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It smelled like dead thingsworse, it felt that way, like terrible things had been done here over the years. Claire was reminded of the Glass House, and the energy stored inside of it. What kind of energy was stored here? And what had it come from? She shuddered even thinking about it.
Theyre coming! someone called from up above, and Shane raised a hand in acknowledgment. Time to get the hell out, man!
Coming. He grabbed Claires hand. Come on. We have a way out.
Chapter Thirty-six
We do?
Morgue tunnels.
What?
Trust me.
I do, butmorgue tunnels?
Yeah, Shane said. They were sealed off in the mid-fifties, but we opened up one end. Its not on the maps. Nobodys watching it.
Then whos in here with you?
Couple of Dads guys, Shane said.
Thats it? She was horrified. You know there are about a hundred angry people outside, right? And they have guns?
Behind them, the battering at the doors strengthened. The desks blocking access grated across the floor, one torturous inch at a time. She could see daylight spilling inside.
Wed better move, Shane said. Come on.
Claire let him tow her along, and looked back over her shoulder to see the desks shuddering under the impact of bodies. They slid across the tile with another groan, and one of them cracked in half, drawers spilling out in a noisy clatter.
Shane waved to a big guy in black leather as they passed, and the three of them ran down the second-floor hallway. It was dark, filthy, and scary, but not as scary as the sounds coming from the lobby behind them. Shane had a flashlight, and he switched it on to pick out obstacles in the wayfallen IV stands, an abandoned, dust-covered wheelchair, a gurney tipped over on its side. Faster, she gasped, because she heard a final crash from the lobby.
They were inside.
Claire didnt think more than half the vampires had made it successfully across the sun-drenched parking lot, but those whod been strong enough were inside now, and it was nice and dark for them. No contest.
Shane knew where he was going. He turned right at a corner, then left, yanked up a fire exit door, and pushed Claire inside. Up! he said. Two flights, then go left!
There were things on the stairs; Claire couldnt see them very well, even in the glow of Shanes flashlight, but they smelled dead, sickly rotten. She tried not to breathe, avoided the sticky puddles of driedwhatever that was, she couldnt think of it as bloodand kept running up the steps. First landing, then another set of stairs, these clear except for some broken bottles she vaulted over.
She yanked the fire door two flights up, and nearly dislocated her shoulder.
It was blocked.
Shane!
He pushed her out of the way, grabbed the handle, and pulled. Shit! He kicked it furiously, looked blank for a second, then turned to the next flight of stairs. One more! Go!
The fifth-floor door was open, and Claire darted through it into the dark.
Her foot caught on something, and she toppled forward, hit the floor, and rolled. Shanes flashlight bounced a ball of light toward her, lighting up scarred linoleum tile, stacks of leaning boxes
and a skeleton. Claire yelped and scrambled back from it, then realized that it was one of those medical teaching skeletons, scattered out on the floor from where shed tripped over it.
Shane grabbed her by the arm, hauled her up, and pulled her along. Claire looked over her shoulder. She couldnt see the biker guy, the one whod been following them. Where had he
She heard a scream.
Oh.
Shane hurried her down the long hall, then turned left and pulled Claire after him. There was another set of fire stairs. He opened the door, and they raced down one flight.
This exit was open. Shane pulled her out into another long, dark hallway and moved fast, counting doorways under his breath.
He stopped in front of number thirteen.
Inside, he said, and kicked it open. Metal gave with a shriek, and the door flew back to slam against tile. Something broke with a clatter like dropped plates.
Claire felt a chill take hold, because she had walked into what looked like a morgue. Stainless steel trays, stainless steel lockers on the wall, some gaping open to reveal sliding trays.
Yes, she was pretty sure it was the morgue. And pretty sure it was going to feature prominently in her nightmares from now on, provided she ever got to sleep again.
This way, Shane said, and pulled open what looked like a laundry chute. Claire.
Oh, hell, no! Because if she hated tight spaces, there couldnt be anything much worse than this. She had no idea how long it was, but it was small, it was dark, and had he said something about morgue tunnels? Was this a body chute? Maybe there was a corpse still stuck in it! Oh God
There were noises coming from outsidethe mob, coming fast.
Sorry, no time, Shane said, and picked her up and dumped her into the chute feetfirst.
She tried not to scream. She thought she might have actually succeeded as she slid helplessly through the dark down a cold, metal tunnel meant only for the dead.
Chapter Thirty-seven
She landed hard, on stone, in the dark, and suppressed a burning need to whimper. A hand closed on her arm and helped her up. She heard a thumping clatter behind her, and got out of the way just in time as Shaneshe thought it was Shane, anywaytumbled out of the chute after her.
And the lights came on.
Well, not lights exactlyone light, and it was a flashlight.
And Shanes dad was holding it.
He took one fast, cold look at his son, then one at Claire, and said, Wheres Des?
Shane looked shocked. Dadyou were supposed to go! That was the whole point!
Where the hell is Des?
Hes gone! Shane shouted. Dammit, Dad
Frank Collins looked blackly furious, face twisting, and he swung the flashlight away from them. Claire blinked spots away, and saw that he was aiming it at two of his guys standing in the dark.
Right, he said. Lets do this.
Do what? Shane demanded, getting to his feet. He winced as he put his weight on his wounded ankle. Dad, what the hell is going on? You said you were leaving!
Didnt kill enough vampires to leave, Frank Collins said. But Im about to even the score.
The two guys he had trained his light on were crouched next to a makeshift circuit board built out of what looked like old computer parts. It was hooked up to a car battery. One of the two guys held two wires by the insulated parts, but the tips were bare copper, freshly stripped.
Things fell together.
Shanes dad had used him, again. Used him as bait, letting him think he was being the hero, distracting the vampires to give his dad time to escape.
Used him to get a large number of vampires in one place. But they werent just vampires; there were people there, too. Cops, and wannabe vampires. And people who were just there because they owed Oliver.
