by Holly Hook
Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
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Chained By Blood
Abnormals Underground #7
By Holly Hook
Copyright 2018 Holly Hook
Chapter One
"How are we supposed to get in there?"
It was a good question for me to ask. The ATC building towered over us with its twenty stories, and even the burned floors were open for business again. The new owner of the Abnormal Treatment Centers, Richard Grimes, had also changed security so that armed guards stood at the rotating doors, complete with pistols on their hips. Or maybe that was just something they did at night, in case people with a certain sun allergy tried to attack.
We stood back two blocks from the building. The night was young, and it was Friday, so there were plenty of people out. They helped us blend in. Ladies walking dogs, other teenagers, and young urban professionals out for drinks filled the sidewalks. Alyssa, Xavier, Brendan and I had to stand back against a salon where busy young moms were getting their hair done. We had the advantage of being able to see better and farther than the two Normal guards standing at the doorway. I had the best sight of all, thanks to sampling Xavier's blood in a craze. The effects of his divine blood hadn't faded, and might never. I hoped I didn't end up biting him again in front of his girlfriend. That had been just a little awkward.
So I got the job of staking out the ATC building. "Are you sure Bathory handed the captured vampires over to them?" I asked.
"I can't think of what else she did," Brendan said. "She didn't have them in the bunker and I did errands all over the place. If I were her, I'd put them in a place where I have free security. I bet the ATC has no clue she's using them. The Mother did mention something about forcing the vampires into the open to feed so they'd get caught."
"It makes sense," Alyssa said. "That's why she stole all the blood supplies around the city."
"I bet the ATC is also weakening them for her, too," Xavier said. Richard Grimes believed treatment centers could make supernatural beings Normal. That meant feeding any vampire "patients" no blood.
And people existed who thought that treatment could work.
As if.
"Brendan," I said. "You've been in the ATC building before." A ball of fear gathered in my gut. I'd gone inside once myself, but that was before I Turned.
"It was for a field trip in the eighth grade. They showed us the offices and a lecture hall, but we never saw where they're supposed to treat Abnormals."
"That's because the treatment centers didn't exist," Alyssa explained. We still caught Brendan up on the history of the ATC. "Before Grimes bought the company, the mayor ran it, and he was a demon using it as a front to gather unwilling soldiers. Treatment centers have never existed. But, they might now."
"Grimes would have to create them in record time," Xavier said. "It's possible he was already looking into it. The guy already owns hospitals around here."
"Whatever," I said. "Bathory will kill this Grimes and then she'll try Turning the whole ATC and forcing them to be her soldiers. Then she'll test the vampires they've captured and then she'll murder the ones who won't kill for her. And then she'll turn her army on the city and turn Cumberland into a blood farm," I added. "My point is, we're just standing out here, and we have to get in somehow. It's hard for me to listen to the building through all this noise."
"I agree," Alyssa said. "There's too much traffic, but if we wait until it's too late at night, we'll get more suspect."
I had the ability to see through the new tinted windows. Even Alyssa and Brendan had a hard time with that. A young man now worked behind the counter of the ATC building. If I focused, I could hear him speaking. He had a conversation over video chat on his laptop about going out for drinks tonight. Nothing weird. The guy wouldn't be hard to get around.
But there must be alarms instead of magical wards now. Normals ran the ATC now.
Inside, the elevator dinged. A man in a suit stepped out of the building and nodded to the guards. He was Normal. His heavy footsteps told me that. I could tell a lot from footsteps now, even more than Brendan and Alyssa.
Brendan pulled his hood over his puffy hair. "That guy didn't look intimidating."
"But the guards," I said.
"Don't look at me to get past them," Xavier said. "My magic isn't subtle. Even before whatever happened, it wasn't."
War Mages had that problem. Even though they were human, they were dangerous, and when they used magic, everyone noticed. If Xavier tried to throw magic at those guys, someone would call the cops. More ATC vans would show.
It was worse than that. Xavier might be a god now, and everyone except him knew. He thought the mayor had charged him with more power, but he was suspecting the truth.
Alyssa bit her lip and faced me. "It's up to you again, Janine. Maybe you can use your excuse that worked last time to get in and look around? It looks like different people work there."
I licked my canines to make sure the file had flattened them enough. Check. I was getting used to filing my teeth down every day so my mother would think I was still Normal. The brown contacts helped, too. "Well, I have the best senses," I said. It was strange, having all the important missions on me. "The last time I told them I was looking for information on treating someone I knew, they told me to go up to the nineteenth floor to get brochures. If it's still like that, I can ride the elevator all the way up and listen for where any prisoners might be."
"That sounds good," Brendan said. "Do you want me to go with you?"
I caught a stutter in his words. He was nervous. It had only been a few days since we saved Brendan serving Bathory, but every time he spoke to me, he had that tone that no one else could hear.
