by JJ King
When I made it to the third floor without being shot, I hit the floor running.
The chemistry lab was locked, just like every other room, but I’d suspected that would be my next challenge, so I didn’t get too upset. I’d been hoping to find a random crowbar or something along the way to help me break in, but that had been wishful thinking. My hands were empty and my mind was spinning as I eyeballed the door.
I needed a key or something to smash the door in.
Since I didn’t expect to find a handy dandy key just laying around, I searched the hallway for something big or sharp. I found it hiding in the wall in plain view, right next to the eye wash station.
“Yes!” I grinned as I opened the case and pried the fire axe from its mount. This wasn’t going to be quiet, but it was going to be effective. I hoped.
I’d chopped wood too many times to count, so I knew how to swing an axe. I’d never chopped down a door, though. I pushed John McClane out of my mind and channeled The Shinning.
By the fifth swing, my arm and shoulder were singing and sweat covered my face. The door, however, had only a slight dent in its perfect metal finish. Curses bubbled up from the depths of my soul, but I bit them back and refused to give into despair.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have counted on movies to save the day,” I grumbled, then looked around for another idea. If I couldn’t get into the lab, my entire plan was ruined and time was flying by too quickly.
I chewed on my lip and stared at the stupid door, at the barely-there dent, at the shiny surface, at the three long hinges. My eyebrow quirked up.
I needed something slim and hard. Something like… I strode down the hallway and bent down to grab the pen someone had dropped. It’ll work, it’ll work, it’ll work. I kept repeating the words in my mind like a mantra as I pulled the ink free of the hard plastic shell, refusing to give my doubts power.
Carefully, I placed the pen beneath the middle hinge, fitting it into the little hole at the bottom, and raised the axe up to gently tap it up.
The screw moved!
I did a little jig, then calmed myself down and tapped again. If I hit the pen too hard, it would break, and I’d be screwed again.
One by one, the screws popped out of their hinges, leaving the door unsupported. I put them in my pocket, leaned the axe against the wall, and grabbed the door.
It was heavy but I managed to pull it off the hinges and shuffle it to the side.
“Pirates of the Caribbean for the win!” I chuckled and promised myself I’d tell Bethany if I didn’t die today. It was one of her favorite movies.
Now that I was where I needed to be, nerves bubbled to life. What if I’d done all this and the vials weren’t even there? Louis had said there’d only been one chemical in them, pyra-something, and he’d pointed to a glass case, I remembered. If they were gone, I’d break into the case. Simple.
I was turning into a real hoodlum. Although, I doubt anyone would care about my breaking and entering considering my motives.
My station was in the center of the room, so I wove through the tables and stools with my fingers crossed, chewing on my lip. My hand hovered above the drawer for just a moment before I pulled it open…
…and found all three vials.
I picked them up gingerly and eyed the liquid inside. According to Louis, it would create a huge rotten fish stink, which was exactly what I needed to avoid detection. A diversion.
But, I needed to do it right because I’d only get one shot at it. The Administration building was roughly ten minutes from here, if I could get there undetected.
Wherever I used it, people would run. A wolf’s olfactory sense was too sensitive to withstand a stink bomb like this, even though my entire plan was hinged on me running straight into the stench.
If I trailed it behind me, though, I’d be creating a very stinky path that anyone could follow, so I had to lay down more than one. Luckily, I had three.
If I threw one out into the quad, it should provide enough of a distraction to get me going. I crossed to a window and lifted it slowly, just in case anyone was watching. The mesh resisted for a moment before popping out, giving me a clear shot to the quad below. One good lob and Louis’ stink bomb would do its thing.
I considered the vial. The grass was thick below and the glass looked solid so there was no real assurance it would break even from this height. I’d have to take the top off.
Knowing it would be painful to breathe after I opened it, I searched the room until I found some thick white cloth then folded it into a make-shift mask. I’m sure there were actual masks in one of the locked cabinets but I’d just have it open for a second before throwing it.
I unscrewed the top and pulled it off, then immediately covered my mouth and nose with the cloth while I leaned out the window and threw the vial with all my strength. It sailed through the air and landed on the grass with a quiet wisp of sound.
I gagged. In the instant it had taken me to drop the cover and throw the vial, the chemical had filled the air in front of my face and had cut off my breath. I wretched myself away from the window, bending over from the waist to cough violently as I tried to fill my lungs with fresh oxygen. Luckily, there was nothing left in my stomach to throw up.
It took several long, horrible minutes, but I finally straightened and blew out a deep breath.
“Shit,” I mumbled, knowing I’d have to endure that again to finish my plan. And I’d only breathed the smallest bit of vapors, what would it be like to get a good lungful?
It was my best change, though. If I didn’t pass out.
Reassessing the need for a real gas mask, which would allow me to continue breathing, I grabbed the axe from the hallway and broke lock after lock until I found what I needed. It covered most of my face, which was probably a good thing, and blocked out even the slightest scent of rotten fish. I also found a pair of dark blue scrubs tucked in among the masks and extra lab coats, so I took a minute to put them on. I still had nothing on my feet, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
This was it, I thought as I made my way to the front doors of the Science building. I wiggled the mask to make sure it was secure, stuck one vial into a pocket, and then unscrewed the top of the other.
