“Serves you right. What are you doing down here by yourself anyway?” Vance demanded.
Skyler and Logan darted out from the wine cellar and stared at Hailey with Vance. Both men relaxed.
Vance looked at the others then back at Hailey. “I must have missed the memo announcing this meeting.”
“There’s a subtle irony that we all gathered here for the occasion,” Logan remarked.
Hailey looked at Logan, despite still holding her chest, and extended her hand. “Lead the way, Mr. Tour Director.”
Chapter Twenty
Several large storage rooms were cluttered with tall rows of shelves filled with boxes. Each holding area looked similar to the next. Most of the storage rooms also contained old furniture and various unwanted or damaged items from guestrooms. The basement was a holding tank for every piece of junk from around the resort. Most should have been discarded, but someone seemed to have a tough time letting go of clutter. Garbage removal, particularly larger items, was a little more difficult on the island. Hailey didn’t doubt that somewhere toward the island’s interior there was a dump for larger appliances and mattresses. Lucinda’s money troubles were beginning to show. Hailey and the three men looked around the cluttered room in which they stood. Their frustration was clearly showing on their faces. They were no closer to finding Marcus than they were forty minutes ago.
“A person could hide for weeks down here,” Vance remarked as he ran his finger over a chair covered in a layer of dust.
“We’re running out of basement, and my lunch break is nearly over,” Skyler informed them.
“Maybe we missed him,” Logan announced. “Maybe he was never down here to begin with.”
“Let’s go back to the laundry room,” Hailey suggested. “If we don’t find him there, then we’ll call it an afternoon.”
All four turned toward the door and nearly collided with Marcus, who had mysteriously appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He stared at the four, surprised to see them in an area clearly off limits to hotel guests.
“What are you doing down here?” Marcus suddenly demanded with irritation in his voice.
All four exchanged looks. The three men then stared at Hailey and encouraged her to speak to the head of security. Hailey suddenly felt uncomfortable with what she needed to say. With the way Vance had reacted, she didn’t see Marcus just accepting his destiny without some convincing. His intimidating look wasn’t helping release her tensions any either.
“There’s something important we have to tell you,” Hailey announced then held her breath a moment. “I know you’re not going to believe any of it, but you need to hear us out.”
Hailey recapped everything that had happened between the four of them since their arrival. Marcus listened in near silence and just stared with his mouth hanging open. His lack of comment was concerning, but it was possible he was just being polite. When Hailey had finally finished her story, which included him as the chosen Guardian, Marcus stared at them and appeared at a loss for words. All four watched him and awaited some reaction. After his uncomfortable stare, any reaction would do.
“I think you’re all out of your minds,” Marcus finally bellowed out then glared at Skyler. “Did you infect them with your wild tales?”
“Actually, they were Logan’s wild tales,” Vance announced and offered a cheap grin.
“We can prove it, Marcus,” Hailey informed him.
“Really? How?”
Hailey looked at the guys, took a deep breath, and extended her hands to them. They reluctantly clasped hands and concentrated while Marcus watched with apparent doubt to their sanity. The lights flickered and the room vibrated. Several rats scurried past Marcus’ feet, startling him. Skyler’s expression turned serious, despite his eyes being shut.
Skyler’s voice shouted in Hailey’s mind. “Hailey, I sense something evil nearby!”
Hailey gasped with surprise and pulled away. His voice echoing in her mind startled her. The others broke concentration and looked at her, awaiting an explanation. Hailey and Skyler stared at each other. She couldn’t believe she’d heard his thoughts. Judging by his reaction, he was amazed she’d heard him as well.
“Okay, that was strange,” Marcus announced and now seemed open to the notion that they weren’t insane. “Not saying I believe a word that you’ve told me, but what exactly is the role of this Guardian?”
“The Guardian is Hailey’s protector,” Logan replied then appeared slightly embarrassed. “We’re all kind of learning as we go.”
