clear of the lab, I watch the creature lunge at the doctor, his jaws wide, still dripping with Erin’s blood. I slam the door, cutting off Doctor Moore’s agonising squeal.
Ben’s unconscious body drops to the floor as we press our backs against the door; the creature’s screams penetrate the steel as Sean twists the lock.
I swiftly analyse the room, looking for an exit. There’s a desk. An office chair. A tall filing cabinet. Once again, no windows. No other doors.
We’re trapped!
For a moment, there’s silence. No screams. No roars. Just the sound of my own heart thrashing against my chest.
Maybe it crawled away, looking for another poor sod to devour. I cringe when flashes of Erin’s demise fill my head. So much blood. Pain.
I feel sick.
Perhaps a minute passes and still no sign of movement. “What are we going to do?” I whisper to Sean.
“I don’t know,” he replies, his eyes bloodshot, soaked in tears. “We wait, maybe.”
“For how long?”
He doesn’t answer.
Ben’s breath is shallow. The bullet wound oozing with blood, his body struggling to heal. “He’s not well,” I whisper. “We need to get—”
We’re shunted forward as the creature slams into the door.
And again.
It’s trying to get in.
‘Nia!’
Dents start to deform the steel as we press our hands against the door.
The handle shakes. The hinges buckle
He’s gonna get through.
I close my eyes tight, pushing with every ounce of strength I have.
‘Niiiiiiiiaaaaaaaa!’
30
Blood dribbles down my wrist from my palm as another dent punctures the skin. But I keep holding. Keep fighting. My eye catches the lower hinge. It’s lost another screw.
“Ben!” I shout, hoping that he’ll wake up and help us. “Come on, Ben! Open your eyes!”
Nothing. I twist around and push my back against the door, and then prod Ben with my foot. Still no response. “Ben! Wake up!”
A mound of deformed steel digs into my kidneys. The door is strong, but another minute and it’ll be in tatters.
“Keep pushing!” Sean cries, his voice high. He’s exhausted.
I prod Ben again, this time with more force. “Wake up! We need you!”
Another screw pops off into the air. I follow its path to the opposite wall.
And that’s when I see it! An air-duct! Big enough for a person to crawl through.
“Sean! Look!” I say, pointing at it. “There’s an air-duct! We can use that!”
Glancing over his shoulder, he sees it. “Okay. Get it open!”
“What about the door?”
“I can hold it!” he replies, gasping for air, his body jolting.
I nod, even though I’m not sure he has any strength left. Racing over to the desk, I quickly wheel the chair beneath the duct entrance. I leap up, jam my fingernails into the edges of its metal-grid casing, and try to pry it from the wall. It’s not budging! There’s a screw on each corner.
A loud clanging sound invades the room as an entire hinge breaks off, sliding across the floor.
“Hurry, Freya!”
“It’s stuck! I need a screwdriver!”
Sean points over to the desk. “Look for a knife! Anything!”
I jump down from the chair and scramble over to a pot of pens. No screwdriver. No knives. Nothing I can use. I yank open the drawer, and violently rummage through a stack of papers, but come up empty again.
“Come on, Freya!” Sean yells. “I can’t hold it much longer!”
“There’s nothing I can use!”
“Look for scissors!”
I scan the desk, but can’t find one. “There isn’t one.” But then I notice the first-aid box fixed to the wall. I tear it open and its contents rain over the floor. Through the mound of bandages, plasters and other medical dressings, I find a small pair of scissors. “Got one!” I shout, racing back over to the vent. I jab the sharp end into the screw and twist it. It’s stiff, but it starts to move.
Sweat burning my eyes, the first screw comes out. Then the second.
“It’s almost through!” Sean cries out in horror. “How much longer?”
“Nearly there!” I reply, wiping my drenched forehead with my sleeve.
The third screw is out.
Sean cries out in agony as broken steel slices into his hand.
‘Niiiiiaaaa!’
“Hurry, Freya!”
The last screw won’t budge. My hands are too sweaty. The grip on the scissors keeps slipping. Frenzied, I wipe my hands on my clothes and try again.
There’s a cracking sound coming from the door. I turn to find the wall around the frame cracking, fragments of white plaster dropping on the floor.
I twist the screw. It’s moving again.
Another cracking sound.
“Come on, Freya!”
The screw pops off, and the casing comes away from the wall, revealing a dark tunnel. “It’s open, Sean!” I shout, jumping down onto the floor. Grabbing Ben by his arms, I drag him over to the chair. Sean joins me, and we push his body against the wall, and then slide him up into the crawl space. I follow Ben inside, shoving him even deeper into the darkness. The duct is narrow, with just enough room to peek over my shoulder. My eyes broaden in dismay when I see the steel door finally burst open. “He’s through!”
