Page 88 of Resisted
Vincent went down first, using his boot to kick at the body until it was against the rail, then he bent down and hefted it over the bars, letting it fall through the open center of the spiral staircase. There was a moment where nothing could be heard, then the impact of the deadweight hitting the floor blow sounded, echoing throughout the tower. I flinched, hoping to god that it landed in such a way that I wouldn’t have to look at it as I exited.
He reached back, his hand coated in blood, both his and the man’s below, and took ahold of my fingers before taking the steps down. I followed willingly, letting him guide me. My mind stuck between not wanting to view what was left of the guy and the morbid curiosity to find out exactly how he landed.
“Do not take your eyes off my back, baby,” he ordered.
Though I knew the reason, I still couldn’t help the challenge. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to be dealing with your nightmares for the next eternity,” he stated.
He wasn’t too far off, I guessed, but this whole situation was already going to be an ongoing nightmare. I kept my eyes to his back as I muttered, “Selfish.”
“Only when it comes to you.” He squeezed my hand, and behind me, I heard Gage gag.
“You two are fucking disgusting. I would rather stare at the soup of brains on the floor all damn day then listen to this shit.”
“Then don’t fucking listen,” Vincent shot back.
“It’s nearly impossible when you two are making no efforts to hide it.”
I didn’t have to be looking at Vincent’s face to know that he was rolling his eyes at his friend. “When we leave here, it’s a straight shot to the meetup point.” He peaked out the door. “Boyce said they’re heading there now.”
Boyce said… He’d never spoken to me mentally, and if I was their mate, shouldn’t he be able to? Why hadn’t I heard them? I wanted to ask, but the moment Vincent stepped through the tower door, he became a different person. He was on guard, watching, his body taut and ready, assessing and looking for a threat. Luckily, no threat came, and before I could even realize that our legs were moving and covering distance, we reunited with Boyce and his team.
Having Boyce close by and not bleeding brought my soul instant relief. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath with worry until his eyes met mine before checking me over. His body visibility relaxed, as if his own worry drifted away. Everyone stayed separated and kept to the shadows as we waited for the last team, and when they arrived, Roth wasted no time issuing orders and using hand signals before he burst through the door.
Following the directions, we separated, but I wished we wouldn’t have. If I’d thought the outside darkness and mist gave the feeling of eerie discomfort, it was nothing compared to being inside this building. It was history. It was torment. It was a brutal reality that throughout the entire existence of this world, humanity had not been kind.
The air was stifling inside, and the humidity from the surrounding waters made my breaths feel weighted. The darkness settled over us, and though I knew we were born for the night hunt, with vison that excels when the sun goes down, the lack of light made my skin crawl. I put a hand up, using the brick walls as a guide. The thick layer of grungy paint was smoother under my fingers and dipped where the paint had chipped away over time. I didn’t need the light to tell me that this place was all shades of grey and beige and a disgusting murky mint green. In my mind, there was no other possible color that would represent a place like this. No other color that could fit such a cold and hostile environment.
It didn’t seem to faze the men, though. Or at least no one mentioned it. What little of the easygoing fun the men had displayed outside these walls when we were out in fresh air was gone, and in its place was a somber stillness. Every movement was controlled, focused, purposeful, and I was out of place in the element they excelled in, but I knew I would not make the mistake of being their downfall.
Through iron bars and heavy doors, we continued, one after another until we entered rows of barred cells and doors with viewing windows two stories high, going on for such a long stretch that even with my vision in the dark, I couldn’t see the end. As if he could read my mind, and maybe he could, Vincent whispered, “It’s not as long as it seems, the dark and continuation of the same vision gives the illusion of distance.”
That might’ve been true, but it didn’t help the pit in my stomach any. “Illusion or not, the worst of the worst slept here.”
“They earned their spot,” he reassured me before he took his first step into the hall in front of the cells, doing quick searches of each as he walked. He might’ve been right—maybe they’d earned their spot in a place like this, but there had to have been some who were put here that were less deserving. Silas… Fuck, he was here for days, and god knew what was done to him on an island where no one could hear him.
As if that thought alone summoned a break in the silence, the sudden sound of a blood-curdling scream tore through the air—a scream that tore from the throat of a man I knew too well. A man who was stubborn beyond anyone else I’d ever met. A man who’d held my heart longer than I realized.
Another scream, this one followed by a manic laugh, and my heart sputtered erratically.
He was so close, so fucking close, but with the tall ceilings and the stone walls, the sound echoed and ricocheted off every surface. It was impossible to figure out which way it had come from.
“Up,” Gage whispered.
“No fucking way. Up would leave them trapped without easy access to exits.” Vincent’s voice broke as he spoke. “They’re human but not that fucking dumb.”
Gage took a deep breath and blew it out. “Which way, boss?”
“Forward. There has to be something. An office. An infirmary. A guard room. Some place on the lower level. Close. I know he’s close. I can filter through his pain to get a few coherent thoughts.”
“Is he answering?”
“I-I don’t think he can hear me,” Vincent mumbled.
That was worrisome. To be this close and not hear your subpack meant he was in a more dire condition than I’d initially thought. I closed my eyes, searching my mind, calling him, begging for an answer, but all I got was silence. Silence wasn’t acceptable, not when the life of someone I loved was on the line, not when Silas was on the line. I tried again. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and pushed my thoughts out to the universe, hoping and praying to the fates above for one…single…answer.
Chapter 38