“What’s going on?” My voice is hoarse.
“It sounds like you need something to drink.” Marcus ignores my question and instead brings a water bottle with a sports mouthpiece. He holds it above my mouth and gently squeezes a stream out.
I gulp greedily, but he stops all too soon.
“Don’t want you to get sick. There’s always some nausea associated with coming out of the tranquilizers we use here.”
“Why all this, Marcus? I don’t understand.” My voice is steadier, and the room is less hazy, no longer spinning.
“I didn’t want it to come to this, Thea.” Marcus steps back and looks into my eyes. “I didn’t want you to get so . . . involved.”
“What are you talking about?” I fight against the restraints locking my arms down. “Not get involved? It’s my actual job, Marcus. To bring in these creatures.”
He shakes his head. “But not to come down to Floor Zero. Your job was to bring me the creatures, using your special skill. Nothing more.”
“Is that what happened with Lance O’Bannon? Did he find out too much too?” I practically spit the words at Marcus.
“He did, yes. With him, I tried to explain, Thea. I thought I could bring him around to my side. To see things the way I did.”
“And how exactly do you see things, Marcus?” I test the straps holding down my legs. They’re strong and tight.
“I respect the creatures as much as you do.” He pulls up a rolling desk chair and sits next to my stretcher. “But I see uses for them beyond just studying them. Or releasing them somewhere safe.”
“Like what? Stealing their powers?”
“Not stealing, no. Harnessing their powers. I mean, what if humans could breathe underwater? Or run faster than a cheetah? Have the strength of a thousand men? What if they could,” he gestures with his head toward Foster, “live forever?”
“What is this, Marcus? Are you working for the government? Trying to create a super soldier or something?”
He shakes his head. “Maybe. For now, I want to figure out how to do it. And once I do? I can sell it. The process. The secret. Or keep it to myself. But I’d have a lifetime—a hundred lifetimes—to figure it out. Why be simply human when we can be so much more?” His eyes are gleaming as he speaks, his hands gesturing wildly.
“But they’re not . . . you can’t use them for your gain. Especially the ones that are practically human! The mermaids. Or Foster. They have feelings and intelligence.”
“They’re not human, though, Thea.” There’s sadness in Marcus’ face as he stares at me. “Foster, for example. He’s a vampire. We’re his natural enemy. And a source of food for him. If we let vampires just live among us, they’d kill us. Do they have souls? Do they have the ability to feel remorse? And would it be enough to stop them from seeing us as prey?” He shakes his head. “What you feel for Foster—or think you feel for him—isn’t real. Doesn’t it strike you as funny that the first guy you fall for isn’t actually a person?”
I don’t want to think about that, especially not now. It could be a valid point, but there’s no time to examine the theory in detail. “You think I’ve fallen for him?” I scoff, trying a new tactic. “I’ve been stalking him.”
But Marcus shakes his head sadly. “Theadora, we both know that’s not true. I’m smart enough to figure out when someone’s lying to me, like you’ve been. I’ve watched you. Cameras in your apartment. And car.”
“You what? Asshole!” I struggle against my restraints.
“Maybe that’s what I am. You’re probably right. But I have to do this. I won’t stop, Thea. Nobody will get in my way.”
“What are you going to do with me?” I don’t want to ask. I sound like a weak chick in a horror film. But I need to hear his answer. So I can prepare for whatever he’s got planned.
“I don’t know. Probably kill you.” His voice is a weird mix of sadness and resignation. “If I let you go, you’ll try to destroy me. There’s no way you’d just walk away from this.”
He’s right.
“And I could never convince you to join me in my efforts,” he continues. “Even if you said you would right here and now, I’d know you were only trying to trick me, to convince me to free you so you could escape and ultimately bring me down. I really have no choice.”
“You’re right. But I’d really like a favor first. I don’t want to die not knowing everything you’re doing. What you’ve accomplished. Surely you’d like to show off a little for me?” I try to keep my voice confident and light. When really? I’m fucking terrified and having a hard time seeing a way out.
