Evermore, an Arotas Novella (The Arotas Series) (10 page)

“Something?”
Sadie questions as she instinctively leans into Nicolae.

Roseline
nods, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. The humans are oblivious to
the presence. The music has resumed and the crowd has begun to
disband. Nose ring jerk has shuffled along the floor to collect his
brother and is limping along the far wall toward the exit. That’s
when she sees it.

A
hulking shadow emerges from the top of the stairwell. The animal is
down on all four legs, each clothed in muscle and tawny fur. Long,
jagged teeth appear as the beast’s face emerges from the
darkness.

Its
scent is overpowering now. She can see every detail of its canine
muzzle, right down to the moisture clinging to its nose.

It
is far too large to be a normal dog or wolf. It stands nearly chest
height. Its paws are large enough to swipe a head off its victim’s
shoulders with one swing. Its hackles are raised, poised to strike.

“What
do we do?” Sadie asks. Roseline can hear the confusion in her
voice and sympathizes. She casts a glance out over all of the human
faces surrounding them. If they attack the beast in attempt to save
the mortals, they will have to reveal their otherworldly abilities,
yet can they really stand by and watch as they are slaughtered?

“Get
William and get out of here!” she screams as the beast leaps
onto the brothers, tearing at the throat of the nose ring guy. Blood
sprays across the wall and an endless scream rises from the dance
floor.

Roseline
whips around at the shudder in the floor. Five more monsters have
leapt down from the balcony, cornering the humans.

“Roseline?”
Nicolae shouts.

“We’ll
worry about the repercussions later. Just save as many of the humans
as you can.”

She
turns to look at Gabriel and finds him already staring at her. He
reaches out a hand to her and squeezes hers. His grip is fierce, as
if he is terrified of letting her go. “I love you.”

“I
know.” She smiles, releasing his hand. She turns and leaps
toward the stairwell, her dagger already in hand.

Roseline
hurtles over the railing and drives her dagger into the beast’s
face, scoring bone as it grazes off its skull just over its right
eye. A wide patch of raw flesh shines dark purple under the strobe
lights. Its howl of pain reverberates through her chest as she
narrowly misses its snapping jaws. Blood splatters across her face as
she loops her arm around its neck and swings up onto its back in one
fluid motion.

The
hound bucks wildly as she sinks down onto its haunches, snagging her
fingers deep into its matted fur. Its hair is gnarled with leaves,
twigs, and mud. The scent of death and smoke clings to it as she digs
in her heels, forcing it to leap over the petrified human clinging to
the remains of his brother, his nose ring the only remaining
recognizable feature.

She
cries out as the hound crashes to the ground, having leaped an entire
flight of stairs in one bound. Squeezing her legs to remain astride
it, Roseline can feel its horrifying strength as it moves.

“Get
everyone out!” she screams, praying that one of her friends
will hear her over the shrieks and pounding of feet as the humans
make for the exits.

The
beast’s paws slip on the blood-slick floor. Mutilated bodies
lie before her. Vacant eyes stare up at her, accusing her of not
acting sooner, of bringing this death upon them.

A
shiver ripples along her spine as she stares across the room at Sadie
and Nicolae fighting back to back. Their blades glint in the strobe
lights, clashing loudly against the eerie silence that drips from the
lifeless speakers.

Roseline
cranes her neck and sees the body of the DJ lying across his control
panel. His head is missing, as is an arm and part of his torso.

Looking
to her left, she hears shouts and shattering of glass. The bartender
and waitresses are holed up behind the bar, tossing bottles at a gray
hound that approaches, its belly low to the ground.

“Hiyah!”
She slams her heels into the beast and it leaps forward, snarling and
clawing at the floor. Its great black nails score the wood as it
barrels toward the bar.

At
the last second, Roseline drives her dagger into the side of its neck
and yanks on the handle, steering the monster straight into the gray
hound.

Just
before they collide, Roseline leaps off its back and lands in a
silent crouch. The beasts bray as they collide. The sound of bones
snapping echoes in her ears, followed by grunts and howls as they
begin nipping at each other.

