Authors: Jade M. Phillips
Broken Souls (21 page)
I laughed inwardly at the lumpy shape the pillows created on
the bed after shoving them beneath the blanket. It definitely looked like a
body slept there, the same trick I’d used on Orie to scare him the other night.
I could almost hear him telling me it would never work, but it had worked on
him and all I needed was for it to buy me enough time to get a head start. I
draped my cloak around me and pulled the hood over my head. I took a deep
breath to steady my racing heart, creeping toward the door.
I easily slipped from the infirmary unnoticed. A group of
visitors had come to see an elderly werewolf, and I blended myself into the
large crowd. Once out the door, I rushed into the shadows and kept off the
sidewalks as much as possible. Unfortunately, The Courthouse where I would meet
Orie stood on the opposite side of the town. It would take some maneuvering to
get there without being noticed, but I would manage. I’d done it before and was
good at blending into the darkness. In my mind, I reviewed the events which
would take place over the next hour; our plan. I crossed my fingers, hoping it
was a good one.
My heart hammered in my chest as I neared Fremont Street. In
the distance I saw torch light dancing off the side of the three-story building
and as planned, Orie stood guard at the front entrance to the Courthouse, his
rifle propped up over his shoulder. His long dark pony-tail hung down his back
and his metal security badge glistened in the firelight. He stood tall, with an
air of confidence about him, but I knew he was just as nervous as I was.
A dense mist hung in the cold night air like fog over water.
I scanned the streets, my head shifting back and forth.
Except for Vampire Hall that sat diagonally across from the
Courthouse, this part of town was never exceptionally busy. And because I lived
at Vampire Hall, I knew all of the gatherings and goings on there. The Hall
would be empty this night because of a function being held at The Birdcage
Theatre far across town. I reassured myself that most of the vampires would be
there, but it still made me uneasy being that close to where Horus resided.
Where
we
resided. But not anymore. I would be far away from Tombstone,
far away from my power-hungry maker before the sun rose the next morning.
The area stood completely empty and I let out a relieved
breath at my luck. I slyly made my way from structure to structure, shadow to
shadow, until I stood on the outskirts of the building. A row of topiary
surrounded the Courthouse where I would pick up a bag of supplies and wait. I
crept around the hedge and narrowed my sight. I searched the ground but found
nothing.
Where is it?
I knelt down and ran my fingers through the dirt beneath
the overgrown plants, but froze with alert at someone approaching. I quickly hid
behind the trunk of a large oak, tightly grabbing the bark to peer around it.
It was Ruby.
Her long braid hung over her shoulder, near white in the
darkness. The bottom of her long black skirt dragged across the ground as she
approached with a plate of food in hand. Orie shook his head frantically when
he saw her and she hesitated at the bottom of the steps.
My skin prickled, signaling that something was wrong. But
what? The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I suddenly knew.
Horus.
Because of my bond to my maker, I sensed when he was close,
and at that moment I knew he was extremely close. Inside the Courthouse to be
exact. My heart skipped a beat.
We were early, or Horus was late, but either way there would
be trouble. I looked up and cursed under my breath, the moon halfway over the
sky. Horus and Natalia should’ve been done with the questioning and long gone
by now.
Orie quickly flicked a hand at Ruby, signaling her to leave.
She backed up a couple of steps toward the street. My heart pounded and my
breath hitched as I sensed Horus coming closer. Down the hall. Just inside the
doors now, ready to emerge.
I fought the urge to shout out to her, telling her to run
and hide. I looked back and forth between a frantic Orie and a confused Ruby.
Go!
I screamed in my head.
Though Ruby was just ‘doing her job’ by bringing food to the
prisoner, Horus was the absolute last vampire we expected to see tonight. The
last thing we needed was a confrontation. I silently urged Ruby to move, to
run, but before she could make a move, the doors to the Courthouse smashed
open.
Out came Horus and Natalia, their clothes spattered with
blood— the captain’s, I assumed. Horus’ eyes flashed with satisfaction, the
same satisfaction I saw after he beat me senseless. His head swiveled on his
shoulders as he looked back and forth.
I turned to see the spot where Ruby had been standing in
empty. She was nowhere in sight. My body sagged with reprieve. It was common
knowledge that we vampires were fast, but I’d never seen one disappear so rapidly
before. I exhaled, but Horus’ voice snapped me back to reality.
