Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
The weight of my eyelids was nearly unbearable, and my body felt as heavy and unresponsive as if it were made of stone.
Every nerve throbbed, as if I’d been flattened by a bus and my body was still vibrating from the impact.
I pushed against the invisible force pinning me, but my body refused to move.
What happened to me? Someone grabbed my arm, and I mustered all the strength I had to croak, “Jude? Gabe?” The person’s fingers quickly left my arm, and footsteps pitter-pattered away.
I strained my ears, listening intently for any sound that might give any indication of my location.
A low, rhythmic beeping pulsed to my left as I struggled to open my heavy eyelids.
My vision was blurred, a milky film obscuring the world like a dirty pane of glass pressed against my forehead, each object hazy and indistinct.
A thick woolen blanket covered my feet, barely visible as my brain pieced together surroundings. I was in a bed.
Where the hell am I?
A woman with thick, slightly smudged glasses walked toward me, her footsteps barely audible. Vanessa noticed me stirring, and her jaw dropped in surprise. “Vinny, are you awake?”
My throat tightened, a suffocating pressure building, and I strained to force it out. “Y-yes.” It was all I could muster while my body and mind were in a battle for control. Hopefully, Nessa could help me. Wherever I was.
“Hold on.” In a flash, she was gone, then reappeared with an older man whose presence conveyed quiet authority. His lips were so cracked, it looked like he constantly sucked on a lemon. Nessa directed him, “He’s awake, see? Can you take him off the medication?”
The man pursed his lips and walked to my left, fiddling with a plastic bag of liquid hanging from a rusty hook. “This will be good for him. He may have a slight allergy toward the medication because his body has broken out in a mild rash.”
I tried to tell the doctor that the rash was from my constant itching, but my jaw wouldn’t move. My tongue felt thick and heavy, refusing to cooperate as I struggled to form words. I strained to recall the events that led me here, but my memory was a foggy maze with no clear path to the truth.
“Vincent, I’m so happy you’re awake.” Nessa excitedly clapped her hands. “You’re underground, in the infirmary at Silvertown.”
“Is he awake?” A voice boomed from behind Nessa, the sound echoing in the room as a large, round man strode in.
She nodded and moved out of the way to give room to whoever was entering.
“Well, you’re probably wondering how you got here, right?
” Four’s large body settled heavily onto the wooden stool next to me, the wood groaning under his considerable weight, a low creak echoing the strain.
“After the explosion, Jude and your vampire friend ran to your aid. You were buried under the collapsed tunnel, and they thought you were dead, like Pete.”
I felt like I had no control of my body, but a lone tear slid down my cheek. Pete was dead. And he did it to protect us. He was finally with his wife.
“When Jude and Gabriel found you, you were barely breathing. They begged me to abandon the mission and bring you here to get help. I agreed and strapped you onto my snowmobile. I tried to get here as fast as I could, and it’s good I did because we were able to save you.”
“The infirmary made sure you were able to live and hooked you up to machines while your body healed.” Nessa pointed to the beeping screen next to me. “You’ve been asleep for two days.”
TWO DAYS? How have I been asleep this long? “Wh-where’s J-Jude and Ga-be?” The medicine was wearing off, and I was regaining my ability to speak.
With a frustrated groan, Four shook his head. “They stayed behind, hellbent on completing the mission.”
I wish I could’ve screamed. Jude and Gabe stayed behind in order to disable the computer?
Without me, they’d likely kill each other.
My stomach plummeted with the chilling thought that one, or perhaps neither, might not make it back.
Why are men so stupid, and why are their egos their biggest downfall?
Well, second biggest.
“Where are they?” When we were at Pete’s house, they said we could disarm the computer and return to Silvertown by nightfall. It’s been two days, meaning the mission was harder than expected or… Well, I didn’t want to think about it.
Nessa shrugged. “We haven’t heard from them.”
“Until now.”
The three of us whipped our heads toward the door to see two men walk through the door.
Gabe’s wavy hair was pulled back tightly, revealing fresh scratches on his face, while Jude’s shredded clothing was stained crimson with blood.
Regardless of how disheveled they looked, their presence brought a wave of relief.
I was relieved to see them alive and in one piece.
“G-Gabe! Jude!” I tried to stand, but my body felt heavy as lead, refusing to obey. With a frustrated grunt, I tried to rip the cords from my arm, but the incredibly sticky medical tape wouldn’t budge.
Vanessa tackled me, her body heavy on mine as she pinned me to the bed. “Vinny, you have to wait until you’re strong enough.”
My eyes burned with tears. I didn’t think I’d see them again. Since waking, I’ve been thrust into a rollercoaster of emotions.
Gabe nudged past Jude and hastily beelined to me. He nuzzled his face into the corner of my neck and wrapped his strong arms around me, holding me close. “I’m so happy to see you’re okay,” he whispered in my ear.
“We were so scared,” Jude said, standing behind Gabe, looking relieved. “Thank God Four got you here safe.”
My pupils darted nervously back and forth between the two men.
The last thing I wanted was for them to get into a fight in the middle of the infirmary.
I was holding my breath, waiting for Gabe to see Jude holding my hand.
I looked fearfully at Nessa, whose smile was ear-to-ear, most likely in hidden jealousy. “What happened out there?”
Gabe held my hand in his with concern-ridden eyebrows, while Jude put a comforting hand on the man’s shoulder.
“We’ll let you three catch up.” With a casual lean against the doorframe, Four raised an eyebrow at Nessa. “Would you, uh, like to grab some dinner?”
