The Pursuit of Truth
Page 12
The Chead straightened and scanned the corridor, searching for movement. Blood stained the walls, and no human had escaped her vengeance. Lifting her head, she tasted the air, seeking out the strange smell. It called to her, alien but familiar. Desire tingled in her veins as she breathed it in. Turning, she followed it.
The Chead moved down the long corridors on silent feet, her senses reaching out, searching for signs of life. But there were no more sounds now. The stark white corridors were empty, the group she had slaughtered perhaps the only occupants.
Turn back.
The Chead hesitated as a voice whispered in her mind. Snarling, she pushed it aside and continued after the scent. It grew stronger with every step, rich and sweet and irresistible. Her pace quickened, desire mingling with rage, muting the need to rend and tear.
Long minutes later, the Chead found her way barred by a steel door. She paused. Lifting her head, she breathed deeply, tasting the scent she tracked. It hung heavy around the door. There could be no doubt. The source was beyond.
Clenching her fists, the Chead charged. Again and again she hurled herself at the door, feeling it bend and shift with each blow, rattled by her power. She sensed movement, and redoubled her efforts, determined not to let the source of the scent escape.
Stop, said the voice again, but she ignored it.
Roaring, the Chead drove herself against the door a final time. Hinges shrieked, and with a crash it buckled inwards, collapsing to the ground beyond. Triumph quickened the Chead’s racing heart, and teeth bared, she stepped inside.
22
Chris sagged against the wall of his cage as Liz fled through the door. His shoulders slumped and he slid to the concrete. Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep, shuddering breath.
What the hell is going on?
His mind was still reeling, struggling to comprehend what he’d just witnessed. But there was no denying it—Liz had changed, had succumbed to the relentless rage of the Chead. The vile guards had never stood a chance. And neither had he.
“Chris?” Richard’s voice came from nearby.
Chris opened his eyes and looked through the wire at the others. They huddled in their cages, wide eyed and pale with shock. Richard had found his feet, but Jasmine and Mira still sat on the floors of their cages, their faces lined with exhaustion. He could feel the same fatigue throbbing in his temple, and found his mind drifting.
What did they use in those tranquilizers?
“What did you say, Richard?” he asked, fighting against the weariness.
Richard eyes were lingering on the slaughter Liz had left behind. Blood and body parts lay scattered across the floor, barely recognizable as the three men who had stood there a few minutes earlier.
“We have to go,” Richard said grimly. “Can you get out?”
Chris quickly assessed the damage Liz had inflicted on his cage. The poles had bent, but not broken, and the thick wire still hemmed him in on all sides. Grimly, he shook his head. Then he saw a glimmer of metal amidst the bloody mess on the floor outside his cage.
He scrambled forward eagerly. “The keys!”
Twisting, he tried to reach them through the mesh. But cuffed together, his hands didn’t fit between the wire. He looked at Richard and Jasmine, despair welling in his chest.
“I can’t reach them,” he said.
Jasmine snorted. “You clearly haven’t watched enough crime shows.”
So saying, Jasmine lay down on her back and bent her knees. With her arms still cuffed behind her, she lowered her hands until they rested under her backside. Then she lifted her stomach, stretched her arms down and passed them beneath her feet. Hands now in front of her, she climbed to her feet and grinned.
“Now you,” she said.
Chris, Richard and Mira quickly repeated the procedure. When Chris looked back up, Jasmine was staring down at her hands, her forehead creased. Veins stood out along her arms as she strained. With her hands in front, she could now bring the full force of her enhanced strength to bear. Slowly, the chains of her handcuffs buckled, until with a violent jerk, they snapped apart.
Jasmine grimaced. “These people have underestimated us for the last time. Come on, Chris, get the keys.”
Chris nodded. Tensing his arms, he pulled them apart. Pain streaked from his bullet wound, but he resisted it, determined not to let the others down, and a few seconds later the steel gave way with a shriek. Dropping to his knees, he reached a hand through the wire links and retrieved the keys from the bloody floor.
