I nodded frantically, getting out of the passenger side and walking around to the driver’s side, glad Ace had left me the keys. I tried not to act suspicious. “Of course, Officer. Is everything okay in there?” I nodded toward the building, telling myself that a normal bystander would be interested.
The police officer nodded. “We believe there has been an incidence of bioterrorism.” The older Officers face softened. “Go home and lock your doors,” he said quietly.
I touched his hand. “Be careful,” I said, and sincerely meant it. I trusted Ace not to deviate from the plan, but I was beginning to worry we hadn’t planned for the insanity of humanity. People did not think clearly in these kinds of situations. Panic prevailed.
The cop waved me off, and I pulled out into the rolling traffic, everyone gawping at the building. Ace needed to hurry the hell up before she ended up in prison. Again.
With no other options, I drove back toward my apartment.
I was going to get Azriel to take me to see Michael again. Maybe he could petition to the Big Guy on my behalf. This cycle of violence, even though I perpetuated it, couldn’t keep going. Uriel needed to be reined in or stopped. Then everything would be okay. We could clean up the insidious violence that had wormed its way into the very fabric of society. Slowly. Cut off the head of the snake, the body will wither and die.
I missed Rella right then. I wondered what she would say about this whole thing. I laughed to myself. If Rella was still alive, I would be nowhere near this violence. She would be kicking ass and I would be sheltered in my own little bubble, trying to help the world while ignoring my own problems.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my building coming up. Pulling into the underground carpark, I parked the mustang behind my tiny Tesla. It stuck out a little, but it would be fine. Ace would come and take it back soon enough, and store it wherever else she stored her worldly possessions when she was living it up in Hell.
I stepped from the elevator that led to the carpark, and crossed the foyer to the private elevator that went straight to the penthouse. I smiled at the doorman. He was young and handsome, and so new I couldn’t remember his name. I scanned his aura for a red patch out of habit, but it was a warm orange that seemed to match his fake tan and his big smile so much brighter.
“Hi,” I said warmly. “Is my bodyguard back yet?”
The man shook his head. “Not yet, Miss. Would you like me to call up when he arrives?”
I waved him off. “No, it’s okay.”
Blue was off talking to a contact who could fake a paternity test so well, you’d start seeing the same features in the kid, even if he was completely unrelated. We figured that if Marco could get one legitimately for Cara, then maybe we could give the tests for Sammy a little nudge in the right direction. I kept remembering his big, sad eyes, the flicker of warmth when he signed to Marco, the care with which he held his sister’s hand in the car park, taking better care of her than her own mother. I couldn’t leave any child in that situation. Especially when it was just some well-placed funds and a guy who knew a guy, and I could provide him with love and a happy home.
Unlocking my apartment, I slipped off my shoes, suddenly emotionally exhausted. I needed a bath, a glass of wine and a huge block of chocolate. Preferably all at once.
But first, wine.
Pulling down a glass, I pulled a bottle from the rack. It was fancy, and I was supposed to let it breathe, but I just poured it straight into my glass, right to the top, and prayed that Valery never found out. He was such a wine snob, and the reason I had so many good bottles of wine.
“Hello, Hope.”
I screamed and dropped my glass, the fine crystal shattering and splashing on my feet, tiny shards nicking my skin.
I was blinded by the white light of the Archangel before me, his bright red hair making him look like a candle in a white hot flame.
“You’ve been meddling in the affairs of Archangels, Child. And I cannot have that,” he stepped forward, his words echoing Luc’s, making me remember a promise I’d made when this all began. As his hand made contact with my wrist, I screamed to the only being I knew could save me.
LUC!
Part III
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The static of a radio pierced the darkness first. It was fuzzy, like it was just slightly out of range. It was damn annoying anyway. Whatever the announcer was saying was almost indecipherable under the static.
Wait.
I sat bolt upright in the darkness. It was a darkness so thick that you felt like you had to wade through it. The frigid coldness made my lungs burn, but I felt warm. I touched a hand to my face and realized my skin felt like ice. Panic made me suck in huge gulps of the freezing air.
