She watched as her friends were surrounded and could only hope she’d taught them enough to make it out alive.
Lexia had a feeling she knew exactly where Lucy would be, and as she ran through the twists and turns, feeling as though trapped in a rabbit warren, explosion after explosion quaked the walls of the compound.
Opening the door, Lexia strode inside. Alice and Derrick were bound on the far side of the room. Alice had tears streaming down her face, while Derrick, on the other hand, looked like he’d kill Lucy himself given half the chance. They were also joined by two humans. By the cut of their suits and the air of superiority they held, Lexia could only assume they were the two missing board members. Unmoving beside Lucy were three of the glazed-eyed hunters.
“Maura, so pleased you could join us.”
“I wasn’t aware we were meeting, Mother,” Lexia replied in the same condescending tone Lucy used.
“Well, you are here now. Just a minor issue to clear up before we move on.”
“Do enlighten me.”
“First, I’ll introduce you to these gentleman. Both are members of the board.”
“What has this got to do with my friends?” Lexia cut in. She’d had enough of playing games.
Lucy glared. “I’ve been brought some troubling information, Maura. Information that could not possibly be true, because my daughter couldn’t have known the names of the board members and there is no way of her contacting the outside.”
Lexia listened, not sure what to make of Lucy’s statement. She sounded almost hurt…shocked even.
“This place is surrounded by those bloody wolves. She could have easily leaked information,” spat one of the board.
“Silence,” Lucy boomed. “Maura has been hunting them, not helping them,” she shrieked.
Even Lexia could hear the desperation in Lucy’s tone. She really did want that statement to be true.
“Tell them, Maura. Tell them,” she shouted, her eyes wild. Lucy paced the room with a gun in her hand. She waved it toward Derrick and Alice.
“Mother,” Lexia said sharply, wanting her attention away from Derrick and Alice. “What is this? The hunters have gone mad, attacking each other and we’re in here?”
Lucy’s anger drained, replaced with delight. Lexia swallowed, forcing herself to keep it together as Lucy spoke.
“Oh, darling, don’t you remember? We must start again, but first we must cleanse our home. That is what these are for.” She waved dramatically toward the glazed-eyed hunters. “And I have so much more to show you. I made a breakthrough,” she carried on whimsically. “Such glorious things await us, Maura.”
Lexia stepped forward as Lucy’s face hardened. “But first we must get rid of these problems,” she said, lifting her gun.
Lexia’s breath caught, her heart threatening to rip straight through her chest. Gunfire resonated around the room, once, twice, yet as Lexia stared horrified, unable to even scream, it wasn’t Derrick and Alice who slumped down dead, but the board members.
“I don’t need them anymore,” Lucy explained calmly. “And you only need one friend. Choose.” Lucy smiled at Lexia.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Lexia replied, closing the distance.
“Oh, fine. I’ll choose. We’ll keep Derrick. He loves to protect you.”
“No,” Lexia growled, stepping closer.
“Really? This one is quite annoying and is of no use.” Lucy pointed the gun at Alice. “Why not let fate decide?” Lucy squealed in excitement. “Eeny, meeny,” she continued, pointing the gun from Derrick and then back, “miny, moe.”
Lost to her madness, Lucy never noticed Lexia strike out, kicking her away. Lucy fell to the floor and turned to look at Lexia in confusion. Lexia pulled her gun free aiming it at Lucy.
“But…but you’re with me,” Lucy stammered, looking so lost, Lexia almost felt sorry for her.
“I’m sorry, Mother, but I was never with you.”
“Her,” she said, directing an unsteady finger at Alice, “you stood there, and let me turn your best friend into a hunter.”
“I did. I did many terrible things in the name of the game. I schemed and manipulated and in the end, you lost.”
“No,” Lucy said, shaking her head, “United, we stand. Divided, we fall. That’s what you said.”
Lexia’s smile turned cruel and smug. “I’m sorry, Mother. I meant the shifters. I stand with them. I freed Sahara. I ordered the wolves to destroy that building, and I went through your office and found the clues that led to the board. You’ll all be dead soon enough and this program will be, too.”