Sean scurries in behind me, pushing my feet as he tries to get his dangling legs free from the office. “Move!”
It reaches in with its giant arm, trying to claw at Sean’s legs. Violently kicking out, he manages to evade its knife-like fingernails, and we’re away.
The creature’s howls start to fade as we crawl like rats into the darkness.
31
It’s only been a few metres, but already this narrow, claustrophobic tunnel feels endless. Ben is still passed out, not a peep. I’m terrified that he won’t wake up; that the damage these bastards have done is irreversible. I’ve been swapping arms constantly, my muscles exhausted as I push his body in front of me, hoping to find an exit. And it’s so bloody hot in here, too. I can barely breathe in this sauna.
God only knows where this ventilation duct leads. Directly outside? Maybe nowhere. Just a dead-end.
“You all right?” Sean whispers behind me.
I’m far from all right, but I still say, “Yeah.”
Each inch we travel rattles the duct, drawing unwelcome attention to us. We should slow down, take our time, but we need to get as far from that thing as possible. But what if it’s beneath us? Toying with us? Watching its prey like a lion? It’s wiped out pretty much everyone in this building—with zero effort—where’s the fun without the hunt?
I wonder how Sean’s holding up. No matter what I thought about Erin, she still mattered to him. His partner. Girlfriend. Whatever she was, seeing her get murdered like that must have screwed up his head.
I wish I could ask him how he is, but it’ll have to wait. Getting out of this place has to come first.
After a few more minutes, I notice the temperature increase again. And are these walls getting closer? I turn to Sean, his face coloured in pitch-blackness. “Is this thing getting narrower?”
“No. It’s fine.”
“Are you sure?” I ask. “Remember that kid back home? Jake Morris. He tried to break into the school by climbing down the chimney. But then it got narrower—and narrower—until he got wedged.” The air around me feels thicker. I start to cry. “He tried to call for help, but no one came.” I’m struggling to breathe. Tears pouring. “Do you remember?”
I feel Sean’s hand on my ankle. “Calm down,” he says. “We’re not going to get wedged. That was an old chimney in an old school. It’s completely different.”
“You don’t know that!” I say, my voice too loud.
Shushing me, he gently strokes my leg. “Try to relax. You’re just a little claustrophobic.”
“I think we should turn back.” I start to twist my body, but I can’t. The vent is too thin. “Try our luck in the office again. That monster’s probably gone by now.” My shoulders rub against the walls. The tunnel rattles even more.
I can’t breathe.
I need to get out.
I need to—
“Freya. I’m here. There’s no need to panic. Take a slow breath. In through your nose. Out through your mouth.”
I stop moving. Focus on the sound of his voice.
“Breathe, Freya.”
I do as he says. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. In through the nose. Out through the mouth...
My muscles soften. The walls retract. The vent widens. My tears subside.
I can breathe again.
“I love you.” Sean’s gentle words soothe me, filling the duct with light.
“I love you, too.” I wipe my eyes. “I’m so sorry about Erin.”
“Yeah,” he says with gloom. “It sucks. But let’s just concentrate on getting out of this place.”
Sniffing, I nod, and then continue forward, my willpower slightly replenished.
A few metres on, I see a faint glow in the distance. We must be near an exit. “Sean—it’s getting lighter.”
“That’s great. We’re close.”
It’s getting brighter, the silver tunnel walls becoming more and more prominent.
Another minute or so passes before I find the source. It’s a hatch fixed to the floor of the duct, thin beams of light gleaming through the tiny holes of its casing. “I found a way out,” I say with excitement. I shove Ben’s whole body past the cover to examine it. There are no visible screws on the corners, so I dig my nails around its metal edges, trying to yank it off. It doesn’t budge. Tension starts to build around my shoulders. With both palms, I press down on it, hoping it will pop off, but no matter how hard I push, it won’t move. The veins at the back of my hands swell as I force all my weight down on it. Still nothing.
Sean taps on my leg. “Leave it, Freya.”
I keep pushing until a strained growl leaves my throat.
“Come on. We’ll find another way out.”
My hands become fists and I punch at the cover.
“Stop, Freya. You’re making too much noise.”
I slam my other fist down, then both together until a dent forms in the metal.
“Stop it!”
I keep beating. Harder and harder.
I don’t feel the pain in my knuckles.
“Freya!”
The metal begins to split.
Girls can’t break metal.
Not with their bare hands.
“It’ll hear you!”
Michael’s right. I am a freak.
The cover breaks off from the duct, dropping down to the corridor below.
I am a vampire!
“You got it open!” Sean says in disbelief.
I glance at my bleeding hands, and then at Sean. He’s smiling, like I’m some sort of hero. A super-woman. Not a monster.
Not a vampire.
