Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

" W e need weapons." Cadoc's guttural voice is stern.

"Containment Breach closets are on every floor," Kirk explains. His flat tone is off-putting.

"You created these things?" I study his face.

"No." Kirk shakes his head. "It was nowhere near this level of depravity."

"But a lesser level was okay?" Fell's face wrinkles in disgust.

"I never said that," Kirk snaps. His dismissive demeanor slips, and I see the angst beneath. "I did what I could. I'll take you to the closet."

Creeping forward, we watch for signs of danger. Halfway down the hall, we stop at a door. Kirk yanks it open. "We kept it simple to remain accessible during lockdowns."

We move inside, and I gape. It's a medieval dream. Long metal swords with thick handles, axes with sharp blades, lances, and spears.

"The hell, Doc?" Bo runs his hand down the handle of a sword.

"Bullets are a minor deterrent. The old weapons are far more effective."

"You're up to your neck in this travesty." Fell stares at him.

"It started as a theory." Kirk pulls a sword down from the wall. Switching it from one hand to the other, he tests the balance. His confidence with the fierce weapon surprises me.

"I helped plan this building's layout. It was my job to catastrophize and plan accordingly." Emotionless, he tells the story like he's reading from a textbook. "I stalled as long as I could, bringing up additional concerns, and dragging out the setup. Alpha was determined and keep it."

"Is that your excuse?" Bo grabs a spear with a thick shaft.

"There's no excuse. But, from the inside, I could mitigate damage. I sabotaged and kept the experiments in a constant state of failure."

"Someone caught on, didn't they?" Cadoc guesses.

Kirk nods. "They began watching me closely. I knew my time here was ending. I thought they were going to kill me."

"Why didn't they?" Fell's tone is full of skepticism.

"I asked myself that question. I think they knew I hid the information. That some of our discoveries exist only in my mind." He taps a finger to his temple. "Maybe they hoped to extract them someday."

I frown. "Why didn't the Alpha force the information out of you?"

"Healers have a natural immunity to the Alpha command with medical matters. The health of our charge is what's in the best interest of the pack. So, if the Alpha asks something that goes against their well-being, we can fight the order."

I glance at Cadoc. He nods.

"It's a gift that happens with the oath." Kirk pulls down a spear and hands it to Bo.

"Is it still active?" I run my hands over the swords. None feel right.

"Yes. I don't think he counted on that." Kirk smirks.

"Why did you leave?" I look at him.

His eyes glaze over. He shudders. "He crossed a line. One I couldn't stomach or ignore."

He pulls two battle axes down. "They're mid-sized and lightweight enough to carry and wield, but also razor sharp. These should serve you well." Kirk moves to a drawer of a metal cabinet. "Let's get you set up with an ax sling."

Arming ourselves, we exit the room. Kirk takes the lead, hurrying down the hallway. We pass rooms set up like labs. Long white tables, test tubes in racks, and small empty cages raise the creep factor. I swallow at the bodies lying face down on the floor.

"The first floor is for animal testing, theory, and serum development."

"Serums?" That sounds promising. Maybe it can help us cure the illness.

Kirk nods. "He thought we could eventually control the sickness if we could understand more about it."

"Control, not cure?" Fell says pointedly.

"At first it sounded like a good thing. I was helping combat a cruel disease, stealing away our women. I thought the ends justified the means."

"What changed?" Cadoc presses him for an answer again.

"We moved from theory and medicine to experiments. First, on animals. Then it escalated from there."

We reach the bottom of the stairs.

Cadoc grips the handle of his sword and exhales. "Be ready."

I clench the wooden handles tight. My pulse skips and we ascend. A figure rushes toward us, shrieking. Dark hair flies out behind her.

Her torn white shift hangs off an emaciated body. She bares rotted teeth. Moonlight illuminates a pock-scarred face covered in short brown hair.

Kirk's sword sinks into her belly. Screeching, she grasps the solids steel. Smoke drifts up from the wound and her hands.

"They infused the blades with holy water!" Kirk yells. Trails of blood run from the corners of her mouth. Kirk kicks her in the chest, pulling his sword free. She falls back onto the floor, convulsing.

"Go." We run past her, reaching the second floor.

"What's on this floor, Kirk?" Cadoc shouts.