Within minutes, the four of them stood outside the cages amidst the carnage their friend had left behind. The keys had also unlocked the broken remains of the handcuffs, although it had taken precious time to find the right key amidst the bulging chain.
Looking at the slaughter, Chris forced himself to avert his eyes. He saw the questions in the others’ expressions, mirroring those spinning through his own mind. Why had Liz changed? And were they destined to follow her? Would they all turn into monsters, one by one?
Shuddering, he pushed away the thought. “We’d better get out of here. Liz can’t have gone far.”
Richard frowned. “Chris…” He lowered his head and looked away. “Chris, Liz is gone. You saw her eyes. Whatever that was, I don’t think she’s coming back from it. We can’t waste our time looking for her. Halt could be back any minute.”
Chris stared at Richard, the first embers of rage catching in his chest. “How can you say that?” he snapped. “After everything we’ve been through, how can you even think about leaving her?”
“I don’t like it any better than you do.” Richard met Chris’s eyes for just a moment, long enough for him to see the sorrow there. “But we have to be realistic. She turned, Chris. She’s Chead now. She’s gone.”
“No.” Chris stepped in close and grabbed Richard by the arm. “She’s not. She’s still in there. You saw her, she had the chance to kill me, but she didn’t. I’m not leaving her.”
Richard pulled his arm free and turned to Jasmine. “Jasmine…” he started, then stopped, still unsure of himself with her. “Jas, tell him we have to go.”
Chris looked at Jasmine, pleading silently for her help. He was so tired, his strength at its end. He couldn’t do this without them.
Jasmine’s eyes flickered from Chris and back to Richard, a frown twisting her lips. Finally, she let out a long breath, and stepped up beside them. Her eyes fixed on Richard as she drew him into her arms.
Richard’s eyes widened at her sudden show of affection, but a second later his arms went around her, hugging her back. They stood for a second in silence. Finally, Jasmine pulled away again and looked up at Richard.
“Thank you, Rich,” she said, smiling. “You took a bullet for me, back in the apartment.”
“Well, they were darts…” Richard trailed off as Jasmine placed a hand on his chest.
She turned back to Chris, her eyes resolute. “And so did Liz. I told her to run, to leave us behind. She could have gotten free, but she chose to stay and fight for us.” She looked at Richard. “If our positions were reversed now, she wouldn’t leave, Rich. We’re family, we have to help her.”
The two of them stood staring at each other for a long moment, before Richard closed his eyes and nodded.
Just then, a low whimper came from Mira. Chris stumbled back as she sprang at him. Her wings beat down, carrying her past as Chris leapt from her path. But she was not attacking him. With another strike of her wings, she disappeared through the open door.
Chris swore and raced after her. He heard footsteps and muttered curses as the others followed, but outside Mira was already fleeing down the long corridor. Sucking in a breath, Chris followed, desperate to catch the girl before she got them all killed.
At the end of the corridor, Mira took a sharp turn to the right. Chris picked up the pace, afraid of losing her. A trail of bloody footprints led in the direction they were heading, and silently he prayed Mira did not encounter Liz.
Ahead, Mira vaulted around another bend. Chris barreled around the corner, his wings outstretched to keep his balance. She was still fifty feet ahead, but he was closing in fast. The hushed voices of the others chased after him as he glanced around, expecting guards or doctors to appear. But the hallways remained empty, and he guessed Liz had killed her victims before they’d had a chance to sound the alarms.
Slowly he closed the gap with Mira, until only a few feet separated them. As he reached out to catch her, Mira’s wings beat down, sending her soaring out of reach. Swearing, Chris tried to do the same, but he crashed to the ground as his wings struck the walls on either side. The narrow corridors fit Mira’s smaller wingspan perfectly, but rendered his useless. Climbing to his feet, he continued the chase.
