Hello Darkness

Chapter Fifty-Eight

It's pitch black. Even with my inhuman sight I can barely see the tip of my nose. My heart thunders in the silence. There hasn't been a sound in at least three beats. Like the light wiped out all movement from the other room. Perhaps Stevens already gave the order to flee.

There's a buzz, flicker, and a pop, and the emergency lighting kicks on, emitting an eerie red glow. Gabby and I push further down the hall, her fingers tangled in the back of my tee. It's hard not to glance over my shoulder, especially now I'm certain we've been abandoned.

The familiar double doors take shape in the darkness, and I breathe a sigh of relief as we step through. "This is it," I whisper to Gabby.

Gabby opens the door. Luckily the emergency generators fuel the key pads. Eight more rooms to clear—and we're on borrowed time. I stand in the center of the room and push out my veil. There's no telling what their state is, and I need them to move. My energy drains with every second I hold it up. Gabby releases each door and they surround me like duckling, waiting for my commands.

I hold my breath as Gabby stands in front of Willa's door, praying it won't be empty. It swings open to reveal her smiling face, a hint of recognition in her eyes. My veil shimmers to encompass her, stretching my limits to the max.

Deep purple bruises mar Willa's skin, and her eyes are darker than ever. Others have thick black veins bulging from their necks and face. No matter what happens, I know coming for them was the right decision.

Gabby's body slumps and slides down the wall—she's checking the hall. After a moment her eyes flicker to life. "Clear."

It doesn't stop my hesitation as I open the door. The vampires follow moving as quietly as their tired and swollen limbs will allow. We only make it half-way back to the main room before heavy purposeful footsteps echo through the hall. I pause and look at Gabby. She shakes her head, her eyes screaming, I didn't know.

I hold my breath and clench my fists as the steps come closer.

Tap.

                                              Tap.

                      Tap.

Tap.

The lights flicker an ominous warning as a dark shadow turns the corner to the hall. The group tenses.. I look to Gabby and then back at the figure and the dark patch covering his eye.

Stevens steps from the shadows and is illuminated under the red glow of the emergency lights. He quickens his pace. "We don't have much time." He eyes the others and then me. "Everyone got out when the lights went out. But that includes Victor's team, and I'm sure they went straight to him."

I let down the wall, slowly, carefully. Just enough for me to reach through to the bond. It aches of warmth. He wanted it true—it's time to test it. I slink across it trying to avoid detection and suddenly, I see the staircase and his hand along the rail. He turns to the hall—he's about to find out I'm gone. I pull back and travel the zipline back to my body building up the wall and sealing it tight.

"They haven't got to him yet. He's at his house. But that could change in about two minutes—let's go." I move past Stevens leading the group down the hall. The shimmer of my veil growing lighter and lighter with each white door we pass. Through one of the windows I see a row of filing cabinets and I pause. My father's papers are in there, and this could be my only opportunity to get them.

I look at Stevens and give everything I have left to this final command. "Follow Stevens, he'll get you out of here. Listen to him until I see you next." My veil shimmers around each locking into place, and I feel it's weight release. The vampires move around Stevens.

Stevens looks at me from under his brows. "You're not coming?"

"Gabby and I have one more thing to do. We won't be long. Get them out of here."

He nods once more and walks down the hall, vampires in toe.

"What are we doing?" Gabby hisses. "I'd very much like to leave here alive."

"He's got the rest of my father's documents. I can't leave them." I grab the key card and swipe it against the sensor, and Gabby follows me into the room. I walk up to the filing cabinet. "Pick it. I would have sent you with them if I knew how."

Gabby fishes into her pocket and pulls out her pick, maneuvering the lock with ease.. Gabby opens the drawer. The files are right where we left them. I'm not even sure if he showed them to his team. The rest in the folders are in alphabetical order. "What is all this?" Gabby thumbs through the files, holding one up. "They're files of people—what could he want with these?"

I look over my shoulder. "I don't know. But I don't think we want Victor to have it."

Gabby pulls out a stack of papers, just as voices drift down the hall. "Here. Open the bag." She jams folder after folder into the bag as the voices grow louder and louder.

"That doesn't sound like Stevens." Her dark eyes grow wide. "Under the table." She points. The chair legs should shield us enough.

She moves the chair back into place just as the door opens.

"...of course, I convinced him to hold off." Victor's voice trails into the room.

Gabby flicks at something on her phone. Seriously, right now? I cover the light with my hand and she brushes it away.

"They've taken it too far this time. How can you possibly not think of retaliating? Look at this place." Lace's silky voice responds.

"Because this is exactly what I wanted. Now we can spin this to look like they're trying to keep the cure a secret." My stomach twists in hot angry knots.

"We don't even have the cure!" Lace's voice is edged with frustration.

"We do." His voice grows soft. "Charley brought me everything I need. I'll be the hero, and the Silvanos will appear to have kept it hidden."

I swallow. He didn't need his team to look over the documents—he knew what they were.

Suddenly, the movement stops. Someone sniffs theair. The slow deep creaks of the table makes time slow. He smells me.