Midnight Savior: The Watchers, Book 4

by D McEntire

  After completing his paperwork, Dr. Olivia placed a call to ready his private jet. He planned to bump into Dr. Pearson in Colorado. He was not going to hide his identity because he knew the man would be salivating at the idea of collaboration with someone of Dr. Olivia’s stature and interest in researching vampires.

  The lodge’s dining room was brightly lit, making Dr. Olivia wince slightly as he stepped toward the host/hostess station.

  “How many in your party, sir?”

  Dr. Olivia leaned in and spoke to the host in a low, mesmerizing tone, which only he and the man could hear. “Seat me at a table next to Dr. Pearson.”

  The host blinked a few times, checked the reservation list, then smiled as he picked up a menu and instructed Dr. Olivia to follow him into the dining room.

  The room was filled with lodge guests and skiers. Dr. Olivia scanned the room for signs of other vampires or lurking Rogues. He did not sense any Rogues within the vicinity, but did catch a trace of a vampire here and there. He made eye contact with each one as a silent greeting and acknowledgement. Civilian vampires knew they had nothing to fear from the Watchers, as long as they did not succumb to the bloodlust, which would put them on the hunted list.

  The host seated Dr. Olivia and indicated the table in front of him had been reserved for Dr. Pearson. The man’s reservation had been listed as eight p.m. Dr. Olivia checked his watch. Dr. Pearson was expected to arrive for dinner in ten minutes. He thanked the host and proceeded to peruse the menu as he waited for the waiter or waitress to make an appearance. The return of the host caught his eye.

  A man of average height and build followed close behind. The manner in which he held himself seemed accentuated by his attire. Dr. Olivia sensed an arrogance emanating from the man, though he didn’t need his senses to divulge the man’s character. As Dr. Pearson gazed around the room, Dr. Olivia caught a reflection of the man’s soul. His eyes spoke volumes. They were cold, calculating and full of anger.

  After Pearson had taken his seat, Dr. Olivia peered over his menu to get a better look at him.

  The tunnel seemed to go in an endless downward slope before Marie arrived at another door. She pushed on the steel surface, but it made no movement. Using her flashlight, she searched the door, then the walls beside it for some sort of opening mechanism.

  When she spotted a button on the wall beside the door, Marie let out a breath. This had to be the place, she told herself. Using her index finger, she pressed the button and heard the click of the door releasing before it slowly opened.

  Marie hesitated before she stepped inside the room. It was dark, so she used her flashlight as she moved forward. Shining the beam along the walls beside the door, a light switch caught her eye. Though the electricity was not in working order in the main building, Marie held out hope of the possibility this place operated separately. She reached out and flipped the switch.

  Light filled the room dissipating every dark shadow. To her surprise, the room was cleaner than the old hospital. Glancing around, she realized this place had not been abandoned.

  Long tables topped with various shapes and sizes of bottles and glassware formed two rows in the middle of the room.

  “Wow. A laboratory,” she whispered. She thought about her dreams and visions, but this had never been a part of them. While studying the room, she failed to notice the click of the lab door after it closed behind her.

  What if someone came in and caught her? She was trespassing and was sure whoever operated this lab wouldn’t be happy to find her here. Since it was evening, Marie prayed whoever ran the lab would not return until morning. By then, she hoped to have found him, if he was here, and to have extricated him from this place.

  The room was warmer than the rest of building. Marie pulled off her hat, gloves and coat and set them in a small pile on the far table. As she did so, a hallway at the rear of the room caught her attention. She walked down the narrow expanse, but only found a small bathroom and a kitchen.

  Marie flicked on the light in the kitchen, walked in and set her backpack on the floor by the table. The sight of a refrigerator in the corner made her stomach growl.

  Opening the refrigerator door, Marie was surprised to see pints of blood sitting on the bottom shelf. “What the hell?” The only other items inside were cans of beer, ketchup and other condiments.

