Lauren (Keegan's Chronicles Spin Off)

by Julia Crane

  Her cell phone trilled on the coffee table. Without lifting her face from the throw pillow, she fumbled for it. “Hello?”

  “Lauren, it’s Galen.”

  Adrenaline hit her and she pushed up to her elbows, brushing her hair away from her face. “Did you find out anything?”

  “Yeah, I did.” He sounded smug. “I’m coming to get you. Two hours.”

  Her heart beating in her throat, Lauren said, “I’ll be ready.”

  “Keegan and Anna were not happy,” she informed Galen as she slid into the passenger seat. She was surprised to see him in a run-down Chevy pickup full of dents, complete with a rusty bumper. It wasn’t what she’d expected.

  Galen shifted into first gear and pulled away from the curb. “We’re going to be sneaking in under the radar. It’s bad enough trying to get two people into a secure building. Four isn’t gonna happen.”

  “That’s what I told them.” She watched out the passenger window as they moved into an industrialized area. “Where is this place?”

  He shot her a look, passing headlights reflecting off his eyes. “Tristen’s office.”

  Lauren burst out laughing.

  Galen watched her, amused, until her laughter petered out into giggles. “What’s so funny?”

  “The entire time I dated Tristen, I always wanted to know about his job. Where it was, what he did. And now that we’re over and he’s a psychopath, I finally get to see the place.”

  They passed the rest of the drive in tense silence, both of them lost in thought. Galen signaled to turn left, and they turned into an office park. He slipped the truck behind a dumpster. The glass office building, several stories tall, stretched before them.

  In the silence after he shut off the engine, Lauren asked, “Are we going inside?”

  Galen shook his head. “No. We’re headed for an outbuilding—file storage.”

  They got out, and Galen tugged a flashlight out from under his seat before shutting and locking the doors. “This way,” he said, motioning with his head.

  They didn’t see another soul, or any other cars. They crossed the dark asphalt, bypassing the office building and heading for the sidewalk that ran alongside it.

  “What do they do here?” Lauren whispered, doubling her steps so she could keep up with Galen’s long strides.

  “Nothing legal, I’m sure,” he answered quietly. “I’m in the dark about a lot of it. I know they move goods—importing and exporting. Maybe stolen property, maybe drugs.”

  Lauren groaned. “Gods, I can’t believe I ever trusted him.”

  Galen halted, turning to her with his face reflected in the beam of the flashlight. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. You couldn’t have known.”

  “A part of me did know,” Lauren sighed. “But a bigger part wanted to ignore it—pretend he was perfect.” To her horror, she felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes.

  “Hey, hey.” Galen flicked off the flashlight and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her shoulders gently. “Shush now. You know the truth, and we’re going to fix this. Okay?”

  Lauren pressed her face into the soft cotton of his Henley tee and nodded. “Okay.”

  They stood like that for a minute longer as Lauren collected herself. She couldn’t help enjoying his scent—a mix of something masculine and something earthy, like sandalwood.

  Galen stepped away, flashing her a smile as he turned the flashlight back on and pointed it at the sidewalk. “Let’s do this.”

  Disabling the alarm system was laughably easy. Lauren barely put any effort into it at all and the alarm collapsed in her hands.

  “Subpar equipment. It isn’t well taken care of,” she informed Galen, shaking her head. “People have no respect for electronics.”

  Galen smiled and reached out to chuck her chin. “It’s cool that you do.”

  Lauren flushed. “It’s my thing.”

  He made quick work of the lock and, moments later, they were hurrying through the cool, dark interior.

  “It’s supposed to be in room four-oh-eight,” Galen told her. His flashlight beam bounced off the walls. “In a cooler with a red lid.”

  Lauren’s heart sped faster. “How are we going to transport it? I mean, isn’t it a really volatile virus?”

  “It’s packaged well. No worries.”

  Tucked in the back of the building, Room 408 had its metal “4” hanging upside down on the red door and its “0” was nothing but a circle of faded paint.

  “Are you sure about this? It looks like no one’s used this room in a while,” Lauren hissed.

  “As sure as I can be,” Galen answered honestly.

  They pushed into the room. Galen moved the beam of light over it, illuminating a concrete floor and three white walls, completely empty except for a table and a big white cooler with a red lid.

  Lauren exchanged relieved smiles with Galen. “You were right.”

  “You want to do the honors?” he offered as they drew up to the box.

  “I guess.” Lauren slid her fingers beneath the lip of the lid and pushed it open. Galen shone his flashlight into it.

  It was empty.

  She looked at Galen. “You said it was here!”

  “It should be,” Galen said through gritted teeth. He slammed the box shut.

  “Are you messing with me, Galen?” Lauren asked angrily. “Did Tristen send you to take me on a wild goose chase?”

  “What? No! Of course not. If Tristen found out I was helping you, I would be as good as dead. I scanned the guard’s mind…” Galen fell silent for a moment. “They’re just being paranoid. Tristen must have told different people different locations.”

  Lauren thought about that for a moment. It made sense. He had seemed hyper-paranoid lately. But that didn’t do them any good right now. With time running out, they couldn’t afford dead ends.

