"What?" I asked, unable to focus on his words at first. When I figured out he was talking about Ali, I listened.
"He might rough her up a little, like the boys did with you, but it's just to keep you in line. He doesn't want to kill anyone."
I backed away. Was Sal supposed to be one of the good ones? I couldn't remember. He seemed to be backing Reed's agenda right now.
"Thanks." I muttered, not meaning it. I wanted my space then, but I knew Stephanie wasn't going to let me be. I finally turned to her, and she fell into step beside me as I escaped Sal and his Reed propaganda. The sick feeling in my stomach wasn't fading.
Stephanie insisted on helping with my new injuries. I cringed every time she pulled the wet rag away, a little bloodier each time. Would that turn her? Was that where we were contaminated?
I argued with myself, knowing she had already been in contact with my blood and she was still fine. I suffered through the minutes it took for her to clean my face. At least the swelling didn't seem so bad. I didn't know if that was due to my super-powered healing ability, or if Allan just couldn't throw a good punch. I knew it had to be the former or I wouldn't have been knocked out so easily.
Stephanie's sad eyes lingered on me when she was done. Maybe she wanted to talk, but I wanted her safely away from me. She sensed my mood and, in the end, left me alone with my thoughts with a softly spoken goodbye.
The silence in my room was louder than it had been any other day. I needed Ali with me. I needed her to answer my questions. Pacing from one end of the room to the other, I stopped to stare out the window every few seconds, but never saw anything of interest. Allan's words haunted me, and I couldn't stand the feeling of helplessness. There was no chance for rescue. I felt so weak. I felt so alone.
Frustrated, I stormed out into the hallway, not sure what I was going to do, but I couldn't stand to be in that room any longer. As long as I didn't bite anyone, they should be fine, right? Maybe that's why Jerald hated Nic so much. Maybe he knew.
I stomped down the hall to the lobby, freezing when a little pair of curious eyes stared up at me. They were weary of me, verging on fear. Suddenly, my tirade was put in a different perspective, and I remembered the fake smiles that Anna wore all the time. I couldn't let my fear show through to the children. The corners of my lips twitched as I forced a smile down at the curly-haired boy. The shy smile I received in return helped me regain my senses.
The boy giggled as he rushed back to his mother's arms. I couldn’t remember his name.
I did remember his mother’s. Connie. She was older. One of the women that had been in the pits like Stephanie. She loved the kids, but Stephanie had warned me that her mind wasn't all there anymore. A frown tried to work itself onto my face again as my mind drifted back to Ali, wondering if she would end up shutting parts of her mind down like Connie had.
Instead, I smiled at her as I walked past. I received another giggle from her boy, but Connie ignored me. I thought she might have even flinched away from me as I walked by. I sighed sadly, thinking I couldn't blame her.
Further down the hall, Sal offered me a nod that I was barely able to return. I no longer felt comfortable near him, so I chose a chair in the lobby that hid me from his view.
The boy was making a game of hiding against his mother, then poking his head out at me. He received some half-hearted funny faces at first, but when his smiles turned to giggles, I fell more into the game. Even though his mother was unresponsive, at least the boy was having fun.
Once he grew tired of that, he climbed into Connie's lap and his thumb found its way to his mouth. Her body immediately started rocking him, but her eyes still stared off to a faraway place. The eerie lullaby she began to sing only added to her detached behavior. It wasn't long before the boy's eyes started to drift closed, and Connie stood with him to retreat to their room.
Now that they were gone, most of the other inhabitants had also disappeared. Early afternoon meant naptime, and there wasn't a whole lot of activity to take my mind off all my worries. I briefly wondered if I should search for Stephanie and apologize for my behavior, but I didn't have the nerve.
I decided I would hunt down Anna once naptime was over. I didn't want to chance waking the children, but I had to find something to do during my downtime. This was going to drive me crazy. The thought wasn't very appealing, but I was about to go back to read more about Ishmael the sailor when the click of the stairwell door opening had my heart thumping.