“After your shift report to your legion leader,” he said to
Orie. “Tell him the prisoner will be executed tomorrow night. After that there
will be no need for a guard on duty here until further notice.”
Orie nodded.
Anger blazed through me as I glared at the bloody twosome.
It was obvious my hatred for Horus, but Natalia was a different story. I’d known
her for a long time, but we were more acquaintances than anything else. She now
accompanied Horus on his questioning missions and was always more than eager to
do all the dirty work. She was just as evil as Horus, if not more so, and I
always did my best to steer clear of her. Though lately the two were
inseparable. It was as though he needed someone else around while I was laid up
in the infirmary.
Horus and Natalia exchanged a few words before venturing
down the steps. Orie stood stone-still at the entrance.
But instead of moving on, Horus stopped short. Natalia
offered him a questioning glance. He scanned the area and came dangerously
close to where I stood. I darted back behind the tree and flattened my body
against it, realizing how stupid I’d been. If I could sense him, he could sense
me. I held my breath.
As Ruby taught me, I quickly closed my eyes and cleared my
thoughts. I let go of everything, my mind a blank slate. I imagined myself
invisible, floating in a sea of nothingness.
If Horus did sense me, he must’ve felt mistaken, because
their padding footsteps passed by. I hung to the back of the oak, deathly still
until their footfalls vanished. With a rush of air, the two vampires sped off into
the night, dry leaves rustling in their wake. I exhaled loudly, panting.
I turned and slumped my body back against the tree, thanking
the stars for our stroke of good luck. We couldn’t afford any more close calls
if we were to escape unnoticed.
All I needed to do now was find the pack of supplies Orie left
somewhere in the bushes, and wait for Ruby to return. I knelt down on the
ground again, running my hands along the bottom of the hedge, but was taken by
surprise when a set of fingers wrapped around my shoulder.
“Looking for something?”
Dread washed through me. I knew then, that we were in
serious trouble.
I flashed away from the Courthouse after almost being seen
by Horus and Natalia, panic zapping through my body like electric currents. I
creased my brows in confusion, wondering what could’ve happened for them to show
up at the courthouse so late in the night. According to Guy, they always visited
him just after the moon rose. But the moon was halfway through the sky...
That’s why Cloe, Orie, and I had agreed on meeting at a
later time, ensuring not to run into the destructive duo. But it had happened
regardless and there was nothing to be done about it now except to try again.
Though just in case, I needed to waste some time before returning.
My legs carried me in a whirlwind until I found myself on
Allen Street amongst the bustle of the inner-city crowds. I leaned against the
side of a curio-shop and caught my breath. I somehow felt safer here,
undetectable. At least for now.
“Ruby,” Pandora’s voice called out and my body stiffened. I
reluctantly turned to see her approaching me.
No. Not now
.
I stood up straight and did my best to act normal, but as we
all know, my version of acting ‘normal’ included verbal diarrhea and bouts of
ungainly awkwardness. The red-headed vampire furrowed her thin brows at me.
“Are you all right Ruby? You look like you’ve seen the devil
himself.”
I resisted the urge to comment on how accurate she was,
thinking of how Horus would look with a pair of red horns growing from his head.
Instead I stood up straight, holding Guy’s plate of food in my grasp.
“Yes. No. I mean… nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.” I offered her
a wonky smile and tried to steady my shaking hands, but in my nervous effort I
lost grip on the plate I held. It plummeted toward the sidewalk and, as if at
supersonic speed, I grabbed it before it hit the ground, by some miracle bringing
it back up with food still intact. I thought I’d left behind my clumsiness when
arriving at Tombstone. Apparently not.
“Whew.” I released a nervous laugh. “That was a close one.”
Pandora eyed me sideways but, after a moment, flipped her
hair behind her shoulders. “Anyway. I’m glad I ran into you. Cloe has gone missing
from the infirmary and I wondered if you knew where she was.”
My breath caught in my throat. “What?”
“Yes. I hadn’t checked on her in a while and wanted to see
how her progress was going. When Morin took me in to see her, there was only a
pile of pillows on her bed. I’m worried.”
