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Ghouls banged and thrashed against the chain and electrified barbed wire that kept them at bay; their snarling grew louder with every step we took toward the current guard on patrol. Spittle dripped from their fangs as they snapped and clawed, their pitch-black eyes sunken into hollow, pale faces. A product of an improper transition from human to Abhartach, the ghouls had no humanity left behind their dark eyes, only mindless beasts that desired nothing but blood. Very much like how zombies were portrayed in films, the ghouls couldn’t be controlled, only contained. That paired with being just human enough to withstand sunlight made them a threat to both humans and vampires alike, hence my keeping them behind a fence.
Usually the task was easy enough, thanks to the miles of fifteen-foot concrete walls melded with steel electrified chain link and topped with barbed wire, but every once in a while a ghoul managed to get past a guard on post or scale the fencing. It wasn’t often though, so the fact that more than a few had managed to get out the other night was unusual, to say the least. And the main reason Declan and I bothered to make an appearance here tonight.
The guard on post straightened the moment he sensed us, his throat bobbed as he waited for us to come nearer before speaking up, loud enough to be heard over the ghouls that thrashed behind him. “Sir, no one mentioned that you’d be coming down here tonight.”
With a cluck of my tongue, I eyed him. “Aye, well, I’m ’ere na. Sho’ us where tha break was.”
“Of course, it’s right this way.” His booted feet shuffled forward on command as he led Declan and I down the fence line, soft billows of dust rising with each step. Ghouls smashed against the fence as we walked, snapping and snarling at the guard.
“Bloody loud, ain't it?” Declan commented, his teeth bared as one of them reached its fingers toward his arm. It immediately retreated, its beast sensing his much stronger one with the small gesture.
The guard nodded, still facing forward as he spoke over his shoulder, “You get used to it after a while.”
I eyed the swarm with distaste, giving a growled hiss that quieted the hoard for only a moment before they were back to snarling and snapping. “They always t’is rowdy?”
With a side-eye toward the ghouls, the guard nodded. “Usually. The daylight slows them down a bit, but for the most part, they go nonstop.”
A hum that probably couldn’t be heard over the noise rumbled from my chest. During the daylight we had humans that took post of the ghouls, all of them well-vetted mortals who worked to someday transition into an Abhartach. We also had vampires, who had trained their sleep schedules to be awake during the day, that stood post in the underground tunnels, keeping an eye on the humans.
Although my first guess on how the group of ghouls had gotten out the other night would point to the mortals I employed, I doubted it. There would—or rather, should—have been a vampire on patrol in this section at the time of the break. My thoughts wandered back to the current guard when he stopped us, turning and pointing at a patched-up hole in the chain link. Bits of flesh and singed clothing hung from the strands of electric barbed wire where the ghouls had forced their way through a giant hole in the chain link that was now welded back in place with a few extra steel rods.
“This wa’ cut, na broken.” Declan commented, a dark slender brow raised with interest as he eyed the fence.
“Ye patrol this side o’ tha fence?” I asked the guard, feeling the switch in the air as he swallowed.
“Yes, but I wasn’t patrolling that night. I swap with two other guards so that we don’t get too used to the walk and won’t overlook anything. It usually takes about ten minutes to get from one end to the other, so they’re twenty-minute rounds.”
His tension eased a bit at the nod I gave him, accepting his answer.
Declan spoke up, his tongue running over his teeth, “There’re no cameras?”
Again the guard shook his head, but I answered, “Na, I never ’ad them put up. Who would want ’ese ghouls out?” My hand gestured toward the ghouls currently ramming against the fence.
“Well,” he started, shrugging one of his large shoulders, “someone did. An’ they used ’em ta kill tha La Rosa boy.”
I watched as he ran a hand through his short, dark hair, his brow furrowed over his gray eyes in thought as he looked down at the hole. I finally broke the silence, “Right, I’ve seen all I need ta. I ’ave other matters ta attend ta t’night.”
Declan’s chuckle greeted me as I stepped around him to head back toward the SUV. “This ’ole is worth lookin’ inta.”
My feet crunched on the gravel, the sound of the ghouls just a mere annoyance in the background now.The guard was right, you do get used to it.“I agree.” My eyes met Declan’s over my shoulder as he followed, his eyes narrowed at the look on my face. “Look inta it.”
Ottavia
chapter Three
My next trip into wakefulness was slow, all dial-up internet buffering as my brain came back online. I groaned weakly when the pounding in my head made itself known.
I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly against the harsh, bright lights. My vision was an abstract thing, a watercolor painting of swirled objects that blended together. Rubbing my sore eyes, I attempted to clear my line of sight with little success. I felt wobbly and drunk, unsteady, even though I wasn’t even standing.
Just how fucked was my head?
I attempted to roll over and realized I was lying on a bed with satiny sheets I knew were expensive simply from the feel. The crisp white pillowcase was stained a deep red with my blood. I reached a tentative hand up and felt along my temple, hissing as my fingers palpated the split skin and good-sized knot.
Serves you right, you bastard, I snarked to Eoin in my head as I peered at the ruined sheets again. I sat up slowly, keeping a tight fist in the bedding to steady myself. My long, black dress still clung to my body, but it was a little worse for wear—it was ripped up on one side and flecked with dirt and blood.
The longer I was awake, the more my vision was clearing and I was finally able to really take in my surroundings.
I had no doubt I was somewhere on his land, probably holed up in one of his houses. Although, oddly, I had expected it to be dungeon-like. Maybe cold and damp, like an underground cavern, with very few creature comforts. A few more cobwebs, a few less pillows.