Hurt. There was no doubt that was the emotion which crossed her face. For the briefest of moments, Lucy Hunter looked broken, though it didn’t last long. Seconds later, her usual cruel smile graced her lips and she was shrieking for the hunters to attack.
In one swift movement, Lexia threw her knife at Lucy, embedding it in her shoulder. Firing a round of bullets into the hunters, she moved swiftly toward Derrick and Alice.
He held out his hands for her to cut the rope. Pulling the ruby knife from her leg-strap, Lexia bent and sliced at his binding. Derrick gasped out her name as something connected with her back. Sprawling forward, the knife fell from her grasp. She rolled over, kicking out as the hunter jumped on top of her. Twice her size and unable to feel fear or pain, the hunter crushed Lexia beneath him. Thankful she’d stocked up on weapons before meeting the wolves, Lexia slid a blade into each hand from the hidden arm sheaths she wore. Given her position, the cuts she inflicted as she thrust up didn’t mortally wound him but gave her a little more room.
It was all she needed.
Arms free enough to move, she slashed horizontally across his chest, spilling his blood onto her. Rearing back with a gargled angry yell, Lexia followed through, scissoring both blades across his neck. He tumbled to the floor as she turned to face the other two.
Derrick broke free of the frayed rope and dove for Lexia’s discarded knife, hurrying to free Alice.
Confident Derrick would keep Alice safe, Lexia focused on the task before her. The hunters were riddled with bullets yet didn’t seem to feel the pain.
“What have you done to them, Mother?” she asked, dancing out of their reach.
“I’ve improved them, until the next step is ready.”
Listening to Lucy’s answer wasn’t hard; fighting was as ingrained as breathing. Training every day until your body moved on instinct, with a skill not many possessed, made finishing the other two off an easy task. Though these new hunters carried on longer, they still died, and could still be injured. Whereas before they’d have collapsed in pain, these carried on until their bodies literally could function no more. It made for a gruesome killing. Severed limbs and blood splattered wounds, created a lot of mess. When Lexia had finally finished them off, she turned, and wiped her brow, smearing blood across her skin. “It seems they’re not as improved as you first thought, Mother.”
“You are and always will be my greatest creation,” Lucy answered.
Her answer wasn’t expected, nor was the bile that filled her mouth. It was becoming clear – somewhere inside Lucy’s sick, twisted mind, she might actually love the daughter she’d created.
She felt the soft vibration of her cell at the same time a large boom reverberated through the compound. Dust and debris from the concrete ceiling above filled the room, temporarily clouding her vision. Coughing as she inhaled dust, Lexia rasped, “Alice, Derrick, time to move.”
“Why are you doing this, Maura?” Lucy pleaded, sounding genuinely hurt.
“Are you really so surprised, Mother. I’ve warned you time and time again. Eventually, they will rise against you.”
Glancing at her cell, she read the message.
Grey – 5 minutes, we can’t wait any longer.
“Why are you still here?” Lexia snapped, glaring briefly at Derrick.
Alice stood by the door looking lost and frightened.
�
�I’m not leaving you,” Derrick said firmly.
Letting out a frustrated breath, Lexia groaned, “We do not have time to argue.”
“Then don’t,” he growled.
“Watch her,” she spat, pointing a finger at Lucy. “Alice, here, take this.” Lexia pulled the small gun holstered to her thigh.
“W-what, I’ve never used one. Why aren’t you coming?” she asked, in a small voice.
Lexia took the gun and wrapped Alice’s fingers around it. “I can’t, but you need to leave now. You need to leave. Go do the things we’ve always talked about. Live the dream I never will.” Stepping behind her, Lexia lifted the arm holding the gun. “Aim, and pull the trigger to fire. Safety is off. Just aim and shoot. Got it?”
“I think so.”
“Follow the signs for the cargo hold. Before you reach it, you’ll see a sign for an emergency exit. It’s the third corridor before the cargo hold. Go, be quick.”
Lexia gave Alice a soft shove to get her moving. When she’d run from sight, Lexia turned back, ready for the game to end.