The game of cat and mouse ended abruptly as Mira drew to a stop. Chris’s arms windmilled, and he staggered sideway into the wall to avoid knocking the girl off her feet. He quickly reached out and grabbed Mira by the arm.
As the others drew up behind him, he straightened, finally noticing where Mira had led them. The first thing he saw was the bloody footprints. They were fainter now, but there was no doubt in his mind they belonged to Liz. His eyes travelled further down the corridor, to where a steel door lay crumpled on the ground.
His stomach twisted and he glanced at Mira. She stood beside him, staring through the broken doorway, her shoulders rising and falling with each shallow breath. Her wings shuddered on her back, and her whole body was coiled tight as a spring.
“Where have you brought us, Mira?” Chris whispered.
23
Liz rose slowly from the darkness, following the soft whispers of a familiar voice. Tendrils of madness trapped her, threatening to pull her back down, but the voice was urgent, insistent. It lifted her from the haze, pulling her into the light, returning her to reality.
She shuddered as sensation returned. A scream built in her throat, but she swallowed it down. Blinking, she bit back a sob as her memories clicked into place. Trapped in her own body, she had been helpless to stop the creature’s slaughter.
A wild fury had taken her when the guards had grabbed her. Lying there, she had felt a pressure building in her chest. As they reached for her, that pressure had snapped, and rage had swept her away. Powerless against it, Liz had closed her eyes and succumbed.
When they opened again, it had been the Chead who looked out.
The steel handcuffs had given way like paper before her power, and her tormentors quickly followed. She could still remember the ecstasy, her wild joy at the slaughter, the pleasure she’d taken ripping her enemies limb from limb.
Tasting bile in her throat, Liz rolled onto her side and threw up.
Her arms shook as she finally sat up. A memory flickered into her mind, and she recalled the voice that had called her back. Blinking, she was surprised to find herself on a narrow hospital bed in some kind of infirmary. Liz’s gaze swept her surroundings, settling on the occupant of the neighboring bed. Her heart froze in her chest as time seemed to slow, all sound falling away.
Ashley smiled back, red hair spilling across the pillow, white wings hanging half-folded to either side of her. Her face was ghostly pale, still marked by faint traces of bruising, and a steel collar shone around her throat. Both of her hands had been handcuffed to the railing of the bed, and she wore a silk gown with long sleeves that covered her arms. An IV bag hung from the wall beside her bed, a thin tube delivering its contents through a stent in her arm.
“You back with us, then?” Ashley murmured, her voice faint.
“Ashley!” The word tore from Liz’s lips as she leapt from the bed and hurled herself at her friend. “You’re alive!”
She could hardly believe her eyes, hardly trust that Ashley was really there. Last Liz had seen her, Ashley had been a broken mess, her chest torn open by a bullet, her wings shattered by the fall. Yet here she was, still sporting bandages around her chest, but whole, alive.
Ashley chuckled. “No thanks to you,” she croaked. “Thought you were going to kill me.”
Liz shuddered, the horror of her change returning. “I don’t know what happened…”
With the words, a dam shattered within Liz, and she felt all the horror, all the terror and anger, the devastation of the past weeks come crashing down on her. Sobbing, she hugged Ashley again, overwhelmed. Then Ashley was crying as well, as they shared in one another’s grief.
Time passed. Holding tight to Ashely, Liz could almost imagine herself a child again, safe in her mother’s embrace. She breathed in Ashley’s scent, hardly able to believe the girl was really there, that she had survived. And if that was true, then Sam…
Liz sat up straight as movement came from the shattered doorway. The breath caught in her throat as Chris appeared. His mouth dropped opened as he found the two of them sitting on the hospital bed. Liz closed her eyes, unable to face his horror at what she’d done. Blood matted her wings and hair, covering her in a grotesque paste Liz feared she could never wash away. Silently, she waited for Chris’s judgement.
A hand brushed her cheek, lifting her chin. Her eyes fluttered open and she found Chris beside her, his arms open to embrace her.
