Escaping Madness: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Live Free Or Die Book 3)

by Hayley Lawson

  Massimo made a face at the mess that used to be Tank. “Looks like they have been trying to see if Afana is immune to the Madness. And by the look of that body, he’s not.”

  Massimo shook his head at the state of the lab, which repulsed him. He turned away from it and stopped an old record player, which was broken. He moved the arm off the record to see what it was. “Opera!” he grumbled under his breath. He flipped through the vinyls that were next to it. “Show me Bee Gees… Come on, Bee Gees,” he muttered as he went through them. “Dammit.”

  Fluffy came up next to Massimo and shook his head.

  Massimo went over to Advisor Robert, who was still on the floor. “Does Afana have any more vinyl? I’ve been looking for a Bee Gees album for years.”

  “Afana likes the Bee Gees?” Robert repeated, looking like he had just eaten something bad.

  “Yes, the Bee Gees—one of the greatest bands, along with ABBA and the Beatles. I could go on, but it’s really not the time. So, does he have one?” Massimo pushed.

  Advisor Robert flicked his wrist at the pile of slipcovers by the record player. “That’s all he’s got.” He raised his finger and pointed to a room off the lab. “There may be some in there. That’s Afana’s living area.”

  Massimo walked toward the door, but Fluffy quickly got in front of it and growled at his dad. It could be a trap or just a distraction.

  Massimo dropped his shoulders, knowing that he’d have to save that for later. He hoped he’d find at least one record he’d been dying to get his hands on in Afana’s collection.

  Ryder looked at the other severed heads. None of them belonged to Terrier or the women from Level Six, much to her relief.

  “Is this a torture room?” Carter asked, his eyes widening as he entered the lab. The others were watching the advisors warily and keeping their weapons at the ready.

  Ryder shrugged. “Something like that. I’ve checked the heads. Don’t worry, hers isn’t in here. And neither is Terrier’s, which means that he’ll be keeping Natalie and the others safe.” Ryder knew he would have gone straight to Level Six once he got into the bunker to hide himself, but more importantly to protect the women and children. That was the Terrier Ryder had known since she was a child. He was driven to protect those who were weaker than him, just like Ryder.

  It was time for her to be reunited with her best friend, and Carter with his sister.

  Ryder clapped her hands. “Let’s get the advisors locked in here, then get down to Level Six and free our friends!” Everyone followed her orders, even the advisors, although they were upset about being moved into a room with a Mad.

  Ryder gave them a sharp look. “You can get in there with one restrained Mad, or you can go ahead of us and fight your way through the Mad below this level.”

  Advisor Robert wouldn’t get up off the floor, so Carter dragged him in. Once the advisors were secured in the lab, Clint placed a chair in front of the door to stop them from getting out. All the advisors stood as far away from Knuckles as possible.

  The plan had changed now for the better. Since all the cameras were out, they could make their way down to Level Six without Afana learning their location. Ryder considered their best move now, based on the new information. The plan had been for Massimo and Leandro to take on Afana, but since he wasn’t there, they couldn’t do it. Where was Afana? He wasn’t a tiny animal hiding in a forest. He was a giant vampire with a thirst for killing. The blood smears on the floors made it impossible for Ryder and the others to see where he was, but soon they would find out.

  “Keep your eyes out for Afana,” said Ryder as they exited the lab.

  “What does he look like?” Vicky asked. “Is he all good-looking like our Massimo?”

  Ryder made a face as she tried to describe the mutant vampire to the others. “Fuck, no! Think of a giant cockroach, minus all the extra legs and things sticking out of his head. He has glowing red eyes like the Mad, and fangs like a vampire.”

  “Well, he sounds pretty, doesn’t he?” said Graham, smiling at Carter.

  “So, you’ve dumped me for a vampire insect now?” Carter responded somberly.

  Graham snickered. “You dumped me for a vampire first. I thought you were happy with Massimo.”

  Ryder grinned at the two of them. “Another lovers’ tiff? Graham’s right. You dumped him for the upgraded Massimo.”

