Page 28 of Tracking the Alpha (Project Therianthrope #1)

Chapter Eighteen

The lights went out, the thing spoke, and Tanis just about pissed her pants. Brittany, however, tried to save her own ass. She lunged and grabbed at Tanis, trying to thrust her at the monster.

Oh, like hell. Tanis wrenched hard and, when she failed to break free, dropped to the floor, wrenching out of Brittany’s grip.

She scrabbled away just in time. Something swept where she’d been standing, moving fast enough it almost whistled.

Whatever it was missed Tanis, but Brittany didn’t fare so well.

The woman screamed, and the monster grunted, “Yum. Me,” as it tore into her.

With it occupied, Tanis didn’t waste time. She crawled in the direction, she hoped, of the exit and smacked into a wall. She couldn’t see shit. Fingers grabbed hold, and she shrieked, tugging to break free, only to freeze at a growled, “It’s me. Calm down.”

“Barrett?”

“Yeah.”

“We have to get out of here,” she exclaimed, trying to close her ears to the slurping.

“No shit. Hold on.” Before she could say another word, she found herself tossed over a brawny shoulder and jostled as Barrett ran.

No breath to ask how he’d gotten here but so much relief. Maybe she wouldn’t die after all.

“ Food .”

The eerie word resonated and had Barrett huffing, “What the fuck is that?”

“One of the project’s failures. Not sure what is it, but it thrives and hunts in the dark.”

“Fuck me. I had Phoenix cut the power to try and stop the bombs.”

“Bombs?” she squeaked.

“Yeah. Hold on. I gotta climb.”

She clung to his shirt as he ascended, faster than she could have ever managed, and yet not fast enough. She didn’t need to see to know the monster climbed too.

Barrett growled. “I can’t outrace it, and this shaft is too tight to fight.”

Really not reassuring.

“ Hun. Gree. ” The thing below them growled and sounded much too close.

A sudden hum brought lights, and Tanis blinked.

Blinked again as she saw the thing with leathery wings literally only inches from being able to grab Barrett’s foot.

The eyes of it were completely black, like the tongue that flicked as it hissed and ducked its head. It froze in place, drawing its wings inward to cocoon.

“What the fuck is it doing?” Barrett had paused climbing to glance at what chased them.

“It hates the light. Don’t get close and it won’t attack, supposedly.”

“Not planning to get anywhere near it,” Barrett muttered as he resumed clambering, moving quickly.

“Captain, you need to get your ass moving faster,” a male voice shouted from above. “The backup generator kicked in, and the bombs are active again.”

“You mean you weren’t joking about there being bombs!” Tanis squeaked.

“Someone wired this place to blow,” Barrett grunted.

“No wonder Davidson ordered the major dead and sent Brittany to the basement,” Tanis murmured. “He’s getting rid of loose ends.”

“Stevens is dead?” Barrett exclaimed.

“Yup. And before you ask, I haven’t seen the general and have no idea where he is.”

“Most likely hightailing it before the place blows,” he muttered. Then more loudly, “Phoenix, please tell me you found a way out of sublevel into the main building.”

The guy called Phoenix replied, “Most escaped via the elevator shaft, but I also found a hidden set of stairs behind a shelving unit that exit into the general’s office. A much better option for Takhi the tiger and Radley, who couldn’t do a chin-up if his life depended on it.”

“Make sure everyone is getting their ass clear of the place. I’ve got company on my tail, and it ain’t friendly.”

Barrett kept a hold of Tanis despite them being on even ground. She might have argued more except it allowed her to watch their rear in case 37 decided to suddenly forget it hated light and follow.

“I am impressed you found this,” Barrett stated with a low whistle as they went past a shelving unit that had been shoved aside to show a section of wall pushed inward.

“Don’t know about you, but my nose is damned sensitive.

Wasn’t hard to sniff it out. Opening it might have been tricky with the power on, but apparently it used some kind of electromagnetic lock.

No juice made it easy to open. Good thing I had something blocking the doorway when the power came back. ”

“Glad to see you still have your wits. Not everyone was so lucky.” Barrett’s low murmur as they thumped up the stairs.

“Nice to see you didn’t lose it either, Captain. I overheard them saying Gage didn’t make it through the treatment.”

“It’s a miracle we didn’t lose more. I just wish I could have done more for Zendaya.”

“You might still get a chance.”

“How? She’s dead,” Barrett stated as they exited into an office that looked as if a storm had swept through. Drawers left open. Papers scattered. The laptop that used to sit on the desk gone.

“Slater didn’t want to leave her behind. Wanted to give her a proper burial so he carried her out. She changed back into her human shape on the way.”

“She’s okay?” Barrett sounded relieved as they exited the general’s office into the hall, where voices murmured.

“Not exactly. She wouldn’t stop screaming and clawing at herself, so Freya had to knock her out.”

A woman shouted, “Would you two yapping ladies move it? The timers show we have less than two minutes!”

“The garage has a few vehicles we can use. Pile as many people as you can inside them,” Barrett bellowed as he finally set Tanis on her feet. “Everyone else, make a run for it. We need to clear the area.”