It was Allan, grumbling about a shift change.
"I'm still on shift here until dinner." Sal sounded suspicious. Even though I no longer trusted Sal, I was silently begging him not to go.
Allan countered, "Reed ordered it. You can take it up with him. He said he needs you to fix the gas since we ain't got Ol' Ben anymore." Allan kept his voice low, but his grumble carried.
Silence answered him as Sal must have been considering what Allan had said.
"How bout I go find someone else to send up here? There's a reason Reed doesn't like it when you guard this floor." Sal finally said, to which Allan responded with a laugh.
"You be my guest, Sally." He snapped back. "Like I said, he sent me up here."
Sal groaned, but the creaking of the stairwell door opened and closed, signifying that he'd left.
"Stupid ass." Allan spat, then mumbled under his breath. "And I got a brand new iPhone that still works like a charm, bet you'd believe that too."
Come back, Sal, come back! I wanted to scream but I was trapped in my small corner of the lobby. As soon as I moved out to the hallway, or even to the middle of the room, Allan would see me. Silently, I vacated the chair, and pressed myself as far into the corner of the room as I could get.
I waited, hoping for a distraction, but every door I heard open just ended up shutting softly a few seconds later. Apparently Allan being on guard duty was a huge deterrent to allowing the kids free reign. I hoped Sal was able to find someone else to come up here soon.
The fat man was grumbling. I was able to make out a few of the things he said under his breath and it disturbed me. It sounded as if he was cussing Ali and Hawk both, but most of it made no sense.
As long as he didn't move from his post, I decided I could just wait it out in my corner, but I wasn’t that lucky. Allan started pacing a short length of hallway and every one of my heartbeats sounded like a gong in my ears. It was a struggle to keep my breathing quiet.
Allan never stepped far enough down the hallway to see me, though. He stopped in front of the door opposite Anna's. The sound of his nails scraping against the wood drove chills down my spine. I knew who's door it was. It was Gwen's door.
~ ~ ~ ~
A different type of panic surged through me. Suddenly, the same sour taste filled my mouth that was there when I had heard Becky scream back in that little bar in Texas. The fear in my gut was no longer for me.
The creak of the door opening caused a shot of adrenaline to surge through me. Straining to hear anything at all, I thought I made out the faint sound of a gasp. It was impossible. Such a small sound couldn't have made it through the thick walls.
"What are you doing in here?" Gwen's voice was soft and far away. I silently crept to the edge of the hallway, staying against the wall to remain unseen. The light of the room cast Allan's shadow to the wall behind him, fat and ominously large. It slowly disappeared as he entered the room, and the door shut me off from them.
Right before the latch clicked, Gwen screamed out. "Anna!"
Anna was close. Her door cracked open a second after Gwen's door closed. Her gaze first went toward the stairwell before she found me as I stepped from behind the wall.
"Allan's in there." I hissed.
"Sweet mother Mary." She gulped. I had a vague hope that Anna would be able to help, but her wide panicked eyes did nothing to reassure me. My feelings of helplessness were reflected right back at me.
I was frantic. I desperately wanted to help Gwen, but what could I do? Was ther
e even time for me to leave the floor in search of Tristan?
Helen’s door opened, and Charles appeared. His brown eyes were sad and worried as he stared up at me. Although he questioned me, his voice was firm. "Helen wants to know if it's time to remember."
His words brought back the odd conversation I'd had with the old woman. The story of how they had treated Gwen and Tristan to get them under control raced through my mind. I instantly understood what he was telling me. Helen's pointed words echoed loudly in my mind, right alongside Ali's.
When the time comes, we'll need you to remember.
If you bite them, they'll turn.
Another thing Helen had said came to me, part of a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear. I looked past Charles but wasn't able to see anyone else inside the room. I asked the emptiness, "Is Ali the spark?"
"Charles, get back in your room." Anna snapped out of fear, interrupting my question. Charles's eyes had never left me. He nodded the answer when I looked down at him again. In the silent hallway we stared at each other, frozen in the moment as tension built around us. I reached out to rest my sweaty palm on Gwen's door handle, knowing all the locks had been disabled. All I had to do was push.
