Chapter 21
VENOM
BAZ
Despite exhaustion, I tried to stay awake as long as possible at night.
My room and the surrounding hall were dark.
Damien was gone. I assumed the staff was as well.
Most importantly, no one bothered me. Which meant I could relax instead of anticipating oxygen dips and awkward conversations.
Just me, the dark room, and the handheld gaming device Damien had gifted me for being a good boy.
“You impatient little shit,” I growled at the disgruntled asshole who said I took too long making their food in the game. Shadowy movement in the hall pulled me away from the screen. Someone was out there.
I dropped the game upside down on the bed, blocking out the light. My eyes adjusted. A woman was dragging her hand across the plexiglass as she moved closer to my door. In a gloved hand hung an employee badge, dangling from a lanyard.
No one came here at night. I couldn’t see her face, but she had long red hair and an oxygen mask.
My mouth felt dry. It couldn’t be Bree. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched her move, unable to take my eyes away. She pressed the employee badge against the card reader. There was a tiny beep, and then she dragged the door open and slipped inside, closing it behind her.
Her back pressed against the door as she looked at me across the room. My eyes trailed down her hair, my breath catching. Then I looked at her face, obscured by the oxygen mask. It wasn’t Bree. Of course it wasn’t.
I clicked my tongue then grabbed the game, picking up where I’d left off.
“Get out,” I told her. I heard one of the chairs scrape the floor and sighed. I tossed the game back down and saw her trying to right herself after bumping into the furniture.
I shot the camera a glance. The red lights weren’t on.
What a fucking headache. Did they really think I’d buy this shit?
That, what? An employee who resembled Bree just happened to steal one of the few key cards that got her in here and managed to turn off all the cameras?
And this was all conveniently after I’d said time and again that I wouldn’t offer them any samples or shows of my sexual capabilities.
Ugh, just saying the term made me shudder.
I had little doubt that despite the red lights being off, the cameras were indeed still rolling, waiting for my porn star debut.
It was entertaining that they thought I couldn’t connect the dots. I’d grown up in a criminal asylum of all places. Which meant I didn’t learn advanced algebra, I learned to be naturally suspicious.
“You aren’t supposed to be in here,” I told the woman.
“I know,” she whispered, blindly walking closer to the bed. Her hands were out in front of her, trying to navigate in the dark.
“So why are you in here?” I asked. As she drew closer, I saw she was shaking.
“I’m one of your monitors,” she said. When I shifted to the side of the bed, her voice broke.
“Sure you don’t want to leave?” I asked with a smile. She swallowed.
“I watch on the camera. I watch you, I mean. Back there.” She waved at the wall. My eyes slid to the hall. I had wondered if the scientists were on this level with me or if I had the whole place to myself. I leaned back, resting on my hands.
“So why are you inside my cage?” I asked. Her eyes dragged up my body, stopping at my neck. Guess her vision was finally adjusting. She also knew enough to not look me in the eyes.
“Um, I—” She fumbled over her words. I stood up suddenly. As I approached her, she staggered away. Her back hit the wall as I crowded her space. My palms settled against the wall, trapping her with nowhere to go unless she wanted to touch me and die. Her face flushed as she looked up at my mouth.
“Who told you to come in here?” I whispered.
“No one,” she rasped.
“Come on now, it’s just you and me.” I reached up, twirling a lock of her red hair around my fingers.
“No one,” she said again. Her hands flattened against the wall behind her, spreading her fingers out as if afraid she’d touch me. I dropped her hair and flicked her oxygen mask. She squeaked.
“That sounds like a load of bullshit.”
“I swear. I … I’ve been watching you all week. They had me running double shifts. They had to fire another monitor, so I was covering. Tonight I found the key card, my boss—” I cut her off with an annoyed groan.
Of course, Damien wouldn’t just tell someone to come in here.
He’d manipulated the situation. It was what he did.
He was far too clever for his own good. I almost had to admire it.
He not only hired someone who vaguely resembled Bree, but also made her run multiple shifts, watching me constantly.
No doubt, he’d been microdosing her with venom all week, too.
It was something in the air that affected people.