  Marie closed the door, disappointed at not finding anything edible. Though she was hungry, she was not going to make a meal out of ketchup.

  Staring at the closed refrigerator door, Marie wanted to cry. She was hungry and exhausted, and had still not found him. When she had discovered the tunnel and the door, something inside of her almost leapt for joy, but now she realized the feeling had only been false hope.

  Marie left the kitchen and returned to the lab, feeling as though she was walking in circles. She had no idea what she was going to do next. The only thought that came to mind was rest. She needed to rest.

  A lab coat hung on the wall beside where she stood. Her childish imagination kicked in and she put it on, pretending she was someone important doing research which would rid the world of some horrible disease.

  Rounding a table, her arm bumped the stainless steel top, sending a DVD case to the floor. Marie noticed the case was labeled “Test Subject 042307”. Curious, she pressed the power button on both the television and the DVD player, mounted the disc, then waited as the disc slid inside the machine and a picture appeared on the television screen.

  Marie leaned in close to see a man chained to the wall, and she sucked in a breath. It was him. A man wearing a white lab coat came into view, holding some sort of gun in his hand. He raised it, aimed straight at the man from her dreams and pulled the trigger.

  Marie jumped, letting out a short scream before her hand flew over her mouth. Her heart beat frantically as her thoughts whirled in denial of what she had witnessed. Slowly, she stepped forward again. Darts protruded from the man’s chest. She watched the man in the coat step out of view of the camera as the chained man writhed and groaned.

  Marie could see the pain and anguish on his face. She blinked several times, not able to hold the tears. Glancing around at the laboratory equipment, she wondered in horror who operated this place. From what she had witnessed, either someone was experimenting on human beings or this place was used for torture.

  The recording switched to another scene, drawing Marie’s attention back to the television. This time she turned up the volume, wanting to hear what was being said.

  The same man was chained to the wall. He hissed and growled as the man wearing the lab coat entered the camera range. This time the man in the coat held something Marie recognized—a rifle. Marie shook her head. “This is not happening.”

  The sudden crack of two shots fired directly at the chained man made her jump and cover her mouth again. Marie let out a sob when she saw he had been struck in the right shoulder and upper arm. His cry of agony sent a wave of grief through her.

  The camera zoomed in on the wounds and held there for several minutes.

  Marie was breathing hard, horrified at what she was seeing. When the wounds began healing before her eyes, she had to blink several times to make sure she was not imagining things. Gray metal appeared on the chained man’s flesh. The metal moved as the slugs eased their way out of the wounds, then landed on the floor. She continued to stare at the television screen, watching the wounds heal before her eyes.

  Marie’s jaw dropped. How was this possible? She figured the answer was exactly what the man in the lab coat was trying to discover, but his method of research went way beyond acceptable. The man was obviously crazy to do such a thing to another person, or even an animal.

  When the scene switched again, Marie had to pull a stool over and sit. Her chest was tight from the emotions swirling through her head, and she was afraid her legs would buckle from the stress.

  The man was not chained this time, but was lying on a table. Marie looked closely and could see the slow ris
e and fall of his chest. He was still alive.

  He wore nothing but the cotton drawstring pants she had observed in her dreams. After her vision and dreams had faded, she’d often sat and run the picture of him through her mind. His body was muscular, well toned. She had wondered what it would feel like to skim her fingers along the bulges and dips. Although she’d touched him in dreams, she had never really felt him.

  Marie shook her head and scrubbed her face with her hands. How could she think about such things at a time like this? Now was not the time or place.

  The man in the lab coat made his usual appearance in the recording. This time he wore a mask and gloves. Marie cringed. She had no idea what he was going to do, but knew it was not going to be pleasant.

  Biting her lip, she continued to watch as the man in the lab coat picked up an item from a tray beside him. When he turned, Marie could see it was some sort of large clippers or scissors. He lifted one of the man’s hands, placed the pinky in between the blades of the device, then snipped off the digit above the knuckle.

