107
There were too many mingling scents for me to know what I was dealing with, my head was throbbing and I could feel Abeloth’s absence. I needed to get somewhere safe so he could heal as well. I needed water and a car to get the hell out of this maze.
I peered through the glass partition of the door in the hallway and saw another hallway with more cell doors similar to the one I just escaped from. ‘How many people are they keeping here?’ I thought to myself.
I opened the door and started making my way down the hallway when I suddenly stopped in front of one of the cells. I would recognize his scent anywhere but I couldn’t believe that he’d be here. I looked at the ring of keys I’d taken from Clifford’s belt and tried them until finally one unlocked the cell door and I pulled it open.
“Ryder?” he said my name in his hoarse voice.
“Fuck Elio, how did they get you?” I asked him as he stumbled to the door.
“They told me you were dead,” he said as he reached me and grabbed me in a hug.
“What the hell happened?” I asked him as I looked him over. He looked terrible and I knew that they had poisoned him as well.
“You sent each of us the same text, you need time after Megan broke up with you, you said to take it easy and stay at the house, that you’d be back and then we’ll carry on with our plans. Megan came back the next day and moved all her stuff out. I tried talking to her but she was very emotional over the text that you sent her. She showed it to me, it was kind of brutal but it sounded like you. Your father obviously was pissed and demanded to know where you ran off to,” he said and winced as we started walking down the hall and I put his arm over my shoulder to help support him.
“Marlo was acting weird, said she couldn’t sense you at all, she said her magic was being blocked somehow, she left that night to go back to her coven to cleanse her spirit. Tank also left because he got called by his father, some trouble at the pack. I woke up one night to an odd noise and in the darkness ten vampires surrounded me and I woke up here,” he finished.
“At least we’re all alive,” I said to him.
“So it was all bullshit, you’ve been here the whole time?” he asked me.
“They shot out my tyre just after I left Albert’s house, shot me with a tranquilizer and moved me a few times, so I have no idea where we are,” I said to him.
“Shit, we need to check these other cells,” he said to me.
Most of them were open and empty and we found two dead children in one cell, a dead man in another one and we both took a step back as we unlocked the last door. The stench was worse than the cell where we found the dead man but my eyes were glued to the man on the bed.
“No!” Elio whispered as I stood there rooted to the spot in shock.
I could hear a faint heart beat as I rushed forward and pressed my fingers to his neck. I looked back at Elio who seemed spaced out.
“He’s alive,” I said as I started to pick him up.
“Elio, he’s alive!” I said loudly as he kept staring.
I threw Basil over my shoulder as we made our way down the hall again. It seemed odd that everything was so quiet. I felt my skin tingle and I let Basil fall to the floor as I turned around and stuck the knife deep into the vampire’s chest. Elio turned and ripped his heart out before the vampire could do anything else.
“We need to get out of here,” Elio said as Basil opened his eyes.
“Elio? Ryder?” he said questioningly.
“Basil!” Elio said as I helped Basil to his feet. Elio grabbed him in a hug and Basil seemed unhurt.
“I was drugged by someone,” he said as he rubbed his head.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I said as Elio searched the vampire and found another knife and a gun.
Elio handed the gun to me and I gave the knife to Basil. They were faster than me and I was a better shot. We ran into ten more vampires on our way through the hallways and we finally found a door with an exit sign above it.
“Basil make some calls, check out this building and get Tank down here,” I said as I handed the gun to him.
“What about you?” Basil asked me.
“I’m going after Carlson,” I said as we walked to the three cars parked outside.
“How are you going to find him?” Elio asked me.
“I know where to find him,” I said as I tried the first car and found the door locked. The second car’s door was unlocked and I ripped the wires from under the dashboard and hotwired the car. Basil and Elio both looked at me and I shook my head.
“You can’t go alone,” Elio said.
“You’re hurt Elio, when you guys are done here wrap it up and go to my house,” I said and sped away from them.
I still couldn’t feel Abeloth and that worried me. I knew I needed to sleep for him to heal faster because I would need him once I got to Broadview. I didn’t want Elio and Basil to follow me because now I was the hunter. I would hunt him down however long it might take me and bring him to his knees.
