Pernicious | Kai Parker

Chapter 54

December 2028

They sensed a ripple in the air before their alarm went off.

Kai and Amelia were in their fort as usual, playing cards with each other while they waited for Wendy, Jade, and Diego to come back to life.

"Someone's here," said Kai, sitting up. He smoothed his hand through his hair, then down his beard, each of which had grown significantly in the ten years that they'd been awake.

Stupidity. Alaric Saltzman had to be the stupidest person they knew.

How could he ask Bonnie to create a prison world to keep Kai and Amelia desiccated, and then, six months later, once he'd built a school for supernaturals, toss three other delinquents in with them? Did he really think they wouldn't wake them up? The smarter move would have been to create a new prison world entirely. Or better yet, actually talk to the three kids instead of sending them to the worst type of punishment since Hell had been destroyed.

"Hello?" the two Heretics heard a male voice saying, ten years ago. "Is anyone there?"

"Obviously someone is here, Diego," said an irritated female voice. "Can't you hear the music?"

"This is freaking me out," said a different female. "I hate this song..."

Kai and Amelia were unable to move, their bodies grey and with veins protruding, revealing to anyone that saw them that they were desiccated. Their pupils darted all over the place, looking for the source of the noise.

Then, they saw them. An athletic boy, a girl with two buns atop her head, and another girl with an emotionless expression. All three cringed when they saw Kai and Amelia, chained up in chairs that were nearly ten feet away from each other.

"Holy shit," said Diego. "Wendy, can you—?"

Wendy held up her hand, creating a ball of fire for safety, lighting up the Heretics' faces. She swept the fire side to side, watching as their pupils followed the movement. "Wait," she said slowly. "They're clearly vampires, but I can sense... something. Something different. Jade, wait—"

The second girl had come up and grabbed Amelia's face roughly. The Heretic would have glared at her if she had any muscular control. "No clue who they are, but clearly, they need blood," she said. "One or both of you have to give them blood."

"What?" cried Wendy. "Hell no, I'm not giving them blood."

Diego shook his head. "I won't do it. Who knows why they're here?"

"They must have pissed Dr. Saltzman off, too," grumbled Jade. "Look at them, they're hardly older than us. We've been here three days, and we know nothing about this place. They probably know, so we need them, whether we like it or not. So hurry the fuck up and let them feed."

Wendy reluctantly put out her ball of fire and offered Jade her hand. Jade bit into it, and quickly turned away, and Wendy pressed her wrist against Amelia's face.

It took a few moments, but the Heretic was able to move, and she seized Wendy's hand roughly, biting in aggressively as she started to feed. Diego and Jade jumped back when Amelia shoved Wendy into Kai, who soon after, was on his feet.

"Stop it!" said Diego, seeing that they were still feeding on Wendy. "Stop it— you're hurting her—"

Amelia ignored him, and went to the jukebox, smashing through it with her foot and cutting the Spin Doctors off. Diego was pleading, begging Kai to let Wendy go, then suddenly, he'd let out a yell of his own, and fell to the ground, a loud snapping sound echoing. His arm bent in an odd manner, and Amelia knew what he was— a wolf. Jade, a vampire. Wendy, a witch. What a perfect little combination.