Page 28 of Revenant (Spirit Realm #2)

GUNNER

W e are sitting in the cafeteria, not speaking as we shovel food into our mouths, watching the guards from under our brows. Except for Jameson, who outright glares at them with a manic smile on his face, ready to do battle.

Crazy fucker.

I roll my eyes, but I recognize the insatiable craving for bloodshed. The same need is pounding through my veins. Maybe I should be afraid of my new strength. I’m so much stronger and faster than ever before that I accidentally tore a doorknob off the bathroom.

Instead, I’m glad.

Rue needs me to be strong if we have any hope of escaping our new accommodations. If this is the only way I can protect her, then so be it.

I’ll deal with the fallout later.

I continue shoving food into my mouth almost faster than I can swallow. Whatever changes were done to me, I can’t seem to keep enough food in my stomach. I’m constantly hungry. I’m not sure if I’m gearing up for something or if this will be my new normal. I thought my calorie intake on the outside was crazy, but this is a new form of insanity.

A kick of discomfort thumps beneath my sternum, and a searing pain follows. I clutch my chest and glance down, almost expecting to find a gaping wound. When I don’t see any physical injury, I’m confused.

I look up and notice the guys have stopped eating, each unnaturally still. They touch their chests, furrows creasing their brows. Jameson is the first one to make the connection. “Pookie?”

In that instant, I know that our careful plan is about to go to shit.

I’m not even upset about it.

All that matters is that Rue is in trouble and she needs us. We all rise to our feet at the same time, and the rest of the room falls silent. The four guards watching the room stiffen, their hands dropping to the batons on their belts.

Without speaking, we split up and converge on them. I stalk toward the big fucker standing by the door. A scowl darkens his face, and he draws his baton slowly, then mashes the button until a zap of electricity crackles in the air.

He widens his stance, lifts the weapon, and braces himself. I march up to him without stopping and throw a punch. The man recoils, stumbling back two feet, his body shuddering under the impact before he collapses to the floor in a heap.

I’m not even aware that he hit me with the taser until the rod clatters to the ground. Glancing down, the front of my shirt is burned black. A quick glance through the holes in the material reveals clean, unblemished flesh.

I don’t have a mark on me.

I turn to help the others, but it’s not needed. All the guards are down without the alarm sounding. I stomp across the room, unaware until now that my muscles have bulked up to nearly twice my normal size in preparation for the coming fight. I join the others, cracking my neck from side to side, the need to hunt down Rue impossible to resist.

The room falls ominously silent, every eye in the room trained on us. Then one tiny girl full of moxie—much like Rue—stands and lifts her chin. “Are we doing this now?”

Hicks nods, a muscle in his jaw ticking with his temper. “Let’s head out.”

The girl nods back, determination filling her expression. “Just remember our deal.”

When we head toward the door, nearly everyone rises to their feet. A few people glower at us, backing away slowly, bracing for an attack. Some brave soul from the back of the crowd hollers out a question. “What the fuck is happening?”

The little bit of a girl smiles, revealing very sharp, pointy teeth, and my eyebrows rise in surprise. She cocks her head to the side, her expression chilling. “We’re escaping. You might enjoy being a lab rat, but the rest of us want out.”

Only a second passes, then the whole room descends on them. Satisfied they have it handled, I turn toward the guys, falling into step with them as we head out in search of Rue.

The girl follows us, her two goons behind her, and the rest of the patients trickle out after them. Elliot pauses in the hallway, then hands out one of the two badges toward the ragtag group. “Remember to stick together. The cameras are looped, so you should have a clear shot to the exit. We will distract the guards, but you need to remain alert.”

A few of the inmates appear wary, too disillusioned not to expect a trap. One young man steps forward and snatches at the badge like he expects a trick. When nothing happens, he blinks in surprise, and a menacing smile blooms across his face. Fangs flash, the upper and lower teeth nearly an inch long, resembling a long-ago saber-toothed tiger. His thick, shorn hair is more like fur, and his pupils expand like he’s ready for a fight.

He shuffles down the hallway to avoid us, never removing his gaze from our group. When we don’t follow, he turns and dashes down a hallway so fast that he’s just a streak. Two people rush after him, not even bothering to look if they’re being chased.

When we still do nothing, the last few clutching the guards’ stun batons quickly follow, scampering off after the others. The only ones who remain are Rue’s friend and her two men. I raise an eyebrow at her, but she just shrugs and lifts her stubborn little chin. “I am not leaving without my sister. Rue said she would help find her, and I’m going to keep her to her word.”

“What about the others?” I gesture down the empty hallway to indicate the inmates who have already disappeared, not really giving a shit about them, but I’m surprised she would switch loyalties so easily. Then again, Rue has that effect on people.

“They know the plan.” She gives a negligible shrug, then turns and heads in the opposite direction, calling over her shoulder so everyone can hear the warning in her voice. “If they want out, they will follow our plan, or they can stay and die with the rest.”

I catch up with her before they turn the corner, holding out my hand to keep her back. “Stay behind me. If there are any guards, let me take care of them.”

Sue huffs, dismissing me without even a backward glance. “This place is a maze of underground tunnels. I’ve been searching for my sister for six months. I know where to look, so we’re not wasting our time.”

