Page 37 of Lethal (Wellard Asylum #1)

W e work our way forward, fighting off Halstead’s lackeys, as we make it into the deep levels of Wellard Asylum.

The section of the old, decrepit building that’s been forgotten by time, and closely resembles levels of Dante’s Inferno.

This is the part of the asylum that you can’t find on any of the blueprints, the one that Halstead doesn’t want anyone to know exists, so that he can continue his experiments, without worry of someone stumbling upon it.

“Wren, we need to get through that door, see if any of them have a key!” I demand, as I smash my aching, and bloody, fist into another miscreant’s face.

A roar behind me has me risking looking backward, only to witness my brother biting at one of our attackers’ faces with his teeth, over and over again.

The lower half of his face is now coated like a savage beast with blood, and the madness that he has always had a precarious hold on has been completely unleashed.

I grasp onto the fucker’s shirt before me, as his eyes roll into the back of his skull, and search him for a key, but come up empty.

Frustration and fear mix within me, two emotions that I despise, as I realize that this is taking too long.

Halstead has had our girl in his clutches for hours, and she might not even be still alive.

The thought of her not still breathing causes me to lose all sense of control.

I kick, punch, and stab, at the remaining guards attempting to stop our progress.

“Kill them all, brother!” I roar, and Wren’s answering cackle reassures me that at least a part of him is still here with me.

“Painted face and crimson smile, follow me just one more mile. Lights go out, and deadly screams begin, guess who’s dancing on your spleen?

” Wren’s voice bounces off the walls as he sings unhingedly, shanking another guard.

“You stole my dolly, she’s mine to break, not yours, not that demon’s.

I want her back, and you’ll all bleed and die for taking her! ”

I scramble over the prone bodies of the men we have dispatched back to hell, where they belong, searching for an access key to get us through the thick, steel door that impedes us from reaching my little toy.

She’s strong; she’s one of us. She’ll still be alive when we get to her.

She can’t leave us, not now, not ever. I try desperately to reassure myself, but dread is mounting inside of me that it won’t be the case.

If she’s dead, I will burn this place to the ground with everyone in it.

The next body I turn over is familiar to me.

It’s one of Halstead’s loyal dogs, a man named Jonathan.

His dead, unseeing eyes stare up at me, as I search through his bloody clothing for an access card.

I’m almost ready to admit defeat when I tear through his pants, and my fingers wrap around the plastic, square card. Bingo.

“Wren! Wren, let’s go, brother, I have the key!” I yell as I surge forward, the card in my tight grasp, and my heart beating rapidly in my ears.

“Coming, Bash. I just have to give this one a new smile!” Wren sings, as he slices one of the guards’ mouths wide open, and leaves him with a demonic-looking grin. “Perfect, now you can go meet the devil in style, make sure you tell my father I fucking hate him!”

I’m quickly losing patience with my brother’s antics.

We need to find her, and ensure that she’s still alive.

I have no doubt in my mind that Halstead is currently using his unsavory methods of torture on her.

If he breaks what’s mine, I’ll rip his heart out and make him choke on it.

I press the card to the reader, and the green light flashing brings me a meager sense of relief, as I slam the heavy door wide open, charging forward, and hoping that my brother has my back.

The darkness, in the corridor leading lower into the asylum, is only broken up by the occasional bare light bulbs, hanging from dated sconces secured to the stone walls.

The air in this area is cooler and damp, and the smell of murkiness and mold reaches my nostrils.

I keep moving forward, but my eyes carefully watch the shadows for the possibility of another ambush.

I won’t put anything past Halstead, the fucker is not only dangerous and devious, he’s intelligent, and he must realize that he has a lot to lose.

“Bash, I don’t like this... It’s too quiet, brother,” Wren’s hushed voice utters behind me, and I agree with his assessment.

Something doesn’t feel right. It’s almost too easy. It’s as if he wants us to find them.

I stop suddenly and grab Wren by the shirt, pulling him close to me so I can whisper in his ear.

“We are not alone down here, this is a fucking trap. We need to get to our girl at all costs, Wren. If somehow I’m incapacitated, brother, you need to make sure she gets out, do you hear me, brother, no matter what, she gets out, and you kill as many of them as you can.

” My brother’s dark gray-blue eyes meet mine, and even though his features are partially obscured, I see determination settle on his face, a mirror image of my own.

In this moment, he’s lucid from the madness that overtakes him, and he’s in control of the voices.

I don’t know how long that will last, but I hope he can get our girl out before one of the stronger entities inside of him takes control.

“I’ll get her out, Bash, I promise, but I’ll come back and help you fight the wolves. They can never end the Carnevil Twins. We are the bigger monsters, and we will survive forever in this world.” His arm wraps around my aching and bruised ribs and squeezes.

I press my forehead against the side of his head, taking in his scent and energy.

I’ve never lived a single day without my brother, and I don’t want to even imagine what that would be like.

He is my other half, always has been, there is no Bash without Wren, two sides of the same coin, and it will always be that way.

“I love you, I always will, brother. I’m so sorry for what happened.

I should have chosen you. You’re right, let’s show them how we eat. ”

I push away from my brother and move forward, the sharp blade that has served me well, grasped tightly in my fingers.

A shadow lunges out around the next corner.

I strike forward, stabbing it over and over, as I hear the sounds of a struggle behind me, as Wren deals with an attacker of his own.

“You’re... going to die forever this time.

Halstead... will never let her... go. You’re.

.. too... late,” the man gurgles, as I slice his throat open and push him against the wall, until his body stops twitching.

“LITTLE TOY, WE’RE COMING FOR YOU!” I roar, my voice echoing off the stone walls. Forget stealth, I want Halstead to know we’re still alive, and his time is rapidly running out. Soon, the Carnevil brothers will feast.