Page 7 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
“That’s the least of your concerns. He’s smarter now.” She wavered, literally swaying on her feet as his control battled with her own will. I recognized that fight, that invisible war between self-preservation and programmed loyalty.
I didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean?”
“He created a gas from his blood,” she stated, like it wasn’t the most horrific thing I’d ever heard.
I braced myself, hands on my knees, and took a few deep breaths. No, no fuckin’ way. If he’d truly managed that, he’d be… unstoppable.
She stared at me, her expression unreadable, like a blank slate. Suddenly, she moved toward me, the hope in her glassy eyes breaking through. "You can really help? You can get me out of here?"
"Yes," I said urgently, pushing all thoughts of Slade to the back of my brain for now. "But we need to move. Now. Before he comes back. Before he gets his poisonous blood into my system." I didn’t trust her, but I would never leave a woman with that monster, and I didn’t have any other options.
Meredith checked her watch. "There will be a lull in the guards’ rounds in a minute. We will have two minutes to get out of here and to the basement stairwell. You'll have to follow me."
"Okay. Let's do this." I stood from the chair and followed her to the door. After checking her watch again, she opened the door and took off, leaving me to run behind her. And I did. We ran hard and fast like our lives depended on it. I knew mine did. If Slade caught me now... a chill raced down my spine at the thought.
So far, we hadn't run into anyone. It was all so perfect. A tingle at the back of my neck was like my subconscious telling me it was too perfect. Hasty plans never worked out like this.
Meredith ripped open a door and disappeared behind it with me close on her heels. I found her in the stairwell, heaving for breath. I made sure to pull the door shut behind me and put my hands on the top of my head, trying to catch my breath. "We made it," I panted.
"Yeah," she breathed. "We did."
I glanced a look through the little window to see if anyone was lurking outside the door, but the coast was clear. "What next? We should keep moving."
"You're right." She checked her watch. "In fifteen seconds, we run down to the basement. Don't stop."
I nodded. I wasn't going to stop for anything. Her eyes raised from her watch and met my gaze. "Go!"
I took off down the stairs, making it to the first landing when I heard a loud bang and a groan. Tossing a look back just as I was about to round the corner, I saw Meredith look down at me from the top of the stairs. Her forehead was split, and blood was trickling down her right eye before I spotted the bloody mark on the stone wall.
"What the fuck?!" I whispered, coming to a full stop.
She grinned at me, a sinister, bloody smile, thanks to the large amounts of it pouring from her forehead. I took one step up, and Meredith turned, throwing the door to the stairwell open. "SCORPIO!" she screamed.
No fucking way. No way.She slammed her own head into the wall?!
I heard his voice. That was no coincidence. She’d played me and timed it perfectly to whatever his schedule was. Fuck.
Meredith stared me down as the blood ran down her face. "SHE ATTACKED ME! HELP! SHE'S TRYING TO ESCAPE!"
Ohhh, I was going to kick her ass—but later. Now, I needed to run.
The sound of my name being bellowed through a stairwell by the biggest villain in my life wasn't something I ever wanted to hear again, but it sure did spur me into action. I practically flew down those stairs, not having a clue where I was running to. Meredith had said the basement, but she was a lying little bitch, so at the last moment, I decided to escape the stairwell on the first floor. I sighed when I found it unlocked. The corridor was clear as I stepped out and silently closed the door behind me.
I glanced left and right, trying to decide which way would be safest. This really was a compound. The walls were smooth concrete and cool to the touch, a refreshing change to the heat radiating off my skin.
Aside from the sound of my breathing and the steady hum of an air conditioner, I was fairly confident I was still alone. I padded along silently and quickly. Key card readers with flashing red lights adorned every door.
Shit. There had to be somewhere I could hide. Slade's temper would be nearing atomic levels by now, and each passing second that I avoided capture was one second closer to detonation. I didn't want to be anywhere near him when that happened.
Even the anger I'd felt toward Meredith dissipated. The woman was so far under his control that she literally smashed her head into a stone wall to win favor with him. There was a time when I would've done the same.
A door slammed, and the hollow boom ricocheted through the corridor like a cannon blast in an empty fortress. My heart constricted, and I flew down the dark passage, determined to find some safe haven. Despite seeing the key card scanners, I still tried every handle as I raced past.
My heart sank as the end of the hallway came into view, while every attempt resulted in failure. Voices swept through the air, along with the only one that could invoke terror in me. I fought myself when I froze in place. My legs seemed to have disconnected completely from my brain. They weren't listening.
My eyes fluttered shut as I inhaled deeply through my nose. To my surprise, it wasn't my own voice I heard or even Slade's.
'Run, mykukola.'
