Chapter 22

Vampires and humans alike smell death. Their brains process how it reeks of decay, rotting flesh, bowel movements, and lost hope. They all shy away from it, their inevitable ending. As a vampire, I can also sense the coagulation of blood, how it changes from a vibrant, warm flow of life to a chilled liquid with no purpose.

That very smell is with me now. It settles just below my nose, curdling into an immovable presence, so pungent I can almost taste it. The further I move away from the lab and down the hallway, the stronger it becomes. The radio hisses against my hip. No updates have been given since departing from my dearly beloved. It is doing me more harm than good at this point, so I click it off.

Faint shouts and cries of pain whisper in the distance. I carefully follow the sound, but the way it bounces and echoes against the walls causes bouts of disorientation to their source. It's as if the very walls are taunting me. My frustration builds. The tunnels break out into a dozen different directions at every turn. It's a maze, purposefully designed for this very occurrence – an intruder causing turmoil. I'm under no disillusion that Reyo is unaware of my plan. By now I'm sure he's gotten wind of the deaths of his guards. He knows I am behind them. All of them.

If I had time to plan my attack, I would have woven in diversions. I would have destroyed him in every way, including the dangerous dance that plays out in the mind. Alas, the hands of time are a step ahead of me. Every second wasted brings more death for the vampire species and more pain to my human. Time is a luxury I cannot afford.

Footsteps intensify behind me. The torches are few and far between now, so I move myself into the shadows, melting my form against the wall of rock.

"Shit, you smell that?"

"It's death."

"You really think he's all the way out in this wing? I can barely navigate around here, and I've guarded these hallways for years."

A beat of silence.

"He's a vampire. He's stronger. More resilient. And he knows what's at stake. Do not underestimate him."

My furrows brow at the third, new voice. It's one I've heard numerous times before, filled with determination and unforgiving resolve. Tegan. She and two other guards are moving down the hallway directly next to me. I move from my place and press my ear against the quivering rock. Their voices permeate through the thin walls, muffled but still intelligible.

It appears Mr. Primary is playing a mind game of his own. Involving Gabe was a first step. Now he is involving Tegan. He is testing my limits, seeing how far I will go to kill. To understand where my humanity lies.

For reasons unknown to me, my human has a soft spot for this female Secondary. Though, if I am to reflect on his choices, he seems to take to the pricklier beings, myself included. She is a detestable creature, following in the footsteps of a leader that is no better than the human history from centuries before.

Does Reyo not think I will kill her because my human is fond of her? Or simply because she's a woman?

In either case, he will soon find out.

I slip away from the wall, moving down the hallway as quickly as I am able while still remaining soundless. I am being watched, of that I am sure. I need to be prepared for their attacks when I am within range.

Although I am as close to immortal as there is, that still leaves the option of torture should they catch me. Endless torture. Plus, while I assume my human's blood within Reyo's concocted 'cure' cannot harm me, I am wary of this as well. Reyo continues to surprise me in the worst ways. He has built up a hatred towards the vampire species over the last few decades, spending countless hours in his research lab to develop that serum. I can only imagine what venomous and fatal properties hide within it.

"Psst!"

I freeze at the hissing noise. It's frantic, hidden. I lower to my haunches, ready to attack. Despite the black hallways, my eyes see through the shadows to find the culprit. A low snarl builds in my chest. He's wearing night-vision glasses, though they seem to be useless. He's feeling along the wall to locate my whereabouts, and I take the opportunity to watch him from afar.

Another trap, perhaps? Or a genuine attempt to join my efforts?

He is useless to me. Any human would be at this point. However, if the opportunity arises, he could serve as a useful distraction...

I retrace my steps until I'm in his range of sight. Leo 'psst's at me a second time, and I glower in his direction, pressing my finger to my lips to silence him. Slowly, I nod my head towards the hidden tunnel beside us. He frowns and shoves his ear against the wall. A bit of rubble tumbles to the floor at his clumsiness. My shoulders tense, waiting for the Secondaries to take notice of the noise and our presence. Their senses are heightened over that of a normal human's.

