Sloane

by V. J. Chambers

I fell back to the floor painfully. I was sprawled out on my stomach, craning my neck to look at him.

  Maybe that was the ticket, then. Not to remind him of his own strength and goodness, but to remind him of his own violence, the times he’d been borderline scary without any weird injection making him do as French said. Maybe I had to play on his guilt.

  “There was nothing sweet about what you did to me then,” I whispered fiercely, gazing into his eyes. “You pushed me into a tree trunk. You were rough. You made me—”

  “Shut up,” he murmured. There was no anger in his voice. It was just as blank as his expression.

  But he’d spoken.

  “Griffin?” I said. “Griffin, baby, are you in there?”

  He leaped onto me, his body covering mine. He forced my face down into the concrete floor, and he applied pressure to the back of my head.

  I screamed. “Griffin, stop. You don’t want to do this. You really don’t want to do this.”

  But he just kept pushing, and I screamed at the pain of it. The pressure was so great that I could feel bones in my face starting to crack.

  He was going to kill me, all right. And I couldn’t stop him.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  I was still kissing Axel when I heard muffled conversation from outside the door.

  “…still on the front door, but I don’t think she understands that we’re stretched thin.”

  “You’re telling me. This was supposed to be my day off until I got called in this morning.”

  I pulled back, listening.

  “Not like there’s even anything in particular to guard right now,” said one of the voices.

  I started to smile. I was pretty sure that I was having an idea. There were disgruntled guards outside the door, and they didn’t sound like they were on high alert.

  “You know why we gotta keep an eye on this closet, anyway?” said the other voice.

  Yep. I was definitely having an idea. “Lay down, close your eyes, and don’t move until I tell you to,” I told Axel in a soft voice.

  “What?” he said.

  “Just do it,” I said. “I’ve got an idea.”

  He gave me a funny look, but he did as I asked, lying down on the floor.

  “Not like you’re sleeping,” I whispered. “Like you’re dead.”

  He rolled over onto his stomach, arms splayed.

  That would have to do.

  I went over to the door and pounded on it. “Hey! Hey, anyone out there?”

  Silence from outside.

  I banged again. “Anyone? Anyone at all?”

  One of the voices, close now. “Who is that?”

  “Do you work for French?” I said. “Because she locked us in here, and she said she had big plans for us, but the guy she threw me in here with… there’s something wrong with him.”

  “What are you talking about?” said the voice.

  “Open the door and see for yourself,” I said. “He just keeled over. I don’t even know who the fuck he is, but I’m thinking French doesn’t want him damaged.”

  The sound of a bolt being undone. “Back away from the door.”

  I grinned. I took a small step back.

  “You back?”

  “Yup,” I said.

  The door opened, and one of those guards with the big guns peered inside. His gaze flicked over me.

  I pointed down at Axel. “See? He’s… dead or something.”

  The guard looked wary. He glanced over his shoulder. “Hey, you know anything about this?”

  The other guard appeared in the doorway. “No, man. I’m clueless.”

  “You gotta do something about this guy,” I said. “I’m pretty sure he’s not supposed to be dead.”

  The guard stepped further inside the room. He knelt down next to Axel, reaching out for his wrist to check his pulse.

  And I didn’t waste a second. I whipped around, driving my elbow into the second guard’s face.

  At the same time, the first guard said, “Guy’s not dead.”

  The second guard howled, clutching his nose, and I took his moment of pain to wrest his gun away. I cocked the gun and sprayed bullets into both of them.

  They yelled, pitching backwards as the gunfire cut into them.

  “Axel, move!” I cried.

  Axel scrambled to his feet.

  “Get his gun.” I gestured to the first guard.

  Axel picked it up.

  I looked around and then pointed. “Hand me that shelf.”

  Axel grabbed it and handed it over.