  Marie let out a cry and smacked the power button on the television, then the DVD player. She couldn’t watch anymore. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the blank television screen. “How could someone do such a thing?” she cried, using her palms to wipe the tears from her eyes and cheeks. She sniffled several times before jogging to the bathroom and washing her face.

  “Grandmother, now, I see why you wanted me to come. Where is he? Is he here in this building? I can’t find him.”

  Still, no answer.

  Marie shook her head. She was close, she could feel it, but why was her grandmother not helping her anymore?

  Trying to get her panic-stricken brain to function, Marie returned to the lab and noticed the door had closed. She approached it and realized there was no handle. How was she going to get out of here? There must be another one of those panels or buttons, she told herself.

  Anxiety spiking to critical level, she banged, kicked and smacked the walls on each side of the door, as well as the door itself, desperate to get it to open. After several minutes she backed away and stared at the door, her mind racing, seeking a solution to her dilemma.

  A noise caught her attention, and she turned. A hallway she hadn’t noticed before sat off the other side of the room. The light switch she had flipped in the lab was not connected to that hall’s lights. It was still dark. Hearing the sound again she hesitated, wondering if someone was down here.

  Marie looked around for a weapon, in case the man in the lab coat, or someone else who worked here, was there. She quietly pulled open drawers, but found only a small screwdriver. Seeing nothing else, she grabbed it. With a tight hold on the plastic handle, she tiptoed down the hall.

  Chapter Eight

  The sound of someone in the lab brought Kern out of sleep. He listened as soft footsteps, a woman’s footsteps, made their way around the room. The footsteps faded before he heard the suction of a refrigerator opening. After the woman returned to the lab he strained to hear what she was doing.

  A loud noise made Kern jerk. His chains clinked and rattled, and he grabbed them quickly to halt the sound.

  White noise from a television tuned to a channel without a signal sounded briefly before it was shut off. The woman gasped, then let out a startled cry before going silent. Kern could not even hear her breathe for a few moments. She began to cry. The sound of her sorrow touched him, and he momentarily forgot his own until anger resurfaced and reminded him where he was and why. The woman was no doubt one of the doctor’s people. One of those who had brought him to this lab. He needed to get her attention. She was going to be his ticket out of here, then she would be sorry she had chosen this profession. Kern’s fangs elongated. He had not fed in two weeks, but he would soon sate his hunger.

  Kern let out a moan, making it loud enough for the woman to hear. He knew he could overpower her, even in his weakened state. He would force her to release him from the chains, then feed to regain his strength.

  With his thirst so strong, he hoped he could keep her alive long enough to tell him when the doctor would return. Kern vowed to be ready when the man stepped through the door. The human was going to suffer a slow, painful death in retaliation for what he had put him through.

  Marie’s relief at finding a light switch was quickly doused. What overhead lighting existed in the hallway seemed to be barely operational. She ran her hand along the wall as she took short, slow steps. Holding tightly to the screwdriver, she used the object to bolster her resolve to keep moving.

  A low moan drifted through the hallway, and she stopped. In front of her was a door with a small window. Marie stood on tiptoes in order to peer through the thick glass. The room was dark, so she held up the flashlight and aimed its light inside.

  What she saw made her heart stop. A man sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, his head slumped over his chest. Marie could see the glint of metal on his wrists and feet. He was chained to the wall. Oh my God, is it him?

  Frantically, she yanked open the door, hurried inside and knelt by his side, laying the screwdriver on the floor.

  “Mister. Mister, can you hear me?” Marie lightly tapped his face to coax him into opening his eyes. When that didn’t work, she looked down, grabbed his thigh and shook.

  A slow, venomous hiss came from his mouth. Marie’s gaze flew up to his face as he snapped his eyes open and glared at her.

  Through the faint glow of the dim hallway lights, Marie stared into cold, dark irises, which showed no mercy. In her dreams, she had seen that look on the man directed at one of his tormenters.