“Can’t go anywhere, Captain. There’s some dick who can barely shave on a platform taking potshots every time we poke our heads,” stated a different male voice. He held someone wearing a white coat over his shoulder.

“It’s the sentry,” Tanis murmured.

“Shoot him so we can get out of here,” Barrett ordered.

“With what?” was the exasperated reply by a petite woman.

“Let me handle the soldier on duty,” Tanis stated, having an inkling who it might be. She’d only seen one soldier who could be referred to as baby-faced.

She strode for the main door, only belatedly realizing Barrett stuck close to her. Before she even opened it a few inches, a shot rang out embedding in its surface. Her jaw tightened. They didn’t have time for this.

“Peter, is that you?” she hollered.

“Tanis?” Peter asked questioningly.

She stuck her head through the opening and sought out Peter. “Yeah, it’s me. You need to stop shooting and start running.”

“I can’t. The general gave me orders to shoot anyone exiting the building. Apparently, some prisoners of war are trying to escape.”

“I think you mean the soldiers illegally being experimented on by the major and general.”

“What?” Peter exclaimed.

Tanis stepped fully outside. “Canadian soldiers were being kept captive in the basement levels by the military as part of an experiment.”

“What kind of experiment?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The main building has been rigged to blow, and we have only like a minute to clear the area.”

Peter gaped at her.

“Did you hear me? We need to run, or we’re going to end up as flying meat chunks in less than a minute,” she shouted.

“But the general told me to stay at my post.”

“And where is your general?” Barrett snapped, exiting to stand by her side.

Peter’s gun aimed at him. “You’re one of the prisoners I was told to prevent from leaving.”

“I’m a soldier, and captain at that,” Barrett barked. “And I gave you an order. Where is Davidson?”

“He left with Dr. Levy and two soldiers along with some big-ass crate. Told me the major was trying to contain a breakout by prisoners of war and to shoot anyone I didn’t recognize.”

“The major is dead,” Tanis announced. “And we will be, too, if we don’t get out of here.”

Peter’s shoulders slumped. “He left me to die.”

There was no time to console the boy about his realization he was expendable, and Barrett had run out of patience.

“Everyone move out.”

At his words, people poured from the garage, led by a tiger, who ran for the gate.

Not the weirdest thing she’d seen. Nor was the man carrying the naked woman over his shoulder. As a petite woman emerged, the last of the exodus, Barrett frowned. “Why isn’t anyone driving?”

“All the keys are gone from the board, sir. Looks like we’re hoofing it.”

“More like pawing,” Phoenix muttered with a snort.

Barrett held tight to Tanis’ hand as they brought up the rear. Peter had climbed down and stood by the gate, looking mightily troubled.

“Come on,” she encouraged as they ran past.

Everyone bolted, faster than Tanis and Peter could manage, probably why Barrett once more grabbed hold of her. She didn’t argue being scooped in his arms but rather watched behind them.

She felt the explosion before she saw it. A tremor under their feet. It led to Barrett bellowing, “Take cover.”

She wondered at the strange order, which didn’t come clear until the compound blew up.

Debris rained down, chunks of concrete, wood, and even steel.

A cloud of dust filled the air, leading to coughing by those who didn’t cover their nose and mouth.

Tanis didn’t have to because Barrett had tucked her into his chest.

When the rumbling ceased, the haze in the air made it hard to see, but she squinted anyhow at the ruins left behind.

Literally ruins and one dead soldier.

Tanis covered her mouth at the sight of Peter crushed under a hunk of concrete. Poor kid. He’d not deserved to die so young.

The haze combined with the cloud cover made it hard to see, but that didn’t stop the shell-shocked bunch from wandering back to the place that had held them captive. Tanis hugged herself as she eyed the collapsed buildings and blown-out walls that used to act as a fence.

The burly man who’d been carrying the guy in the white coat pointed. “General blew up his own people.” At least one, judging by the arm lying on the ground missing the rest of its owner.

“He left me to die,” a panicked voice said.

Tanis whirled to see a young man in a dirty lab coat, kneeling by the severed head of a woman.

“Are you really that surprised, Wendell?” Barrett stated.

“You’re lucky I haven’t torn you to pieces yet for what you did,” snarled the petite woman, the threat causing Wendell to get to his feet and stumble closer to the rubble.

“I’m sorry. I never meant to?—”

Wendell never finished his apology. Something burst from the wreckage. A thing of nightmares and wings. Patient 39 grabbed Wendell by the shoulders and bit into his neck.

Deeply.

Savagely.

To the credit of those watching, no one screamed. Then again, they would have had to draw a breath through their wide-open mouths to do so.

The monster from lowest level in the facility stared at them, and Barrett angled his body so he blocked Tanis.

Thirty-nine cocked its demonic-looking head—with pointed ears, fangs, and a dark gaze—and croaked, “Free.” And with that, it coiled its legs and launched itself into the murky sky and flew away.

Silence reigned for a moment before someone broke the frozen moment saying, “Anyone else just piss themselves?"