I gave Pandora the most clueless expression I could conjure,
hoping she’d buy into my poor acting skills. “I haven’t seen her. I don’t know
what could’ve happened.”
Pandora studied me, her deep eyes causing fear to flood my
body. But instead of catching me red-handed like I thought she would, she blew
a breath from pursed lips. “Okay then. Keep your eyes peeled, and let me know
right away if you hear or see anything.”
I sighed inwardly with relief, but then it suddenly occurred
to me. “Does Horus know?” The question left my lips involuntarily and I
silently cursed myself for sounding too eager.
Pandora shook her head as if she hadn’t noticed my intent.
“No. I’m hoping to find her before he realizes anything is amiss. I’d not want
to see his reaction to finding her missing.”
I nodded my utter agreement. Yet again, Pandora considered
me, making my nerves flare. “Are you sure you’re all right? Have you been
feeding?”
I nodded, a little too enthusiastically. “Oh, no. It’s not
that. I’ve just been working a lot, with taking over Cloe’s duties and all.” I
shrugged a shoulder and smiled, but it felt like the stupidest smile I’d ever
given. To my relief, Pandora’s unaffected expression returned as she looked
down at the plate in my hands.
“Carry on.” She whipped around in a blur of red hair and
vanished.
I exhaled loudly after she left and my shoulders deflated.
This night couldn’t get any more tension-filled if I’d announced our escape to
the world.
I slowly walked down the planked sidewalk, my boots clacking
against the wood. Yet, once I hit the end of the strip near a darkened side
street, I bolted. My heart had been thundering in my chest ever since I saw
Horus and Natalia and I was certain it wouldn’t slow down until we were far
away from this place. I breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, reassuring
myself our plan would work, yet doubts still clouded my mind.
What if our plan didn’t work? What if I’d roped everyone
into my escape plan only to have it crumble down around us? Not to mention what
would happen to the humans. I shuddered inside, vying not to even go there. I mentally
stopped myself before I could drown in my own self-doubt.
As my dad always told me, nothing good ever came easy, and
that is why it was worth the risk. I tightened my fists, forcing my focus to
the shred of hope I still held. It was up to me to make that hope a reality, not
only for myself and Guy, but for Cloe, Orie, and the humans as well. I puffed
out my chest in mock bravery and sucked in a mouthful of air.
“Here goes nothing.”
I rounded the corner to see the Courthouse a few spans away.
Orie remained at the front entrance, rifle propped against his shoulder. I saw
the back of him; his dark hair pulled back, hanging long between his shoulder
blades.
I focused my hearing and narrowed my eyes. I listened and
looked all around, but neither saw nor heard anything in the vicinity. I deemed
it safe and propelled myself toward the entrance. Time was running out and I
needed to get Guy out of there.
“I’m here to feed the prisoner.”
Orie spun to face me and I gasped, realizing it wasn’t Orie
after all. It was Jax, and he was flaming mad. He grabbed my arm painfully and
I cried out in shock.
“You’re coming with me.” He grunted and yanked me into the
doors of the Courthouse, the plate of food falling from my grasp and crashing
to the ground.
Dull pain throbbed through my body as I lay on the bench in
my cell, barely conscious. To say Horus and his female torturing assistant gave
it to me badly tonight was a huge understatement. It was the last night they
deemed me worthy to stay alive, one last chance at gleaning information from
me. They’d tried everything, knowing that within twenty-four hours I would be
dead anyway. But I held strong and gave nothing but one last stab at Horus by
saying his name. I’d held onto that bit of ‘gold’ for weeks, waiting until the
perfect moment to use it.
His shock satisfied me more than I had imagined it would,
his face twisting in wonder at how I knew his name. And I smiled as I’d said
it. Horus. That terrible waste of a body. Horus. The epitome of death and destruction.
Horus. The vampire who I ached so badly to kill.
But it was me who suffered that night, the beating reaching
levels of pain I never imagined possible. Regardless of surviving, I was unable
to stay lucid. My heart barely pulsed in my chest and I faded in and out of consciousness,
not sure if memories of my past, or nightmares of my present ran through my
head. Either way, my thoughts bled into each other, taking me back in time.