  Massimo looked at the two men. “I’m flattered, Carter. I really am. But you’re just not my type.”

  Ryder had learned just what Massimo’s type was from the magazine she had found when they were walking back to his home, and she couldn’t wait to introduce him to Mama Lou in all her fineness. Those two would either be a match made in heaven, or they would fight like cats and dogs. The thought made Ryder laugh a little. Either way, it would be perfect when those two meet.

  Carter shook his head and clutched his chest dramatically. “I’ve had my heart broken twice in one day. I don’t know what I’m going to do now.” He looked down through the glass floor and grinned wickedly. “I need something to do to distract myself. Any ideas?”

  Clint had an idea. “How about looking down there at the vampire we’re going to kill?” He pointed down at Afana.

  “He does look like a giant cockroach.” Carter snickered. He could just make Afana out through the layers of blood-smeared glass.

  Clint turned to Ryder. “I don’t think he looks like a cockroach unless that’s what cockroaches look like in this place.” He grimaced at the thought and scanned the floor for cockroaches.

  Vicky came over to stand with them. “I have to agree with Clint. He looks more like a giant rock man.”

  Ryder hadn’t dared hope that Afana would be gone from the bunker when they’d made the plan to rescue Terrier and the others. She knew Afana was trapped in the bunker when it was light outside, and anyway, there was no way she would leave him alive to work his evil all over again.

  Ryder had two emotions when it came to Afana: fear and anger. Anger was the stronger, and she was going to use that to win today. “I’d say he looks like a giant stinking shit, with steam drifting up from his head.”

  Carter joined in. “Nah.” He squeezed his fingers together so it looked like Afana was between his fingers. “He looks like a tiny ant that’s going to get squashed.” Carter pushed his fingers together.

  The other men started commenting on what he looked like as Ryder went to speak with Massimo. Leandro joined them. “It looks like Afana is down on Level Four. Now that the plan has changed, are you and Leandro still good taking on Afana while the rest of us go after the generals?”

  Massimo nodded. “Yes. That plan works for me. And remember to ask for us if you need us. Be careful, Ryder.” Massimo patted her arm. “We have gotten used to your company, and I would hate to lose it so soon.”

  Ryder choked back the emotion Massimo’s words caused. “You too, Massimo. You’re a good friend and a good vampire.”

  Leandro pushed his head under Ryder’s hand. His fur tickled her palm. He looked up at Ryder, his warm eyes connecting with hers. Her heart broke a little when she saw Leandro trapped inside Fluffy’s body.

  Ryder knelt and wrapped her arms around Leandro’s neck. She whispered in his ear while she held him, “If we don’t make it out of here, I… Thank you, Leandro. For being my friend and for helping me. Just be careful, and don’t let Massimo get up to any mischief.” She kissed Leandro on the snout. “Don’t tell Carter. He shouldn’t have to suffer three broken hearts in one day. You know he has a thing for big hunky men.” Ryder smiled as she let go of Leandro.

  With Ryder leading, the gang made their way down to Level Two, where the advisors and their families lived.

  Carter stepped in front of Ryder as they got closer to the door. “I’ll go first. We kinda need you to stay alive since you’re our guide.”

  Carter was right, not that Ryder would admit it aloud. She moved to the side to let Carter go in front of her.

  Carter grinne
d. “Let’s do this.” He turned to the door and glanced at Ryder. “I saw you trying to break my heart with Leandro. Not cool; not cool at all. You know I love that fluffball.” He winked at Leandro.

  Ryder turned to Fluffy and blew him kisses, then smiled at Carter. “Open the damn door, or I will.”

  “Have you been watching The Italian Job?” Massimo asked.

  Ryder and Carter both looked at Massimo, confused.

  “You know, Michael Caine?” Massimo asked.

  “Michael Caine?” Ryder repeated blankly.

  Carter frowned. “What’s with the strange accent?”

  Massimo rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “You’ll know soon enough. Boy, I have loads of movies to share with you guys. Anyway, less dilly-dallying. Are we going to do this?”

