A/N: Have you read any other Tainted Blood Books?
I heard Deacon and knew the urgency of the situation, but it was hard to focus through the chaos building inside my mind. I found myself hesitating - frozen in my place as my mind slipped back to days ago....
– † –
When we came to the interview room, I could see Noah's side profile through the small, squared window in the door. 'Fucking hell,' I exhaled. He was the last person I wanted to see, which was why I hadn't used my phone call to contact him. I was half tempted to tell the guard to take me back, but the door was opened before I could speak. I was dragged forth and forced to sit across from the man who reaped my wife's humanity.
My fingers curled, nails scratching at the metal of the table as the guards hooked me up, chaining me to the table. It was for the best because otherwise, I just might've killed Noah, too.
The door closed, leaving Noah and I alone in an eerie silence.
"Too cheap to get a real lawyer?" I asked.
"None would take you," Noah replied. "No one good anyway. Most lawyers don't like to take cases like yours. Looks bad for their reputation to go against the state."
"So what? You're going to represent me?" I stared at him.
"In the event that a prisoner cannot provide themselves with a lawyer, one is provided by the state—which typically doesn't work in the prisoner's favour, so alternatively their maker can become a representative on their behalf."
"Guess that year of law school will finally pay off," I said sarcastically.
"Darien," Noah finally met my gaze. "This is serious. You killed four people on the council, who are essentially the people who will vote on your verdict. You're going to burn for this. They're going to ensure that you burn for this."
I stared back at him, deadpan.
"Why'd you do it, D?" His expression was unreadable. "You weren't even careful."
"It's hard to kill four council members carefully," I told him. "Three maybe, but four? Impossible."
"Why kill any?" he asked. "You must've known it was a death sentence."
"It was better than hers," I replied. The back of my eyes burned. I couldn't mention my special mind-reading gifts, even here, where they claimed nothing was recorded—it was simply too dangerous. "I knew they were going to vote against it."
Understanding crossed his features. I could hear the cogs turn in his mind as he thought, 'They were going to vote against her becoming a part of our society,' which was a polite way of saying they were going to kill my wife because he illegally turned her into a vampire. "I could've handled it,' he said. 'Paid them off,' he thought.
"They don't need money—"
"There's always other ways to handle politics, D. I would've handled it."
"By what?" I could feel the strain behind my eyes. "By sucking off half the council?!"
"If it came to it, yes!" Noah yelled. "Yes! I would've done anything."
"And then what? We hoped they stuck to their end of the deal?" I asked him. "I've seen those deals go south. You know a good way to ensure people keep their promise? Killing them. She might be undead, but at least now she's safe, the next in line for the council, the ones who will decide her afterlife, they're all pro undead...or whatever we call it. Her future is secured."
"And what about your future?!" he heaved.
"Well, you pretty much screwed that into the ground when you turned MY WIFE into MY VAMPIRE SISTER!!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, next time I'll just leave her to bleed out on the side of the road."
I stared at him, unsure about what to say.
"Please, just...don't do anything crazy, okay?" Noah's tone was serious, his dark eyes begging. "Stay put. As bad as this seems–and it really is bad, I'll handle it. Just don't be you for a few days as I handle things. Please?"
– † –
Salvation was our present.
True to his world, Luicien had somehow snuck explosives into the prison, and not the low-end stuff. It was good quality, blow a city down A-grade shit. I had no idea how Lucien had managed to sneak something like this into a high-security prison, but he managed to do a lot of things that shocked and scared me. My gaze burned as it trailed across the yard. Frankly, I didn't know why they called it that...it was just as grim and shadowed in here as everywhere else in the prison. It was a box with giant walls that seemed never-ending. It was almost dizzying, a trick of the mind to look upward, like staring into a broken skylight - the clouds were grey, but despite being outside, no real light or fresh air could pierce these unforgiving walls.
"So what? We blow our way out?" I looked back at Deacon.
"Yeah. I guess so." He shrugged.
We both looked up at the 700-foot-tall iron wall.
"There's no exit," Deacon said, grabbing the explosives, "so we make one."
It was insanity, pure insanity, but what else could I expect from his clan? The Unstoppables, as they called themselves, mostly for shits and giggles. They were a small clan, only having a few members, who were more like a makeshift family, but everyone who was anyone knew not to fuck with them or theirs. Luckily, I was considered 'theirs.'
"Fire in the hole!" yelled Deacon.
He grabbed me and ran, shoving me over behind a dumpster. I almost told him to wait, fearful that he used too much, but before I could speak, a giant explosion shook the ground beneath us. Smoke wafted around us and I waved my hand and coughed before I dared to look up. True light beamed in. It stung my eyes - I had to blink just to be able to see outside at the brief sign of life that awaited us.
"Go!" Deacon yanked me forth. "Wait outside, I'll meet you up near the rocks, I just have something I need to take care of first - to ensure we aren't followed."
I nodded and listened to his command - too ecstatic to debate him. Hell, I could hardly believe we had actually made it this far. No one ever broke free from The Slab. This might even be a history-making moment. Once outside the prison walls, I sucked the fresh air deep into my lungs. It seemed to burn like I had adjusted to the staleness - the stench of death on the inside. I breathed in the freedom as I ran blindly. Spots danced in my vision as I started to climb the rocks. Even on an overcast day like today, the sun was unforgiving on my vampire skin, and my body was exhausted from the lack of blood I had been drinking. Still, I pressed on, forcing my shaken body forth. When I made it to the top, I staggered to my feet and stared over the cliff's edge back at the giant prison I had escaped from - as if by magic.
The world seemed like it was set on a saturation too bright. This place was in the middle of the desert, so plants were a musty green, or brown, or even sticks...everything, even the red dirt beneath my prison shoes, was dull by comparison to most places, but right now, all I could think was how bright and beautiful this place was. I raised my hand, staring in between my fingers at the sun. Storm clouds covered it, but in this place, even when it was night...even when it was raining, the sun seemed to burn hotter than anywhere else. There was a humidity in the air. It was supposed to suck all signs of salvation from its prisoners, just as the limited food was supposed to suck out our souls.
Weaken us.
Everything about this hell of a prison was designed to weaken us, but somehow, we had done the impossible.... Somehow we had managed to escape from a formerly inescapable prison. And I had done so with minimal casualties, meaning that I hadn't broken precious law 208, subsection 5 A - escaping prisoners, if caught, were entitled to a fair trial as long as no guards were seriously injured in their escape. Not only had I escaped from this hell, but I had done so in a way that ensured my security if I got caught slipping the border, or found in the human realm. It meant that I could still see my family. Perhaps not every day, but I could risk having some contact, because if I was caught, at least they wouldn't kill me (and anyone aiding me) on sight.
Everything had worked out.
Everything was going to be okay so long as I didn't add to my kill count.
Everything was going to be fine.
That's when I saw a wild Deacon beeline from the prison.
He was running fast....
Too fast.
I stared at him, wondering what he had done - what he had stolen as he ran like a crazed man. I stepped toward him, readying the gun I had stolen, only to start backing up in my steps as I realised that he was no longer carrying Lucien's gifted bag.
My stomach dropped.
That bag, once seen as a godsend, no longer felt like it held my salvation, but...my doom.
Before I could yell at him to stop, I was thrown back.
It took me a moment to realise what had happened as alarm bells rang in the distance. I could see the dust in the air through my spotty vision. Then, I slowly eased myself onto my elbows to notice that the giant prison, the one where I wasn't supposed to kill anyone, was now rubble.
Fuck.
A/N: What time is it as you read this? ;o