A scream jolted us both into action. Charles ran for the stairwell door and disappeared inside. I didn't have time to even wonder what he was up too. Instead, I pushed the door open, not knowing what terror I was about to face.
Anna yelled something behind me, but I ignored her. She was just useless fuzz in my head. I wasn't even sure if the noise had been directed at Charles or me, or if she had even managed intelligible words at all. Whatever it had been, it no longer mattered.
Rushing into the room, I hadn't even giving myself time to register what I was seeing. I was focused only on the man I knew would be there. The baby cried, probably woken by the commotion, but he was safe for the time being on the other side of the room.
But Gwen was on not safe. She was curled on the floor, her hands pulling her ripped dress together. Allan stood over her, both his hands balled into thick, meaty fists, but the sound of my entry had caught his attention. He glared at me with his teeth bared in a threatening snarl.
I had only fought dead-brains before and had no idea how to fight a man who was at least three times my size. I did the only thing I could think of. I charged in headfirst and leapt at him.
Time stopped as I was hurtling towards my target. Many things seemed to pop out at me in those seconds I was in the air, some weird, some useful.
I saw a gun sitting on the edge of the dresser.
I saw Gwen scrambling backwards, away from Allan.
I saw the sweat forming in little beads on Allan's forehead.
Time rushed back in as my body crashed into his, sending him toppling backwards against the dresser. I bounced off his bulk to fall to the floor. The salty taste of blood flooded my mouth as I bit my tongue from the jarring impact.
"You little prick!" He yelled, trying to regain his footing, but I didn't allow it. I had landed hard on my hip, but still managed to set myself so I could kick his shins. I was able to land several blows until he stumbled out of my range.
Allan was reaching around his middle, searching for his gun that wasn't there. The impact of us hitting the dresser had knocked it closer to the edge. I scrambled for it, but Allan also reached out at the same time, finally remembering where it was. We only managed to knock it to the floor, and it bounced away, out of our reach.
From the corner of my eye, I saw his fist pull back to hit me. I flinched away but wasn't quick enough to completely dodge the blow. His knuckles drove in against my ear and the back of my skull, leaving me dizzy. I fell back down to all fours. Shaking it off as best I could, I was barely able to pull myself to my feet.
I needed an attack to take the brute down, but I couldn't even defend against him. He charged, and there was nothing I could do. As he bowled into me, I slid backwards at least five feet until I collided with the wall and all the air was crushed out of me.
"I'm going to kill you now, you little asshole." He spat in my face. I heard him, but he sounded far away, like he was shouting at me through a tunnel. A fresh surge of panic flashed through me as I struggled to pull air into my starving lungs, but the pressure of his large body crushing me against the wall wouldn't allow it.
Desperate, I slammed my forehead into his nose. He answered just as quickly with another punch I couldn't dodge, and I crumpled to the floor as he fell back. A sharp kick landed in my ribs to make sure I stayed down this time.
Groaning, I doubled over and tried desperately to suck in air. Now my fight was with my own body as it tried to remember how to breathe. I wheezed and gagged, and bloody spittle landed on the carpet in front of me. Darkness was pressing dangerously against the corner of my vision when I finally sucked in a ragged, painful breath. Tears seeped from my eyes.
Allan was gloating, spitting on me as he towered over me. It was a waste of his time as I was able to recoup a little in those few seconds. The baby's cry fed me the strength of will I'd almost lost. I couldn't let him win. I had to save them.
He turned toward his gun, and I reached out, grabbing his meaty legs. Using all my strength, I pulled them together against my chest. Flashes of red went off in my brain as agony stabbed me in my injured rib-cage, but I held on with everything I had.
Allan cussed and tried to kick at me, but I gave him no leeway. The fat man tumbled down.
His bulk hampered him more than anything I could have done then. As long as I could keep the vice around his legs, he wasn't able to turn over, let alone counter attack. I saw the rip in his pants, just over the knee, and his pallid skin beneath.
