Chapter 41
Seph
We had taken over Elliot’s room, watching the TV from his couch.
We had made a mess. Or rather, Jess had.
It was like being transported to Darkmoor all over again. Her clothes were strewn across the floor. Her hair was loose. In her hand she clutched that same yellow lighter.
She looked like Jess again.
I couldn’t help smiling.
She was currently rummaging through a box of DVDs that Elliot had left out.
“Gods, he’s so vanilla! Where’s the horror? Where’s the slashers?”
She threw a copy of He’s Just Not That Into You down to the floor in disgust. I sipped the margarita she had made me, amused.
“We could just do a rom com?”
“No! Ah finally.” She lifted out a worn plastic case with the title Gothika on the front.
“Is this a ghost movie?” I asked, dubious.
“An average one, but some good scares. Get comfy, I’m going to go get some snacks.”
“We don’t need any – “
“Seph, you’re on your second margarita. If you don’t eat, you’re gonna get sick. Trust me – food is king. Start the movie. I’ll be back in a sec.”
“Where are you going?”
“Raiding the kitchens. I know Dev has a chocolate supply somewhere and I have a good idea where.”
“You don’t want me to wait?”
“I’ll be two secs. Promise. Play. I’ll be back.”
She flashed me a grin and disappeared down the hall.
When she left, I curled up on the couch in a blanket. I watched the opening credits flicker across the screen.
I was very aware of how alone I was. I hoped she wouldn’t take long.
I watched Halle Berry come on screen. The stormy asylum scene was surprisingly creepy. You could already sense the wrongness about to occur.
I paused it. I didn’t want to watch it alone.
And I waited, sipping my drink.
Jess had dimmed the lights, which made the shadows look longer.
I shifted uncomfortably. I leaned back on the couch, my fingers lightly touching the dagger I still carried at my waist.
I thought of Dev. I hoped he was okay.
I wished Ash had been here. He would have snuggled in, probably wrapping me like a burrito beforehand.
Where is she?
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, jumping up.
I stepped out into the hallway. “Jess?” I called.
But the hallway was silent.
I couldn’t see any guards, any patrols.
I walked forward, my feet slapping against the cold floor. Outside, lightning boomed, making me jump. A storm.
It echoed off the rocks of the compound like an explosion.
I put my hand to my chest to still my heart.
“It’s just thunder,” I muttered. I kept walking, making my way down towards the kitchens.
It was like I was the last person alive. Everything was so still. A flash of lightning lit up the outside. For a moment I thought I saw something out the window.
Like moving shadows.
But it couldn’t be. It had to be the wardens.
I started running.
The shadows seemed thicker than they had ever been. Instinctively I ran towards them.
I heard a noise as I got closer to the canteen area. Muffled thumps and whispers.
I peered around the corner and gasped. I covered my mouth instantly.
Jess-
Jess was pinned against the wall, a hand wrapped around her throat by a man cloaked in shadow. He had his hand raised and white light was seeping from him.
Her eyes were white-filmed and unseeing. I stepped back too fast and kicked the wall with a thump. The figure turned and I saw it was a man. A long gash was bleeding profusely from his head, like Jess had landed a hit first.
He looked right at me.
“There! That’s her! Don’t let her escape!”
I heard glass breaking as more soldiers began to storm in. They wore black — masks and balaclavas — except for a small white hourglass symbol stitched over their chests.
Libertarians.
I bolted.
Someone lunged out of the darkness. I dodged, shoving them hard. They stumbled back and I pulled my blade, swinging in a wide arc. I caught flesh and heard a gasp. I kicked out, knocking them back and doubled back towards the other end of the canteen.
I automatically removed a glove, dropping it to the floor.
“Don’t hurt her! We need her alive!”
Another soldier caught me in a chokehold. The man who grabbed Jess was now behind me. He lifted his hands.
“Shhhh. You are very tired. You need to sleep.” White light emerged from his hands.
“Sorry, asshole.” I growled, throwing my head back so it hit his jaw. “Powers don’t work on me.”
I placed my hand to his skin and pulled. He tried to inhale, but it was like he couldn’t breathe.
Then he dropped. I lurched towards Jess and began pulling her, but she was a dead weight.
I saw the pantry still open, where she had been rummaging. I looked around for another option, but there were none. I shoved her inside.
I’m sorry Jess.
“I’ll come back!”
Nausea ripped through me as my body rejected the power I had siphoned. I stumbled down the hall. Dark spots filled my vision.
The hallway tilted beneath me.
Another soldier appeared before me and I tripped.
My bare hands met him head on.
The stolen power burst from me, blasting him back into a wall. I retched, vomiting hard across the cold stone floor.
I could hear more people behind me. An arrow shot past me and struck the wall. A tranquiliser.
I shot around the corner, desperately searching for somewhere to hide.
The only thing down this end was a janitor’s closet. I flung the door open and a wooden broom clattered to the floor.
“Fuck!” I hissed. I grabbed the handle, ripping off the broom end.
Three men emerged before me in the dark. They all held weapons, but it was the tranq gun that was fixed on me.
“Come with us now, Persephone, and you won’t get hurt.”
“Why don’t you make me?” I spat, aware blood was trickling down my forehead.
One of them charged forward.
Centre yourself.
I heard Dev’s words in my head like he was speaking to me. Instinctively I obeyed.
Watch your sides. Follow their movements.
My hand snapped up, hitting the soldier square in the face, knocking him back. I spun around, sweeping the legs out from the other.
The man with the gun fired. The dart caught me in the leg, but I flicked it back before it could fully inject me. His eyes widened. I smacked him hard in the face, knocking his gun to the ground.
He went to stand, but I grabbed it and shot him at close range in the chest.
He looked down in shock at the dart in his chest. Then I hit him with the barrel and began to drag myself away.
I need to get to Elliot’s office.
I could feel the sedative warming my skin under my clothes. My movements got slower.
I could hear fighting behind me, like the wardens had finally decided to show up.
I grabbed the wall for support, blinking rapidly.
I turned the corner and saw a swarm of soldiers fighting outside Elliot’s door. I turned back and ran for the way outside.
“Jess,” I murmured. “Jess.”
I stumbled back in time to see someone pulling Jess from the pantry.
Her head lolled to one side.
“Bag her!” Someone shouted. “Bag all of them!”
The lights were going on all around the building. I heard a siren blare.
But they were taking Jess.
And not just her.
I could see several bundles being dragged from the compound.
Gunfire erupted.
Then smoke.
They had set the compound on fire.
“Stop—” The word died in my throat.
Smoke filled the halls — thick, black, and suffocating.
People started to evacuate in a stampede out towards the exits. I could hear screams.
I chased them out, somehow stumbling toward the garages.
The world around me was pulsing and fading. I couldn’t keep my eyes open much longer.
Still, I staggered forward, forcing my legs to move.
The air shrieked in agony. The trees swirled and bent to the will of the storm.
Freezing rain hit my face hard. Branches clawed my face.
My legs gave way, like the storm-torn earth beneath me.
I caught one last glimpse of headlights cutting through the dark, as the soldiers retreated.
Then I fell.