Secrets Of Sanctuary Hospital Nightmare Of The Dark Shadows

by L. A. A. Law

  I consider what she is saying. “No, I guess that I just assumed that they did?”

  Emma places her hands upon mine, turns to Gabriel who nods before she turns back to me. “Mia, I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on everything that you have seen and heard since the children were taken. Maybe you heard something that you are not consciously aware of that is making you think they are vampires. Gabriel will go through this with you. Maybe he can offer a different perspective.”

  “Shouldn’t I be concentrating on getting another connection with the children? One of them hurt Jacob, he’s unconscious!”

  Emma hugs me gently and then sits back on her heels, taking my hands again. “Mia, I spoke to Reginald on my way here. He is on his way and believes that you can even get a message to the children with some help, but right now it is essential that we gather as much information so that we can find them. Do this for me and then I promise I will help you get a message to them.”

  My heart surges forward, beating against my chest at the thought of getting a message to them. I want to argue with her, but finding them is my first priority and if Gabriel can help in that, I need to concentrate and hopefully he can detach himself from the fear I can’t escape to see things that in my panic, I missed. Closing my eyes, I run through what I have seen, heard, and felt as Andrew wipes away my tears.

  When I open my eyes, Gabriel is opening a map and placing it on the table. “Andrew how fast would you say the car was traveling?”

  “About one hundred ten miles per hour, but I doubt they maintained that pace because it would have caught the attention of the police.”

  He is drawing circles from different points on the map as I approach. Lifting his head, his voice sounds confident. “Mia is right they are vampires because they talked about William bringing back a family and not wanting to miss a good meal.”

  As the meaning of his words sink in, my stomach lurches and I can feel the bile rise up my throat. My children are in the hands or barbaric vampires that feed off human beings! Forcing my thoughts away from the dark abyss threatening to engulf me and back to Gabriel, I know I cannot afford to be distracted from finding them.

  Looking at Emma, “How can I get a message to the children?”

  She moves toward me. “Do you remember when we channeled together, how we linked?”

  “Yes, but don’t we have to be together to channel? Are you telling me that I could channel with the children from here?”

  “No, that wouldn’t be possible.”

  Frustrated, my tone is clipped. “Then how do I get a message to them?”

  “Reginald believes that we may be able to utilize Damian’s special powers to compel his energy to send them a message.”

  Damian moves toward us. Taking my hand, he turns to Emma. “Tell me what I need to do.”

  Her features turn serious. “Before I tell you what you have to do, you need to know that it can be dangerous.”

  He interrupts her. “It can’t be any more dangerous than our not knowing where the children are and what they are facing, so just tell me what we need to do in order to get them the message.”

  Emma grips Damian’s shoulders. “You need to understand the risk first. When you channel with Mia and project yourself there, you utilize and set forth your energy to manifest an image. Although from what Mia heard and Gabriel confirmed, we have reason to believe they are vampires, we don’t know if they are linked with demons or black witches. When you manifest your image, your energy could be trapped wherever the children are depending upon who and what we are dealing with, whether they detect you, and if they have the ability to trap you, or at least part of your essence. Do you remember when the demon came back through Mia and we disposed of it?”

  “Yes, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.” Damian quips.

  “In order for you to project through channeling, you will not have full and immediate control over the energy you transfer to manifest the image. If you are detected and they are prepared to catch your energy, in the momentary delay, part of you could be captured and trapped there causing you to remain immobile and in a semiconscious state here.”

  “You have not told me anything that would deter my going, so we should get started.” He states confidently, but his eyes shift to Serena and I catch their brief, but very worried glances.

  Grasping his hand, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  A determined stare overtakes his features. “You know how we feel about them. They are the children that we could never have, so just tell me what you want me to tell them and let’s get started.”

  I hug him fiercely and we head toward the circle. As we sit, Emma follows. “Would you mind if I channel with you? I may be able to detect if there is any danger and let Damian know before he can be taken.”

  I rearrange the circle before we join hands.

  “Mia, you concentrate on connecting with the children and I will concentrate on our channeling with you, this way your attention will not be split. Gabriel can you look on and see if you get anything that Mia may pick up through the connection.”

  Everyone is moving around us, but I block them out, concentrating only on the children’s picture which I hold in my hand before placing it in Damian’s. As their beautiful faces flow through my thoughts, the faint echo of their beating hearts surrounds me. Emma’s voice rings quietly through my consciousness. “Mia, concentrate on them but allow your mind to accept our presence so we can travel with you.”

  The children’s beating hearts become clearer. I feel the cold floor below them, their wrists feel weighted down by some sort of heavy metallic cuff, but I no longer feel the hood over their face. My heart quickens, if they don’t care about whether or not the children see their faces that could mean… I stop myself. I need to concentrate and not speculate! I force myself to focus on the coldness of the floor, until I remember that I am connecting to either Nicholas or Kayla who have yet to regain consciousness. I need to connect with Jacob or Nicole. The effects of the ether will dissipate with them quicker. Hopefully, they are awake and focusing on their surroundings so as to give us some clue as to where they are being held. Concentrating on the next heart, I am more aware of the shackles binding me and the roughness of the floor. I can feel their mind fighting its way through a sea of confusion as the last remnants of ether impair their systems.