And ran.
Chapter 17
My legs moved faster than they ever had in my entire life.
I didn’t stop to think, didn’t stop to look behind me, I just moved forward with a single intention, to get to the Administration building and up to the nurse’s office then back to the library as quickly as I could.
My luck was holding, I had no idea why or how, but I managed to get past the Math building and the Visual Arts building without spotting a single guard. When I rounded the corner of the Arts building, though, all that changed. I charged straight into a group of men and women, all sporting deadly weapons and staring, shocked, at me.
With a scream that echoed inside my own head so loudly it made my pulse jump, I waved the open vial in the air in front of them, then took off in the opposite direction.
Screams filtered through the air as I ran, along with the sounds of agony and vomiting. I stopped, panting for breath at the edge of the brick and turned to look back at the chaos I’d created. My eyes shot wide as I realized I’d only seen the guards, not who they were guarding.
Students, people I’d seen around campus, and professors, bent over or fell to the ground holding their hands over their mouths, trying to breathe through the hostile air. My heart went out to them, but I couldn’t stop. They were safe enough. Louis had wanted to pull a prank not kill the entire population of campus. It sucked, I knew, but dying would be worse.
I was about to turn away when a thought occurred to me. I could run around the outskirts of campus and possibly run into more guards who I’d have to dose with the other vial, or I could cut through the mayhem here while everyone was distracted. It was a faster route, more direct, and would shave around five minutes off my time. Five very valuable minutes.
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I didn’t give myself time to overthink. I raced into the mess of heaving bodies, leaping over gagging peers and wild guards. I pressed my hand to the mask, desperate to keep it locked in place. One wrong move and I’d be in the same predicament as these poor guys.
A few feet from freedom, a hand shot out and grabbed my ankle, sending me tumbling to the grass in a heap. I cried out as my, already tender ankle, twisted again. Pain shot up my leg and I kicked out instinctively without looking. My bare heel connected with something that crunched under it. I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing this was it, I would die now, then opened them again when three seconds ticked by and nothing happened.
Seraphina lay on the grass at my feet, her entire face covered in blood as she grasped her broken nose and gasped for breath. Her terrified and furious gaze locked on me and recognition filled them, along with pure hatred.
Scrambling back, I pushed to my feet and limped past the mess of writhing bodies, grabbing the edge of a tree for support.
“Damn it,” I groaned as I tested my ankle again. This was worse, way worse than it had been and I’d been able to heal faster when I’d shifted into my wolf then back to my human body. That’s the way it was, the more we shifted, the faster we healed. But, if I were to shift now, to get back a keener sense of smell and lose this gas mask, I’d be just like the poor souls I’d just left behind.
So, I limped, and bit back hot stinging tears with every stab of pain that travelled up my leg. I was almost there. I could see the Administration building now.
It was so beautiful. That’s all I could think as I drew closer, step by agonizing step. I had to focus on something. It was beautiful, the way the ivy crept over the brick facade, giving it a distinguished and cultured air. This place was old, I knew, and filled with secrets. Like The Sisterhood.
Forty feet, that’s as far as I had to go to get to the front doors. Thirty nine, now.
I counted them off, trying to focus on that instead of the fact that I wish I’d had the foresight to grab a big stick or something I could use as a cane,
Nine more feet. I lifted my head and stared at the steps that lead to the front doors, seeing them as almost insurmountable. I wanted to sit down, I wanted to rest and hide. I wanted my mom.
A shout to my left had me throwing myself into a crouch behind the hedge that ran around the entire Administration building. Branches cut my skin again, but I didn’t care.
Guards surged around the corner of the building and headed straight toward their fallen comrades. And each and every one of them wore a gas mask.
My heart squeezed so viciously, I grasped my chest and wondered what a heart attack felt like. They’d be immune to the chemical now, leaving only students and professors suffering. My one way out was ruined, all because of fucking Seraphina!
I channeled my fury, knowing it was misplaced but also knowing I couldn’t spare the energy it would take to adequately hate the terrorists. They were too big, too unknown, but Seraphina… I could hate her to the end of time.
I embraced the rage, and the white stillness that filled my mind was soothing. Using it to push back the pain, I stood on the other side of the thick brush on the ankle I now presumed to be broken.
I tried to flex it and had to bite down on my lip to stop the whimper from escaping.
Shouts from the other side of the hedge alerted me to the fact that even more terrorists had shown up, all wearing masks. It was just a matter of minutes until one of the fallen guards caught their breath enough to warn them of the crazy girl that had run past them wearing a gas mask and waving a vial of stinky fish scent.
I watched in silence, not knowing where to go next and saw one of them, a woman, start up the stairs to the front door, which would, I realized a second later, give her a better vantage point on my hiding spot.
I stumbled back into the shadows cast by the tall building and jerked my head around looking for somewhere to hide. A gardener’s shed tucked against the building was the perfect spot so I hobbled there first and yanked on the handle.
It didn’t budge.