Leo mouths to me he cannot hear anything. Of course he can't; he is human. I focus on Tegan's voice, until the sound waves once again crawl into my ears.

"Pick up the pace, gentleman," she says, but it comes off as a warning. "Our help is needed in the chamber."

Chamber?

"It's not like this asshole is making it easy on us," one of the guards argues. "He can hear us from a mile away."

The footsteps stop. There's shuffling, and I can almost see Tegan's face contorting with fury. "Then I suggest you all shut the fuck up!"

I frown and spin on my heels, fisting a handful of Leo's shirt collar, and tugging him towards me.

"Where is the chamber?" I whisper, barely loud enough for him to hear me.

His shoulders stiffen at my nearness. Even if he thinks we're on the same side, he still fears me. I smell it in his blood. I feel it in his emotions.

"It's where they keep the prisoners," Leo says, visibly gulping. "It's where they're keeping humans, vamps, and..."

I tighten my hold and narrow my gaze on him. "And?"

He purses his lips. "And Secondary supporters."

My teeth gnash together. Reyo is so blind in his hatred that he's willing to turn his back on his own people. Whatever this 'chamber' is, I am most certain they are doing more than 'keeping' prisoners in it. Based on the smell of death swirling around me, it is where they are going to die.

"Take me there," I command.

Leo nods, straightening himself out when I release him. "Why do you think I was coming to find you in the first place?"

I take a step back and gesture for him to lead the way. He bristles just slightly at my manhandling but wisely chooses to keep moving. Time is of the essence. My human's life is in the hands of a madman. Leo breaks into a quiet jog, and I maintain a safe distance behind him. If this is a trap, I cannot jeopardize us both.

Every few minutes I take a break and listen to the tunnel wall to ensure they are not gaining on us. Tegan's voice is but a mere whisper now, though it gives me little solace. As soon as we escape one enemy, we are hurling ourselves into the claws of another. The further we travel, the thinner the air becomes. We're encased by hundreds of layers of rock and clay. The pressure squeezes against my eardrums as we continue to move down, down, down, to the catacombs of Hell itself.

The tunnel narrows, and the smell of death is everywhere. It claws at the air, smothering it with its poisonous decay. Leo shudders. His pace slows, and he brings a fist to his closed lips to keep from vomiting. Screams tremor the ground. Cries of agony. Cries of pain. Cries of defeat. They are screams of human and vampire alike.

"Keep it together, human," I mutter.

Leo stops and lets out a shaky breath. The fear coursing through him is nearly tangible. Is it fear of the unknown? Or fear of once again walking into a nightmare? I urge him to continue, but there is no need. A flash of light ripples at the end of the tunnel, illuminating the horrors within.

The chamber isn't a set of hallways, but rather a room large enough to be a city. Humans, vampires, and Secondaries alike are imprisoned. Dead bodies are littered everywhere. The Secondary population cannot keep up with it. Vials of luminescent green flicker through the darkened chamber. The 'cure,' the very death sentence my human's blood is powering.

Leo shifts behind me. I hear my human's name fall with disbelief from his lips and follow his gaze. My blood turns to ice. Strapped to a chair, unconscious, and nearly drained of his blood is my human. He's fixated to a raised platform. A human sacrifice for all to see. There's a human shackled to his feet, one I thought I'd never see again. Kelly.

Confusion swirls through my mind as I try to make sense of it. Kelly's death... was a lie? A dark figure moves to stand behind my human, and my suspicions are confirmed with sickening defeat. A vicious smile spreads across Reyo's lips as his eyes lock with mine.

In the twinkle of his gaze, I'm able to finally see the truth behind his evil. The Secondaries in the tunnel. Kelly's death. Gabe. All were ruses to get me to fight, to get me here.

It was all a trap.

And it worked.