Memphis? Gus? I called into the darkness, panic gripping me. No answer. I called again.
Ace? Luc? I yelled again, tugging hard on my connections. LUC! I screamed into the ether.
My hands gripped something beneath me that felt like a thin blanket.
Luc! I screamed again. I felt the call reverberate around my brain. I blinked hard so I didn’t cry. It was so cold, I wasn’t convinced my tears wouldn’t freeze on my cheeks.
Hope? Luc’s voice sounded far away, and I didn’t know how that was possible.
Air whooshed from my lungs, and the burning lessened. I wasn’t alone. The tears I tried to stop froze on my eyelashes.
Luc. Huge wracking sobs shook my chest. You were right, I should have listened.
His relief flooded down our bond, strong despite the quietness of his voice. Thank the Father, you’re okay. His emotions were palpable, even with the weak connection. Where are you? I can’t fucking find you. Estrella can’t find you. I was so... His voice was hoarse, and he didn’t have to say the words. He was scared I was dead.
It was Uriel. He just stole me right from the kitchen in the apartment. My heart thundered at the memory of that serenely cruel face. It should have been impossible, but Uriel scared me more than the Devil. I don’t know where I am, Luc. It’s dark and it’s so fucking cold. I can’t see.
I stood, putting my hands out in front of me. I reached back and grabbed the thin blanket, wrapping it around my shoulders, suddenly glad I decided to get wine before I took my shoes off this afternoon. Or maybe it was yesterday. How long had I been out for?
I walked straight until I felt a wall, clinging to my connection with Luc.
I followed the wall, until I felt an opening. My heart was thundering, my ears straining for the hint of a sound. Any sound. But there was nothing but silence. Not the wind rattling the building or the sound of crickets. There was just the cold and dark and that stupid radio. My eyes hadn’t adjusted to the dark. There was just nothingness.
I turned left. If I kept turning left, surely I would find a door, or a window, or something that led outside, right?
Hope? Talk to me! Luc sounded panicked, which made me panic. Nothing fazed Luc. Not even being cast into hell.
I’m here. I’m looking for a door, or a way out, or a freakin’ light-switch or something, I grumbled, so he wouldn't know how terrified I was right now. I could be strong, even when my knees felt like they were frozen, not with the cold but with fear.
What can you tell me about where you are?
I could tell him that it felt like death. Like the inside of a coffin, six feet underground.
It’s cold. And it must be night and somewhere rural because there’s not even the barest hint of light anywhere. There’s a radio playing but I can’t understand the words. It sounds Nordic, or Russian or something. I’m so shit at languages. Why hadn’t I paid better attention to my languages subjects, instead of Mr. Rosanna’s emotional turmoil over his divorce?
Luc? Are you still there? Are Memphis and Gus okay? Blue? Tell them not to… fuck!
I swore as I tripped over something on the floor. I flew forward a couple of feet, banging into what felt like dozens of hard objects that were basically all corners. I hit my head,
felt the hot splash of blood on my skin, before I finally slowed to a stop on my back.
I hurt all over, every bump felt like I was being stabbed by knives because my skin was still so cold. Tears streamed down my cheeks and froze. I was going to die here. I could feel it deep down in my bones.
I wondered if I would go to Heaven or Hell? I wondered if I really wanted to go somewhere that there was no Rella. No Ace and Luc. No Memphis and Gusion. Already, the idea of an existence without them made something inside me whimper.
Hope? Hope? I realized Luc was yelling at me, though it was hard to hear over the ringing in my ears. He sounded fearful. Shit.
I’m okay. I just tripped. I’m going to have to drop our connection for a bit to concentrate, otherwise I’ll break my neck in this darkness. I paused, trying to hoist myself to my elbows, and rubbing a forearm against my eyes. Luc? You will find me, right?
There was a long silence, and I thought he’d left. I wasn’t prepared for the completely desolate feeling that pierced my soul.
I will find you Hope, Child of my Beloved. Child of Mine. I will raze the face of the earth until I find you. Do not despair.