“Skyler sensed something,” Hailey informed them with concern. “There’s still a chance Penny’s alive. We need to find her. She was down here.”
“How do you know that?” Marcus asked.
“I just do,” Hailey informed him. “You have to trust me, there isn’t much time.”
Hailey left the storage room with the three men following her. Marcus gave in and hurried after them. The five walked in silence along the basement corridor. Skyler stopped in the corridor and stared at the old elevator several yards away, where he witnessed a tiny, glowing light.
“There’s a spirit by the elevator,” Skyler informed them.
Hailey looked at the elevator and saw Penny’s spirit staring back at her. Her heart sank. It was too late for Penny, as she had already feared. As Hailey approached, Penny stepped into the elevator through the closed doors. Hailey stopped and stared at the elevator a moment. She looked back at the others.
“Penny took that elevator,” Hailey announced.
Marcus appeared surprised. “How--?”
When the elevator doors opened, Hailey hurried inside without waiting for Marcus to finish his question. The others followed with some apprehension. They rode the rickety, old elevator down to the sub-basement. The five stepped out of the elevator and walked through the dimly lit, sub-basement corridor. Penny’s spirit floated ahead of them in the distance, guiding Hailey. They followed her for a few minutes along several corridors.
“I never knew this existed,” Logan remarked.
“I’d actually forgotten it was here,” Marcus informed them. “I hadn’t been down here since I first started working here. Some of the old security guards felt it best to pretend the entire area didn’t exist. For a long time, it had been sealed. I wonder who unsealed it.”
“Well, I hope you know how to get out of here,” Vance informed them. “We’ve made at least six turns already and all these corridors look the same to me.”
“I’m more worried about where we’re going than how to get back,” Marcus announced then looked at Hailey. “Are you sure your ghost is reliable?”
Hailey glared at Marcus. He seemed puzzled by her look. They approached an intersection, which led both to the right and to the left. Hailey suddenly stopped and looked around. Penny’s ghost had vanished.
“She’s gone,” Hailey announced with surprise.
A low snarl echoed through the dark corridors, starling all five. They looked around for any indication of where the sound had originated.
“Uh, which direction did that come from?” Logan nervously asked.
“Is that one of your beasts?” Marcus suddenly asked.
“Sure sounds like it,” Hailey muttered.
Glowing eyes approached them from behind. They were immediately alerted to the creature as they stared at the red eyes moving closer. The five then turned to the connecting corridor. There were more glowing eyes approaching from the opposite direction.
“Okay, Marcus, you’re up, brother,” Logan announced and stepped behind him.
Marcus appeared stunned by Logan’s comment. He removed his gun and nervously looked around. There was more snarling and more glowing eyes from the right and left corridor. The five slowly moved closer together with their backs to one another. They were trapped in the corridor hub by approaching creatures from all directions.
“Now’s as good a time as any to see what we can do,” Hailey announced.
They grasped
one another’s hands behind them. Marcus eyed them, replaced his gun to his holster, and then joined them. They attempted to concentrate. Several lights brightened and momentarily revealed the approaching beasts then the lights exploded, returning the corridors to near darkness.
“The hell with this--” Marcus released their hands, removed his gun, and fired into the darkness at the glowing eyes.
One of the beasts leaped for them. The black panther leaped out of the darkness, tackled the beast to the floor, and fought with it. Whether it had been part of its plan, the panther had cleared an escape route for them.
“This way!” Hailey cried out.
They ran down the only safe corridor and away from the creatures. Marcus fired shots at the beasts until he ran out of bullets then ran after the others. Another set of glowing eyes appeared before them. All five stopped and looked back. More glowing eyes approached them from behind. Marcus looked to a door alongside them and violently kicked it several times. Vance slowly lowered himself to the floor and stared at the glowing eyes. The creature came out of the darkness then stopped and snarled at him. Hailey heard the faint sound of parting air, which grew louder. A swarm of bats suddenly appeared. Everyone except Vance cried out. The bats swarmed the beasts. Marcus finally managed to kick open the door. Vance cast Hailey and Skyler into the dark room. One of the beasts leaped for Vance. Logan dove onto Vance and tackled him to the floor. The creature was already in mid-leap and collided with the first creature. A third creature appeared.