“No, no, no,” I whispered as I gasped shallow breaths that made my head swim.
The woman took the fourth step then the fifth. Soon, she’d be able to see me clearly.
I closed my eyes and let my head loll back. If this was it, I wanted to be taken with some kind of dignity. I’d fought my hardest to save Xavier. I could be proud of that. My parents could be proud of it, if they ever found out what I’d tried to do.
The woman took the final step and turned to face the path.
A hand wrapped around my mouth at the same instant I was jerked back against a hard body and pulled, kicking and screaming, into darkness.
Chapter 18
I fought back as hard as I could.
My arms were pinned to my sides so I swung my head back with as much momentum as I could. It connected with something flat and wide that grunted and cursed, then hissed, “Elena, stop. It’s me.”
I froze.
The arms held me for a moment longer, almost as if they didn’t trust my lack of action, and then I was free. I turned in the darkness and stilled.
“Bash?” I strained to see but it was too dark, so I lifted my hand slowly, to his chest, his shoulder, his face. “Bash!” I threw myself into his arms and bumped the gas mask painfully into him. “Ow.”
I ripped the mask over my head and took a cautious whiff of the air inside the shed. It smelled of ripe fertilizer, seeds, and metallic garden tools, but was free of the horrid scent of fish.
“You’re alright?” I asked, running my hand over his face again, searching for blood. “How are you here?”
“I was headed to the solarium to meet you when the attack happened.” His voice was gravelly and pitched low, barely above a whisper. “Old Ones, Elena, they’re just shooting people.” He blew out a breath and leaned forward until his forehead touched mine.
I knew we had bigger things to worry about, Xavier for one, but in this moment I could think of none of them. Bash was safe, we were together, and everything was alright.
“I was coming out of the Admin building when…” he paused and shook his head slowly, “when Stephanie was shot. I didn’t know what to do. Everyone was screaming and running. They just kept coming and shooting into the crowd, so we hid. We found this shed and locked it from the inside.”
I pulled back, still unable to see, and frowned. “We?” I asked, finally hearing the sound of quiet breaths behind Bash.
“Yeah, 007,” Daniella’s acrid tone made my spine stiffen. “As in my brother and me.” But the weakness in her voice made my brows furrow.
I pulled my cell, still useless I noticed, out of my pocket and turned on the torch feature. Daniella sat, scowling and pasty white, in the corner of the shed with a piece of fabric pressed to her shoulder. From the red stain on it, I realized she’d been shot.
Watching her, I pulled in a deep breath, tasting the air, and scented more than just blood. I glanced back at Bash and, with the illumination, finally saw the strain in his eyes. “How bad is it?” I asked him, then turned to look at my worst enemy, figuring she could use something or someone else to focus on at the moment.
“It’s nothing. It went right through,” she barked and color flooded her cheeks. Bash’s hand touched the length of my back gently. “Why do you care, anyway? Looking for another way to worm your way into my brother’s life?” Daniella broke off and pulled in a few shallow breaths that seemed to tire her out. I decided there wasn’t time for this and squatted down so we were at eye level.
“Alright,” I said quietly but with enough backbone in my tone that she stayed silent. “We don’t have time for this bullshit. Professor Xavier was shot in the side and the silver is going to kill him,” I arched an eyebrow and nodded towards her shoulder, “and, I suspect, you, if we don’t get the antidote from the nurse’s office and dose you both. I’m guessing there’s more than just the two of you needing it right now, too.”
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Bash knelt beside me and reached for his sister’s hand. “Dani, you know she’s right. Whatever fucked up logic is keeping you from seeing that Elena’s the last person to worm her way in anywhere is just going to have to be put on hold until you’re not dying.” His breath was warm on my face and smelled of peppermint when he spoke. “I’m going with you.”
Daniella stared at me with narrowed eyes for a long moment, reluctance and fear for her own life warring on her perfect features, then she nodded once and set her jaw. “Let’s get going then. The antidote isn’t going to administer itself.”
I scoffed before I could stop myself and was rewarded with a seething glare. “You’re hurt. You need to stay here.” As I said the words, I remembered the state of my ankle and tested it out. My almost silent hiss of pain wasn’t silent enough.
“Pot. Kettle.” Daniella arched a haughty eyebrow my way followed by a weak smirk.
I stared at her and wondered, for an instant, if I could live with myself if I just left her behind and went on with my life. No, I immediately reconciled, I couldn’t let her die, even if she was a huge bitch. Besides, some part of me that I didn’t quite understand or even want to acknowledge yet cared more about Bash than I’d ever cared for anyone and he loved her. I guess I was stuck with her.
Just because I was stuck with her didn’t mean I was going to take her shit, though. Without saying a word, I turned off my phone light and shrugged out of the lab coat. I had a problem that would be solved with a simple shift. She, on the other hand, wouldn’t be able to shift until the silver was out of her system.
I rotated my stiff neck and called to my wolf. Evolution and magic flowed through me as my bones shifted and thick russet fur sprouted, covering me from head to toe. When my foot bones elongated, I bit back a howl of pain knowing all of our lives depended on it.
