Page 129 of Land of Shadow

“Gene? Is that you?” I rush forward when I realize it’s him and help him to his feet. “What the hell are you doing here? You should be on the road to Atlanta.”

“I got caught up in getting some more supplies for the trip and missed the convoy. I’ve been hiding in here ever since. There’s some—” He glances out the door. “—strange things going on out there.” He lowers his voice. “And in here, too.”

“Have you seen Juno?” I blurt.

“Yeah. She’s in bad shape. I came up from the kitchen and got lost, then had to hunker down when I heard screaming. I don’t know what’s happened here, but it’s bad. Real bad.” He points down the hallway I remember from last time. “I think I saw her down there, but I didn’t have time to help before I had to hide again.”

Is she still in the same room? Still in that goddamn chair?

When I glance out the door, I don’t see anyone. Valen, Coal, and Portia are gone.

“Come on. I’ll take you to her. Maybe you can help her.” Gene takes my hand.

“Okay. But we have to be careful. There’s a vamp—” I shake my head. “There’s a bad man here.”

“I think there’s more than one.” He grimaces.

We walk along the hallway until we get to the room I remember. It’s dark inside, but I can tell it’s empty. Nothing stirs, only the stench of rot remains. If someone’s in there, they aren’t alive. I try not to think about Aang, about what he might have gone through in here.

“This way.” Gene pulls me along, past several more sets of doors and then into the offices adjacent to the Oval Office. He keeps going, then pauses at the door. “She’s in here.” He pushes through, and I follow.

The lights are out in here as well, darkness covering the familiar desk.

“Where?” I whisper.

“At last!” Theo’s voice booms.

I scramble backward, but Gene’s grip on my hand turns painful. “Gene!” I try to yank my hand away.

“I’m sorry, Doc.” He pulls me forward with surprising strength, then tosses me on the floor.

My knees sting at the impact, and before I can even try to get back up, Theo’s cold hand closes around the nape of my neck. He lifts me into the air, pain radiating down my spine.

“You’ll turn me now. Right? All the way. Like we agreed?” Gene clutches his hands together. “Turn me, please.”

Theo lowers me to the ground though his grip remains. “You did well,” he speaks to Gene, but his eyes are on me. “But not quite well enough.”

“But I did?—”

Theo juts his arm out quickly, and when he pulls back, I see shiny red blood at Gene’s throat.

“Gene!” I can’t move from Theo’s collar, can’t do a damn thing.

Gene presses his palm to his throat. “But our deal?—”

“Our deal was for you to bring me the cure as soon as they found it. You failed,” Theo snarls. “This bitch is just the consolation prize. Something I can take to my father for him to work out his frustrations.”

Gene drops to his knees, his eyes finding mine. “I-I’m sorry,” he rasps. “I?—”

Theo kicks him in the chest. I hear his ribs break, his sternum crack as surely as if he were on the autopsy table. Gene falls, dead before he hits the blue carpet.

I scream.

Theo shakes me hard. “Enough of that. Save it for the Black Cavern.” He turns me to face him, his fangs long in the faint moonlight. “Or perhaps I should have my fun with you now. I can’t be sure Father will leave any scraps for me, and I do so want to get at least a taste of what Valen’s been hiding.”

“Get off!” I fight him, swinging my fists and kicking.

He laughs and shakes me again so viciously I think my spine might break. “A little fight is fun. Too much, and I get bored.” Without warning, he slams me against the wall and buries his fangs in my neck. Fire rushes along my skin, his bite burning and tearing me apart.

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