  I pushed one of the guards over onto his stomach. He was down, but he wasn’t going to be down for long. I’d learned my lesson before. These guys had some kind of souped-up serum, and I knew they’d be back on their feet in no time. “Get yourself something sharp too,” I told Axel. Using the metal edge of the shelf, I sliced deep into the back of the guard’s neck.

  Axel made a face. “What are you doing?”

  “You’ve got to sever their spines. It’s the only way to kill them.”

  He swallowed. “All right.” He bent over the other guard.

  Once both of them were out of commission, we stripped them and put on their uniforms. I hadn’t seen any female guards yet, so I wasn’t sure if I’d look out of place, but I knew without the uniform, I’d stick out. This was a better option.

  Then we stepped out of the closet and shut the door, bolting it again.

  Axel squirmed. “These boots are too big,” he muttered.

  “Mine are too,” I said. “Shut up.” I squared my shoulders and began to stride down the hallway. “Come on.”

  Axel caught up to me.

  “Now the key to not being noticed in a place where you don’t belong is to act like you do belong,” I said. “Self-confidence. So, you should have no problem.”

  He lifted his chin. “Yeah, okay, I think I can handle that.”

  We marched down the hallway like we knew what we were doing, even though I had no clue. The hallway looked sort of similar to the one I’d seen the first time I’d been in this building. Similar enough to assure me that we were, in fact, somewhere in the secret lab. But different enough to make me believe we weren’t on the upper level.

  At the end of the hallway, there was a big, white door with a small window in the top.

  The door opened, and two women in lab coats came out of it. They were chattering to each other, and they didn’t even give us a second glance.

  When the door opened, I saw into the room behind the door, and I realized that it was the same lab that I’d been in before, when I’d seen French and Leigh.

  And that was when I realized what we needed. We needed to get to the elevator, and we needed a swipe card.

  I stopped short at the door to the lab and put my back against the wall. Axel followed suit, so that we were both flanking it.

  Who would have a swipe card? Would the guards have them? I guessed they would if they needed to get down to that bottom level, right? I began to feel inside my pockets. I didn’t do this surreptitiously, because that would have made me look suspicious. Instead, I adopted an air of annoyance, as if I’d lost something.

  “What?” said Axel.

  I ignored him. And then I found it in the upper breast pocket of the guard uniform. I yanked it out and showed it to him. “Swipe card. Get yours.”

  He reached into his breast pocket and took one out as well.

  It was all I could do not to grin. Things were looking up.

  Instead, I managed to keep my expression all business. I opened the door and stepped into the lab, with Axel right behind me. Barely glancing at the room, I charged through it, focusing only on the elevator, which was my destination.

  “Excuse me,” said a voice.

  I ignored it.

  “Hey!”

  I turned. It was the same guy from before. Would he remember that I was a delivery girl just a few days ago?

  “How many times have we asked you guys not to come through
here?” said the guy, glaring at me.

  “Sorry,” I said. “We’ve got to do a sweep of the lower level. We’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

  The guy should his head. “You know, ever since Armstrong disappeared and that French woman took over, things have been getting weird around here.”

  “We’re in a bit of a rush.” I started walking again.

  “This is supposed to be a lab, not a military post, you know!” the guy yelled.

  But we were at the elevator by that point, and the doors slid open when I pressed the button.

  Axel and I both trooped inside.

  The doors whisked closed.

  I hit the button for the bottom floor. Swipe card, blinked the message. I swiped.

  The elevator came to life.

  I grabbed Axel by the front of his uniform, pulled him close, and kissed him hard.

  But we had to stop that right away, because the elevator stopped moving.

  We managed to break apart just before the doors opened again.

  The bottom level of the secret lab was nothing more than a glorified basement. The walls and floor were concrete, painted a sea foam green color. The overhead lighting flickered a little bit, making a buzzing noise above our heads.

  To our left, there was nothing but open space. Gray poles were spaced every fifty feet or so, supporting the structure.

  To our right, there was a wall. And down a little bit, there was a door. It was the only door down here.

