Blood Hunt (Blue Blood Babies sequel!)

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-five

“Alfie?  Alfie are you okay?”

The phone was still to my ear, but the voice wasn’t coming through the receiver.  I stared forward, gazing into nothing, ignoring Maggie’s obvious concern.  My brain seemed frozen, immobile.

“Alfie!”  She shook my shoulder, hard, and suddenly life sprang back into my body.  I shot out of my seat, launched myself halfway across the room.  Where was I going?  I’d no idea.  The door loomed before me and I skidded to a stop suddenly.  Then I started pacing back and forth, my brain whirling.

“I’ve got to go,” I said, running my hand through my hair, eyes dancing around the room, absolutely sightless.  “I’ve got to go and... I’ve got to...”

Thoughts flew in and out too fast for me to catch them.  I continued striding about the room, too panic-stricken to stand still.

“Stop!” Two massive hands clamped down on both my shoulders, held me in place, halting my frantic pacing.  I lifted my head, stared right at Connor, still not really seeing him.

“I’ve... I’ve... I’ve...”   But I didn’t know what to do.  All I knew was I had to do something!  I had to get a car, had to go and get Anna, had to get her out of that place.  A refugee camp.  I couldn’t believe it.  I’d only ever seen places like that on the movebox, in films and, very occasionally, on the news.  In my mind’s eye I conjured up rows upon rows of tents.  Squalor.  Scratching out a survival.  A cesspit of the worst dregs of humanity.

And poor Anna, stuck right in the middle of it.

I had to go get her.

Nothing more firmly planned than that, I made for the door.  Or tried to.  My feet stepped forward, but Connor’s firm grip on me held me in place.

“Let go.”  I fixed my eyes on him, seeing him properly for the first time.  He didn’t answer me, he just kept gazing at my face, his eyes full of alarm.

I didn’t have time for his concern. 

 “Let go,” I repeated.  His grip didn’t slacken.  “God dammit Connor, get off me!”

I twitched my shoulders violently and he at last released me.

“Alright,” he said, lifting both hands up in surrender.  “Alright, Alfie.”  But as he backed away he made sure to keep himself between me and the door.  I glared at him.

“Move out of the way,” I demanded.  “I need to get out of here.”

“Alfie,” I felt gentle pressure on my arm.  Looking down, I saw Maggie had wrapped her fingers around my wrist.  She wasn’t holding me as tightly as Connor had, but the light weight of her hand around my wrist was a manacle, pinning me in place.  I grimaced, fighting the urge to rip myself free.  “What’s going on?  What’s happened to Anna?”

I stared at her for a mad moment, my heart thudding, my feet desperate to pound out of the door.  She gazed back calmly, worry for me the only emotion on her face. 

“Talk to us,” she pleaded.  Her fingers tightened infinitesimally as she gave my arm a gentle squeeze. 

I took two deep breaths, forced the panic back down.  Some semblance of reason floated into my brain again, made it possible to think.

“Anna’s in a refugee camp,” I told her.

Maggie nodded at me to continue, she’d heard that much from my side of the phone conversation.