  As I fight to get a stronger connection, I feel their encroaching fear as they finally regain consciousness. I must have connected to Nichole. As her eyes meet Jacob’s, I can feel a lump in her throat, strangling her words. “What do you think they will do to us?”

  “I don’t know, but we have to try to get out of here before we give them an opportunity to do anything. Can you break free from the chains?”

  My relief at hearing Jacob’s strong response is cut short as the terrifying thought of their being chained and trying to do anything that may put them in further danger overtakes me. Before my own fear severs our connection, I concentrate on Nicole’s strangled whisper.

  “My hands are bound too tight. They’re not budging. Do you think that mom and dad know we are missing by now?” Despite her hushed tone, I can hear her hysteria rising.

  “I’m not sure. Do you have any idea how long we’ve been out?”

  As I squeeze Damian’s hand, I feel Nicole’s shock as his faint reflection appears before them. “We know that you are missing. We are looking for you now. Your mother is with you and can feel you and see what you are seeing. Try to observe as much as you can, any information which you can send her way will help. We love you and we are all here, we are searching. Remember, the less information that you give to them and the more you can discern, the more it will help to keep you safe. We love you very much.”

  Approaching footsteps echo from a hallway. Grabbing Emma’s hand, I see Damian’s reflection vanish as Nicole and Jacob hang their heads feigning unconsciousness. Listening intently, the door creeks open, someone takes two more ste
ps and then the door slams shut and the footsteps fade. Although their hearts are pounding wildly with fear, and Nichole’s eyes are veiled by tears, I can see hope lightening Jacob’s features knowing that we are looking for them and I am in some form with them. My heart aches to comfort my precious daughter as her tears stream down her face.

  Jacob’s features turn worrisome as he stares upon his sister. His voice turns soft and comforting like his fathers. “Nicole, please don’t cry, this is good news, they know that we are missing and they will find us.”

  “But we traveled a long time and the car was going so fast, what if we traveled too far for them to find us?”

  “Do you think that distance will stop them? They would go to the ends of the earth to get us back. We need to help them, if we can. If uncle Damian could reach us, we can’t be so far away. How far can he project anyway?”

  “I don’t know, but he said mom is with us, do you think…” Nichole chokes as if her windpipe is cut off and she strains to finish. “…that they got her too?”

  “No, he said she could see and feel us, I don’t think that she is physically with us. I think that she is with us the way they tried to explain to us before. Remember how she can feel us and hear or see what we are seeing when we are in trouble?”

  “Then what should we do?”

  Jacob looks deep in thought. “If we can’t get out of these chains, we should concentrate, and I mean really concentrate, on what is going on around us. This way, when mom is with us, maybe she will hear or see something that would help them find us.”

  Nicole’s eyes shift from Jacob’s and new panic grips her as she sees her cousins slumped and chained to the floor. “Kayla, Nicholas are you alright? Wake up. Kayla please wake up!” They blur as tears overwhelm her lids again.

  “Nicole, it’s alright. Please don’t cry, they are breathing, I can see their chest moving up and down, they must still be unconscious. It’s alright. Please, if you are crying and they come back, they will know that we are awake and that might not be our best move right now. We should pretend to be unconscious for as long as possible. Maybe uncle Damien will even come back and tell us what we should do.”

  Knowing that Damian doesn’t know what is happening, I break the connection to talk to him and let Andrew know that the kids did see Damian and are looking for instructions. My opening eyes meet their concerned faces.

  “Emma said that we made it through to the kids, did they see and hear me?” Damian inquires anxiously.

  “They did and it made them feel better but they are looking for us to send them some type of instructions. Nicole and Jacob are pretending to be unconscious and Nicholas and Kayla still haven’t come around. Damian, can you go back?”

  “Absolutely, just tell me what you want to tell them.”

  Andrew turns to Emma. “Is there anything that they can do to repel an attack from these vampires or demons, if it comes down to that?”

  There are spells that they can use, but they are very specific depending upon what type of creature is holding them. I hate to say this, but we should wait and see if we can confirm what they are so that we can give them the right type of spell. Otherwise, we can do them more harm than good.” By her hesitant features, I know she caught the skeptical look passing between Andrew and me. Turning toward me, “Mia, I’m not saying that we are not dealing with vampires, I’m just saying that we should make sure that we are not dealing with something more as well.”

  Andrew turns back to Damian. “Tell the children to try to observe as much as possible and not reveal the extent of the powers or that they have powers, if possible. Also,...”

  I put my hand on Andrew to stop him for a moment and turn to Emma. “Emma do you think that they are strong enough to do the protectionist spell upon each other, this way, if they get separated or if one of them gets taken away from the others, they would be able to keep track of each other?”

  “I think that they could do it. They are very strong, they just need to be careful because if their captures see the stars and know about witches, they will know immediately what is going on and that the children are more than just half-vampires.”