Taking me back to a time that started me on this journey in the first place…
I gasped upon opening my eyes, confusion blurring my brain. White,
sterile walls surrounded me. There were no windows and different types of
machinery cluttered the room, sounds of their mechanics hissing and sucking
with effort.
I realized then that I laid in a hospital bed and glanced
down to see I was wearing a thin gown with small blue flowers on it. A blanket
laid over my lap. I tried to sit up but found my arms strapped down. I couldn’t
move. Tubes of all sorts ran from my veins, dropping clear liquids into my
body.
“Hey!” I yelled, panic tightening my chest. “Hey!”
I couldn’t think of what else to say, not knowing where I
was, who’d brought me here, or furthermore if I remained on the base in Sierra
Vista at all. Heck, I could be in another city or state for all I knew, and the
thought scared me. The only knowledge I did have was that someone had decided I
was crazy and needed to be restrained, and I was pretty certain it had been my
sergeant after I’d told him about seeing a vampire.
My heart pounded frantically and I clawed at the white
sheets on my bed.
If I was locked up in some loony bin like I assumed, then I
couldn’t help find Lily, and she could be dead by now.
For a moment I thought maybe it’d all been some weird dream
and I was in fact insane. It remained possible I’d lost my mind and Lily was
just a figment of my imagination.
I shook my head, as though convincing myself otherwise. No.
I’d seen everything and I’d definitely been aware. It was real. So real. The
feel of the cold gun in my hands when I shot the vampire in his leg. The
clenching in my chest when I realized he was sucking Lily’s blood. I reached
down and grasped the aching muscles in my legs. That too, was real. They burned
from running myself ragged.
“Hey!” I screamed out again, tugging against my restraints.
“Somebody listen to me!”
To my relief, the door creaked open and a female nurse in
light blue scrubs entered. But she acted as though I hadn’t just been screaming
my head off. She avoided my gaze and went about her work unaffected.
“Where am I?” I asked.
The nurse came to my bedside and, without a word, changed
out one of the bags hanging above me.
“What happened?” I asked again. “Where’s my sergeant?”
The woman acted as though I was not even there, keeping her
focus on the machinery she tinkered with. It infuriated me, but I would get nowhere
by acting like a maniac. I took in a deep breath to calm myself and lowered my
voice calmly.
“Please,” I said. “What happened? Am I still on base?”
The woman barely flinched at my calm tone, but still did not
respond. She threw some items into a large trash bin on wheels and rolled it
toward the door.
“Wait!”
She did not wait. The door closed and I was alone again.
I felt myself fading out again, sleepy and groggy. I looked
up at the bag dripping into my vein and came to the conclusion she’d replaced a
new batch of drugs to keep me docile. I fought against the darkness but it took
me away swiftly.
“Private,” a deep voice said, but it was still dark and I
could not see. Probably the wee hours of the morning. Sleep pulled at me. So
tired. I snugged back down under the blanket, my mind sinking in on itself.
“Private Stone,” the voice said again.
Something tugged at the back of my mind, telling me I had something
to do. Something pressing. I grasped for the fleeting thought, but it traipsed
away like the mist on the moors.
“Private Stone.”
My eyes peeled opened to see a tall form looming over me, but
that darned thought kept tugging at me. My eyes then closed of their own accord
and as they did, it finally hit me. Lily. I needed to find Lily.
“Wake up, son. I need to speak to you.”
Son? Was my father here? Heck, I didn’t even know where
here
was.
“Nurse!” the voice bellowed. “Remove the drugs! I need him awake.”
I was vaguely aware of a tugging on my arm. Lily. The only
thing in my mind was Lily. A damp coldness touched my forehead. I peeled my
lids open again, blinking the water out of them.
“There,” the man said, wiping the cold liquid from my face
with a cloth. His blurry form turned away from me. He issued some words to the
other presence in the room, asking them to leave. The door clicked shut.
“Good morning, Private Stone.”
The man’s face came into focus. Light brown hair lay across
a broad forehead and his stern face held a glint of kindness. He wore a neatly
pressed black business suit with a white square tucked in the pocket. He
studied me.
“You’ve been through quite a lot over the past few days, I
imagine.”
In a flash, my memories came back more solidly. I remembered
Lily and the vampire. I blinked, considering the man warily. I didn’t know who
to trust anymore. Anyone could be my enemy now.