Roseline
rises, her hands feeling void as she realizes she has lost her
dagger.

“What
are you?” a terrified blond girl with glittery purple eye
shadow asks as she peeks out over the top of the bar. She is
wide-eyed and visibly shaken.

Ignoring
her question, Roseline leaps onto the counter and searches for her
friends. Nicolae and Sadie have two of the beasts cornered nearest
the stage. She can see bloody claw marks on Sadie’s arm and a
gash across Nicolae’s forehead, but they are on their feet.
Gabriel has another hound barred within a bathroom door, digging his
feet in as he tries to reach for one of the golden barrier poles to
shove through the door handle.

The
two hounds before her snap one final time at each other, then rise
unsteadily. Clumps of hair scatter about their feet, giving them a
mangy, wild look. Their eyes glint black as they turn, sniffing the
air with their noses poised high. It will take only a moment before
they realize where she is.

“Is
there another way out?” She glances over her shoulder down at
the six humans hiding behind her.

She
nearly allows herself to snicker when she notices two of the bouncers
are hiding with them.
So
much for using their muscles when it really counts,
she
muses as she stares at them expectantly.

“Is
there an exit?” she shouts again.

The
blonde raises a trembling finger toward a door at the end of the bar.
It is a swinging sort with no lock. Roseline grits her teeth and
becomes distinctly aware of the fact that she is being stalked. “When
I tell you to run, you head straight for that door. Don’t look
back, no matter what you hear.”

“You’re
not coming with us?” The waitress’ voice croaks. Her eyes
are glazed with terror, her lips suffering from a constant tremor.

“No.”
Roseline glances toward the hounds and realizes she’s rapidly
running out of time.

“I
need a weapon.” She glances beyond the girl to search the wall
of glass shelves. Most are completely empty. Shards of glass shimmer
at their feet from where fumbling hands dropped some of their
ammunition.

“A
knife. Give me a knife!” She warily watches the tawny hound as
it zeroes in on her. Its tail wags slowly behind it, like a dog eager
to play, only this dog seems more intent on killing than playing
fetch.

“We
don’t have any,” the bartender shouts. Behind her,
Roseline can hear a clattering as they frantically search behind the
bar.

“Just
give me something!”

She
turns when something hard is placed in her hand. Her eyebrow hikes.
“Are you kidding? You expect me to kill that thing with a
freakin’ drink tray?”

The
blonde offers her a weak shrug and ducks back down. Just to
Roseline’s left, she spies a flash of black and turns to see
William dashing along the outside wall. She grabs the front of one of
the bouncers’ shirts nearest her and yanks him up, pointing
toward William. “You want to live? Get my friend out of here
and I will see to it that you do.”

Roseline
waits for him to offer her a panicked nod and then leaps down off the
counter to face off with not one massive monster, but two. “This
is going to hurt,” she mutters to herself as she slowly leaves
the safety of the bar to draw away her adversary's attention.
Gripping the tray, Roseline wracks her brain for a game plan.

The
gray wolf approaches faster than the tawny one. The former has
obviously learned not to underestimate her. With a braying loud
enough to vibrate the walls, it leaps at her.

“Now!”
Roseline ducks and flings the tray, catching the gray wolf straight
in the muzzle. Blood splatters from the sides of its mouth; the
corners of its lips split wide. Teeth knock loose from its gums and
clatter to the floor as it spits the tray aside.

She
doesn’t turn to see if the humans have run like she commanded.
Her sole attention focuses on the tawny hound as it prepares to leap.

A
shrill howl echoes up through the rafters. Roseline blinks, shocked
to find Gabriel slowly rising from behind the tawny hound. His hands
are slick with dark blood, his neck and face splattered with gore.

The
beast before him shudders as it falls on its side. A thick black
sludge escapes from the gaping wound Gabriel just cut along its hide.
The gray wolf hesitates, red saliva dripping from its mouth, as it
stares at its fallen companion.

She
sees the moment of indecision and cries out as it turns tail and
runs. “Don’t let it escape!”