If you bite them, they'll turn.
I bit down, catching nothing but dry denim in my teeth. I jerked my head back, ripping the already torn fabric until it revealed a large section of fat, hairy thigh. My stomach was turning before my teeth even sank into his flesh.
At first, there was just the taste of dirt and sweat before the coppery taste of blood hit my tongue. I gagged again, pulling away as Allan howled. His struggles shook me violently, but I kept my grip on his legs, spitting all the filth from my mouth.
"You little bastard!" Allan was screaming, still trying to kick free. My grasp on him was weakening as each kick felt like I was being stabbed in my ribs. Frantically trying to figure out my next course of action, I desperately hung on for as long as I could. I began to slip, and I knew it was over.
A wisp of fabric brushed past me and the thin shadow of Gwen fell over us. She leaned in close to Allan, the barrel of his gun pressing hard against his temple.
"I still got a little fight left in me." She hissed.
~ ~ ~ ~
Allan immediately stopped struggling. The barrel of the gun dug into his temple as Gwen pushed it hard against him, driving his head all the way to the floor. The only thing he moved was his wide, worried eyes.
My arms tingled as I finally released the hold on his legs and I rolled to my back. The stabbing pain in my ribs returned as I struggled to sit up. Catching sight of the bundle of rope tucked into Allan's belt, I quickly yanked it free. It was probably the same rope he'd used to bind me earlier. Wasting no time pulling his arms behind him, I bound him the same way Tristan had bound me, except I wasn't as gentle. I didn't care if the rope rubbed his skin raw.
Swiping the back of my hand across my mouth to wipe the blood away, I looked up to see Gwen was still drilling the barrel of the gun into Allan's head. Where the skin met steel, it was raised and white, drained of all blood. The muscles in her arms were tense with the strain. Tears streamed down her cheeks and I realized she was in a place of emotional trauma I didn't dare dream about.
I had no idea how to back her down from the edge. Glancing down at Allan, I didn't know if I wanted to.
"Gwen." I whispered her name softly.
She sobbed in response. Snot beaded at the tip of her nose and she began to shake. During the fight, the baby had stop
ped crying, but still let out an occasional whimper. The sound seemed to pull her from the trance, and she let the gun fall away from Allan's head. He remained wide-eyed and motionless.
Going to her, I reached for the gun, but she jerked away.
"I should kill him now." She said through gritted teeth.
"No." I said quickly. "Not in here."
She had to drag her eyes away from Allan to meet mine. They were dark eyes, deep pools full of anguish and pain.
Her baby let out a squawk before launching back into a full blown wail. She relented. Passing the gun to me, she quickly pulled her ripped dress together and slipped away to gather up the infant.
"Is he okay?" I asked her as my attention turned to Allan, the gun feeling heavy in my hand.
"Yes," Her voice was still faint, showing how shaken she was. She pulled the precious bundle close to her and his crying ceased immediately.
"Better get out of here." I said, not wanting to be left alone with Allan, but knowing Gwen and the baby needed to be far away from him.
Again, her eyes met mine, overcome with emotion. She seemed on the verge of saying something, but a glance down at Allan changed her mind. She quickly fled the room.
Anna was standing on the other side of the door, desperately wringing her hands together when Gwen pushed it open. There was a horrified look on her face as she spotted me, but she wrapped her arms around Gwen, pulling her away. The door swung closed, leaving me alone with the would-be-rapist.
"Things aren't going to go so well if you don't untie me now." Allan growled, finding his voice now that Gwen was gone.
"I'm pretty sure things won't go so well for me if I do untie you now." I snorted.
Allan rocked to one side, trying to see me, but he wasn't able to roll his bulk over. Instead, he rocked in the other direction, gaining momentum until he was able to roll onto his side. Finally able to meet my eyes, he snarled. "I didn't mean for you. I'll kill you either way. I meant for everyone else."
The Phoenix Curse (Book 2): After Page 19
