Page 33 of Mortal Demon

CHAPTER12

Riley breathed a sigh of relief when the first door turned out to be an office. The emergency lighting in the hallway and rooms were dim, giving the impression the facility hadn’t been used for a while. Dust floated in the air as they walked, making it obvious that a cleaning crew had not been retained. That more than anything revealed the nefarious nature of the research facility. “The clinic listed this site. Let’s boot up the computer and see if it’s connected to the clinic.”

They entered the small office that contained a single desk, a computer and a few filing cabinets. Unlike the computer at the clinic, this one was older. Riley hit the power button and waited over a minute for the password command to appear. “This computer hasn’t been used in a while. I didn’t have to log into the other one. I have no idea what the password is.”

Colton opened the top drawer of one of the gray metal filing cabinets. He flipped through several files before turning back to Riley. “Hakim’s name is at the bottom of every file.”

“We know he set this facility up, but that doesn’t tell us what the password is.”

Colton stared at the screen. “Try revenge.”

Riley typed it in quickly. “Nope.”

Colton sighed. “The route of this madness lies with Hakim’s daughter and the Haitian people’s choice not to save her. Try Lorette.”

Riley typed in the Bokor’s daughter’s name. The screen switched to home. “That’s it.” She turned in her chair. “You don’t think the Haitians made a mistake, do you? If they used unnatural means to save Lorette, then they would upset the natural balance. I understand his pain. Losing anyone is traumatic, and a child is as bad as it gets, but destroying the world... every other child in existence is not the answer.”

Colton closed the top filing cabinet drawer and opened the next. “I know, but right now it seems like the lesser of two evils.”

“The Haitians couldn’t have known he would turn on them like this. Hakim is not the first person to seek a means to help a sick family member. They have rules in place for a reason. Even a prior priestess was forced to perish at a young age because she would not break their governing rules about altering the balance of nature.”

Colton pulled another file from the drawer. “I know. They have strong beliefs about the afterlife and don’t fear it like other humans. See if you can find any information on the experiments done here.”

Riley began scrolling through files, then sucked in a breath.

Colton turned from reading the file in his hand. “What is it?”

“These experiments were done prior to the other clinic. There are ninety-four files in here. Hakim was doing experiments years before the demons arrived.”

“Damn. We know he used human blood, but why so many experiments?”

Her fingers flew over the keys. “He tried several mixtures. Some with his blood. Others with Maddock’s blood. Variations of all three.”

“Why were there so many experiments?” he asked.

Riley cleared her throat. “He tried different combinations. Some had higher quantities of my blood. Others had higher quantities of reaper blood. There are also some listed as shadow blood, but I don’t know who the donor is.”

Colton growled. “A shadow helped Hakim?”

“You didn’t know he was a traitor. I doubt the donor has any idea what his blood was used for.”

“Why did they abandon this facility?”

She pulled up the most recent file. “This facility was in use until Hakim’s death. I’m guessing the clinic’s location makes it a more viable source. They were inviting women here, offering free services, but they’ve had far more success with the clinic. I’m guessing that’s why they purchased it.”

Colton shook his head. “Why would any woman agree to come here? The fact that they tricked ninety-four women into this facility is shocking.”

Riley pulled up the research facility online. “They created a website that lists the services and fake testimonials of this facility. It says it’s world-renowned, but by the looks of things, it’s all fake.”

“Were they using the program to find the women before they invited them here?”

“The list of bloodlines is on this computer. They were looking for descendants of the priestess. Specifically, those that don’t live in the Haitian village. Originally, Hakim was trying to keep a low profile.”

Colton threw the file on the floor, then slammed the door. “That bastard.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she said.

The hum of a pathway blared in their eardrums before Ferguson coalesced in the room.

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