  And then I heard a scream.

  “Leigh,” I said.

  Axel nodded.

  Leigh was screaming, and it was coming from behind that door.

  I raced to it.

  It was bolted shut on the outside, just like the room that Axel and I had been in. Quickly, I undid the bolt and threw the door open.

  The first thing I saw was Silas. He was sprawled out on the floor, blood trickling out of his mouth, his eyes unfocused and staring. I let out a tiny noise, covering my mouth.

  But then I saw that Leigh was on the floor, struggling with someone.

  He turned his face to us, and I gasped. Griffin? He must be brainwashed! He was trying to hurt Leigh?

  Or was Leigh brainwashed, and he was trying to protect himself?

  “Sloane!” Leigh gasped. “Help me. He’s trying to kill me.”

  I raised my gun. If she could talk, then she wasn’t brainwashed, right? Except… what if French had changed the brainwashing stuff? What if she’d tweaked it so that Leigh could speak now, trying to trick me? I hesitated.

  Griffin was intent on his task. He was pushing Leigh’s head down into the floor, so, so hard.

  Axel lifted his gun. He pulled the trigger, and bullets roared out, tearing into Griffin’s body.

  Griffin tumbled backwards off of Leigh.

  Leigh sobbed. She scrambled away from Griffin.

  Axel ran forward, kneeling down next to her. “You okay?”

  “Wait, Axel, she might be brainwashed,” I said.

  Leigh was out of breath, but she stared at Axel in disbelief. “Axel? What are you doing here?”

  “Well, you stopped calling me,” he said, helping her to her feet. “That was really rude, Leigh. What did you expect me to do, just forget you ever existed?”

  She took several deep breaths. She looked at me. “Why is he here?”

  “He’s helping,” I said. “Are you okay? The last time I saw you—”

  “Yeah, I don’t remember that,” said Leigh, “but French told me that I tried to kill you. I didn’t mean to. She’s got this new serum that makes people do whatever she says. She used it on Griffin and told him to kill me.”

  I looked down at Silas. “What about Silas?”

  “He’s just dark,” Leigh said. “He should be awake in a few minutes.”

  I breathed a huge sigh of relief. “French told me she was going to make him kill Axel in front of me.”

  Leigh looked Axel over. Then she looked at me. “Why would you get him to help? What kind of help could he possibly—”

  “Hey, I think I just saved your life,” said Axel.

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t go getting any ideas, Axel. You’re never going to be my Prince Charming.”

  Her what? I looked at Axel. “Prince?”

  He cleared his throat. “We need to be getting out of here, don’t we?”

  That was true. I was getting sidetracked. I looked from Silas to Griffin. “Well, how are we going to get both of them out of here dark?”

  “Wait,” said Axel. “You’re going to take him?” He nodded at Griffin. “Wasn’t he just trying to kill her?”

  “It wears off,” said Leigh. “He’ll be fine.”

  Silas twitched.

  “Oh, thank God,” I said. I hurried over to him. “Silas?”

  He slowly managed to turn. His eyes focused on me. “Sloane?”

  Tears sprang to my eyes. “Hey. I’m here.”

  Silas threw his arms around me. “God, I am so glad to see you.”

  * * *

  Axel and I took the lead, since we were both armed. Leigh and Silas came behind us, dragging Griffin’s lifeless body on one of the cot mattresses.

  We got to the elevator, and I started to press the up button, but the elevator doors swished open, and I came face-to-face with French, who was flanked by two guards.

  We were both startled, neither expecting to see the other.

  “Shoot them,” French yelled.

  And the guards opened fire.

  My first thought was Axel. He was vulnerable. If he got shot and killed, he stayed dead. I screamed at him, “Axel get out of the way!”

  Why had I thought it was a good idea for him to be in the lead with me?

  He dove to the left, into the open space.

  And I started to fire.

  The guards were coming out of the elevator, and French was sinking back inside.