Heat rose in Nessa’s cheeks, staining them a bright red as she fought back a smile that threatened to break free.
Jude raised his eyebrows. “Hey, Vanessa, before you go—”
I watched as Nessa turned, her bright eyes shining with a mixture of hope and excitement.
“Thanks for taking care of Vinny. Can you let my dad know we’re back?”
With a push of her glasses and a quick nod, Nessa was guided from the infirmary by Four.
“When the tunnel collapsed, we were beside ourselves,” Jude started. “We helped Four load you onto the snowmobile and prayed for you to get here safely. Once you both disappeared from our view, we went back to the mining tunnels, finding our way to the ladder.”
“It brought us to the basement of the lab, but let me tell you, Vin, it was gorgeous.” With a flourish, Gabe fanned his hands in the air, each movement a sweeping gesture.
“Everything was so sterile and white. It was like a beautiful modern hospital, well, modern from fifty years ago.” He chuckled, knowing I’d understand what he meant.
“The whole basement was these large pod-like things, filled with liquid. Some were broken, and some had sludge in them. It looked like they hadn’t been used in years. ”
A long, slow breath escaped Jude’s lips. “They were the same ones we saw in the church. You know, the ones from the video?”
I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.
As the church only harbored a couple of pods, it couldn’t accommodate their growing needs, so they relocated their facility to a secluded mountain lab with ample space for multiple, large-scale experiments.
More failed versions of me. A nervous twitch pulsed in my eye as I thought about it.
“When we went upstairs from the basement, we found this massive room with beds and Dogs that needed help, but it felt different from the church.” Jude held one finger up. “Half of the facility was used to fix Dogs, while the other half was robots making them.”
Making new Dogs? For some reason, I hadn’t considered there were any new Dogs, just maintaining and fixing the old.
“They were all lined up, like an army.” Gabe’s hands were rigid, showing parallel lines. “Their eyes were dark, but it was eerie to think they could come to life at any moment.”
“To be honest, I was shitting my pants.” Jude laughed. “We snuck around the laboratory, making sure we weren’t seen by any of them. We found a staircase leading to the upper level, where the computer was. Thankfully, the code was the same as before, so we instantly got access.”
“The room was completely made out of glass; it kind of reminded me of the cockpit of an airplane.” Gabe smoothly curved his hands. “There were blinking buttons, panels, and levers— so many things we didn’t know what to do, but as soon as we accessed the computer…all hell broke loose.”
I felt both of them tense, their posture becoming awkward yet rigid. It was like they were reliving the moment.
Jude squeezed Gabe’s shoulder and patted him on the back.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for this guy.
I owe my life to him.” Gabe’s eyes flickered, and a smile touched his lips as Jude awkwardly hugged him.
“The computer glowed alive, and all the Dogs in the lab came to life, with their sights set on us. Without a moment to think, Gabe told me to figure out how to disable them and left the room, firing his gun.”
“You idiot!” I screamed, throwing my arms in the air. “How could you be so stupid? What if…what if…”
“It didn’t,” he reassured. “The gunshots made all the Dogs follow me, giving Jude time to get into the database. Believe me when I say there were hundreds of them.” He shook his head and covered his mouth with his hand.
“I dunno how I even survived. Everywhere I looked, a Dog was chasing me. Their red eyes are seared into my brain. I don’t remember much, except for climbing a rope, and they were jumping into the air, trying to reach me.
When I looked down, it was a sea of metal.
” He shuddered. “I honestly didn’t think I’d make it out.
But then the barking and growling from the Dogs ended.
Their red eyes dimmed, and they fell to the ground. ”
“Sorry, bro.” Jude laughed. “Before the computer gave me the option to disable the Dogs, it made me watch a video explaining why it’s a bad idea, like the one below the church.” He turned to me. “Although this time it wasn’t your dad, just a blank screen with a recording of someone’s voice.”
“Dante?” I already knew it; his nod was only a confirmation. “Was he in the lab?”
Jude shook his head. “No sign of him, and we didn’t even find bones or a skeleton, like we were expecting.”
“So he’s still out there.” Even if we brought my father down, Dante could still be hiding or could’ve even been turned into a vampire.
He could be biding his time, quietly amassing an army far surpassing the might of the Dogs.
He could sweep in to seize control once my father is gone.
For all we know, he could be long dead, but we have to take it into consideration.
“My boy!” A voice came from the doorway.
Arthur ran in, engulfing Jude in a tight hug.
“As soon as Four told me you were here, I ran through town and didn’t stop until I reached the infirmary…
” He placed a hand over his heart, a silent gesture of respect, and nodded to Gabe.
“You have my thanks for bringing my son back to me safely.”
Gabe’s body tensed, his muscles locking in surprise. “N-no problem.” His initial visit had been a nightmare, so his astonishment at the kindness he now received was understandable.
“Dad, the Dogs are disabled. We did it!”
Arthur’s mouth fell open in disbelief, his eyes shining with an almost feverish excitement.
“We need to move swiftly. I’ll start the preparation tonight, and we will discuss our strategy tomorrow.
Get rest because we’re on the precipice of the war we’ve been building.
” With a gleeful look on his face, he added, “The humans will rise once again!”
Jude nodded dutifully, then cocked his head at one of the nurses. “Can you ask for two beds to be rolled in here? I don’t think Gabe and I want to leave Vincent again.”
And you know what? They didn’t.