“You do know how to get my attention.” Marcus sighs and smiles at me. “And I’d like you to see the work I’ve done. I think you’ll actually be quite impressed, morality aside.” He winks at me. “Come.” He unlocks the break on my gurney and begins to wheel me to the door.
I catch one last look at Foster, lying completely still, and bite back the terror I feel. But that terror, if transformed into anger, might just be my only hope.
As Marcus pushes me down the hall, the wheels on the stretcher screech. It feels like I’m in a horror movie. Which is actually pretty much what’s happening right now. Mad scientist? Check. Immobilized heroine? Check. Gruesome experiments? Check once more.
And just like in a movie, I am going to get out of this. Somehow. I just need to figure out how and when.
We step in front of a closed door, and Marcus waves his hand in front of it. Which a click and beep, the door swings slowly open.
“Implantable chip.” He raises an eyebrow at me and smiles. “I know you were never in favor, but I convinced Leon to try it out on me.”
I shake my head. “That’s super control-y, you know.”
“Control-y? I love when you make up words. You’re so sarcastic and funny, Thea. I’m going to miss you.”
“Who else is going to give you a hard time?” I respond in a wry voice.
“It will be difficult to replace you.” He pushes the stretcher into the room, a lab similar to the one we were just in.
Immediately, I gasp. “Mrs. Bachman!” There she is, secured to a stretcher just like Foster. “What’s she doing here? What are you doing with her?”
“Well, since we knew you were heading back to her apartment, we decided to use her as a lure. And it worked.” Marcus clicks the locks on the stretcher into place.
“Please let her go, Marcus. She didn’t do anything. She doesn’t know anything. She watches soap operas and bitches at her neighbors. Whatever you’re planning? She doesn’t deserve it.”
“You’re right.” Marcus approaches her and pats her shoulder idly. “She doesn’t. But the truth is, Thea, we need people to test things on. It’s not like we’re taking middle aged soccer moms and tearing them away from their children. Or rocket scientists who can help save the world or something wonderful like that. Homeless people. Senior citizens with no family. Prostitutes. They won’t be missed, and their lives have meaning now. They’re helping me with this project that will alter the entire course of humanity!” Now he really does sound like a mad scientist.
“So it was you this whole time!”
“Which part?” He tilts his head as he gazes at me, a mild expression on his face.
“Those missing women on the south side! You kidnapped them for experiments.”
He shrugs noncommittally.
“And my friend. Someone tried to grab her the other night, but she used pepper spray.”
Now Marcus lifts an eyebrow in acknowledgement. “That hurt. Little bitch. I’ll definitely be going back for her.”
I nod toward Mrs. Bachman. “What did you do to her?” I pull hard against the restraints again, but they don’t budge at all.
“Nothing, yet, other than sedation. I’m going to use her for the next set of testing I’m doing. Still working on the breathing underwater project. It’s been more difficult than I’d anticipated.” His brow furrows and he runs a hand through his hair.
“Let me show you.”
He wheels me into a small room off the main lab, and I hold back the gasp that threatens to escape. In one tank, similar to Melliana’s, is a naked woman. Her hair floats around in the liquid she’s in, a bluish fluid. Monitors are attached to various parts of her body. Eyes closed, she could be sleeping. But I suspect it’s more than that.
“This is Subject Number Five in the Water Study. I’ve managed to reproduce underwater breathing in her, but unfortunately, I can’t keep the brain alive during the process. So she can breathe, but she can’t think. Which is obviously not the desired result. I think I’ve figured it out, though. If I . . .”
“Jesus, Marcus!” I can’t hold back any longer. “You kidnapped this woman and killed her?”
“She was a prostitute. And a druggie. A drain on society, really. Yes, yes. I know I shouldn’t be the one deciding such things, thinking I’m God or something. And I don’t. But I do believe that a few sacrifices now could mean miraculous things for humanity as a whole. Think about it, Thea. Immortality! Power you never thought you could have. What wouldn’t you do for that?”