  “Oh, I’m ready all right.” Carter opened the door to Level Two. As soon as the door was open a fraction, they heard the advisors’ wives and children screaming.

  Carter flung open the door the rest of the way, and the group quickly stepped onto Level Two, ready to attack. There were bodies on the floor with Mad hunched over them, eating with wet tearing sounds that turned the group’s stomachs. The Madness was running wild on Level Two.

  These Mad had been the advisors, and they had lived on this level with their families. Their lab coats were now splattered in blood. Some of the Mad had chunks bitten out of their cheeks, and others were gnawing on limbs they’d ripped from their victims. Ryder had no intention of her or any of her friends being a Mad’s next meal.

  Bloodcurdling screams came from a group of women and children, who were pinned up against a wall. They were trapped by the Mad coming at them from all angles. Byrant instantly raised his guns, but Ryder shook her head in response, then placed her finger on her lip.

  Ryder whispered to Byrant, “We have the upper hand. Afana doesn’t know we’re here, and we need to keep it that way.”

  Ryder smoothly drew an arrow from her quiver and nocked it as the others raised their weapons. The engraving on the arrowheads was really beautiful. Graham had done a fine job on them. Ryder knew she wouldn’t miss. She never missed. Well, except once when she was drunk, but she was sober as a judge today thanks to Massimo’s strong liquor.

  She let out her breath and loosed the arrow, which flew silently through the air and landed in the back of a Mad’s head. Ryder readied another arrow and fired, and Willard threw his knives. Within a few moments, the two of them had taken six Mad down.

  When a dead Mad fell onto another, the other Mad took notice of what was happening and turned toward Ryder and her friends.

  Arrows and knives flew across the bunker into the oncoming Mad, dropping them like flies. Blood oozed across the floor as Ryder and her friends made easy work of the Mad.

  Ryder paused with her hands on her knees when they were done. She was out of breath, but the adrenaline pounded through her body.

  Here’s hoping that the rest of the bunker will be this easy.

  16

  Afana wanted to get to Level Six as quickly as possible to feed, since he hoped that the blood would counteract the infection carried by the two bites he’d received. He was afraid; more afraid than he’d ever been in his life. He thought about heading back to Level One, but having been a scientist in his former life, he would have spent hours running his blood and seeing if it was infected, and time would run out. He needed to be stronger. He needed more blood, and then the nanocytes in his body could fight off the infection.

  Afana had sent the generals to Level Five to fight, and when he landed on Level Five through his personal drop hole with a thud, it took everyone on Level Five by surprise.

  General Finn puffed his chest out and stepped closer. “Afana.”

  Afana looked around the level; they’d taken care of all of the infected. Finally, some people in here are doing their job, Afana thought.

  “Are they all dead?” Afana asked the general.

  “Yes,” Finn replied simply. He started to leave with the other generals.

  “Stop!” Afana bellowed. A few of the men froze, but others continued to head toward the open door leading to the stairs to Level Four. “STOP!”

  General Finn marched over to the men on the stairs. “Get back here now,” he ordered through gritted teeth.

  “No one leaves until I say so. Clean up the bodies!” Afana ordered. The men who were on the stairs headed back down toward the bodies. Afana wanted them to make sure everyone was dead to reduce his chance of getting bitten again.

  When they piled the bodies up against the wall there was a rotten eggs smell coming from them, which was odd since some of them had only been killed a few minutes earlier. It didn’t make sense that their bodies already smelled like week-old meat.

  A few of the generals threw up from the smell and the sight. Some of the bodies were in tatters, ears and other parts ripped off, leaving bloody holes. There were bite marks that oozed blood, adding to the pool on the floor. They were well and truly fucked up, and it looked like they’d had tomato sauce poured over them.

  The glass floor was now smeared with blood from the dragged bodies. There was also a pile of bodies over Afana’s drop hole—the advisors Afana had thrown down. They decided to leave those there until told otherwise.

  Those were Afana’s bodies, and they didn’t want to join them.

  Normally bodies dropped through the hole would go all the way down to Level Six, but that wasn’t the case today. The bodies had piled up on Level Five because the drop hole to Level Six was locked.

