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“I think something’s wrong,” I start, and then all the lights in the train go out.
CHAPTERFORTY-ONE
The stop issudden and violent, barely giving the train a chance to slow. I fly forward, my face hitting the seat in front of me. My mouth fills with the coppery taste of blood, and my seat belt digs so deeply into my waist it feels like it might cut me in half. My ears ring as loud crashes and groans surround me.
The lights flicker overhead. A bulb near the back of the car bursts, followed by a scream. My vision slants and swims as I lean back against my seat, my face pulsing with pain. Shakily, I unclasp my seat belt.
Jones is unconscious beside me, slouched forward with his seat belt holding him up. He looks like he has a broken nose at least, but when I check his neck, I find a pulse and let out a sigh of relief.
“Is everyone okay?” I call, my voice sounding weak and strange.
A few groans answer me, but not enough voices for how many people are in this car. Slipping around Jones, I sway on my feet once I reach the aisle and steady myself on a nearby chair as I look around.
Splatters of blood mar the ground, the walls. Plumes of smoke catch my eye out the window. I need to get to Reid. Are we being attacked?
“Valerie.” Leif climbs out of a row in front of me, the left side of his face covered in blood and one of his arms hanging awkwardly at his side. His face twists as he straightens, his body hunching to compensate for the injury. “I think it’s just out of socket,” he grits out, jutting his chin to his shoulder. “Can you pop it back in?”
I nod, taking stock of the others. Kirby is lying prone near the front of the car, her hair spread around her, looking more red than pink with the blood. But Monroe is seemingly okay enough to tend to her. Daniel and Wes are both moving a few rows behind us, so that’s a good sign.
I get into position to help Leif, and he lets out harsh breaths through his nose as I gently take his arm in my hands and feel around the joint, making sure I’m not going to cause more harm than good. It feels like a clean dislocation.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” I ask.
“I don’t think—ah!”
“Better when you don’t see it coming,” I mutter, stripping off my sweatshirt to tie around him as a sling.
“Is Saint okay?” I ask, peering at the row Leif left.
He nods and winces as he adjusts the sling on his shoulder. “Breathing.” His eyes flick from me to the back door. “I’ll hold down the fort here if you want to go check on them.”
“Thank you.” I squeeze his good wrist and take off toward the other car. When I slip through the door, it’s a little less chaotic than ours. There’s blood and vampires everywhere, but everyone seems to be conscious and moving around, their injuries healing rapidly.
“Valerie.” Reid steps around a heap of bags. “Your face…”
“I’m fine,” I say, though I don’t know if that’s true. The reminder brings the pain back with a vengeance, and the taste of blood is strong in my mouth. “But we need to get everyone out of here. I think this is—”
Every window on the left side of the train shatters, followed by a deafening, screeching sound. Reid’s hand is in mine, but then it’s not. Dozens of bodies surge into the small car, and a pair of arms circles my waist, squeezing my bruises and broken ribs and whatever else is in there. I let out a pained gasp as a cloth covers my face, forcing me to breath in the ether-like odor that pulls me back into the dark.
* * *
It’scold when I wake, and a wave of déjà vu washes over me as I take in my surroundings. Dirt floor, rusted bars, no roof. A cage of some sort.
Or a prison cell.
“Valerie.”
I startle. When I turn, chains rattle, limiting my movement to a few inches.
“Adrienne?” I call, my voice spiking up an octave. “Is that you?”
“Valerie.” It comes out like a sob, then more chains rattle and she throws her arms around me in a suffocating hug. I tense, expecting pain from the injuries I sustained on the train, but it’s a dull ache now. My body must have already healed the worst of it.
I take her face between my hands as I pull away, her skin cold. Tears cut lines down the dirt on her cheeks, and she gives me a watery smile.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods, holding my face just as tightly. Soft metallic tings rustle around us, and I stiffen as I realize we’re not alone.