The traffic signal on our corner switched to red, and then green again. I watched the cars flow through the intersection. "You're not as disguised as me," I said. "Your eyes will give you away." His reddish irises still showed for everyone to see.
"I guess you have a point," Brendan said. "I need contacts."
"We'll get you some soon," Alyssa said. "Just keep hiding under that hoodie. People will just think you're a hoodlum."
"That beats the truth," Brendan said. "I'm more of a geek who's into gaming and comics. Oh, and I want to be a lawyer."
"A lawyer?" I slapped him on the arm.
"Hey," Brendan said, rubbing his sore spot. "I was joking about that last part. Instead, I want to be a politician."
I laughed. Brendan had a sense of humor now that he'd escaped serving the Mother. That was scary enough for any vampire and he Turned only a month ago. I couldn't believe such a smart guy lived on the streets before Bathory's people found him. He still hadn't told me his story.
And laughing helped keep down the tension surrounding what I had to do. Go inside enemy territory, and stake out the place. The ATC had over one facility but no one knew where all of them were except the ATC themselves. Maybe a brochure or two would help us find them if the captured vampires weren't in the headquarters. I hated the
fact that the ATC didn't post them online. They had to get picked up in person.
I took a breath. "Watch me," I said. "If those guards zap me, it's martial arts time." I pointed at Alyssa. She leaned on her fake Hello Kitty cane. Xavier could put glamours on weapons like swords, and it would take one shake-out to reveal that the cane was actually a katana. Then she'd take action against those guards, and the four of us would make a heroic escape.
Maybe.
I hoped that I didn't have to use my elevated strength on Normals. After Xavier's blood, I'd gained the ability to smash in the skulls of old, powerful vampires. A Normal...I didn't want to think about that.
So I used the crosswalk, leaving my friends behind, and kept my stride casual as if I wasn't about to risk myself in the ATC building. I had to cross two streets, and my stomach growled with hunger. I hoped that behaved, too. The experience of getting too hungry resulted in me biting people like the principal of my school.
(He had been trying to lead Alyssa to Bathory's people and was working for her, so he deserved it. But still. Yuck! At least he didn't know it was me.)
The two guards at the door were real ATC agents, and not the fake vampire ones Bathory had used to treat some of my classmates like a drive-thru meal. Kids had to go to counseling after that, including my friend Maisha. We hadn't spoken since she learned my new secret.
Normals smelled like whatever they'd last eaten. One guard smelled like bad coffee with no creamer, and the other guy reeked like nachos doused in hot sauce. Guy #2 clutched his chest in a fit of heartburn. Both ATC agents wore bulletproof vests, and both had those tasers that could land anyone on the ground, mortal or immortal. That was on top of regular guns.
If I didn't get past them, it would be way too dangerous to stake out the building. Just in case, I listened to the inner workings of the ATC Tower. A boiler hummed in the basement and a leaky pipe sprayed water down below.
I maintained my pace, careful not to walk with too much grace. I stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk on purpose—a typical move for me. One guard faced me but made no motion to draw his weapon. "Careful," he said.
"The city needs to fix these walks," I said. "People could die out here."
"Well, we'll see how the new mayor does," the man said. He sounded friendly enough. I must pass for Normal. "He's still recovering from his injuries, so it might take time. Poor guy, getting stabbed in the stomach."
"I agree," I said. "That must have been awful."
This wasn't tense at all because Alyssa had stabbed him to defend herself. The guy had been Bound to the former demon mayor and tried to shoot her. He might even be in the building since the city offices got kept in the ATC Tower along with other businesses. This was the reason I had to do this job. It wasn't safe for Alyssa to be within two blocks of this place.
"Can we help you?" the guy with heartburn asked.
"Yes," I said. "Do you have any information I can grab for my cousin? He took a werewolf bite two days ago and I want to help him not shift when the full moon comes. He's looking into treatment to stop that from happening." It was the same excuse I'd used to get into the ATC building before. Normals could enter if they had a reason.
"Your cousin's got the right idea," the first guard said. He took a sympathetic tone. "One of the first things Grimes is working on is curing those who get those kinds of infections. Werewolves and vampires will be the first in line."
The way he was spinning things, the ATC didn't sound too bad. But I remembered. Richard Grimes had appeared on TV, talking about how within a few generations, Abnormals would no longer exist, period.
That should set off anyone's alarm bells.
"That's great," I said. At least I could talk without trying to hide my teeth. Normal vision couldn't pick up file marks.
"Go inside. Our receptionist will tell you where to go," the first guy said.
A bunch of stomach acid gurgled up into the other guard's throat. It was a gross sound. I hoped I learned to tune out that kind of stuff soon.
The first guy pushed the rotating doors for me. I pretended to put effort into moving them. I got through and breathed a sigh of relief. The contacts and the filing were coming through. That, and I'd had practice during the past two weeks hiding this from my mother. It was paying off.
The receptionist greeted me and closed his laptop. He was a young professional in a white business shirt.