I can’t argue with that.

I glance at Hicks, and the man in question nods, ready to enact James’ outrageous suggestion. He places a hand on the wall and closes his eyes in concentration. A second later, tendrils of smoke rise from the surface, the white wall darkening to brown, then black. Flames burst to life around his hand, licking up the wall to the ceiling. Much like napalm, it hungrily eats away whatever it touches.

The flames are a bright orange, black smoke curling through the air, and it’s not long before a wall of fire fills the tunnel. Hicks walks through the blaze like it’s nothing, not even choking on the smoke, and he nods to us. “Let’s go.”

Maybe we should be worried about setting the place on fire with people still underground, but none of them are exactly innocent. They’re getting exactly what they deserve. It’s not like we tied them up and left them to die. They can fucking walk out at any time. It’s a mercy they didn’t allow the inmates. As far as I’m concerned, it’s more than they deserve.

Any guards we crossed don’t even bother sparing us a glance on their way out.

We methodically check each room, each level, only to continue to come up empty.

Whatever doors don’t open with the key card, we use our new skills to infiltrate—Ellis manipulates the digital locks, or Jace picks the manual ones, or I kick them down when I become too impatient to wait. With each new door that opens, my disappointment and concern increase.

We set the fire to force the doctor’s hand, hoping Hershamn would just flee. Apparently, we underestimated him. We knew it could be a risk, but it was one we were willing to take. The longer Hershamn has Rue, the more dangerous it will be for her. If given the chance, he will take her apart to get the answers he so desperately wants.

The longer we go without finding her, the more my anxiety rises.

Time is running out.

If the doctor disappears with her, none of us will survive losing her again.

We can’t allow that to happen.

The smoke continues to thicken, and visibility becomes difficult. We haven’t seen another soul in fifteen minutes. I clench my fists to keep from giving in to my rage and tearing apart the walls with my bare hands until I find her.

A light set of footsteps hurries from around the corner, and I whirl to face the threat. I block the hallway, my shoulders practically touching the two walls, and brace for the guards. I roll my shoulders, almost excited at the prospect of a fight.

I’ll try not to snap his neck right away, not until I have a chance to interrogate him. I’ll start slow breaking every bone in his body first, then I’ll switch it up by removing his internal organs.

So, when a little bit of a girl skids around the corner, nearly tripping over her own feet, I’m unsure who is more surprised. She appears as timid as a mouse for a second, then her spine straightens and she scowls.

The expression is familiar.

Wait…wasn’t she supposed to be covering our backs?

I twist to peer behind me, only now realizing that there are two of them. One dark, one light, like the opposite sides of a coin. This must be the missing sister. I shuffle aside, pressing my back against the wall. The instant their eyes connect, neither moves for a moment. Both are too thin, both a little too intense, and both are clearly no longer human.

“Mabel?” The girl from the lunchroom takes a hesitant step forward, her face crumbling while pale red tears tumble down her cheeks.

“Sue!”

Then the girls are running toward each other, hugging like they never expected to see each other again.

Sue pulls away and cups her sister’s face, memorizing her features, her tone tinged with awe when she speaks. “She fucking got you out, didn’t she? I thought you were dead.”

“You mean Rue?” Mabel’s expression falls and tears fill her eyes. “She got me out. It should’ve been impossible, since I was in a coma, but she did it. Unfortunately, the doctor caught her when we were escaping.”

Mabel’s eyes flick between us, recognition flashing in her gaze. “We have to go now and get her. I think the doctor plans on doing something very bad.”

“Where?” James nudges me aside before I can demand answers. The cajoling cadence of his voice is a little too sharp, a little too harsh to be soothing, but neither girl shies away from it.

“I’ll show you.” She immediately spins on her feet, takes a few steps, then glances at us from over her shoulder and waves us forward. “This way.”

I step into her path before she can head down the hallway, shaking my head. “Let me go first. If there is a threat, I can take care of it.”

“You don’t think I can handle a guard?” She lifts her eyebrows, very much like her sister did not too long ago, and a tiny smile curls her lips.

“You are the only one who knows how to find Rue.” I cross my arms, leaning down until I’m right in her face, uncaring she’s nearly a third my size. “I will not put you at risk.”

“I can see why Rue likes you.” Mabel peers up at me with wide, almost innocent eyes…until she smiles and shows me those freaky as fuck teeth. We’re so close, I’m only just noticing the spots of blood soaked into her dark shirt.

Then her words register, and I straighten abruptly, tugging at my too tight shirt. “She does?” The question pops out before I can bite it back, my insecurities taking hold of me. I’ve failed her in so many ways that I no longer feel worthy of the title of boyfriend. Maybe with my new abilities, that will change, and I can finally protect her the way she deserves.

Her eyes widen in surprise, then her smile softens and she winks at me. “Trust me. A girl knows these things. Romance her, treat her like a queen, and she will be putty in your hands.”

“I can do that,” I vow, tension easing out of my shoulders at her confidence, and I nod solemnly. “Let’s go rescue my princess.”

Once I have Rue back in my arms, I’m determined to never let her go again.

I’ll kill anyone who tries to take her from me.