Blood Hunt (Blue Blood Babies sequel!)

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

 

Although it was only twenty-four extra steps, it was a long walk up to the third floor.  We could hear the whispers behind us from the boys in group two, all wondering why we were heading up alone.  Just the two of us. 

Just us two.

We, of course, knew why.  It was painfully obvious, couldn’t have been clearer.  What we didn’t know, was what.  What was going to happen to us, what special treatment were we going to get?

Of course, it was possible that it was just a coincidence, just one of those bizarre things.  But neither Connor nor I believed it for a second. 

“What do you reckon?” Connor murmured to me in an undertone. 

I shrugged, knowing what he meant, but not having an answer.

“Least they haven’t separated us,” I said.  That was the only thing that was keeping my feet moving. 

“Yet,” Connor added.

I made a face into my feet.  Yet.  Though it wasn’t a hard climb, suddenly I was gasping.  I tried to keep control of my breathing, not wanting Connor to see how much I was panicking; still worried that we were being watched. 

On the third floor, the layout seemed to be the same as the two floors below where the rest of the boys waited.  That was a little reassuring.  Perhaps it could simply be that there were just too many of us, that two boys had had to be spilt off, and it had just happened to be me and Connor.  I willed myself to believe in coincidence. 

Just like on the two floors below, there was no-one there to greet us.  Wordlessly, Connor and I took two of the hard plastic seats lined up against the wall in the tight little “Waiting Area”.  There was nothing else to see, except a double door without windows, and a little fob panel to open it.  I didn’t have to stand up and check to know that neither of our fobs would be able to make the little red light go green.  Today seemed to be my day for flashbacks.  In my mind’s eye I saw Maggie clutching the sheet of codes, getting us through doors we weren’t meant to.  I swallowed against a lump in my throat; shifted on the seat. I wished she was here.  She always managed to calm me. 

“I said to Maggie we should run, you know,” Connor whispered to me, his lips barely moving.  I turned to stare at him.  His gaze was wild.  “When we first got the letter, I mean.  I said that we should run.”

I looked around for sneaky CCTV cameras before I answered him.  I didn’t see any, but that didn’t mean anything.  I tried to keep my voice as low as possible.

“What did she say?”

Connor snorted.  “She said no.  But we should have.  You, me and her.  We should have just run for it.  Disappeared.”

I smiled grimly.  “Anna told me to as well.”

“We should have done it,” Connor repeated.

Yeah, I was starting to think we should have.  But, again...

“Too late now,” I murmured.

Connor opened his mouth to say something, but at that point the panel on the wall emitted a tiny beep.  A second later, one of the doors swung open.

A woman stood there.  She was dressed like a doctor, white coat, stethoscope, sensible rubber-soled shoes.  Her blond hair was scraped back in a plait and she smiled genially at the two of us.  The ugly look I’d prepared dropped from my face.  I hadn’t expected someone friendly, some young.  Or female.  Or, I might as well admit it, someone good looking.