Rise of the Phoenix (The Phoenix Trilogy Book 1) (16 page)

“An animal is what you will become,” Lachance replied. He turned to the guards. “Strap him in.”

Adam backed away as they approached, scanning for a direction to run. The two large vamps took his arms and drug him across the cell to a chair you would normally see in a dentist office. They tied restraints around his arms and legs anchoring him horizontal. As his normal guard tightened the strap he leaned into Adam’s ear. “Stay strong. We’ll get you out.”

“Leave us,” Lachance ordered.

The leader and orchestrator of the TSP rummaged through a large cabinet inside the cell. He brought out a bag of blood and hung it from an IV pole.

“What the hell is that for?” Adam asked.

Lachance slapped latex gloves on his hands. Priming the blood bag and tubes, he waited until a few drops fell to the floor. He flicked the bend in Adam’s arm hard and slid the needle inside his vein.

“Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?” Adam demanded.

“This is your father’s blood infused with mutated blood. You will soon begin to crave only his blood to the point you will kill him.”

“You’re fucking psycho. I hope you realize that.”

Lachance leaned down grabbing Adam’s shirt and pulled his face close to his. “I made America better. No longer do we have gangs and street violence. The poor and needy no longer suck our resources dry. We are now in a stage of renewal. So you will have some respect. Your pathetic father never could grasp that concept. Now I run the country and he sits in a cell.”

He pushed Adam back down and loosened the clamp on the blood bag allowing it to flow. Straightening his jacket he walked out and locked the cell door.

The blood pounded through Adam’s arm and his fist tightened along with his arm muscles. He felt his strength build and he fought against the restraints. Lachance prepared for this. Adam was tethered to the cave floor with thick chains. He couldn’t get them to budge.

Lachance didn’t set the infusion to drip into Adam slowly. It poured into his system without restraint. His stomach began to churn as if he had entered an eating contest and was about to upchuck fifty hot dogs. He turned his head anticipating the impending up-chuck of blood, but instead it ran out of his ears, eyes, and nose. His vision became clouded with red, and as he blinked against it more tears of blood poured down his cheeks.

His fingers curled upward reaching for the IV line trying to rip it out. His fingertips grazed the line over and over, but he was never able to latch on.

The blood bag took only minutes to empty. It hung there shriveled up like an eighty-year-old woman. Red drops fell in a steady stream from the gurney were he lay, coating the floor with puddles on each side of the chair.

Hours passed and the overhead lights turned off leaving him lying in the dark. As his eyes began to adjust he could see bats fluttering above him, fleeing for their night hunt.

“Hello?” he screamed over and over. The only answer came from the cave walls echoing back.

As time passed his body began to ache from the position he was locked in. He arched his back and stretched out his extremities, turning on his side as much as he could. He could feel the dried blood on his skin crack with each movement.

Exhaustion began to set in and he could no longer fight his heavy eyes.

The sound of clanging metal woke him. Raising his head he saw Lachance enter the cell and close the door behind him.

More than ever his body ached from not moving all night. His neck throbbed when he lifted his head.

Lachance unhooked the used bag and hung a fresh one.

“You do realize that my body is rejecting the blood, right?” Adam asked with a crackled morning voice.

“On the contrary; you will begin to crave more and more.”

“You can’t keep draining my father and expect him to live. This fucking plan of yours makes no sense.”

“I already have what I need from your father. There is just enough of his blood in each transfusion to lock it into your system.”

“Why not just kill him yourself?”

“Though I’m running things now, I still need to uphold the law. America can’t see me as a murderer of the former President. Instead he will meet an unfortunate accident and the person who did it will be punished.”

“So you get rid of both of us while you remain a coward,” Adam spit.

“Just efficient.” He opened the flow on the new bag. “I’m growing quite fond of your girlfriend Miss Williams.”

“You fucking stay away from her!” Adam’s body shot off the gurney as much as the restraints would allow. His voice was so loud the echo came back multiple times.

“As long as she cooperates no harm will come to her. She seems like a logical woman.”

Adam thrashed against the restraints. The chains clanged and slid against the side of the gurney.

“No need to injure yourself,” Lachance said with a chuckle in his voice.

“Can you at least let me stand?”

“In time. For now you need to remain restrained.”

Lachance calmly walked out of the room leaving Adam alone with his tormented emotions and thoughts.

To take his mind off the pain shooting from head to toe, Adam began to count the drops of water falling from the walls. As the ache grew his voice shouted the numbers louder and louder. When he could no longer bear it he began to weep.

Blood was again pouring from his eyes. The tears liquefied the drops flooding his face. His emotions flooded over him and his body began to shake with cries. Soon he would kill his father and Phoenix would meet a fate he didn’t dare imagine. There was nothing he could do about either.

Days turned into weeks. Each morning Lachance gave him more and more blood. He was now up to five bags a day. His clothes were stained a permanent scarlet color and were as stiff as a board.

On the sixth week, Lachance entered the cell with two guards. Adam recognized the shock on their faces as they stared at him.

“Let’s help him up, gentlemen.”

As they unhooked the chains from his arms and legs Adam could feel the skin being torn from his body. They had been so tight around his arms that they had grown into his flesh. The guards were as gentle as they could be, but it did nothing to alleviate the pain.

He reached up and yanked the IV tube from his vein threw it to the floor. His body was so stiff that it didn’t want to move, nor stand. As his knees buckled beneath him the guards caught him. With his legs dragging under him, they sat him in an armchair.

The small movement had caused his muscles to spasm. Adam’s knees bounced wildly and his arms quivered from the shock. Lachance handed him a bottle of water. The liquid sloshed out the top when he tried to place it against his lips.