"Testing and clinical trials." Lights flicker above our heads. Bright blue flames burst from the center of the floor. We scatter to avoid them.

"Kirk!" I look at him through the growing flames.

"I'm not sure what's happening." He shakes his head.

The flames jump higher, obscuring him and Fell from view.

"We can't leave them there." My voice goes up an octave. We're separated. I seek a way back to them. There's safety and strength in numbers, and this place is a horror movie funhouse with things waiting around each corner.

"You should worry about yourselves." The soft voice with a lisp comes from behind.

I spin and find a pale woman with white hair and black eyes. With a slender, heart-shaped face, she's far more human than the last creations. Their progress is horrifying.

"I won't go back into containment." I see flashes of fangs as she speaks. She raises her hands, curved, clawed fingers wiggling. She jerks Cadoc off his feet, slamming him into the ceiling and floor. Cadoc lies on the floor, still.

Bo tosses his spear, grazing her side and breaking her concentration.

Narrowing her eyes, she shoots a bolt of dark energy at his chest. Bo dodges. She increases her attack.

Fell shoves me from behind. "Run."

"No." I won't leave him to fight by himself.

Now. Bo sends the command through our link. I jog backward, away from the skirmish. I look on the walls and inside rooms for a fire extinguisher. There's nothing. Heart pounding in my chest, I move onto to the next door and peer inside. I have to put out the flames. Wait ? —

I freeze. There's no heat. The flames didn't crackle. I spin and scream. Fell falls to his knees, holding his throat. His face turns red than purple.

"Stop." My voice bounces off the wall. The woman turns her attention to me. "This isn't real." The realization allows me to see through the potent glamour.

The woman is little more than a teen! Bones protrude from her flesh.

Red eyes, long fangs, and spindly fingers create an imbalanced appearance. With her hooked nose and dark circles under her eyes, she reminds me of the vampire from old black and white movies.

"What are you?" Hissing, she leaps.

I stumble back. "Listen, we're not here to hurt you. I know none of this is your fault. We're looking for information to make all of this stop." I hold my hands up and lean against the room window. The cool glass grounds me.

She pauses, cocking her head. Blood rushes through my veins. Her expression softens. I grip the ax, waiting. Her eyes narrow and her body tenses. She lunges. I swing an ax, burying the hilt into her flesh. Smoke and blood escape the wound in her shoulder.

The flames extinguish. I bury the other blade into her neck. She kicks my stomach. I fly back, slamming into a door. Dazed, I shake my head to clear it.

Pulling the axes free, she pitches them onto the ground. Her icy hand grips my throat, yanking me over her head against the wall. Coughing, I dig my nails into her hands. Kicking out, I try to free myself.

She tightens her grip. Pressure builds in my chest. I fight to breathe. My vision darkens around the edges.

Let go.

Obeying the voice, I stop fighting. The weight on my chest overwhelms me. Energy explodes inside me, and the creature drops me. I fall in a heap as she claws at her face.

"What are you?" She spins away.

She's afraid of me?

"Not yours to touch." Cadoc's blade cuts through her neck with a powerful stroke. Her head falls onto the white floor with a wet plop.

"This is far worse than I ever imagined it'd be." Kirk stares down at the body on the floor, horrified.

"You think?" Cadoc wipes his blade clean, and I look away. The ordinary classrooms and labs are disorienting. This could be any science-based office building. But the horrors inside are unthinkable.

"Hurry before something else shows up." Bo glances around nervously.

"What did you do?" Fell's voice is hoarse. He rubs his throat.

"Broke her enchantment. Once I realized there was no heat or sound, I could see through it."

"But the light you exuded."

"No time." Kirk grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet.

Breaking into a run, we hit the stairs and pound up. Black handrails block us in.

We reach the landing and pause. "The main room is to the left," Kirk calls.

Turning to the left, we race down the white flooring with specks of black. We reach the office and find it sealed tight.

"Shit." Kirk slams his hand against the thick door. "We need a code to get inside."

"Let's break the window," Fell says.

"Won't work." Kirk knocks on the thick pane.

"This is an escape room from hell," Bo says.

"I know the code." A deep, heavily accented voice drifts to us from down the hallway. It's British?

"If you let me out. I'll give it to you." The masculine being rasps.