Then his consciousness left mine, and I was really alone. And I let the tears fall freely this time, uncaring if they froze against my eyelids.
Again. I’d been abducted twice in two months. Who had I pissed off that I would be tormented like this over and over? Either I had the world’s shittiest luck, or my parents had really ticked the Big Guy off.
I sobbed into the darkness, wallowing in my pity party for one. The rats scuttled about, their breathing loud. It seemed almost wrong. I sat up further, crawling back the way I thought I came on battered knees. I hit a massive pile of downy blankets, piled high, right beside the wall. Well, at least I knew what I tripped over. The blood running down my face was beginning to slow, though I wasn’t sure if it was because it was clotting or freezing, but at this point it didn’t really matter.
Shifting through the blankets, I tried to find the source of the noise.
Until something grabbed my wrist.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I screamed, and jerked my hand away, scrambling back in the darkness. The sound of my panting seemed too loud in the silence of this place.
“Help.” It was barely more than a whisper, but finally I felt, more than heard, the other person. Even their emotions were almost non-existent. I knew what that meant, had felt that protective fog that numbs emotions and pain right before the end. Whoever was underneath that pile of blankets was close to death.
Death meant Azriel. He would come to take the soul of the unfortunate person, and he would save me.
“Help,” the voice whispered again, so weak I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.
I could be rescued, and all I had to do was not help. To sit on my hands and let nature take its course. I could be ruthless, just this once.
“Please.”
Who was I kidding? I could never do that.
“Hey, I’m here. It’s okay, I’m coming back over. You scared me, that’s all,” I said as I crawled back toward the pile. Damn, damn, damn. I couldn’t do nothing.
I began to peel back layers of blankets until my fingers tangled in long, stringy hair. A woman, maybe? The smell beneath the blankets made me gag. But when my fingers touched skin, it was almost so hot it seared my fingertips. She had a fever so bad, she was probably cooking.
Throwing off the rest of the blankets, I gagged at the smell of infection that wafted from the beneath the blankets. I tried not to think about germs and diseases as I dragged the woman, I decided it was a woman until further notice, away from the spot and to the other side of the room. Not far enough away in my opinion, but at least I wasn’t going to puke on her. The smell of infection followed us.
The woman whimpered and I stopped, laying her back down as she shivered. But already her body was slightly cooler. “Where are you injured?”
“Left ankle,” the voice was dry and raspy. “Tripped. It’s broken. Wrist is broken.” She seemed to run out of air or energy or something. She sucked in a painful sounding breath. “Gash, right leg.”
Oh shit. In this place, in this cold, it was a wonder she wasn’t dead already. I couldn’t see her wound, so I moved my hands down her face, to her shoulders and down her arms.”Okay. I’m Hope, by the way. I’m just going to try to assess your injuries in this godforsaken darkness so excuse the wandering hands.” I felt the swollen flesh of her right wrist, felt the weird angle of the bones. Yep, that was broken all right. I followed down her side and over her hip, patting down her leg looking for the gash. I didn’t have to search long, as the radiant heat of the infection travelled up most of her leg, and the oozing pus of the four inch wound was tacky against my fingertips. I was definitely going to puke now.
The woman was making this dry, raspy, wheezing noise, and I realized she was crying.
“Hey, don’t worry,” I said, lifting my non-pus covered hand to her face and cupping her cheek, sending her reassuring emotions. “It’s going to be okay now. What’s your name?”
“Sera,” it was a cough. “Short for Serendipity.”
I couldn’t help the choked laugh that came out. Someone had a divine sense of humor. “Sera. Looks like both our parents like inspirational names. Okay, we have to do something about that leg. Do you know if there’s a bathroom or a shower or something in this place? We need to get you a drink, clean this wound, and tidy you up a little. We could do it now, or we can wait until morning and there’s a bit more light.”
“No light.”
“What?” I stared down at her, a bit redundantly really considering it was so dark. I couldn’t even see the outline of her head. The only reason I could see her at all was because of the fist sized pink ball of her aura near the center of her chest. Shouldn’t my eyes at least be partially adjusted by now?