“Liz,” he breathed, his voice filled with wonder. “Your eyes, they’re blue.”
With a half-choked cry, Liz threw herself into Chris’s arms. His hands went around her, stroking her wings as she hugged him with all her strength. His shirt slid up, and she felt the warmth of his flesh beneath her fingers. Desire flickered within her…
Suddenly Chris was screaming. Shoving her away, he stumbled back from her, his face twisted in pain. He crashed into another hospital bed and crumpled to the floor. Mouth open, Liz went to help him, but froze when she saw his back.
As though kissed by fire, an angry red rash had appeared on his skin where her fingers had touched him. She looked down at her hands as Chris writhed on the ground, clawing at his back. His wings slammed into the spare hospital bed, sending it crashing to the floor. A sound came from the doorway, and Liz saw Mira, Richard and Jasmine staring back at her. She swallowed a shriek of her own.
What have they done to me?
On the floor, Chris’s thrashing began to slow. He panted in the quiet, his eyes clenched shut as he fought some unknown battle, some unspeakable pain.
Finally, he stilled. Blinking, he looked around. Liz groaned as she saw his bloodshot eyes, desperate to go to him, but fear held her back. With a moan, Chris climbed to his knees, his limbs trembling with the effort.
“What…” he croaked, his voice trailing off. Grimacing, he tried again. “What is going on, Liz?”
“I don’t know,” Liz whispered, tears in her eyes. She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m so sorry.”
The others edged forward. Liz did not miss the nervous glances they cast her way. She hung back as they helped Chris up off the floor. There was no missing the pain in Chris’s eyes as he looked at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead, a voice came from behind them.
“If you lot don’t mind…” Ashley interrupted, a sharpness to her voice. “Halt could be back any second.”
There was no missing the terror in Ashley’s voice at the mention of Halt’s name. Liz returned quickly to her side. Taking care not to touch her skin, she carefully pulled the stent from Ashley’s arm. She was about to try breaking the handcuffs when Richard appeared at her side.
“Here, try these,” he said, offering her a ring of keys.
Liz nodded her thanks and quickly set about finding the right key. The cuffs gave an audible click as they came free. Liz stepped back to make room for Ashley to stand. She managed to swing her
legs out over the side, but there she paused, swaying where she sat.
“Are you okay, Ashley?” Liz asked, concerned.
Ashley nodded and gestured at the IV. “They’ve been keeping me drugged,” she murmured. “So…weak.”
She began to topple backwards, but Richard stepped forward quickly and caught her by the waist.
“Easy there,” he said. He flicked a glance at Liz. “Let’s save the reunion for later, shall we?”
Liz nodded, but Chris spoke from beside her. “What about her collar?”
“The keys,” Richard hissed, gesturing for them. Liz passed them over and he began to flick through the chain, searching for the familiar shape of the key that had freed them back in the facility.
“I’m sorry, guys,” Ashley whispered, her eyelids fluttering. “I don’t know if I can…”
“It’s okay, Ash,” Chris said. “We can carry you.”
“So long as we do it quickly,” Jasmine added. “It’s been a while since…Sooner or later, someone is going to stumble on those bodies.”
Liz’s stomach twisted at her words and she quickly looked away, unable to meet the others’ gazes.
“What about Sam?” Chris asked. “Do you know where he is?”
A pained looked crossed Ashley’s face as she shook her head. “Halt…using him for something.”
Swearing, Liz clenched her fists, feeling the rage building within her again. She took a breath, trying to calm herself. What would Halt do to Sam, when he discovered Ashley was gone? But they could not leave her here, to suffer whatever fresh torments Halt might have in store.
A click came from Ashley’s collar as it opened, and they slid it free. Chris stepped up beside Richard.
“Here, let me take her.”
He slid his hands under Ashley’s back and gently lifted her into his arms. He staggered slightly and she whimpered, but her eyes were barely open now. Whatever they’d been drugging her with had stolen her mutated strength.