“You’re a pawn,” I sighed. “Get out.”
“But…”
“But what?” I asked, leaning away so she could leave.
“I could make you more comfortable,” she said with a flushed face. Her words made me irrationally angry. I got in her face, so close we’d have touched if she hadn’t frantically jerked away.
“I told you to leave,” I hissed. Her eyes widened in fear as they darted away from me. Reaching up, I gripped her oxygen mask.
“No!”
“Better hurry.” I ripped the mask off. Without a second to lose, she covered her mouth and ran. Her body came to an abrupt stop at the door, realizing there was no card reader.
“Oh, what a shame,” I said, walking calmly across the room.
Her fists beat the wall as she kept holding her breath.
She looked over her shoulder and whimpered when she saw me coming.
My fangs slid out, and I tasted the heat of venom on my tongue.
Before the serum, killing had been inconsequential to me.
I didn’t get any thrill. It was just something that happened. But things were different now.
I grabbed her shoulder and twisted her around, wanting to see it happen. This was the best part. She thrashed, her eyes darting everywhere but on me. She pressed a hand to her face, covering her mouth and nose.
“Nuh uh,” I said, grabbing her gloved wrists. She fought me as I forced her arms open.
“Help!” She screamed in a panic. It was almost instant, but I got to watch it happen for a brief moment. My forked tongue slid over a fang as she inhaled, filling her lungs with venom. When black veining crawled down her throat, her eyes finally met mine. I smiled at her.
A sick peace settled over me while her body slid to the floor. I bent down, staring at the corpse.
“By the way, the card reader is hidden,” I whispered to her. “I forgot to mention it.” I plucked the card tangled in her fingers and pushed her over. She flopped on her side, and I slid my fingers over the door’s opening, near the bottom. Part of the seal strip was thicker than the rest.
“They think I don’t know, but when you make a room this antiseptic, it’s hard not to notice inconsistencies.
” I stood up and looked down at her, twirling the lanyard in circles as I eyed the body at my feet.
My attention returned to the cameras, with the red lights off.
Maybe they really were off. Either that, or no one else was here watching.
Whatever the case, no one seemed to be coming.
I grabbed her protective outerwear and slipped it on. Then I grabbed the oxygen tank and slung it over my shoulder. The strap broke, and it fell to the ground with a thud.
“Well, that’s annoying,” I said. I was going to have to carry it. The corpse chuckled at me.
“A much smaller inconvenience to dying, I assure you,” she said.
“Eh, maybe,” I said, pulling on the breathing mask and crouching down.
I held the card over the special spot, waiting to see if I was right.
There was a slight click, and then a puff of air came in.
I gripped the handle and tugged. My smile dropped when the door caught. My new corpse was in the way.
Usually, this wouldn’t be a big deal. Throw the corpse in the corner or just keep smacking them with the door over and over hard enough, and they’d move on their own—a bit battered but still just as dead.
However, I’d been slowly deteriorating for weeks under regular oxygen deprivation and prolonged anemia.
My arms shook as I shoved her aside just enough to slip into the hall.
I was panting as I dragged the air tank and closed the door behind me.
The detox cycle started in the hall, a quick process of high-powered vents recycling the air as I leaned against the wall, catching my breath.
Finally, I circled the hall and headed towards the elevator. I clicked the button and waited. My eyes closed, and my legs shook. The doors finally opened. My body slumped against the elevator railing. I reached towards the buttons, my finger hovering over the ground floor far above me. The exit.
I swallowed thickly, and I clicked for the floor below mine instead—the very bottom of Supra. Where Damien was likely hiding some awful secret. Might as well.
Escape wasn’t an option for me. I’d made a deal. As long as I never tried to escape, Damien would never hunt or harm them.
Damien had mentioned the cabin. Maybe it was bullshit, but if I closed my eyes, I could see them in that squalid little log cabin with its fuzzy carpet, creaky porch, and forest all around.
It would be better if they hadn’t gone back.
They needed to do what my sister had done: forget me and move somewhere far away.
Not that I think anyone could escape Damien, but distance would help.
Whatever the case, I’d keep protecting them anyway I could. From a distance.