“Run!” Marcus shouted.
Vance and Logan ran down the corridor with Marcus behind them and the creature on his heels. Two creatures bolted into the dark room after Hailey and Skyler. Hailey and Skyler fumbled across the room and collided with objects scattered about in the darkness. The glowing eyes grew closer, frightening both. Candles within the room suddenly erupted into flames and brightened the entire area. The room was filled with furniture from the forties. Skyler grabbed an old umbrella, turned toward the two creatures, and took a fighting stance.
“Run, Hailey! I’ll hold them off!”
Hailey eyed the umbrella that he held like a sword and frowned at him. “Don’t be stupid.”
The creatures snarled and closed in. Hailey looked around the room while Skyler gripped his umbrella. The room suddenly vibrated causing both to look around.
“What are you doing?” Skyler cried out.
“I’m not doing that!”
An entire shelf creaked, crashed down, and narrowly missed the first creature. Hailey ran across the room for an antique sword in a decorative box. The second beast bolted after her. She grabbed the sword. It was bolted inside the box! Hailey cried out with surprise and alarm. The creature lunged for her. She ran for the door to escape it. As the first creature leaped for Skyler, he shut his eyes and thrust forward with the umbrella. It caught the beast in the mouth, causing it to leap back with surprise and pain. Skyler opened his eyes and saw the beast swatting at its mouth. Hailey ran for the doorway, stumbled over an old trunk in the darkness, and fell to the floor near the doorway. She flipped onto her back, knowing the creature had been right behind her. She screamed as she helplessly watched the creature leap for her. A hand caught the large beast by the throat and stopped it mid-air. The three hundred pound creature thrashed against the grip on its throat. Hailey rolled into a crouched position and saw Rafe standing behind her while holding the beast in the air by its thick throat. That Rafe didn’t appear strained by the weight of the thrashing creature was startling.
The beast slashed its claws at him, nearly scratching his arm. Rafe coiled back and projected the creature across the room with amazing force, causing it to strike the shelves near Skyler. Skyler ducked and opened his umbrella to shield him. A third creature leaped through the doorway behind Rafe. Rafe didn’t even look behind him. He spun into a high, roundhouse kick and struck it in the head, dropping it. The creature near Skyler charged for Rafe. Rafe moved into a series of kicks and repeatedly struck it. The creature within the broken shelves recovered and leaped for him as he fought the third creature. As the charging creature attempted to pounce on him, he flipped and kicked the beast in the underbelly. The first creature recovered and came back at him. Rafe remained in a crouched position with one hand to the floor and stared at the approaching beast. It snarled and stared into his eyes. Rafe’s expression never changed. The creature slowly backed out of the room. The remaining two beasts scrambled to their feet, shook off, and ran after the first creature. Rafe straightened and stared at the doorway. He seemed annoyed more than anything else. Hailey and Skyler appeared stunned while staring at him.
“It’s him--” Hailey gasped softly.
“It can’t be him,” Skyler muttered to her and defiantly shook his head. “I never would’ve allowed that.”
Rafe turned toward them and glared at Hailey with a look of annoyance. “You ditched me.”
Hailey was stunned by the comment as she stared at him. “That’s all you have to say?”
Rafe reconsidered his comment while maintaining his annoyance and demandingly raised his brows. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“We were nearly killed by three snarling beasts,” Skyler exploded. “Don’t you find that even a little disturbing?”
“Maybe you’ll remember that the next time you consider ditching me.”
Rafe turned back toward the doorway, showing little emotion toward what had just happened, while Hailey and Skyler exchanged stunned looks. Logan, Vance, and Marcus ran into the room and stopped when they saw Hailey and Skyler with Rafe. All three men were out of breath.
