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The gargoyles ignore me and hit the ‘B’ button. The doors begin to close. At the last moment I dart forward and squeeze between them. One of them tries to grab for me, and I scream when his nails scratch my arm as I yank it away.

“Shit!” Blood wells along the three short gouges on the back of my wrist. The gargoyles screech as the doors thump shut, and I take off toward the kitchen.

Another boom rocks the hotel, the chandeliers overhead shaking, crystals falling and shattering. A chunk of plaster almost drops on me as I rush through the back hallways until I find the kitchen doors.

“Gene!” I call out as I run into the kitchen, everything stainless steel in a maze of stoves and tables. “Gene, where are you?”

My arm stings, and I grab a hand towel from one of the counters to wipe away the blood. “Gene!”

Something nearby slams. I jump and whirl, listening for whatever made the sound. It’s quiet for only a moment, then footsteps. A lot of them that quickly up their pace.

“It’s here!” a woman yells, and there are more noises, closer now.

I spin around, the instinct to hide ringing like a bell in my brain. Where? I hurry deeper into the kitchen, then climb under one of the long steel tables.

The rear door opens right as I pull my feet up and wrap my good arm around my shins.

“The lab is somewhere down here. We need to find these fuckers.” A man strides past, then more. Someone turns on the lights, and I feel more exposed than ever. All it would take is for one of them to look in my direction at the right angle, or even bend down.

I try to keep my breaths slow and deep, not making a sound. More men pour past me, some dressed in camo and others wielding axes and guns. Why are they here? I clench my legs so tightly that I feel a cramp begin to start in my thigh. I don’t move, not even when the pain is so bad I have to bite my shoulder to keep from making a sound.

A loud clang followed by an explosion of pots and pans hitting the ground makes me jump. Thankfully, the sound of my movement is lost in the cacophony.

“Found it!” someone yells from deeper in the hotel.

“Come on. Payback time.” A man with a bat walks past.

Payback for what?

God, I hope Gene found somewhere safe to hide. These people are here for blood, and I don’t think they care who they get it from.

The kitchen is quiet again. But not the rest of the hotel. Glass breaks, gunshots fire. People whoop and yell in triumph.

My leg hurts so badly that I risk straightening it just a little. I rub the cramp violently, trying to work it out as my eyes water. When the muscle finally unbunches, I pull my leg back in and wait. The destruction goes on for a while. I can only imagine what’s happening in the lab. If they go into the HCL and wreak havoc without protective gear, they’ll unleash the plague on themselves in short order. Damn it, we all need to evacuate the building. It’s not safe on a myriad of fronts.

I think about Valen, but I don’t have my phone. He must not be here. He would’ve heard the explosions and the shots and come for us. Or would he? I don’t have time to ponder it, not when the plague could already be leaking into the air ducts.

Slowly, I lean forward and look left and right down the aisle. No one’s in here. But the lights are on. If I pop up and anyone simply walks past the door, they’ll see me.

Scooting from under the table, I get on my hands and knees and crawl toward the back door. The vandals are still tearing apart the lab. I have to hope they stay there while I find a way down to the basement.

I ease through the back doors of the kitchen and end up on a long hallway. Someone runs across far down to my left, and I plaster myself against the door and wait. My heart thumps double time, and my hands shake from the adrenaline rush. When I peek again, it’s clear.

Down at the other end of the hall is an illuminated exit sign. Those usually lead to a stairwell or an outer door. I take my chances and rush into the hallway, then run as fast as I can. When I reach the door, I stop and listen. I don’t hear anything, but it’s hard to tell from the destruction happening elsewhere.

I have to go. Someone could come along this hall at any moment. Pushing open the door, I peek around, then step inside the empty stairwell. Footsteps echo down from somewhere above. I hurry down the steps, keeping to the wall so no one could look down and see me. When I reach the basement door, I pause again and listen.

Nothing.

Right as I move to open it, it swings open so hard it hits me right in the side of the head. My vision goes black, and I drop to my knees.

“Holy shit.” A woman’s voice I don’t recognize.

I scream as she grabs me by the hair and yanks me sideways.

“Tell Clay! We got one!” she yells.

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