"Where do I get information on treatment?" I asked. "It's for my cousin." I gave him the same story. That was ironic, because my second cousin, George, was a werewolf and had been for years. He'd go for a cure if it existed. Which it didn't as far as I knew.
"Nineteenth floor," the man said. "I know. I know. We're working on moving that down here to the lowest level to make it easier for customers. The former owner wasn't very mindful of convenience. He wanted everything to be difficult. Grimes is much better."
"Thanks," I said.
"You might get to meet him," the guy said. "He's working late tonight. I'm sure he'll like to tell you all about his plans. Ambitious guy."
"That's great," I said. "Thanks."
So far, so good. No one was trying to stop me. I wasn't the famous Alyssa Choy, and no one working here looked familiar. It was as if Grimes had hired a new staff. The former employees had such a horrible time under a demon boss they never wanted to come near this building again.
I boarded the elevator and took the ride up to the nineteenth floor.
Bathory's people had mentioned that Grimes wouldn't live much longer. When she attacked the ATC, she'd have him and the captured vampires in her clutches at the same time. Sure, I didn't like the ATC either, but I didn't wish death on the guy. Maybe he did just want to help people who had gotten infected.
Or maybe the sky was orange.
I knew better. People hated us. So long as we were off the streets that was all that mattered. What happened behind closed doors didn't concern most people.
I listened as the elevator made its slow climb. Hammers hit metal. Some repairs still went, and I smelled sweat and pizza. Phones rang in offices. A chair squeaked as it rolled back. So far, it was just late workers doing overtime. Other businesses used this building, too. The ATC used the top. I heard nothing that betrayed a prison. If the vampires were being held here, they'd be on the nineteenth floor, in the room that the former mayor once used to detain people.
I heard more of the same, including a supervisor chewing out a lazy employee. But then silence fell as I neared the nineteenth floor. The elevator, just as before, wouldn't go up to the twentieth. The real ATC must not have cleared the former mayor's demonic decorations and portal up there. It was still a huge embarrassment for them.
The elevator doors opened.
Grimes had already redecorated the nineteenth floor. Before, it had been plain white walls with a single receptionist desk. Now I faced a glass wall and door complete with a combination lock on the other side. Beyond it, a new, long desk stretched along the wall with one doorway behind it. Grimes had covered the walls in dark wood paneling and installed new hanging lights. Other than the security, the place looked inviting. Two women sat behind the desk, and it was clear they took care of their looks. One typed. The other sipped a Mountain Dew. They both smelled of microwave dinners.
Then I saw the button near the door. I pressed it and a buzzing sound followed. My sensitive ears wanted to curl up and die.
One woman looked up at me and hit a button under her desk. I heard it click. I made a note of that as the glass door opened by itself. A high school girl with copper and gold braids didn't look too dangerous, then. A guy might have raised more suspicion. Brendan and his hoodie would have freaked them out. That was stupid because vampirism didn't care what you wore or whether you were male or female.
I gave the two women the same story I had given the others. One nodded and opened a drawer. "We've had quite a few people seeking help for their relatives in the last few days," she said. "It's the new owner. He's a lot f
riendlier than the last one, don't you think?"
"How's he going to change things?" I asked. "Are the treatment centers going to be real this time? My cousin wants to know before he goes."
"Understandable," the first woman said. "Yes, the centers will be real. The first has already opened about thirty miles from here. It's taken patients, and there will be trial and error before we find a cure. Grimes has made it his mission. I believe he means what he says."
I listened to the hallway and the office doors behind the woman, but I heard nothing. It was strange. My new hearing could pick up sleep cycles and yet, the walls on this floor let out no sound. I sniffed, pretending I was fighting allergies, but that gave nothing away except for the women, either. I eyed the dark wood paneling. Something about the walls seemed strange but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Were they soundproof?
The new ATC liked its security, then.
And there was no sign of Richard Grimes. The doors behind the women all had locks, and I could see they weren't wooden at all. Panels covered thick metal. I saw steel between the paneling. The facade was so well done that even Alyssa and the old vampires might not pick up on it. This was a high security place, and these women were only the first line of defense.
And did they have guns?
A trace of metal wafted from both. Cameras hung along the edge of the ceiling as if this were a bank. Grimes had prepared himself, all right. He was a smart man. If I didn't know better, he already knew Bathory wanted his head.
The first woman handed me a large folder which was stuffed with brochures. I put it under my arm, determined to look at it once I left. I was almost out of here. This was easy. I couldn't believe I'd gotten all worked up over a simple task.
"Thank you," I said. "I'll take this to my cousin and we'll go over it." I took a step away from the desk. This was as much information as I could safely get tonight. The brochure might give us the location of the new treatment center. It was clear the captured vampires weren't here.
"There's one more you need to do," the second woman said. Her tone meant you can't leave until you complete it. She reached under the desk and pressed the button I wasn't supposed to realize was there.