Sean prods my leg. “What are you waiting for?” he asks, a deep fret in his voice. “See if the coast is clear.”
In my head, I see Mum as a younger woman. She’s holding a man’s hand. It’s my father. Before he turned. Before he became that thing. She’s happy. Happier than she’s ever been before. Their love strong enough for her to leave her life behind, to start anew. My father must have cared for her. Watched over her. More than Tony ever could. More than—
The entire duct shakes as the creature’s arm surges through the opening.
I scream in terror, hitting my head on the tunnel’s ceiling.
“Move!” Sean cries out, pulling me away by my ankles, its claws miss my face by an inch. “Now!”
I scramble backwards, losing sight of Ben.
The duct shifts as the creature hits it.
“Ben!”
Then another strike!
“I can’t see him!”
A split appears in front of me. Then beneath me. This one much bigger.
“Move, Freya!” Sean cries in panic.
The duct shifts again, and then a deafening crunch echoes. I keep moving even though it’s collapsing around us.
Sean shrieks behind me. I look over my shoulder just as the entire duct comes away from the ceiling, and plummets down below.
In a cloud of dust, my body slams into broken metal, and my head cracks on the hard floor of the corridor.
And then my eyes start to close.
“Sean...”
32
“Freya! Wake up!” Sean’s frantic voice pulls me from the darkness; the dust covering my eyes, fogging my vision. “Come on!”
He hauls me to my feet, disorientated, and we run towards a door.
It’s so hot.
“Ben,” I mumble as the daze slowly lifts from my head.
“There’s no time!”
Through the chaos, through the awful smell of burnt meat, I glance over my shoulder. There’s a mountain of crushed metal, broken plasterboard, and other debris. “We have to go back for him.”
But then the mountain begins to move, rubble slides from its peak, and a colossal blue hand with black talons emerges.
It’s coming!
Sean sees it, too, so he pulls me even harder. “We’ll come back for Ben!” Barging through the door, a puff of intense heat hits my face. Where are we?
At the end of the short corridor, we push through a second door. The smell is repugnant—and now it’s even hotter. The kind of heat you get opening an oven that’s been on for hours. I close the door behind us and search for a lock. There’s none. “We need something to seal the door with,” I say, just as I realise that we’re in the furnace room. It’s somehow even more lifeless than the rest of the building. High stone walls. Grit-covered stone floor. No windows. No exits. And at the centre, there’s a furnace, with its thick iron door wide open, and a fire raging inside. I wish I didn’t know what it was for, I wish I could suppress the horror inside this room—but the four dead vampires piled up on the steel trolley makes it impossible. “We’re cornered!” I say, ignoring the disgusting sight, focusing my attention on the door. “There’s no way out!”
‘Niiiiiaaaa!’
A steel bench sits against
the wall. We hastily try to move it, hoping to block the door with it, but it’s bolted down.
The creature’s snarl dwarfs the roar of the furnace, overwhelming the room.
Chest tight, I clench my fists like I have any hope of taking this thing on.
There’s a metal rod on the floor. Sean quickly scoops it up. “We have to kill it.”
The door flies open, and we back away towards the wall.
The creature spots us immediately, blood oozing from its mouth, a sharp piece of broken duct sticking out of its thigh. Limping towards us, clearly in pain, its yellow eyes lock onto mine.
Without warning, Sean rushes at the creature, swinging the rod wildly. “Leave us alone, you bastard!”
“No, Sean! Stop!” I wail. “It’ll kill you!”
Ignoring my pleas, he manages to catch the creature’s head, but the impact barely leaves a mark on its blue skin. Sean tries again, driving the rod straight into its shoulder. This time there’s blood. The creature yowls in pain as it draws the weapon from the wound, throwing it down with a clang.
“Get away from him!” I call out, just as Sean is hurled towards me. Reaching out, I try to break his fall, but he’s too heavy, his full-weight landing on top of me.
The impact knocks the wind out of me, and I whack my head on the floor.
With a tortured groan, the creature shuffles towards us.
Scrambling to his feet, Sean pulls me up, and stands in front to shield me.
‘Nia.’
“I’m not Nia!” I say, just as the air returns to my lungs. “My name is Freya!”
The creature takes another step.
‘Nia.’
“I’m not her!” I repeat with more authority. “Nia was my mother! She’s dead!”
“What are you doing, Freya?” Sean asks, clearly baffled.
‘Niiiiaaaa!’
Shaking my head, a glimmer of pity leaks through the terror. “I’m your daughter.” As soon as the words escape my throat, I see a scowl form on my father’s already creased brow. Does he understand me?
“Nia Stone is gone, Peter. She’s dead.”
He stops.
It’s working.
His wide shoulders loosen, arms wilting by his side. His mouth closes.
Blue Skin (Book 3): Blue Skin Page 9