I followed the single lane road for about ten miles before I stopped in front of a sign and I frowned as I read it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was in Roswell, New Mexico. I was drugged the entire time we were driving so I had to have been gone for more than the ten days that I could recollect.
I hit the steering wheel once in frustration and started driving again. It was going to take me almost three days to get back to Illinois. I stopped at the first gas station and filled up the tank with the cash in Clifford’s wallet. I found my bank card hidden in a side pocket as I rifled through it.
I bought food, water and a new cellphone and started driving again. I activated the phone and punched in a number that I’ve known my whole life. I didn’t feel very good as Abeloth’s energy started to wear off, I’d have to find a motel and sleep for a few hours.
“This is Lucas,” he answered his phone.
“Dad,” I said.
“Ryder,” he breathed my name in relief, “do you have any idea how worried I’ve been! Where the fuck have you been?” He was already yelling at me and I had to smile at that.
“It’s not what you think,” I said to him as he continued to yell.
“I can’t believe you fucked things up with Megan and then have the audacity to run!” he yelled.
“I was taken!” I yelled back.
“What?” he asked me.
“I was shot with a tranquilizer right after I left Albert’s house in Springfield, they kept me drugged a lot of the time, I don’t even know how long I’ve been gone,” I said to him.
“You’ve been gone for twenty-three days,” he said.
“Fuck,” I said loudly, “Dad you need to go to Springfield and get Albert, lock him in your cell or something, don’t kill him, he’s in on all of it, the children, Felix.”
“Shit Ryder, you want me to waltz in there and just take him?” he asked me.
“Yes!” I said loudly.
“Where are you?” he asked me.
“In New fucking Mexico,” I said angrily.
“Shit, are you hurt badly?” he asked me.
“Not too bad, Elio and Basil were taken too, I left them in Roswell to clear out that building where we were held, I’m on my way home,” I said to him.
“I’ll get Albert, don’t worry,” he said to me.
“I’m not worried,” I said to him and he chuckled.
“Sleep when you get tired, don’t roll another car, I’m waiting for you,” he said.
“Call Link for me please,” I said to him.
“Sure, so you never broke up with Megan?” he asked me.
“Of course not!”
“She moved back to Aurora, quit her job at that school,” he said.
“I’ll call her, don’t worry about me, just get Albert and who the fuck ever stands in your way, he has vampires there too,” I said to him.
“I’ll take my team, just get here safely,” he said, “I love you Ryder.”
“Love you too Dad,” I said and ended the call.
I punched another number into my phone and waited as it started to ring. I had already been driving for four hours and if he was at home I had only another three to go.
“Hello,” he answered the phone.
“Hey Jack,” I said.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the mighty Grey dragon,” he said and I smiled.
“Are you at home?” I asked him.
“Of course I am sweetheart, you heading this way?” he asked me.
“I’m three hours out, I need another car, clothes and some medical supplies,” I said.
“Of course you do, see you soon honey pie,” he said and ended the call.
I drove the three hours to Oklahoma City and by the time I turned into Jack’s driveway I was beyond exhausted. The front door opened and I could hear high heels clicking towards me as I climbed out. I leaned against the car as Jack reached me and threw my arm over his shoulder as he half carried me inside his house.
“Oh baby, what happened to you?” Jack asked as he led me to the couch.
“Vampires, poison, the usual,” I groaned as I laid down flat on it.
“Take off those dirty clothes and let me heal you with my magic hands,” Jack said and rubbed his hands together.
“You just want me naked,” I said with a laugh.
“Of course sweetie pie, but tonight I’ll let you rest,” he said with a smile and I heard him move to another room as I sat upright again and started taking my clothes off.
“Don’t you dare bring me that tea you always try to force on me,” I said loudly as I kept my underwear on and sat back down on the couch.
I closed my eyes for a moment as I heard Jack hum in the background and the kettle boil. The last time I’d been in this house Felix had been with me. It brought back bittersweet memories and I felt that familiar urge to go and kill. For the moment though, I was safe here and I could rest so Abeloth could heal as well.
“We’ll go kill them tomorrow,” he whispered in my head.
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