Chapter 34
Lincoln felt as if he’d descended into the depths of Hell. Death surrounded him, mindless chaos, brutal fighting. It was a battle, a war and not all would survive.
Shaking the effects of the electric fence hadn’t been a quick task. He’d half run, half crawled toward the hole made in the non-electrified part of the fence, until Caden took pity on him. He hauled him up and helped run into the battle, he wasn’t quite ready to fight.
Claws slicing through skin, panther wearing a human mask, although stunned, Lincoln was lethal. Driven with a desperate need to be reunited with his mate, he rushed into the bodies, cutting down anyone in his way.
He quickly realized not all the hunters were the enemy. He noticed some wore a look of terror, running blindly as they were chased.
Watching them, Lincoln saw those Lexia had trained. Feeling his chest swell in pride as he observed the small group. Their movements were smooth, flowing from one hit to the next. They moved with the grace and balance he’d taught her all those months ago. Setting them apart from the others was the way they moved as one, protecting each other, working in harmony. Each action intent on protecting the whole group and not oneself. It was one of the hunters’ weaknesses; their inability to care for one another, yet these men and woman clearly did.
He watched the look of relief wash over their faces as two appeared through the door, a man and a woman. The woman too young to be surround by this hell. It became clear they held a higher rank. Immediately, the male hunter gave instruction, splitting off with a small number of men. Together they searched out one individual.
The man they wanted had already surrendered. Corralled by the wolves, he sat slumped on the floor. Unable to look away, fascinated by the people Lexia had spent her time with, Lincoln kept half his focus on the mindless hunters attacking him, while watching the male. Pulling the man up, they bound his hands and separated him from the group. Seconds later, Grey appeared. Seeming to already know who he was, the hunter male gave instruction to Grey once he’d shifted and then left, entering the fight again.
Chuckling at the stunned expression on Grey’s face, Lincoln was distracted. Hearing Caden’s call at the last minute, he turned sharply, narrowly missing the bullet whizzing through the air. Turning with a growl to face the culprit, Lincoln became enraged with the bloodlust of his beast. He didn’t realize there had been two bullets. Too late, he spotted his mistake. Breath leaving him as he was knocked to the floor, he looked at the leopard who’d crashed into him and taken the bullet.
“Caleb,” he said, voice tight with raw emotion.
Blood spread from Caleb’s body as he shifted back to human while in Lincoln’s arms. “Damn it, Caleb,” Lincoln growled, pressing his hands to the wound.
The fight forgotten, Lincoln looked up with desperate eyes for the one friend who could help. And like always, he was there without asking. Shifting as he reached them, Caden dropped to his knees, eyes assessing, skin changing from shifter to doctor in seconds.
“Help me move him,” Caden spoke, his words quick and urgent, though his demeanor calm.
Already outside the fence line, the wounded were left, though no one tended to them. More bullets flew over their heads as they moved quickly and low. The crack of gunfire, the whistle of bullets moving through the air, clangs of metal and cries of war filled the air.
Placing Caleb down, Lincoln stared in shock. He couldn’t believe the man he’d blamed for Lexia’s capture had taken a bullet for him.
“Damn it. They’re using bullets that explode on impact,” Caden muttered as he assessed the wound.
“What can I do?” Lincoln asked.
Caden glanced up to answer but Caleb spoke before him. Grasping Lincoln with a blood-covered hand, he rasped through gritted teeth, “Save Lexia.”
“Go,” Caden implored. “I’ve got this.”
Getting to his feet, Lincoln focused on the entrance Lexia had entered, which was now filled with the mindless hunters as they were forced inside by shifters and hunters alike. Running, Lincoln dove through the fence. Rolling, he sprung to his feet and sliced his claw across the throat of a hunter as it lunged at him. Pushing himself harder, a savage cry on his lips, Lincoln jumped head first into the group blocking the entrance. Shifting mid-air, he landed as a panther; the hunters toppled to the ground. Not stopping, Lincoln leaped again, skimming across the tops of their heads, sending some tumbling, causing others to turn, as their attention moved to killing him.
