Reapers - Master of Souls (Reapers Chronicles Book III)

17 - Allies and Enemies (2 of 2)

NP: Varien - Valkyrie II: Lacuna Feat. Cassandra Kay

My blood is black, it seeps through the cracks

If I could take it back, If I could...

Fighting love that runs through our veins

It's an empty space, a lonely game

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luci's old lab was converted into an intensive care unit. The computers were pushed to the back of the room. Lab equipments were being moved upstairs to accommodate the beds for the patients. The smell of disinfectant made my eyes water.

I tried not to think of Hector's lab, but every corner of the room reminded me of it. It had the same vibe.

As soon as we stepped in, Luci came running.

"We're about to receive the patients from the infirmary today," she said in her usual show-offy tone. She began to lead the way, her platinum blond head bobbing up and down. "This building is made purely of earthly materials, see? That makes the Halja's Binds weaker thus, allowing our immortal comrades to heal fast as if they are on earth."

"We know," I said.

She looked like she could be slashing me to shreds inside her head.

Vincent looked around, growing impatient. "Where's Alex?"

Her eagerness melted. "In Maximilian's room."

We went upstairs. There were only three big rooms: one for training, another for storage and at the end of the corridor, Max's.

As Vincent twisted the doorknob, Luci caught his arm. "I wouldn't get my hopes up, Vincent."

Alex was sitting by Max's bed pianoing his laptop. Stacks of ancient books were piled on his desk. The walls were now covered with pictures and notes. There were always new additions every time we visited.

Vincent opened the door before knocking. Alex motioned us to come in while dotting a world map with a red Sharpie.

"Any progress?" Vincent asked.

"Maybe," Alex answered unable to tear his eyes from his work. "Darius just confirmed Adrianna isn't in Halo. She must have used an open Door to get to Earth. I'm trying to predict to which hotspot she went. We can start our search there." He pointed somewhere in Europe. "My only concern is Cairo. It appears he too, has left Halo after the fire."

With a sigh, Vincent looked at Max. "I mean him."

"I'm g-golden," Max rasped.

Alex, mustering some self-control, set the Sharpie on the table with a trembling hand. He tried to fix his gaze on anything besides us.

With a grunt, Max tried to push himself up without success. "If I can just feel my legs, that would be a bonus," he sniggered. "I'll be stuck in this bed for a while, aren't I?"

Luci and Vincent glanced at each other.

Max's grin wavered for a second before he began laughing at the ceiling. "Oh, this is great," he said, placing an arm over his eyes. "I've always wanted a vacation. Of course, I thought I'd be on a beach, watching babes in bikinis. But this is good too."

With the miserable silence that came next, I was afraid Max's brave face would break. Pretending like it wasn't a big deal must have been hard. But it's harder when you know no one believed. So I said, "I don't know about bikinis... but there's a beautiful beach not too far away from here."