  Leigh dropped the edge of the cot and stormed after her. “Oh, I don’t think so, bitch.” She grabbed French by the hair and yanked her back out of the elevator.

  I pumped bullets into one of the guards, and he fell backwards, his head getting lodged in the elevator doors.

  And then searing pain bloomed in my stomach. I grunted. I’d been shot.

  “Sloane,” yelled Silas.

  I pointed at the downed guard. “Get his gun.”

  Silas streaked forward and snatched the gun out of the man’s hand. In one fluid movement, he brought up the weapon and blew the other guy away.

  It was quiet.

  I settled down on the ground, holding onto my wound and gasping. Motherfucker. How many times had I been shot today? Never got any easier, did it?

  Axel was right next to me. “You okay?”

  “Will be,” I groaned.

  Silas balanced the gun over his shoulder and knelt down. “Hey, sis.”

  I shook my head. “They have the fucking serum, and they heal in minutes. You gotta kill the guards.”

  He stood back up. “Fine.” Silas kicked the guy he’d shot over on his stomach. “No one has a knife, do they?”

  Leigh reached into French’s top pocket and fished out a small scalpel. “How’s this?”

  “Perfect.” Silas took it from her.

  French’s face was red. “You’re not going to get away, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Oh yeah?” said Leigh. “Watch us.”

  “We’re going to do more than get away,” I said through clenched teeth. “We’re going to stop you once and for all.”

  French swallowed. Something like actual fear flicked across her face.

  Silas finished cutting the neck of the guard and went to the other one. The elevator door was closing, hitting his head, and then opening again, and then closing—

  Silas dragged his body backwards, flipped him over, and slashed the back of his neck. He stood up. “You want to grab that guy’s gun, Leigh?”

  Leigh let go of French. “Don’t mind if I
do.”

  Silas pointed his weapon at French. “So, here’s how this is going to work. You’re going to take us to wherever you make this stuff you’re injecting into us.”

  “Or what?” said French, lifting her chin.

  “Or I’ll shoot you,” said Silas.

  “You know I have the same serum you have,” said French.

  “Yeah,” said Silas. “So, I’ll shoot you and wait for you to come back, and then I’ll shoot you again, and then I’ll wait for to come back, and then I’ll shoot you again. And we’ll keep doing that until you tell me where it is. You going to save us some time?”

  French narrowed her eyes.

  Silas leaned close. “Because let me tell you, I think it might be a lot of fun killing you over and over again.” He snatched her by the chin and forced her to face him. “Remember what you called me when you brought me in to Op Wraith?”

  French flinched.

  Silas smiled, and it was a nasty smile. “You said I was an artist. So, how much you feel like being my canvas?”

  French drew in a slow breath. “It’s upstairs,” she said in an unsteady voice.

  Axel touched my shoulder. “So, you were saying how he wasn’t a psychopath?”

  I was in too much pain to glare at him.

  Silas turned to Axel. “Who is this guy, anyway?”

  Axel got to his feet. “I’m Axel Whitman.”

  Silas looked him over. “Yeah, okay, whatever.” He pushed French back into the elevator. “Let’s move it, all.”

  I tried to get up, but it hurt.

  Axel helped me.

  I leaned into him, and he put his arm around me. But then I turned to see Leigh surveying the mattress and Griffin. I pushed out of Axel’s grasp. “Help Leigh with Griffin.”

  “But you’re—”

  “I’ll be fine.” I stumbled into the elevator.

  Once there, Silas grabbed me and braced me against him. “How bad is it?”

  “I’m healing,” I said. “Give me ten minutes, and I’ll be a hundred percent.”

  Together, Axel and Leigh dragged Griffin into the elevator.

  Silas pressed the gun into French. “Which floor?”

  “Next one up,” said French.

  And up we went.

  * * *

  “That’s right,” said Silas as the guards filed into the lab. He was taking their guns away from them and tossing them on the floor.