He watched as Lachance fished around in the chilled cabinet and like a man sick with the stomach flu he prayed he wouldn’t have to take in any more blood. His mouth was constantly filled with the taste of iron. When Decklin didn’t bring another bag of blood out and locked the cabinet he let out a breath of relief.

The guards and Lachance left the cell and Adam began to stretch out his arms and legs. For the first hour he felt all numb and tingly. Slowly the feeling began to come back and he was able to stand.

As he walked circles around the cell his hands began to itch. Squeezing them into fists he tried to shake off the feeling. The itch turned into a rush of hyper activity and he couldn’t hold his arms or hands still. He began to flick his hands back and forth and wave his arms through the air. The need to constantly move filled his entire body and he began to run in circles. Panic filled his mind and he became fearful of death. Thoughts shot back and forth that something was terribly wrong, but what could it be? The few times he had partied too hard with the band he would wake up with panic attacks as his body began to withdraw from the alcohol and drugs. He now felt the exact same way.

Hours passed but, it seemed like only minutes. Adam began to weep half from fear and half from needing the panic to stop and knowing there was nothing he could do. Anytime he had a panic attack in the past it would last a few hours; this one didn’t end.

Two days had passed and his heart was still racing. He began to dig at the floor of the cave with his nails. When that didn’t get him anywhere he broke off a leg of the chair and began to draw and scribble. His hands never stopped moving as he scraped the surface away. When the floor was covered end to end he moved on to digging at his face. Over and over he made himself bleed and pulled skin away. As quickly as he caused the wound it would heal.

His hands were a bright shade of red and the smell filled his nostrils. It didn’t matter that it was his own blood; he began to lick and suck it all off. When he had the skin clean he picked at his legs. When his hands were covered with the blood from them, he devoured that and started again. No matter how much blood he took in, the kick he craved didn’t come.

The cave walled erupted with the echoed screams as Adam strained his vocal cords to the max. Realization that the panic and hunger would never leave him until he tasted his father’s blood hit. Lachance was right; he would become a monster.

For four more days he paced and ripped at his skin. Lachance walked in by himself. His right hand held a small Dixie cup of blood. Even at that distance, Adam could smell the blood. He threw himself against the bars of his cell making a sound like MAC trucks crashing into each other when his body made contact. His arms shot out begging for the cup.

“You will step back or I will simply deny you this,” Lachance said smiling triumphantly.

Adam took a step backwards and lowered his arms. He danced back and forth waiting for the cup like a dog doing tricks for a treat.

Decklin stayed back from the bars, but placed the cup between them. In a blur of motion Adam snatched it. The cup only contained enough for a half a swallow. He dangled the cup upside down waiting and wishing for one more drop to fall. Shoving the entire cup in his mouth, he ate it.

“We’re right on schedule,” Lachance said.

HELL RAISER PULLED Phoenix aside on her way to the cafeteria. “I found him.”

She waited expectantly. A nauseated feeling had ruled her gut for the last week. Adam was in trouble, and she needed to get to him.

“He’s down in the bowels of the building. Lachance has him locked up in a cell running some kind of experiment on him.”

“How do I get there?”

“Only high level guards have access. I’ve never seen it or know how to direct you.”

Phoenix looked down and sighed. “I’ll figure something out. Keep me informed.”

Hell Raiser nodded and she quickly walked away before someone grew suspicious.

She grabbed some food and found Cloud. Sliding in beside her she whispered, “I need something from you. Hurry and eat.”

Both girls shoved a few bites into their mouth and stood. With all the stress and anxiety Phoenix hadn’t noticed that she was growing weak from not having blood. She wobbled and gripped the table and quickly sat back down.

“You need to take care of that,” Cloud said putting her hand on her shoulder.

“Know where a bag of blood is?” she replied with a chuckle.

“I can’t believe Lachance hasn’t ordered your blood yet. You need to get out of here and lay down. Here let me help.”

Phoenix wrapped her arm around the shoulders of Cloud and they walked back to their room. She made it back to her bed and lay down on her back. She closed her eyes.to try to keep the dizziness at bay.

Cloud placed a cool rag on her head. “Stay here and relax. I’m going to get you some blood.”

As Cloud turned, Phoenix caught a glimpse of the last person she wanted to deal with; Nan. The uptight and perfectly dressed woman had a bottle normally used for water with the crimson liquid swishing inside. Phoenix’s nostrils flared when Nan removed the cap and the scent drifted across the room.

“You’ll mind your manners, or you won’t receive this.” She poured a little in a cup. “Good behavior is rewarded.”

The two gulps didn’t satisfy her hunger, but the spinning stopped.

“Dr. Lachance would like to see more cooperation out of you. If you want to stay healthy I suggest you comply.”

“That’s all I get?” Phoenix asked begging.

“For now. You will be re-evaluated at your afternoon meeting with the doctor.”

“Doctor? Doctor of what?”

“Decklin Lachance has multiple doctorate degrees; show him the respect he deserves.” Nan stood.” Miss Forester, you may as well come with me and get your daily supply of blood.”

When Nan turned her back Cloud glared and rolled her eyes.

She was gone only seconds, and Phoenix could smell the blood in the hall. When Cloud walked back in she was wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Sorry, she made me drink the rest of the bottle just outside the door. She’s as evil as they come.”

“Miss Forester,” Phoenix said mocking in Nan’s uptight, formal voice. “How can she make you?”

Cloud’s eyes drifted toward the ceiling, as she was lost in thought. “I don’t know.”

“You really don’t; do you?”

Phoenix sprung from her bed and over to Cloud. “The blood!”