When The Heart Sings

Chapter 19

I jumped to my feet and ran towards the cage doors. Alex held up a cautioning hand, "If you touch that, you will get electrocuted. It is strong enough to hold us, it could kill you."

I grinned at him, which surprised him, and spoke quietly, "Keep quiet, there are guards just outside that door with weapons. The cameras just went down. I can sense Darien above us, so he is on his way. As soon as Darien arrives, we can leave. Only he knows the way out of this maze."

I quickly proceeded to pretend to pick the lock while humming the combination. With a faint click, the door opened, and I headed to the woman's door. This lady made me uneasy, and she was already standing by the door impatiently. I eyed her up nervously as I began to pick her lock, "Please stay in this room until Darien gets here."

She reluctantly nodded, and I completed the hum, letting the door swing open as I quickly backed up. I didn't trust the irritable-looking lady. I stuck the bobby pin back in my hair as I moved to the side to wait for the person my heart was longing for. I examined the bond and knew he was getting closer since the magnetic pull had increased.

A distant furious roar sounded just before a deafening boom shook the room hard enough that I fell to my knees. Part of the ceiling dropped on the other side of the room. Alex moved up behind me quickly, as if standing guard. My fear seemed to twist the bond even more.

A distant voice called, "Serena!"

I would know that voice anywhere. "Darien!"

It wasn't long before gunfire and zapping noises erupted in the hallway outside, just before another roar shook the air. Snapping noises, gasps, and other sounds I couldn't comprehend came through the open door.

Darien slid into view in the doorway, breathing heavily. His clothes were tattered and ripped. Some blood was splattered on his clothes, but there were no obvious wounds. I inhaled in surprise at the sight of his black eyes, his irises were actually pitch black, although the faint blue glow still somehow came through. I heard the other two Tarulk gasp in alarm and start to back away from the door.

The second he spotted me, he practically blurred with speed. He scooped me off the ground and held me tightly to his chest as he buried his face in my hair. His muscles were shaking. I tried to wrap my arms around him, but he was holding me too tightly for me to move my arms.

The bond finally stopped causing me pain. I relaxed in relief, both at the lack of pain in my heart and with relief at finally being reunited with Darien. He stood there for some time like that, which confused me, although I was glad to be in his arms again. My hands were unintentionally trapped, so I nudged his head with mine, "Darien, we need to get out of here, it isn't safe."

His head shot up as he stared into my eyes for a moment, his eyes had regained a bit of blue, but they were mostly still black. He finally glanced around us and snarled as he realized exactly where we were.

"Can you get all of us out?" He glanced back down at me with my request, before glancing with hard eyes to the two I was asking him to help. They wouldn't be able to keep up with his speed.

He reached up with one hand to tear the straps on a backpack he was wearing. It dropped to the ground with a thump. He reached into his pocket and entered some sort of combination onto a remote control before sticking it back in his pocket.

His voice was rough and barely understandable, "That bomb will detonate in thirty minutes. Let's go." He glanced down at me and his eyes softened, "Cover your eyes."

I did so and let him curl me up into a tighter ball against his chest. He started running, although I could tell that his speed was nowhere near as fast as the first time we escaped. I tried to keep count of the flights of stairs, but lost count before too long.

The hallway seemed oddly quiet; the last time there had been screams and yells as we blew past unsuspecting people. This time only silence met my ears, apart from the three sets of running footsteps.

Darien came to a sudden stop with a snarl. I tensed up in worry, but kept my head down, just in case. A voice I never wanted to hear again spoke, "You can't go anywhere Darien. If she goes past those front doors, a device planted on her heart will explode. Your faces are posted everywhere. Do you really want a life on the run when she can't go to a hospital if she gets sick?"

I whispered, "He lies, I have been awake since I arrived."

Darien backed up several steps, leaving me confused, especially since my eyes were closed. The bond twisted as it reacted to Darien's rage. To my shock and alarm, he started to set me down on the ground.

My eyes flew open. He was watching me with soft eyes, but I could see a towering fury hidden just behind his gentle expression. He sat me down on the ground. We were in a small niche along the hallway wall, which had probably been put there so two carts could pass each other in this narrow corridor.

Darien turned and gave Alex a measuring look, I knew he was reading him. "Guard her for a moment."

Alex immediately nodded and came to stand in front of me in a fighting crouch, ready to attack anything that got too close. Darien took two steps down the hallway and I lost sight of him from how he had placed me in this small alcove in the wall. I nervously wrapped my arms around my knees as I remained sitting in the corner. It would be foolish to stick my head out since this doctor always had armed guards around him.

Darien's icy calm voice made the hair on my neck stand up. He was so angry that his calm voice showed just how deadly he was at the moment. "Taking her was a mistake. You should have let her go. Then I wouldn't have returned. This place isn't going to be standing by dawn. But I am not about to make the same mistake I did the last time I left. You have proven that you will always threaten her as long as you live."

Dr. Halbert started stuttering as he tried to regain control, "If-f I push this-s button, she will die. Do you r-really want that?"

I heard several gasps, including two from the two Tarulk who were still in my line of sight. "This remote?"

A battery rolled down the hallway into my line of sight. I heard a crunching noise and what sounded like small pieces of hard stuff hitting the floor. Silence reigned before a flurry of sickening crunches, gasps, and cut-off screams made me cover my ears as I closed my eyes.

I felt Darien pick me back up again. I didn't need to look to know it was him. The heat, tingles, and relaxation immediately gave him away. "Keep your eyes closed." He took a second to ensure I was perfectly balanced in his arms before he started running again.

I could hear the other two breathing hard as they tried to keep up with the hard pace. Darien's breathing had slowed down since he first appeared. He was actually catching his breath at this slower pace that tired the others. The hallways were silent again, although I could hear distant alarms and sirens.

A fire alarm? It sounded like it, along with some other alarms. That would be an easy way to evacuate everyone. Firefighters wouldn't pay that much attention to anyone running out of a building with no flames if they weren't injured.

The night air suddenly enfolded us. I cautiously peeked up to see several firetrucks, the local gas company, the electric company, and other emergency vehicles I didn't recognize. Their flashing lights lit up the entire parking lot.

Darien whispered, "We set off the fire alarms and the natural gas alarms. The entire building has been roped off and the official hospital section is cleared. We are the last out. There are several smaller bombs that will go off first to give any first responders time to get out. At the end, the big ones will go off."

An ambulance paramedic came jogging over, "Is she okay?"

I replied, "I'm fine, he just runs faster than me. Thank you for asking."

He blinked as he looked at me before glancing up at Darien. I didn't need Darien's ability to know that he had recognized our faces. Darien didn't put me down as he kept walking while the other two followed. I didn't see where the paramedic went.

The moment we passed the gate, Darien started jogging and headed straight for the trees. It was quite dark out and trying to watch the trees go by made my head spin. I didn't bother trying for more than a few seconds.

I closed my eyes and pressed my cheek against Darien's torn shirt. I didn't ask how it got so many rips and tears in it. I probably didn't want to know the answer.