Revamped (15 page)

It was mid-afternoon by the time we concluded our search of Millwood and its surrounding area. The team had gathered around a fallen tree in the forest, breaking for a quick meal. I found a large, mossy log a short distance away and perched on top of it to study my GPS. Before I could even fire up the device, Ethan approached me. He walked slowly, his hands tucked tightly into the pockets of his black leather jacket. His handsome face was pale and sullen, his eyes darted in and out of focus.

He looks even worse than he had in the morning, I realized, concerned.

“Dawn…” he began, looking over his shoulder to make sure the rest of the group was out of earshot. I decided not to remind him that superior hearing was one of the perks of being a vampire. “Dawn, I have to tell you something.” His usually smooth, deep voice was raspy and hoarse.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know how to begin,” he croaked, pressing his lips into a tight line.

“Is this about the Vampiricol? It’s okay. It was a one-time thing. I’m sure you had your reasons…” I trailed off, not wanting to admit that I suspected that reason had a little something to do with me.

He moved closer. “No, it’s not about that.”

I nodded, patiently waiting for him to continue.

“Dawn,” he began, his voice low. “I like you. A lot.” He paused, his tired eyes searching my face intently.

My pulse quickened under his intense gaze.
Was he trying to gauge my reaction? Was he waiting for me to respond?
Over the past two weeks Ethan and I had gotten extremely close, sharing some intimate moments. He was handsome, kind, caring, fun, and simple—a dream guy.

So why couldn’t I say that I liked him too?
I wondered, my eyes slowly drifting to where Sebastian was sitting.
Great
. Here I was standing opposite a perfect guy who had just confessed his feelings, and instead of focusing my attention on him, I was looking at someone else. A frustrating someone who drove me completely insane. All of a sudden, Sebastian looked up, his cool eyes connecting with mine. I quickly shifted my gaze, turning my focus back on Ethan.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just needed you to know that before…” His voice faded out before he could finish the sentence.

I hated to see him hurt, and I despised myself for being the cause of it. “I’m so sorry Ethan. I’m a little distracted,” I explained, hoping to spare his feelings. “Because of Hannah.”
And Sebastian
, my mind reminded me silently.

“I have more to tell you,” Ethan said, taking a deep breath. “I know where Hannah is.”

He took the GPS from my hand, quickly punching in an address. The map on the small device pointed to a building in a nearby town of Ashton. The information showed that the building was registered to a company called
Dixie Pharmaceuticals.

“Are you sure this is correct?” I asked, my hands shaking with excitement.

“I’m certain,” Ethan confirmed. “That’s the address for
BloodCorp’s
base and that’s where Hannah is being held hostage.”

I glanced at him, stunned. “How in the world did you get this? From the friend who gave you the Vampiricol?” I guessed, narrowing my eyes.

Ethan looked down at his feet. “You could say that,” he said solemnly.

“Well, let’s go get Hannah!” I rushed off to share the good news with the group.

The address led directly to an industrial part of Ashton, a small city an hour east of Millwood. Upon quick inspection, the area proved to be completely deserted. An array of abandoned factories lay scattered about, their gray brick exteriors dilapidated, their windows shattered.

We parked the cars behind an empty warehouse a few blocks from our destination, opting to cautiously scope out the location on foot.

“This is it? Really?” Brooke asked Ethan as we neared a wide, two-storey gray building marked
Dixie Pharmaceuticals
.

“This is the place,” Ethan responded, looking around nervously.

Brooke let out a discontented sigh. “But it looks so boring and un-evil.”

“I think that’s the point,” Sophie whispered.

“I just thought we would have our big showdown somewhere cooler, that’s all,” Brooke retorted, still pouting.

“We’re here to save Hannah, not to cater to your fantasies, Brooke,” I sternly reminded the cheerleader, as we reached a large factory directly across the street from the
Dixie Pharmaceuticals
building.

I motioned for the team to gather in the empty parking lot next to the structure, signaling for them to take cover behind a tall, brick partition.

“We have to inspect the place first,” I instructed. We had brought too many supplies and our group consisted of too many members to enter the building without a plan and expect to remain unnoticed. Not to mention, Sophie had decided that leaving Daisy behind at the cottage would be considered animal cruelty, and had opted instead to bring the tiny dog on our mission.

