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Two guards sit at the desk, and the one nearest the door gives me a wave of greeting. “Here to see the zombies again?”
“Yep.” I scribble my name onto the sign-in sheet. “Cell five.”
“You’ve been visiting that one a lot.” He passes me a temporary access key. “Do you really think you can help them?”
“I won’t know without trying.” I take the key and head toward the door.
When the guard buzzes me through, I push it open, and silver sigils glitter in my periphery as I step through.
The spells carved into the metal will only activate if something breaks out of one of the cells. They’re a last resort and result in total annihilation, which means it takes both guards to activate them.
Thankfully, they haven’t been needed yet.
I pass the interrogation rooms and stop in front of cell five to run my temporary badge over the scanner attached to the wall.
The woman inside lies on a hospital bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling. Machines keep her nourished and monitor her vitals, but so far, we haven’t found a way to bring any of them back.
She’s one of a handful of people who were infected by the Hive Queen, her body changed by the venom the monster injected into her, turning her into a mindless drone.
Those who hadn’t yet succumbed to the Hive Queen’s sting miraculously healed after her death, while those who were only recently converted returned to their former selves after several weeks.
But the oldest of them remain frozen inside their bodies.
I pull up a chair beside the hospital bed. “Hello, Katheryn, it’s Flint again. Let’s see if we can find you today.”
Closing my eyes, I stretch out my magic and find only a void where her soul should be.
With a deep breath, I sink into the darkness.
team effort
- Sharpe -
Mayn handsme a coffee as soon as I step through the door at the Joint Task Force of Paranormal Investigations, then falls into step beside me.
My siren partner isn’t allowed to come with me to the weekly meetings at the Clearhelm Police Department, but she’s always waiting when I return.
I give her a nod of thanks and chug half of the cup, the scalding contents hitting my empty stomach to ease the ache of hunger. But it can’t ease the burn of anger over what just happened.
After making their ridiculous demands, the meeting dragged on with the same mundane discussions that I force myself to sit through every week in a show of toeing the line.
But what’s the point in playing nice when the others obviously meet behind my back to scheme about ways to take me down?
I knew publicly pulling Chief Lynch to my side after our victory over the Hive Queen would have repercussions, which is why I’ve been keeping my head down and jumping every time he barks.
But I hadn't expected him to weaponize my lover against me. I can't even call him out on it, because I'm the one who keeps saying that my personal life and my professional use of the Cleaners are completely separate.
The metal detector goes off as I stride forward without taking off my gun and head through the squad room at a fast pace, my jacket flapping behind me.
A few officers call out a greeting, and I lift a hand in response without slowing until we reach my office.
There, I unlock the door and force myself to maintain my calm when all I want to do is throw it open and let it slam against the wall.
Mayn follows me into the room, her black eyes fixed on me as she closes the door. “Did the meeting not go well, sir? Is it another budget cut?”
“No.” I loosen the tie at my throat and yank open my desk drawer to pull out antacids. “No budget cuts. We’re actually getting an increase.”
She cocks her head to the side. “Why are we angry about this?”