  “Can you walk Damian through the spell so that he can tell them about it? I need to talk to Andrew a minute.” Not wanting the others to hear, I get up, and he follows me to the balcony. Although I know Reginald sent them, I don’t want to risk revealing anything they shouldn’t know.

  He shuts the doors behind him. “What are you thinking?”

  “Is it possible to use the powers to advance death in another way?” By his perplexed features, he doesn’t know where I am heading with this. “Can the powers to advance death be used to incapacitate any type of creature, even if it is only temporary?”

  I can tell by his deep concentration, he is seriously considering the possibility. “I don’t think it would work on vampires because we are already dead and demons do not have human physiology. I don’t think it works the way you are hoping. We could do them more harm than good by putting them in a position where they would be giving more information than there captures have.” From his hesitation, I know there is more.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  Gripping my hand, “Mia, I don’t want to frighten you more, but if they are using people as their food source, they may also be doing other things. I don’t want to place the children in a position where they are forced to use their powers to do anything for these creatures that could ...”

  Knowing where he is going, I thrust my hand up. I cannot allow my mind to venture there, my fear and the nightmarish facts already bombarding my thoughts are difficult enough to fight to bury so that I could continue functioning. Putting my fingertips up to his lips, I plead. “Please don’t say it out loud. If you confirm my worst fears, I won’t be able to concentrate.”

  He enfolds me in his embrace as tears escape my lids. “I’m afraid too, but you have to keep calm and believe that we are going to find them. Come on, let’s go back inside, I’m sure Emma has walked Damian through the spell. You should connect to the kids and give them this information. Don’t focus on anything but connecting with them. While you’re doing that, I’ll see if I can get any information from Lucas, Eva and Jackson.”

  Entering, Emma and Damian are already inside the circle so I join them. “Damian, tell them that we love them again and not to take any chances but to observe and think about anything that could give us a clue as to where they are. Tell them to do the protectionist spell but to be very careful. I know that Jacob’s hearing is the best so tell him to listen intently for any approaching footsteps and to break it off immediately if he hears anything at all.”

  “I promise I will tell them everything. I will make sure that they know again that we are looking for them and love them.”

  Closing my eyes, I’m surprised at how quickly I feel an onslaught of fear which is not my own. I have connected with Nicholas or Kayla who is now aware of their imprisonment. Their eyes are darting frantically around as they shudder from the damp, cold ground and air surrounding them. Pushing past their fear, I concentrate instead on what they are seeing. There is natural light streaming through the room, but I see no windows. Instead, they are surrounded by sand or concrete color walls aligned with chains while the attached rings rest on the floor. I feel myself gasp at the terrifying site and realization that these shackles are imprisoning my children. Nothing, but a few mice or maybe rats, occupy the room. I wish I could tell them to look toward the door and windows, but I can see Damian’s apparition forming and do not want to break our connection for this new request. All eyes are upon him as he whispers that we love them and will find them. Slowly and in hushed tones, he instructs them on the protectionist spell and tells Jacob to listen intently and be sure to break off if there is any indication that someone is approaching. Several frantic footsteps echo from the hallway and he is gone.

  As they come closer, Jacob whispers. “Hang your heads down and don’t move.” The r
oom goes dark and I hear the creak of the door. Someone’s cool hand is on my chin, lifting either Kayla or Nicholas’ head. A momentary flash of relief floods through me as I realize they are good at feigning unconsciousness as their chin is released causing their head to drop.

  A male authoritative voice rings close to my ear. “Did they see you when you grabbed their children?”

  “No, I told you that we were very careful. We even took side roads out of the city. There is no way that anyone can trace this to us.” After a pause, the woman’s voice continues. “I don’t understand, if you want him to suffer, shouldn’t we have let him see us grab the children? Wouldn’t it have been better if he knew exactly who took them and could imagine what his children are going through, he knows what we were capable of, and I’m sure that he has not forgotten the terror in her eyes at what she saw. Wouldn’t it have been much more effective to let his imagination eat away at him as to what they will suffer at our hands before...”

  An angry growl fills the room and reverberates through the floor. Nicholas or Kayla shudders. A crash echoes off the walls, they are fighting, but I don’t hear any reaction from the children other than the locking into place of every muscle of whomever I am connected to. Please don’t let my children be caught in the cross-fire, I pray!

  His angry voice grows louder. “I told you, we will reveal ourselves to him in time. I want to do this in stages. First, let’s see if he can figure it out. In the meantime, we should enjoy the fact that he is suffering not knowing who has them or what is happening to them. Once I am satisfied that this torture is sufficient, we will reveal that we have them. I’m sure he remembers what we did before and fears that our power and love for carnage has only grown over the years, such thoughts will devastate him. Then...” He pauses and his voice sounds calmer, calculating. “I’m getting ahead of myself. How much ether did you give them, they have been out a long time?”

  “We knocked them out with it and then kept it on them in the car.” He grunts. “Have Ana come down in a few hours and see if they are up. Have her bring down water, food or blood. We don’t want them dying before their time. Come on, we should go and eat, I’m sure the family is ready for us now.” He chuckles menacingly.