  Marie’s heart raced, and her mind roared. The man’s suffering had most likely driven him insane, and she was in grave danger.

  Before Marie could react, he grabbed her by the throat, his strong hand cutting off her air. Panic had her gasping and tugging at his hands as she flailed about.

  Kern had stayed perfectly still, watching the woman’s feet through mostly closed eyes. He pretended he was out cold as he waited for her to come closer. The presence of one who had hurt him had him raging inside, but he bit down on the anger, waiting for an opportunity to strike. His mind reveled in the fact he was finally going to have the chance to exact revenge. Someone was about to pay dearly for what had been done to him. But first, he was slowly starving to death.

  As soon as she was in front of him, Kern grabbed her throat, stared into her wide, terror-filled eyes for a moment, then turned her head and sank his fangs in deep, intentionally causing as much pain as possible.

  She screamed, but the sound fell on deaf ears as she bucked and kicked. Her blood flooded his mouth, and he moaned. He had been without food or drink, and now warm, sweet blood was flowing into him, giving much needed nourishment to every cell in his body.

  When her blood had first hit his tongue, he almost swooned. The taste was overwhelming, like a drug, the exquisiteness making him hard. Flashes of white light danced behind his eyelids.

  Kern drank greedily until he heard her soft whisper.

  “Please…”

  Something in the sound of her voice brought him back to sanity. It almost sounded familiar.

  Kern didn’t want to kill her. Yet. There was information he wanted. What were the doctor’s plans, and when was he expected to return?

  The woman grew limp in his arms. His body somewhat sated, Kern laid her on the floor beside him. When she regained consciousness, he would force her to release him.

  Unsure of how much blood he had taken, he checked her pulse. The beat wasn’t as strong as a human’s should be, but it was not faint enough to cause concern he might lose her before he was freed. Gazing over her face, he moved a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail and an odd feeling settled in his chest.

  Her presence reminded him of the woman in his dreams, the one who had visited him, comforted him. Was this real? Kern blinked, telling himself he was imagining things.

  Tracing a finger along her jaw and dow
n her slender neck, he grimaced at the jagged wound and bruising where he had grabbed her throat and fed ferociously. His hunger and blind anger had almost taken her life, but there was a strange calm about him, almost as if he wasn’t sure how to feel about what he had done.

  Lethargy claimed him, the adrenaline from his attack on the woman wearing off quickly. Kern closed his eyes to rest, telling himself he would get the answers he sought, later.

  Marie awakened slowly, clouds drifting in and out of her head, until she swallowed. The burning pain in her neck and throat made her moan. She tried to move while telling her brain to kick into gear. Managing to lift her head a few inches, she glanced over her shoulder, gritting her teeth at the pain as she did so.

  Everything came flooding to her mind. The man who had attacked her was sitting against the wall at her side, staring with those cold, dark eyes.

  She cried out and tried to scramble to her feet only to be yanked and landed on her back in the man’s lap. Terrified of being attacked again, her teeth chattered until she clamped her mouth shut to stop the noise.

  The man’s handsome face was wrought with anger and pain. She had taken much too long to find him. Emotionally and mentally he was obviously far gone.

  She opened her mouth to speak, no matter how painful it would be, but he jerked her slightly and snarled. Marie froze, wondering if he was going to tear into her neck again. Already tired and weak, she knew she could not withstand another attack.

  “Don’t say a word,” the man spat through clenched teeth. “You will do as I say, do you understand?”

  Marie nodded slowly, every movement making her wince in pain. He stared into her eyes intently as if willing her to listen and obey.

  “You will get the key and release me.”

  She nodded again, not removing her gaze from his. Marie wanted to show she would cooperate fully.

  After the man released her, one finger at a time, she stared at him for a few moments longer, trying to convey her compliance with her eyes. She sat up slowly, not wanting to make any sudden moves which would make him snap again.