  Pulling at the hem of her sweater, she looked at him with chagrin. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted you. I know I’ve already told you, but I do appreciate your help.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. It’s my job.” Galen leaned against the wall, and his eyes met Lauren’s. “For the record, I hated the way Tristen treated you. There were so many times when I had to stop myself from dropping that jerk to his knees when he raised his voice at you.”

  Lauren felt her face flush. “I was an idiot.”

  Galen took a step forward and touched her arm. Her body tingled at his skin on hers. “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known. Tristen is very charismatic when he wants to be.”

  “Still—by the gods, how could I have been such a fool?” She dropped her head and stared down at the floor, unable and unwilling to meet his eye.

  Galen pulled his hand away.

  She wished he had left it there. She felt safer with him near. His presence made her feel like maybe they could put a stop to the madness.

  “We should get out of here before someone notices us,” Galen said.

  “What do we do next?”

  He sighed, brushing both hands back over his hair. He gestured to the door. “I go back to step one and find another location. It’s all we can do.”

  Chapter 28

  As they walked out of the storage building, a thought crossed Lauren’s mind. She came to a stop just outside the front door. “Galen, how is the virus stored?”

  He scratched his head. “I think it has to be kept at 30-50 degrees, so it’s likely in a cooler.”

  “A cooler like what was in that room?” She pointed back at the storage building. “Or could it possibly be in a fridge?”

  His eyes lit up. “Lauren, you’re a genius. I would think a refrigerator. They wouldn’t risk messing anything up.”

  She grabbed Galen’s arm and pulled him towards the office building. “I need a moment.”

  Closing her eyes, Lauren laid both hands on the glass and cast her gift out, searching for electrical appliances. There were a lot: coffeemakers, toasters, microwaves, fax machine
s, printers, and dozens upon dozens of computers. Her mind scanned them quickly, disregarding everything but what she wanted. Finally, she narrowed it down. There were four refrigerators.

  Her eyes snapped open. “We should go in through the front door.”

  “That’s dangerous,” Galen argued. “We might be seen. I know you have the cameras taken care of, but there are still security guards here.”

  “That’s when your gift comes in handy.” Lauren smirked. “If the guards think we should be there, it will give us more time.”

  Galen’s lips twitched and the ghost of a smile crossed his face. “I like the way you think.”

  “Ditto. Let’s go.”

  They made their way to the front of the office building. After all this time, I finally see where Tristen spends his days, Lauren thought bitterly. The building looked so ordinary, just like any other banal workplace in the city. No one would ever think that, behind the double doors, someone was planning to destroy the human race.

  “It’s a good thing Tristen never brought me to any of his work functions,” she spoke up. “They shouldn’t even know what I look like.”

  “That’s true, but it could still raise eyebrows—me showing up after hours with a girl.”

  “Oh, come on,” she teased. “You can’t tell me it isn’t something you do often. Bring girls to work to impress them.”

  He laughed, but didn’t answer, and Lauren felt a completely unnecessary wave of jealousy.

  Galen shoved the flashlight beneath the waistband of his blue jeans and covered it with his t-shirt. He entered his security pass-code and the door opened.

  In the spacious, brightly lit lobby, two guards sat behind a semi-circular silver desk flanked by large potted palms. A sitcom played on a small flatscreen television, the canned laughter sounding tinny beneath the rotunda.

  One of the guards, kicked back with his feet up on the desk, nodded his head in their direction. “Fitzgerald. What are you doing here so late?”

  Galen tossed his arm around Lauren’s shoulder and pulled her close. “I was out on a date and realized I left my wallet in my desk.”

  The burly guard shook his head and laughed. “Well, that’s not the way to impress a beautiful girl.”

  “Don’t remind me.” Galen shook his head and squeezed Lauren’s shoulder.

  Lauren smiled. “He’s worth it.”

  With a wave to the guards, Galen held her close and pulled her away from the desk. Her heart skipped a beat being so close to Galen. He smelled delicious, and Lauren wanted to bury her face in his shoulder. What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t have thoughts like that when the fate of humankind hung in the balance.

  She smiled up at him as he led her past the elevators and into the central corridor. “That was smooth.”

  “I don’t like to use mind control if I can help it. It leaves the person feeling off for a while afterwards.”

  “I remember,” Lauren said wryly. “Do you know where the refrigerators are? There are four. I sensed one was in the front of the building. I can ask them, but it would be quicker if you knew.”

  Galen thought about it for a moment. “I know of three. There’s a break room, a kitchen, and one in the gym.”

  “There’s a gym here?”

  “Of course. You don’t think they actually do any work around here, do you? The break room is in here.” Galen came to a stop and pushed the metal door open.

  They entered a dark room. Galen reached around the corner to flip the switch for the fluorescent lights, illuminating four round tables with chairs, a snack machine, soda machine, and a long table in the back of the room. Swiftly, they made their way to the small fridge next to the table. Lauren reached down and pulled the door open. A slice of chocolate cake, a clear plastic container of pasta, and a few bottled drinks.

  “One down, three to go,” Lauren murmured.

  “I doubt it’s in the kitchen. Too many hands there,” Galen said thoughtfully.