Gabriel
is already on the move. He digs into the side of the tawny wolf and
retrieves his blade. It is covered in the black ichor that trails
down his fingers and drips onto the floor. Steam rises from the goop.

Roseline
doesn’t have time to ask if it burns as the gray hound bolts
toward the door behind the bar.
William!

With
hardly a thought, she leaps into the air and easily clears the bar
top, slamming through the swinging door with enough force to tear it
from its hinges. The door bangs as it hits the ground behind her.

The
kitchen beyond is decked out in tile and stainless steel appliances,
spotless and unused. She follows the crimson paw prints, darting past
a walk-in cooler and around a toppled set of serving carts.
Apparently,
Pandemic
has
a full service kitchen. Probably when all of the lights are on and
the dance floor is clear, it turns into a rather nice facility that
offers catering.

She
can hear Gabriel racing after her, still several steps behind. “Grab
a weapon,” she calls back over her shoulder and hears him skid
to a stop. Metal drawers clatter and slam shut again as Gabriel
searches.

Roseline
sprints down a long hallway and nearly misses the turn. She pauses
for a second to note the skid marks and then darts down a side
hallway.
How
big is this place?

Up
ahead she can hear the labored panting of the hound, but there is
something more. She can smell terror weaving down the air-conditioned
halls and it’s human.

Roseline’s
boots thunder against the concrete floor as she braces and slams
through the door with her shoulder, hard enough to jar her teeth. The
stench of death is overwhelming in the small space.

The
only light in the supply closet comes from a naked light bulb
dangling from the ceiling and a glowing red exit sign above a door
that appears to be blocked. Several shapes frantically toss boxes
aside while others stand guard, facing off with the hound. William is
in front, his arms thrown out to protect the girls while the bouncers
scurry to uncover the door.

“William!”
He glances over the beast’s shoulders at her and looks faint
with relief. “Don’t move. I’m coming for you!”

The
hulking animal turns at the sound of her voice and emits what she can
only imagine to be a whimper.

Is
it trying to hurt the humans or is it fleeing from me?
She ponders as she kicks at the stack of boxes separating them.
Styrofoam cups and napkins spill from the boxes, the tape exploding
off the seal as they slam into the wall. The hound dips low, a growl
escaping between its bloody lips.

“William,
I need you to get the girls back.” She looks beyond him to the
bouncers and realize they won’t be able to clear a path in
time. “Everyone get back. I don’t want this thing
crushing you.”

Pushing
the girls back against the wall, William yells at the bouncers to
follow suit. The instant they are clear, Roseline leaps.

The
hound meets her in midair, its jaws snapping at her leg, but she
lands safely on the other side, placing herself between the humans
and the beast. It eyes her carefully, its tail tucked between its
legs.

“Nice
doggy,” she croons, lifting a hand to show that she is unarmed.
Where
is Gabriel?

She
lowers her gaze for a split second to look down the hall toward the
kitchen, and the monster attacks. Four-inch spiked teeth sink into
the flesh of her shoulder and toss her aside. She can hear the girls’
screams echoing in her ears as she connects with the wall. Three
bones snap along her right side and she grits her teeth against the
cry rising in her throat.

Cradling
her side, Roseline rises slowly.

“Rose?”
William calls.

“I’m
fine.” She tucks her wounded arm firmly into her side, wincing
at the pain.
This
thing is going down!

As
the hound turns to attack, Roseline snags a fistful of hair from its
tail and yanks, slamming the dog into the wall. Blood and snot pour
from its nose as it howls in pain. She stomps on its paw, driving her
heel between tendons, twisting to sever the connective tissue.

It
roars and gnashes its teeth. The claws of its hind legs dig deep into
the floor, kicking aside boxes and making a terrible shrieking sound
that makes her blood run cold.
It’s
calling for help
,
she realizes.

“William,
back up!” She reprimands as she sees him approaching from
behind. Squatting low, she flips over the ridgeline of the beasts
back and lands upon its neck. She can feel tendon and muscles beneath
her as she grips either side of its head and begins to twist.