“I can get a real-time aerial satellite view of the area on my computer,” Seth suggested, turning on his laptop. “The heat-seeking technology will be able to show us any bodies around the building.”

He pulled up a search-engine map on his laptop. Within moments, we could see that Dixie Pharmaceuticals was surrounded by six warm bodies and eight much cooler ones.

Those must be the Vampiricol-fuelled humans and the rogue vamps,” Sebastian muttered.

“Let’s get to the butt-kicking!” Hunter grabbed a heavy machine gun from the weapons bag and started out toward the building.

“No!” I cautioned. Before he had a chance to give away our position, I pulled him back. “We need a plan first!”

“I suggest we divide and conquer,” Sebastian said.

Brooke suddenly perked up. “Sophie and I will distract the guards,” she said, undoing the top button of her black blouse. “No one can resist a damsel in distress.” She fluffed up her hair and unfastened yet another button.

Sophie looked at her wide-eyed, clearly not interested in taking part in whatever escapade Brooke had in mind.

Brooke rolled her eyes impatiently. “Relax, prude. I’m not gonna ask you to take off your clothes,” she assured her. “That unsexy librarian look may come in handy if any of the guards are old, prissy ladies.”

Then, turning to me, she asked, “What do you say, Dawn? I’m sure that between my allure, Sophie’s dullness, and Crazy Daisy over here,” she said, motioning toward the fluffy dog, “we’ll have no problem keeping those guys occupied for a little while.”

Brooke was so self-assured in her plan, so excited to contribute to the mission in her own unique way, I couldn’t help but give in. “Okay, fine. You two can distract the guards,” I conceded.

“Seth, you should stay here and be our lookout. Work some of that tech-magic and make sure to notify us at the first sign of trouble,” I directed, handing him a transmitter that was synched-up to all of our earpieces. Seth was the least agile of the team members and would slow us down inside the building, but his proficiency with technology would be a great asset to the mission in his position as watchman.

 “Once the coast is clear, Sebastian, Hunter and I are going to sneak inside,” I explained, handing each of them a wooden-bullet gun and grabbing a crossbow for myself. Ethan, you—” I paused. Despite being a well-trained human, he was still weaker than most vampires. Without help from Vampiricol, he wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight. I resolved to keep him out of harm’s way. “Ethan you—”

He cut me off. “I’m coming with you,” his voice was determined, unwavering.

I shook my head. “I can’t risk your life.”

“That decision isn’t yours to make,” he said. “I’m going in with you.”

“Fine,” I hesitantly passed him the weapons bag. “Please be careful,” I urged.

Moments later, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Brooke’s plan was actually working. She strutted over to the guards, flagging them down theatrically, fake tears rolling down her perfectly painted cheeks. Sophie followed closely behind, holding Daisy to her chest, all the while trying her best to mimic Brooke’s award-winning performance. I rolled my eyes, chuckling at the girls’ melodramatic story of heartbreak and woe. The guards, however, seemed to be hanging onto their every word. As Brooke and Sophie began leading them away from the building, I motioned for Sebastian, Hunter and Ethan to follow me.

Darting from one industrial-sized dumpster to another and finding cover behind old, abandoned cars, I led the group to the entrance on the west side of the building—the access point best concealed from the view of the guards. The heavy glass door was firmly locked, but I easily picked the single bolt. As we slipped into the musty-smelling structure, I took one last glance in Brooke and Sophie’s direction. I noticed that one of the vampires at Brooke’s side was the same tattooed man we had fought at the werewolf camp. He had not recognized the girls yet, but it would only be a matter of time before something jogged his memory.

“We have to hurry!” I urged as we reached a concrete stairwell.

The building had only two floors, but what it lacked in height, it made up for in width.

“We don’t have much time and there’s too much ground to cover. We’ll have to split up,” I said. “Sebastian, you and Hunter search the top level. Ethan and I will take this floor.”

Sebastian looked like he was about to protest, but instead nodded and led Hunter up the stairs.

“Let’s go,” I whispered to Ethan, raising my crossbow.

The building was eerily quiet. Only the soft sound of our footsteps and the sharp electrical buzz of the fluorescent lighting above us could be heard throughout the long hallways. I pushed open every door we passed, carefully peering into each room. They were all vacant, save for some scientific instruments and laboratory equipment strewn about.

