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“Fine,” I said, to both what had been said and what had not. I handed him a pistol, then reached back into the pack and retrieved the remaining weapons, clipping them to my belt before slinging several ammo clips over my shoulder. I shoved three flares into my leg pockets; the other two and the remaining ammo clips I gave to him.
“How do you plan to get us out of here?”
His voice was so cold it sent frost down my spine. It was stupid to care given this was the very reaction I’d been expecting if he ever confirmed I was déchet. But I did, and I couldn’t entirely blame my breeding—or rather, my innate attraction to shifters—because I’d never experienced this sort of reaction before.
I took a deep breath and called to the shadows within. As the darkness surged and began to change me, I said, “The same way I got in.”
And with that, I leapt at him. He dove away, his reaction fast, but not quite fast enough. I caught him at hip level, and the surging energy swept past me and through him, tearing us both into particles. Feeling him in and around me—separate and yet not—was a weird sensation, but I had no time to dwell on it. The vamps nearest the door were so close to waking I could feel the rise of their alertness.
I surged under the door, then rose upward, hoping to escape detection for as long as possible. But my particle form was now double its weight, and it was already taking its toll. Especially given the particles that were Jonas were a seething, constantly moving mass of fury within me.
You’ll kill us both if you don’t quit it, I thought, though I wasn’t certain if the combining of our particles allowed for that sort of communication.
He didn’t reply, but his movements eased. I made it to the roofline and crawled along. Urgency beat through every inch of me, but I couldn’t afford to hurry. Any sudden movement was likely to attract the attention of the vamps.
We were three-quarters of the way down the corridor when they finally sensed us. A scream of fury went up from those who’d been sleeping near the cell door, and, in an instant, the rest of them were awake and hunting. I gave up subtlety and surged forward, arrowing for the door out of this bottleneck. The vampires who’d been sleeping there were already on their feet, but they were searching for a threat at ground level. It was only at the last possible moment that they sensed us and leapt up. Their claws slashed at the air, and pain flared as several particles were snagged and torn away. Then we were through and fleeing fast.
They came after us, howling like banshees, no doubt to alert those in the levels above that there were invaders present. They leapt at us randomly, sometimes knocking one another over in their desperation to bring us down. The force of their movements buffeted me, and claws and teeth tore through me, sometimes causing damage, sometimes not. I ignored it and spun down the center of the stairwell, surging past the various floor exits as I headed for the processing level. There was little in the way of finesse in my movements now. I was basically free-falling, but it still had the desired effect—we’d gained distance. Not much, but maybe enough.
We finally reached the processing center. I fled through the fields of broken offices and furniture and headed for the déchet exit tunnel. The vampires were a howling wind all but snapping at our heels; they would overrun us in a matter of minutes.
We had one chance, and one chance only, to escape.
I hit the tunnel and—from Rhea only knows where—found the strength to go faster. Once again, we pulled ahead of the vampires. Light began to flicker in the distance, but it was moonlight rather than sun. It wouldn’t help us, wouldn’t stop the vampires.
The partially opened exit door came into sight. I called to our flesh forms as we neared and dropped lower; it would limit the damage of hitting the ground when we were moving so hard and fast. The darkness surged, and a heartbeat later, we were two rather than one, flesh rather than mere particles. In that form, we both tumbled through the doorway. It hurt—Rhea, how it hurt—but there was no time for the pain or weakness washing through my limbs. Acknowledging either would only get us killed.
I untangled myself from Jonas and leapt for the control lever, pushing it up fast.
There was no response.
I swore and ran to the door. Nothing seemed to be jamming its movement, and yet it wasn’t moving! In sheer frustration, I kicked the damn thing . . . and with a groan that oddly reminded me of an old man forcing himself upright, the door began to close.
But it was too slow. Too slow by half.
The vampires lunged for both me and the lumbering door. Bullets zinged past my ear and exploded into the face of the nearest vampire. Blood and gore ballooned, but it didn’t stop his momentum, and he cannoned into me before I could unclip my weapons and sent us both tumbling. I’d barely thrown his body off me when another hit; he tore at me with teeth and sharp claws, and the scent of my blood mingled with his, stinging the night air with its sweet foulness. I swore and grabbed his arms, trying to stop him from slashing me even as I bucked to get him off. As he went sailing over my head and into the wall of water, I scrambled upright and grabbed both a flare and a weapon. But before I used either, light bit through the night. Jonas had thrown his two flares into the doorway.
It might stop the vampires long enough for the door to close, but it wouldn’t stop them coming after us. There were other paths out of that place, and I had no doubt the vampires knew about them.
“This way.” I grabbed the heavy rucksack, then spun and ran up the old path, away from the water and back toward the trees. Jonas followed close on my heels, as silent as the night itself, but undoubtedly more dangerous.
Behind us, the screams changed from fury to pain, and the stink of burned flesh began to steal through the air.
“They’re throwing themselves on the flare,” Jonas said, rather unnecessarily. “We need to get out of here—fast.”
I cursed, but the reality was, I was already at top speed. Taking particle form always drained me, but carrying Jonas had made it ten times worse. I was running on empty and fading fast.
Movement to my left: A vampire surged up the bank, dripping water as he came at us. I raised the shotgun and fired almost in the same motion, but the vampire faded. The bullets hit the stony ground, and sparks flew as they ricocheted into the night. A second later he was in flesh form again and leaping for my throat. Two more shots rang out, the sound so close it hurt my ears. What remained of the vampire’s face exploded into a hundred bloody bits and covered me in goo. I ignored it, leapt over his falling body, and kept on running—into the trees, along the path, heading for the ATV and the hope of safety it offered.
Behind us, there was only darkness and death. I had no idea if the door had closed, or whether the weight of the vampires sacrificing themselves to protect those behind from the light of the flare had forced it to a halt, but it didn’t really matter. They were coming. We’d run out of time.
“Faster,” Jonas growled. “They’re on the path.”
“I’m trying!” I reached for more speed, but there really was nothing left in the tank.
Jonas cursed but remained by my side. I wasn’t sure if that was by choice or practicality. There was safety in numbers—two against a score or more certainly had more hope than one.
I spotted the final marker, and a second later we were on the road. The ATV waited ahead, a big metal beast that would at least offer some protection from the howling horde now on our tails. I swung the rucksack out of the way and grabbed the control disk from my pocket. The minute my fingers touched it, the doors began to open.