“My name is General Brandt. I heard about what happened with
your girlfriend. You claim that a vampire took her?”
A general? He didn’t look like a general. He looked like
some secret agent from the movies that wore sunglasses and hunted aliens.
I furrowed my brows at his question and ignored the urge to
nod. I wanted to tell him about what happened. I wanted to tell him that a
crazed vampire was on the loose praying on innocent girls. A vampire who stole
Lily from me. But I’d already witnessed what happened when I spoke of the
incident. It landed me here, in some sort of mental hospital. I didn’t need to
dig myself in any further. What I needed was to get out of here.
General Brandt took a chair from the side wall and placed it
beside my bed. He sat down and leaned his elbows on his knees, considering me
intently.
“I believe you.” His words came out in a smooth whisper, so
quiet I was unsure I heard him correctly. I opened my mouth to speak, but
didn’t know what to say. “I believe you,” he repeated himself. “You’re not
crazy.”
My senses were fully coming back to me now, the drugs
wearing off quickly. Did he just say that he believed me? Who was this man?
Could I trust him? Could he offer the answers I desperately searched for?
“You can trust me,” he offered, as though reading my mind.
“I’m on your side.” He leaned back in his chair and reached inside the pocket of
his suit, producing a packet of chewing gum. He pulled out a stick and offered
it to me. I shook my head. He shrugged and opened the gum, sticking it in his
mouth. He chewed for a moment and then sighed.
“Listen,” he looked at me pointedly. “I’ve heard about you.
You are one of the youngest expert marksmen in the military and your strength
and stealth is unmatched. You are being highly underrated and underpaid for
your skills.”
Again, I creased my brows, wondering what this had to do
with Lily’s disappearance. I didn’t understand where he was going with this.
“What I’m getting at is I want you to come and work for me.”
A long moment of silence passed between us. I had yet to say
a word to the “general,” still remaining confused by his visit.
“We can help each other out, Stone. After some training, I
will promote you directly to Captain. And in return I can help you find Lily.”
“H… how do you know her name?” I finally found my voice.
Brandt laughed, a rumbling in his chest. “I’m like Santa
Claus. I know everything.”
I couldn’t help but wonder who the hell this guy was and why
he wanted me to work for him. What’s more, I couldn’t imagine what sect of the
military he could possibly work for being dressed like that.
Again, as though reading the questions in my mind, he spoke.
“I’m with the Faction of Unfortunate Souls Elimination. Otherwise known as
FUSE.”
I looked at him cross-eyed. Unfortunate what?
He popped a bubble. “I know what you must be thinking.
You’ve never heard of FUSE. That’s because we are a top-secret sect of the
Government. We work in the field of capturing vampires, werewolves and the
likes. We protect unsuspecting humans every day.”
So it was true, vampires were real, and I wasn’t crazy after
all. The words sounded so unbelievable coming from his mouth, but I did believe
him. I had to. I had no other choice. Yet that still didn’t ease the pressure
in my chest at knowing such evil was still out there lurking about and, what’s
more, I’d been completely unaware of it for my entire life.
Brandt continued. “No one knows vampires even exist because
of us. That is our job. Imagine what would happen if that information ever got
out to the public. Complete pandemonium. No one, other than the President and
those who work for us, have ever heard of us. And now with what you’ve
witnessed, you are under my jurisdiction. You’re my case.”
What the general said made me uneasy. He spoke as though I
had no other choice but to work for him. What would happen if I declined?
“What if I don’t want to work for you?” I asked, my voice
scratchy and dry.
Noticing this, Brandt leaned over to a side table and
grabbed a cup of water. He handed it to me, waiting for me to take a drink
before answering.
“That’s the thing. What you have seen cannot be unseen, and
that means you have two choices.”
I raised a brow, waiting for the rest. By the look on his
face, I gathered it wouldn’t be much of a choice. My stomach clenched.
The general popped another bubble and leaned back in his
chair. “You can come with me or you can stay here,” he gestured to the tube
running from my arm, “and enjoy dreamland for the rest of your life.”
My heart raced as his words sunk in. I knew what I would
have to do. The general leaned forward.
“So whad’ya say? You wanna learn how to kill some vampires?”