Within minutes, we had reached the last door. I prepared to open it with one hand, as I aimed my bow with the other. Just as my fingers reached the handle, a loud click sounded from the other side. The door swung open, revealing a tall, thin middle-aged woman on the other side. She wore a white lab coat over a neatly pressed pantsuit, her graying golden hair pulled back into a tight bun.

Ethan gasped as the woman smirked maliciously. “Hello, Son.” Her thick Southern accent was similar to Ethan’s, but whereas his voice was warm, hers was as cold as ice.

“I see you brought your little girlfriend,” the woman—Amelia, according to nametag on her lab coat, cackled. “Right on time.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, looking over at Ethan.

“It’s not what you think!” he exclaimed, his eyes frantic. “I swear, Dawn!”

“What is it like, dear Son?” Amelia taunted scornfully.

“We’re here for Hannah!” I said, cutting to the chase.

The woman looked at me, her cold eyes mocking. “How nice.”

Where is she?” Ethan demanded.

“Hannah is in the basement. Don’t worry, she’s fine. The human girl is merely collateral. You can do whatever you’d like with her, but this one stays here.” The blonde woman suddenly lunged toward me.

“No,” Ethan stepped between us, shielding me with his body. He looked over his shoulder at me. “Dawn, check the basement. Get Hannah. Go!”

I hesitated. “I can’t leave you.”

“Go!” Ethan yelled.

Amelia sighed dramatically, twisting her beautiful face into an angry grimace. “Oh, Ethan. Just like your pathetic father. Betraying me for a vampire.” She lunged at me, but I was faster. I swiftly dodged her grasp, running in the direction of the basement stairs, hoping Ethan would be able to fend for himself.

The basement was dark and much colder than the rest of the building. I walked thought the shadows, shuffling my feet along the damp floors. Finally, I came upon a large, iron door, firmly bolted with a heavy-duty combination lock. Peering through a small glass window carved in the door, I breathed a sigh of relief. Hannah sat on a metal chair in the middle of the empty room, looking tired, but unharmed. I banged my fists against the window. Hannah’s head snapped up, her eyes meeting mine.

“Don’t worry,” I mouthed, fumbling with the combination lock. I swung the handle of my crossbow at it, intending to crack it open, but, before I could even touch it, the bolt snapped in half.
Almost too easy
, I thought, deciding not to question my good fortune. I slid off the lock, pushing open the door.

My heart raced as I rushed toward Hannah. I dropped to my knees in front of her, giving her a quick once-over.

“Are you okay?” I asked, searching for restraints. Once again, my job proved to be easy; she hadn’t even been tied down.

“Yes,” Hannah whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. “Dawn, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she cried over and over again.

“It’s okay, Hannah. It’s okay,” I soothed, pulling her into a comforting hug. “It’s all gonna be okay.”

“I’m so sorry, Dawn!” she repeated, not retuning my embrace. “They’re making me do it.”

Attributing her hysterical rambling to shock, I held her tighter, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her nerves. That’s when I felt it—a sharp, shooting pain in my arm. I watched Hannah drop the empty syringe and back away from me. The vampire blood spread quickly, causing my body temperature to plummet. It took mere seconds for the poison to overpower me. The room grew bright, then filled with darkness. I fought to stay awake, collapsing on the cold basement floor.

“Hannah,” I croaked, reaching out to her. Large, round tears streamed down her face.

“I’m so sorry,” she gasped, choking on her own sobs. “They said they would hurt my mom and sister if I didn’t do it! I’m so sorry, Dawn. My mom is sick; she can’t defend herself.”

The toxic blood was suffocating me, pulling me deeper into the darkness. I was running out of time. I desperately needed to combat the poison. I needed blood. Fresh blood. I looked over at Hannah. Despite my weak condition, I was certain that I would still be able to overpower her. Drinking her blood would save me, but I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her. No matter what, I wasn’t going to stoop that low. Instead, I reached into my pocket, pulling out an artificial blood capsule. I had started carrying a few pills around as a precaution after my last encounter with the poison. I popped the capsule into my mouth, silently praying that it would have the healing power of fresh blood.