I glance into the darkness, on edge. There's power in that voice.

"Why can't you free yourself?" Cadoc calls.

Metal clinks, and he laughs until he coughs. "I was never meant to leave here. You don't have much time. This place will go up in flames."

Bo snorts. "Nice scare tactic."

The creature grunts. "Believe me or don't. I'm doomed either way. But I don't want this cell to be the last vision I see."

A loud explosion beneath us rocks the foundation. Pitched forward, I slam into the glass wall beside me. Alarms blare and red lights flash.

"No wonder it was so easy to get in," Fell mumbles.

"That was easy?" I reply.

"We have to bargain with it," Kirk says.

"Him actually," the voice sounds offended.

Bo scowls.

"We'll all go," Cadoc suggests.

Walking down the hall, we find a massive shape wedged in the room's corner, obscured by shadows.

"Step into the moonlight," Cadoc commands.

"Says beauty to the beast." He shrugs off a blanket and moves into the beams of light.

My jaw drops. Tall, and bulky, he has one black eye and one white. Hair with the same pattern flows down to his shoulders.

His face is too perfect, really. Angular with a perfect jaw, full pouty pink lips, and high cheekbones.

"Why would they leave you?"

"Can't be brought to heel." He smiles, showing small fangs. His scent is new to me. I can't place his species.

Another bomb detonates.

"Most things here are dying." He coughs. Blood forms on his lips. "I'm no different. But I'd like to taste freedom once more before I leave this world. Cruel as it was."

I feel a kinship with the man.

"Why are you chained to the wall?" Fell jerks his thumb toward the chains.

"Strong as an ox," he croons. "And sometimes a bit mad," he whispers the last word, lifting a finger to his lips and shushing.

"Fucking perfect."

I elbow Bo.

"If you attack us, we'll end your life," Cadoc says.

"Understood." His gaze locks on to mine. "Does that mean I'm getting out?"

"Yes." I nod.

Cadoc and Fell walk over to the cell. Together, they rip the bars off the track.

I face the hallway, holding the ax handles loosely as I remain alert. Fell joins me in watching their backs. I hear the metal post give way and the chains clink together.

"It's done. Now the code," Cadoc says.

"011733," the man sings the numbers. My lips twitch. He stands to his full height, and my humor falls away. The man is six foot five at least.

Kirk sprints to the door, entering the code. The pad glows green, and the seal unlocks. He holds the door open, and we walk into the room. Rows of metal filing cabinets line the walls.

Kirk walks to the expensive computer set up. "Alpha is obsessed with paper records. He thinks it's more secure." He taps on the keys. "I can override the system. There's an escape route built in."

"Unless they disabled it," Fell scoffs.

"I'm the only one who knew it was there. I paid the workers handsomely to keep that secret." His fingers fly over the keyboard. "They were humans who thought we were creating a high-tech lab for a private college." He hits enter, and the script pops up on the screen. The lights flicker on as everything around us reboots and comes to life.

"Pull everything you can from the cabinets. I need to play catch up."

Ransacking the cabinets, we exit the room with arms full of files. Kirk walks over to a wall. He presses his thumb to the wall. It lights up green. A mechanical whir starts. The wall slides open.

We step inside. Cadoc moves to the center and scans the room. Face and dark sweater splattered with blood; he looks like a killer. Bo turns to face the left. His dark hair sticks up at odd angles. His thick navy sweater is ripped and hanging perilously on his shoulder. The door closes.

Lights turn on, casting a glow. Fell's pale face is covered in bruises. His dark green sweater looks closer to black with a combination of sweat and other fluids I don't want to think about. Kirk leads us through the concrete maze with sure steps. His black t-shirt has large holes, and his black jeans are ripped.

"What's your name?"

He frowns. "I don't remember anymore."

My heart aches for the man who gives off an energy I can't quite place. Unlike the others, his smell is earthy and appealing. He's the forest after rain mixed with sunshine and soil. Pushing the walking narrative.

We reach the end of the tunnel and Kirk pushes. A heavy door swings open. Night air rushes in. I inhale lungfuls to chase away the staleness of the passage. The man stumbles forward.

"Thank you," he whispers hoarsely. Swaying, he crashes to the ground like a fallen tree.