  The surviving hunters who lived on Level Five were standing at the ends of their tunnels, watching from behind the barricades they’d hastily built.

  “Walk with me,” Afana said to General Finn, who looked like he was going to piss himself with excitement, then forced his face into a serious expression. General Finn walked like he had a stick up his ass as he followed Afana down the stairs past Level Five to the Level-Six door.

  Afana pulled at the door handle to the Level Six exit, but it didn’t open. The second time Afana used all his strength, and the sweat dripped down his face. It was like the door was welded to its frame.

  The override Advisor Jones had implemented hadn’t worked. Afana looked over Advisor Jones’ body, his brains slopped on the glass floor beside the splintered mess. He’d smashed the head of the only man who could attempt to open the door. The other was locked behind the door.

  Afana tried one more time to open the door and let out a scream that bounced off Level Five’s walls when he failed. The men in the tunnels who had been watching quickly hid down their tunnels, out of Afana’s sight. General Finn, on the other hand, stood there stock still. He didn’t fear Afana, or if he did, he was doing a good job of hiding it.

  “I want everyone from Level Six up on Level One, and I need you to get the men to do it,” Afana told General Finn.

  “Of course. I will do anything you request of me, and I will ensure that the men follow orders,” General Finn said firmly. It actually looked like Afana was going to smile at Finn. Afana had gotten what he wanted.

  Someone to do his dirty work.

  “I will get the door opened,” General Finn stated with conviction.

  “How?” Afana asked between panting breaths.

  General Finn indicated the spectators. “We can use the tools the men use to maintain the bunker. The tools are kept in one of the tunnels on this level.”

  Afana was getting annoyed that he was surrounded by idiots. “The door is unbreakable,” Afana said dismissing General Finn as his hands clenched up.

  “I wasn’t thinking we should break the door. More like we take it apart,” General Finn explained, and that got Afana’s attention.

  “Get to it,” Afana ordered.

  Afana looked up at Level Four. There were infected coming out of the tunnels he hadn’t searched earlier. The generals were watching him, wondering what he was going to do next. This was his bunker, after all. He couldn’t—and woul
dn’t—let the monsters have free rein with his cattle! He also didn’t want to risk getting bitten again.

  “Stay down here until you’ve opened the door or you’ll be on top of the pile of bodies.” With that, Afana ran for the stairs. He didn’t have the energy to jump into the drop hole and pull his body up. He was worried that if he failed to make the leap, the generals would see that he was weaker than normal. All the fighting had sapped his energy.

  Running up the stairs wore him down even more. He needed to head up to Level One just to feed. Afana began to wonder if it was blood he needed, or if he was just out of shape. This was the most fighting he’d ever done. He needed to get his house in order quickly.

  17

  Ryder walked over to the advisors’ families. “You’re free, so you can leave.” She pointed to the door. The advisors’ wives looked at one another, clearly not sure what to do. Many of them had had no choice who they’d been married to, although some had been lucky enough to find love in that brutal place. Most of the women had never been out of the bunker unless they were born outside. Now that they had the chance to escape, they didn’t know what to do.

  The women looked up through the glass ceiling at the advisors.

  Some of the women took their kids’ hands and led them past the bodies on the floor, shielding their eyes from the gore. Ryder and the others had two-tapped them; they weren’t coming back to life after the Merry Men had taken care of them.

  A woman came up to Ryder. “My husband?”

  “We will let him out once we’ve rescued everyone,” Ryder told her. She wasn’t going to kill them, and neither were the Merry Men. They weren’t as bad as Afana.

  The rest of the women and kids left, and finally, Level Two was clear of Afana’s hostages and the Mad.

  When Ryder circled her finger in the air, the gang knew it was time to head to the next level.

  Carter led them down the stairs to Level Three, and Ryder peered over his shoulder and saw that the door was open. Part of her was scared that the door would be closed behind her, but Carter winked at Ryder. “We’re not going to be locked down here,” he reassured her. “But if we are, what a cool group of people you get to hang out with!” Carter smiled, and so did the others.