Roses for Rachel

Chapter 41.

                  

I beat my hands against the elevator doors, screaming for Greer and Tessa, and I tried to push the stop button, but the elevator was already moving. My breathing felt like it hurt my lungs, as I sucked in air in ragged breaths. My head was swimming, fighting back against all of the horrible thoughts that popped into my head for what might have just happened to them.

The elevator slowed and I counted my breaths slowly. "One, two, three." I whispered to myself as the doors slid open. The corridors are never very bright or welcoming, but when the doors opened and I crept slowly into the darkness, the ominousness of the corridor going from pitch black, to a hazy red as the lights flashed on and off in rhythm with the blaring of the alarm, made chills run up and down my spine. I closed my eyes for just a second, trying to gather my nerve, I just needed to find Calvin, then we can figure everything out together. "Where are you?" I said under my breath and then opened my eyes, trying to build up my confidence, and I marched up the first corridor I came to. It seemed empty, but there were things lying all over the ground, and it was hard to tell what any of it was with the lights going on and off. I knew it couldn't be good though, not when everything is usually so orderly around here. I wanted so badly to call for a guard, but I was terrified of what kind of attention I might get if I did.

I made my way slowly, hugging up to the wall as I walked. I knew that Pedro told me when he briefed me on all of my queenly duties that there was a conference room on this level, and if Calvin had indeed gone to get Castro, then they both might still be around this area, I just needed to find where that place was. I cursed under my breath for not paying attention to the map more carefully. As if it would have really helped anyway in this darkness.

I was keeping my cool until I tripped over something in the darkness and I fell to the cold stone floor with a thud. The red light illuminated the hall again and I had to cover my mouth and bite my tongue to keep from screaming. A few feet away from me was a man's body laying against the opposite wall with an arm out in the middle of the walkway. His eyes were opened, staring at nothing, and his neck was ripped open, no blood seeping from the wound. 

I turned away from the gruesome sight, only for the lights to go out again, then come back up for me to see the dead woman sitting against the wall a foot away from me, her head inclined my way, and her neck nearly severed in half. I felt bile rise from my gut and the overpowering urge to run away, but my fear only became worse when I heard footsteps. Someone was running this way.

The lights went back out, then the red glow was back just long enough for me to see a young woman, wearing lingerie oddly enough, come running around the corner, fear apparent on her lovely face. I started to call to her, but then she was on the ground, two men naked men on top of her, ripping into her flesh with their teeth.

My whole body shook and I could hardly breathe, or get my legs to move beneath me, but I finally worked myself into a crawling position, trying as hard as I could to be as quiet as possible, hoping they'd be too distracted by their kill to notice me. I got around another corner and down the way there was another naked vampire that had someone against a wall, draining them from their neck. I ducked into the first room I found, but it was completely empty and offered no place for me to hide. I crouched down beside the door, swaying back and forth slightly in terror of the things I was seeing and imagining that soon I would be next. I bit my lips as I straightened back up, balling my fists at my sides. I told myself I could do this. I'm obviously not going to be able to find Calvin in this mess, so I need to find someplace to hide. I thought hard, trying to think what else is on level 3, then I remembered his mom's room. I also remembered the dungeons...and the naked vampires...It clicked in my head what was happening. Somehow all those blood thirsty vampires had found a way out of the crypts and the dungeons. The realization of how serious this situation was sank in and I knew that if I don't get myself to that room and find a way to bunker down there, I'm going to be killed out here.