“Never gets light. Always dark.” Then she began to cry again.
I cried right along with her, our combined emotions finally too much. How had she survived the pain and the darkness? I sucked in a deep, shuddering breath and wiped my eyes on my shoulder. I didn’t want to risk putting my filth covered hands anywhere near my face.
“I’ll get us out of here, Sera. Just wait. But first, we need a bathroom.”
Sera grabbed my hand, and squeezed hard. The pressure of her hand in mine gave me hope. Then she uncurled my hand and drew a map with her finger on my palm.
“Stay to the walls. Kitchen and bathroom side by side.”
My heart buoyed a little at the idea of a kitchen. Maybe it had food. Maybe I wasn’t going to starve alone, well not technically alone, in the dark, if hypothermia didn’t get me first.
“Okay, hold on. This will probably hurt a little, but I’ll try and be gentle.” I put my arms under her armpits and dragged her gently along the wall. I let my blanket fall to the ground. I thought briefly about putting her on it and dragging her that way, but I was loathe to dirty possibly the only unsoiled blanket left in the building.
We had to be underground. The cold, the complete absence of light. It was the only thing that made sense.
Although I tried to ignore it, each whimper of pain that Sera let out pierced my heart. But her directions were good.
“Let’s get you in the shower. A warm shower makes everything better.”
“Water’s cold,” Sera said, her teeth chattering.
Of course it fucking was. This was hell. No, it wasn’t, because Hell would have Rella, Memphis and Gus.
What if the water was icy, like the temperature in here? What if it sent her into cardiac shock? Was that even possible? I needed light. I needed help.
The static filled voice continued to play, and if I ever found that radio, I was going to smash it to pieces. The floor switched to a rough stone, so we must have made it into the kitchen. That was a wild assumption, but my gut was all I had to go on right now.
I lowered Sera back to the ground gently, feelin
g my way around the room for something, anything. A sink. Water. Food.
I bumped into a table, pushing it forward, the sound of wood scraping on stone ear-piercingly loud in the room. I felt my way around it, to the other wall. My hand hit something coarse. I knew this texture.
“It’s wood! We can make a fire!” I shouted to Sera.
“No matches,” she answered, her voice getting thready.
Dammit, dammit, dammit. There had to be a way, I just needed a little light.
Why hadn’t I joined Boy Scouts? Or been interested in anything outside of my mind? If I rubbed two sticks together, would it work?
I wasn’t Chuck Norris, able to kick ass and take on anything with just my ginger beard and devil-may-care smirk. The closest I’d ever come to being a survivalist was watching Bear Grylls with my Dad.
I walked forlornly away from the pile of wood, in what I realized was a slightly raised fireplace. A long marble bench, with a sink, ran along the wall beside the fireplace. I turned on the tap, and dipped my fingers in. And then pulled them back as the icy chill of the water burned my already cold fingers.
I swallowed down the scream that was threatening to suffocate me. It was like this place was designed to send you insane. Light deprivation, coldness, noise that was completely incomprehensible. Wood but no matches. Water but no heat. This was a torture chamber of the worst kind.
But I wouldn’t let it beat me. I was tougher than this now. I was a BAMF.
There was a kitchen sponge in the sink, and I dreaded to think what germs it had on it, but at least I could use it to wipe the worst of the grossness from Sera.
My fingers brushed on the steel wool sitting on a draining rack. No matches, but a full range of stuff to do the dishes. This was definitely Hell.
Something stuttered in my brain, my fingers stilling on the steel wool. There was something there, some memory that I needed, hiding in my mind. I could have screamed in frustration.
Dad had been watching one of those prepper shows that always made him laugh. I used to tease him that he only watched it for the beard-spiration. I’d seen an episode where they’d used steel wool to light a fire. But it was only if you had something else random. I slammed my hand against the sink over and over again, hoping it would shake the words loose in my brain. I remember thinking what were the chances of being stranded without matches, yet you had steel wool in your pocket and…batteries!
Hell's Redemption- The Complete Series Boxset Page 78