  “Let’s just check real quick. No use in leaving stones unturned.”

  Galen nodded, and they made their way out of the room and down the hall. He led her up a small side staircase and into a large, open room that resembled a school auditorium. She wondered what they did in there, but didn’t bother to ask. She really didn’t want to know anything more about her ex.

  They walked across the large room and out the door on the other side, their footsteps echoing. It was creepy being in the building at night with all the lights low and nobody around.

  In the kitchen, behind the second door on the left, Lauren wasn’t surprised to see top of the line equipment, all shiny stainless steel. Only the best for the psychos.

  But they struck out in the kitchen, too. The fully stocked fridge held food and drinks, but nothing that looked like a deadly virus—unless she counted a moldy piece of cheese in the back of the crisper drawer.

  Lauren was starting to get frustrated. The virus might not even be in the building; they could be searching for nothing.

  Her phone vibrated in her pocket. A text from Keegan: Anything?

  Lauren tapped out a reply: Still looking. Might be awhile.

  They had no luck in the gym, either.

  Lauren placed her hand on the wall and sought out the last refrigerator. The familiar hum of electricity spread through her fingertips, and she asked for directions. The answer came immediately: it was downstairs in the basement. Excitement welled up in her chest. It had to be the place.

  Biting her lip, she looked up at Galen. The light hit his face, making the large scar above his eyebrow paler than usual. She wanted to ask him how he got it, but now wasn’t the time or place.

  “The basement,” she told him gleefully.

  Galen’s brow crinkled. “I didn’t even know there was a basement in this building.”

  “I’m sure a lot goes on here that you don’t know about.”

  He nodded, subdued, then gave her a reassuring smile. “Let’s go.”

  Lauren guided them in the direction that the wires showed her, coming to an innocuous brown door set into the wall a few paces down from the west stairwell. She pulled open the door and paused, surprised to see a broom closet.

  “Maybe the directions were wrong,” she said, closing her eyes. She searched again, seeking out another current within the wall. According to the electrical beings, they were in the right spot.

  “Wait.” Going into the closet, Galen pushed aside boxes and brooms. Underneath the normal closet detritus he found a trap door.

  “Good call,” Lauren said.

  “You ready for this? Who knows what we’ll find down there.”

  She motioned him on. He grasped the iron ring that served as a handle and pulled. The door creaked open.

  Fear replaced the sense of excitement Lauren had felt throughout their search. She was terrified to go down into the darkness. Galen must have sensed her fear, because he reached out and took her hand.

  “You can stay up here if you want,” he told her gently.

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to be alone.”

  “You’re safe with me, Lauren.”

  She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. “In and out.”

  Galen dropped down the first rung of the ladder beneath the door. He went down a few rungs to allow her room, and then waited on her to follow.

  The metal ladder felt cold in her hands as they descended. It swayed slightly beneath their combined weight; her stomach did flip flops. The air grew cooler, mustier.

  When she reached the last step, Galen held out his arms and she dropped down into them. His arms around her and the warmth of his body against hers left her feeling flustered and confused. Her heart sped up. Focus, for crying out loud.

  He let go of her and, together, they glanced around.

  Lauren couldn’t see much. The flashlight’s beam caused creepy shadows to dance on the wall, making everything seem unreal. She squinted into the darkness above her head and mentally willed th
e lights to turn on. A bright overhead lamp snapped on. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust.

  The huge basement, mostly empty, held cardboard boxes marked with faded dates and discarded office furniture piled against one wall. Galen headed towards the back wall. There was a door to another room, which to Lauren seemed like a logical place to start.

  Fear consumed her body the closer they got. Her body felt colder, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She wondered if Galen felt the same or if she was just making it up.

  “I don’t know about this,” Lauren said softly, her voice foreign in the room.

  Galen glanced over at her, his eyes concerned. “Are you feeling okay? You look green.”

  She shook her head roughly, her eyes glued to the rust-colored door straight ahead. “I have a bad feeling.”

  “We have to find the virus, Lauren. If we don’t…”

  Lauren took a shaky breath. “Yeah. I know.”

  “Come on.” He offered his hand and she took it. The sensation of his skin on hers—rough, yet silky at the same time—brought heat to her face.

  When they reached the door, Galen opened it without a hint of hesitation.

  Lauren doubled back with a gasp, tripping over an exposed crack in the basement concrete. She went sprawling hard on her bottom, catching herself awkwardly with her hands.

  It was Calvron’s dimension all over again. The green-skinned, broad-headed creature lay with its skinny body in the shape of a cross inside a circle of blood. Only this time, the fresh blood glistened thick and red on the concrete. Lauren could smell the sharp, metallic scent on the air, along with the remnants of a pungent incense. Black pillar candles glowed around the body, wax forming puddles beneath them.

  “What the…” Galen’s voice trailed off as he took a step into the room.

  “Galen, no!” Lauren screamed, the demand coming out high-pitched and fearful. “It’s black magick!”

  A long, slow scrape sounded from inside the room. From her prone position on the floor, Lauren saw a black shadow flit across the small area she could see around Galen’s body. Terror struck her numb, but it spurred Galen into motion.