“Is everyone okay?” Marcus asked.
Skyler and Hailey slowly nodded, although neither could take their eyes off Rafe, who casually brushed some dirt from his expensive jacket. He put his finger through a small tear on his sleeve and groaned with disgust.
“That’s great,” Rafe muttered.
The three men eyed Rafe with distrust then looked back at Hailey and Skyler.
“They had us cornered then they just took off,” Logan informed them while shaking his head. “I don’t know why.”
The black cat trotted into the room and ran for Hailey. She caught the cat as it leaped into her arms.
“Maybe we should regroup at the bar and have a couple of shots,” Vance suggested.
“Seriously, let’s get out of here before they regroup,” Logan cried out.
Chapter Twenty-one
The patio and pool area was abandoned during the late dinner hour. The only people remaining on the patio were the six sitting at the cabana. Hailey was having a difficult time dealing with the realization that Penny was dead, and their venture into the basement only proved they had no clue what they were doing or if there even was a mission. The creatures were clearly too much for them to destroy on their own. The resort didn’t need warriors; it needed exterminators. The bartender filled shot glasses for everyone, including Marcus. Marcus drank the entire contents of his shot glass and waited until the bartender was preoccupied with other duties before speaking.
“I’m going to seal off the entire sub-basement and see if we can stop these things from making their way into the hotel,” Marcus informed them. “When I get back, someone had better tell me what’s really going on at my hotel.” His look was stern. “I don’t want anyone breathing a word of this until I figure out what’s going on here.”
Everyone except Rafe nodded in unison then watched Marcus return to the hotel lobby through the less traveled side door. He was having a difficult time dealing with what he’d witnessed. They all were. Hailey, Skyler, Vance, and Logan waited until Marcus was gone then exchanged looks while casting glances at Rafe, who stood near the far end of the cabana bar, keeping to himself. Rafe glared at them in response.
“Maybe I should speak to Rafe alone,” Hailey gently suggested to the others.
The three men were more than happy to grab their drinks and leave her alone with Rafe. Hailey waited for the three t
o disappear inside before approaching Rafe at the far end of the bar. As she sat alongside him, he cast a glare at her. He sipped his expensive brandy and set the glass on the bar. She knew he was going to be difficult no matter what she said. Hailey pondered their situation for a moment then eyed his glass of brandy. She picked it up and took a sip from it, catching his attention. She made a face and returned the glass to the bar. He gave her a puzzled look then shook his head and ignored her.
“How long have you been able to fight like that?” she asked.
“Why do you ask?”
He really wasn’t going to make it easy on her, and she wasn’t sure there was a good way to approach the subject, especially with him. She saw only one way to deal with the delicate conversation. Head on.
“You were given a gift when you were chosen as the Guardian,” Hailey finally blurted it out.
“I don’t remember accepting that particular position, and no one’s ever given me anything,” Rafe informed her as he cast a glare at her. “My abilities and talents are my own.”
Hailey stared at him with surprise. What he said almost didn’t make any sense.
“You mean you’ve fought like that before?”
“Of course I have,” he scoffed. “But as far as being some chosen member for that pathetic team of misfits; that’s not happening.”
“It’s your destiny.”
He didn’t bother looking at her. “Not if I don’t choose it to be.” Rafe casually stood, finished his drink, and finally met her gaze. “Do yourself a favor. Don’t play superhero. You’ll only get hurt.”
She knew he wanted to walk away, but for some reason, he didn’t. He seemed compelled to stare at her as if waiting for her to stop him. She didn’t disappoint.
“I know you stole Lucinda’s necklace.”
He showed no reaction, although he didn’t deny it. “Is that what you intend to tell Marcus?”
“I don’t intend to tell Marcus anything,” she replied. “For whatever reason, fate brought us together. We can’t do this without you.”
Misfits, Inc. Page 12