Lincoln thought these new hunters were akin to the zombies he’d killed in video games. Mindless, with no thought process other than to kill. They kept going until their bodies were not operational. They seemed to feel no pain, no fear, attacking their prey with senseless ease. It didn’t matter who they attacked, their fellow hunter or shifter. Only the kill and the scent of blood in the air seemed to matter.
Clearing the crowd and landing on the inside of the compound, Lincoln carried on, not looking back. Following the pull inside of him, the mating bond still remained intact even through all this darkness. The compound was a warren of tunnels, concrete wall after concrete wall, each blurring into another as he pushed his panther body to its limits.
Turning sharply to avoid a collapsed tunnel, his back legs slipped from under him. Righting himself at the last minute, Lincoln heard a scream. How can it be? Confusion driving him, he straightened up, entering a tunnel filled with smoke as the sound of gunfire travelled through him.
Seeing the girl who shouldn’t – couldn’t be there, Lincoln leapt with a roar. The hunter she’d just shot stepped back wounded. Going at her with a gargled cry, the girl shrunk back with a whimper as Lincoln leaped. Jaws locking around the hunter’s throat, a quick snap of his neck and the head tore from the hunter’s body, dropping to the floor.
He shifted. “Alice?” Lifting her hands from her face, Alice stood from her cowered position. “Alice, how, how are you here?”
Face turning, she look at him with angry golden eyes.
“No,” Lincoln gasped, not believing what he saw.
“What’s the matter, Linc? Oh, yeah, that’s right. I’m a hunter. You had no idea that I was missing, or that I came home to find the bodyguard you gave me dead, did you? While I’ve been trapped here in this hell, you’ve been lying around in your pity of misery not even realizing there are others who need you.”
“But how?”
“It doesn’t matter how. What matters is Lex just stood there and watched. Didn’t do a damn thing to save me, all in the name of ending this game.”
An explosion rocked the walls interrupting Alice’s cold rant. Anger disappearing, replaced by fear, she grabbed onto Lincoln’s arm, pulling him along. “Come on. Get me out of here.”
“Wait. Lex.” Lincoln yanked his arm out of her grip.
“I’m a monster because of you and her. The least you can do is get me out of this Hell hole so I have a chance
of living a normal life again,” Alice snapped angrily.
Lincoln stared, stared at the girl who was Alice but wasn’t. She still talked a mile a minute; she still looked the same apart from the color of her eyes, but the biggest change was the rage beneath. A grudge she was holding, festering, and it all stemmed from feeling abandoned by him and Lexia.
Taking one last longing look at the direction he wished to go, Lincoln turned back the way he’d come. “Follow me,” he said, before shifting into his panther form.
The one bonus of Alice being a hunter was he didn’t have to slow down for her human speed. Though not skilled in a fight, Alice now possessed the strength and speed of the hunter running through her veins. As they ran, a steady stream of explosions rippled through the underground compound, causing more tunnels to collapse and more smoke to choke the air around them.
Coming to the final bend, Lincoln crashed to a stop, Alice nearly colliding into him. The shifters outside had managed to herd most of the mindless hunters in the compound, obviously with the intention of blowing the place up with them inside. But now their way out was blocked. Shifting he glanced at Alice. “Know another way out?”
Shaking her head before he’d even finished, her voice trembled. “This is the only way. Lex said the wolves planned to destroy every other exit so they’d be easily confined.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lincoln watched Alice scan the floor and pick up a discarded sword. Testing the weight in her hand, she looked at him with renewed strength.
“You can fight?”
“Derrick taught me some, but I’m not gifted.”
“Well, let’s go,” he growled as his body morphed and shifted, ending his words on a savage roar.
Together, they hacked their way through. Cut and bleeding but still intact, they pushed through the final few bodies and met a wall of wolves.
“Marcus,” Alice yelled at the top of her lungs, slicing the too heavy sword at the wolf who snapped at her.
Rage ripped through Lincoln as he leapt at the wolf blocking his path. Soon realizing he wasn’t to be messed with, they parted, allowing him through but then blocking Alice’s path.
Holocaust (The Deadwood Hunter Series Book 3) Page 21