“I wouldn’t kill people.”
“Then you’re not as open minded as I thought you were.”
I shake my head and take a deep breath, trying to focus. Trying to stay calm. “So at Mrs. Bachman’s apartment, you, what? Sedated her? Then tranquilized me? And loaded both of us into the van? Did you do it yourself? You’re not typically the one who does the capturing.”
“You’re right. I needed help. And I had the perfect person to do it.” He grins at me before turning the stretcher so I’m looking at a corner of the room I couldn’t previously view.
There’s a person. I can see him. But my mind refuses to catch up with my eyes.
Standing there, scruffy beard, shaggy hair, silly T-shirt (this time it’s got a picture of a piñata and the text “I’d hit that”) is Leon.
11
“I’m so sorry, Thea.” Leon’s eyes are glistening with tears. If we weren’t here, in this nightmare situation on Floor Zero, I’d punch him in the arm and call him a pussy. My mind refuses to accept what I’m seeing.
Leon’s a good guy. He’s on my side. How could I have been so wrong about someone?
As if answering my question, Marcus speaks. “Leon wasn’t exactly a willing participant in my plan, but when a person cares enough about something, you can get him to do just about anything.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, though deep down inside, I think I know.
“He’s got Francine.” Leon’s eyes meet mine, begging for understanding.
And I get it. Seeing Foster strapped down and helpless made me desperate in a way I’d never been before. Made me realize I’d do anything, even put myself in danger, to save him.
“And,” adds Marcus, as if reminding Leon not to do anything stupid, “her whereabouts remain a mystery to Leon. So if he tries something. If he kills me, for instance, she’ll be left in a hidden location, with no food or water, locked up, and she’ll die too. Leon’s hands are, metaphorically at least, tied.” He looks proud of himself.
I want to kill the bastard.
“What’s your plan then?” I ask, as a shiver passes through me. How the hell am I going to get out of this one?
“Continue my research. After, unfortunately, I get rid of all the loose ends.” Is there actual regret as he looks at me? He picks up a syringe from the table next to him and approaches me. “Part of me thinks I should keep you around for a while. I should let you see what’s going on here, what I’m doing. I’d love to show off a little more. But,” he adds, “that would be too risky. The quality that made you most valuable to me—your strength and ability to sense cryptids—is also the trait that ensures you’re the biggest threat to what I’m doing right now.”
“I don’t suppose I could suddenly pretend I’m on your side and fully support the research you’re doing to get out of this?” I raise an eyebrow at him.
Marcus laughs out loud, the old familiar laugh he always gave when I said something he thought was bat-shit crazy or just plain silly. “Nope. I’m going to miss you, though. I’ve never known anyone quite like you, Thea. You’re special.”
“And this is going to hurt you more than it hurts me?” I try to keep my smile steady, try to fight the panic inside as Marcus approaches me with the needle.
“It will hurt me. It doesn’t make me happy to do this, Thea. You need to understand that. You? You won’t feel a thing.”
My gaze darts over to Leon, who looks frozen, his face a mask of panic and fear. He doesn’t like this any more than I do, but he’s trapped too.
Think, Thea. Fucking think.
And I know what to do.
I suck in a deep breath and squeeze my eyes shut. Forcing my mind still and clear when Marcus is about to stab me with a huge needle of sedative is almost impossible, but I know it’s my only chance.
My mind reaches out, sending signals like quick spider webs in all directions. How many cryptids does he have here in the labs? I need to reach every single one, need to awaken them, to anger them, to get them alive and active and here. All of them, including Foster.
Especially Foster.
I feel it in my brain before I hear it around me. Alarm rises in the creatures in the building, screeching in my head but scrambling and yowling out loud too.
Marcus pauses, tilting his head to hear better, but the sounds are getting louder and louder, so he doesn’t have to try hard. He glares at me, but there’s some desperation in his look too.
“What did you do, Thea! What are you doing?”
“Setting them free.”
“You can’t! Their cages and enclosure are made from galvanized steel and four-inch bullet proof glass! And many of them are sedated, like your boyfriend, the vampire. It’s impossible . . .” Yet even as he says it, we hear metal clanking, animals shrieking, the unmistakable sound of claws scrabbling over the tiled floor in the hallway. He turns back to me. “You fucking bitch!” He raises the needle.
With all the force in my body, I jerk myself away from him. Even though I’m strapped down, I gain enough momentum to move. For a split second the gurney I’m on balances on its two right wheels, hovers there as I hold my breath, then tips away from Marcus.
Leon, barely more than a blur, jumps over me, tackling Marcus. They grapple on the cold lab floor, Marcus trying in vain to stab Leon with the needle to sedate him. I’m surprised by Marcus’ strength, though I guess that even though he’s not huge, he’s filled with rage and desperation.
But Leon’s sheer size wins out. With one solid punch to the face, Marcus falls limp.
“Fuck,” whispers Leon as he stands wearily, then quickly unstraps me from the gurney.
“I didn’t know you were that quick.” My wrists are sore, my hands tingling. I shake them to get the blood flowing.
“Normally I’d be insulted, but right now I don’t have time for self-indulgence.” Leon rights the gurney and grabs Marcus under the arms. “Get his feet.”
I help him lift Marcus onto the bed, and we strap him down. Tight. I want to make sure he’s not going anywhere.
“What about Francine?” I look up into Leon’s face, which is creased with worry and sweaty with exertion and fear.
“He’d have killed her anyway. He’d have killed me too when he didn’t need me anymore. Sooner rather than later too, probably.”
“You’re fucking brilliant, Leon.” I grin at him. “Thanks for saving my life just now.”
“Yeah,” he says with feigned casualness. “No biggie.”
“But now? We need to figure out where Francine is and what to do with the stampede I just started.” In the hallway outside the lab, creatures are hissing and screeching, the door shaking with their effort to get in.
“You fucking saved them. Ungrateful fucks.” Leon shakes his head as he eyes the door.
“They don’t know I saved them. They’re not all, you know, huma
n in their thinking. The mermaid, maybe. And Foster for sure. But the rest . . .” I think of the beady red eyes of the chupacabras, the moist skin of the death worm downtown.
Beneath us, the ground trembles. And I realize I didn’t just reach out mentally to the creatures inside the lab. I contacted all the cryptids flocking to the area. The death worms. Horrible no-name creatures like the one I killed earlier. Giant spiders and frogs. Snakes with legs. Other animals the likes of which nobody has ever seen. And nobody can defeat.
I look at Leon. “We’re in trouble, dude. Huge fucking trouble.”
The floor shakes so hard Leon almost loses his footing. He looks around desperately for an escape, for somewhere to go. But the only entrance and exit from this lab is into the hallway, which is currently filled with vicious animals that will rip us to pieces the second they can.
“You started them. Can’t you stop them too?” Leon’s eyes are wide as he stares at me.
“I don’t think so.” But I shut my eyes anyway and focus, though it’s difficult to do so knowing all these creatures are trying hard to get in so they can eat me alive.
It’s commotion. It’s a million voices in my head all at once. It’s a mess, a tangled zoo of sounds and voices and anger, so strong and loud there’s no way to get through. I concentrate, trying to send out a calming vibe.
But I can’t do it. I glace over at Leon just as the floor to the right of him begins to crack, something from underground pushing up, trying to get in.
I know it’s a Mongolian Death Worm, or something just as insidious and horrific from beneath the ground. I know it’s moist and slimy, its mouth huge and gaping, ready to chew us to pieces with those broken shard-like teeth.
Fuck. That’s not going to happen. I’m not going to be eaten by something as disgusting as that fucking monster.
I shut my eyes once more, willing the creatures to stop, sending out signals, or trying to, at least.
And then they all go silent. Even the floor stops shaking.
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