Taken (2 page)

I shook my head. “I don’t know. That’s what so odd about it.
The images have been pretty clear leading up to last night’s dream and then things got murky.
I could sense
the threat, but I don’t fully see it
.
”

Matilda came over and hopped on the couch, making her way in between Athen and me.

“Could it be a mistake?” Cyril asked, wrapping his arm around Arie’s shoulder.

“Doubtful.”

Cyril looked over at Athen and back at me.

“Once Arie and I figure out how many in that building might be involved,
we should be ready to go in
as a team
.”

“Agreed,” Arie replied.

I felt Athen’s gaze taking me in and a rush ran through my body.

“What are you thinking?” I turned to face Athen.

His lip curled up slightly. “I just love your determination. That’s all.”

He brought me in closer
, his lips pressing on the top of my head.

“You always give me that last little bit of strength I need,” I whispered.

“That’s why we’
re such a good team,” he replied.

My head was nestled on Athen’s chest and the room was filled with silence, except for the quiet snores from Matilda. There was something off about this mission
,
and none of us knew what exactly the problem was. But sitting in our living room staring at each other wasn’t going to solve anything either.

“I’m going to go change
,
and I guess we’ll head out,” Arie said, popping up from the couch.
“Looks like the holidays aren’t going to be quite what we were hoping.”

C
hapter 2

The brick building
stood at the end of the street looking more like a prison than a hospital.
It
was
five stories tall and many of the rooms
had
already
been
darkened for
the night.
There were barely any cars in the parking lot at this time of night,
which made
things a little
easier for us
.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Arie
whispered
. We were both sitting in the backseat
,
and the only response I gave was a quick nod.
If she
thought
that just from the outside, she’d really hate the inside.
Athen pulled into a parking spot and I let out a deep sigh.
I really hoped we could just get
this over with and get on with the
holiday season.
Being a white demon had its advantages, but it also carried a heavy burden.

“You ready?” I asked Arie.

She nodded and climbe
d out of the car.

Athen grabbed my hand
,
and we ran toward the darkness of the trees along the side of the parking lot, while Arie and Cyril took
off toward the
back
of the property.

“I don’t want you to do anything foolish,” Athen whispered, pushing my hair back behind my ear.
His breath danced across
my skin, sending a wave of
longing through me.

“Do I ever?”
I could only see the shadow of him as we stood underneath one of the large fir trees that
lined the property, but I could sense his smile.

“Never.” He cupped my chin, and
his lips landed softly on mine for a moment before breaking free.

“I’ll be right here if you need anything.”

I nodded and pecked him quickly on the cheek one last time before I took off toward the building.
Cyril and Arie were no longer in sight so they were probably already stationed in the back.

I darted through the rhododendrons and reached the building. I looked up the brick siding and
from this vantage point
it suddenly seemed taller than five stories. I usually enjoyed climbing, but something about this building was really bothering me. My suspicions had to be right. I glanced behind me and saw Athen under the tree patiently waiting for me to begin my climb.

Hopping onto the building’s side, my body clung to the brick like glue as I began scaling the building brick by brick. My fingertips skimming the roughness of the stone as I guided myself to the second floor windows.

The first window I approached had the curtains open, and I peered into the hospital room. There were six beds on each side of the walls, each containing a patient and no staff in sight. Nothing felt off about this room, so I moved to the next window over, grasping the wall carefully as I moved. This room only contained three patients and a nurse was cleaning something by the washroom, again there was no negative energy.

I looked up
at
the next batch of windows and climbed my way
to the
next
floor
.

“Nice work, Ana.”
Athen’s voice set itself in my mind.
“The view is pretty incredible.”

“Is it now?”
I channeled back to him. I couldn’t help but smile. Athen always knew how to make me feel
amazingly beautiful and strong
.

Reaching the windows, my stomach began to turn into itself. Something wasn’t right. Making slow and deliberate moves, I positioned myself next to the window that was giving off the unpleasant aura. Peeking through the glass I saw three figures standing in the room, dressed in staff outfits, surrounding a patient’s bed. At first glance it didn’t seem abnormal, but I continued watching their behavior. Patience was always key in these situations, and something that I lacked.

After several moments
of nothing
,
I
craned
my head
back
toward Athen and noticed a figure about fifty feet behind him.

“Athen, there’s someone lurking in the woods
behind you
.”

“Got it,”
he responded and took off toward the shadows.

I turned my attention back to the scene in fro
nt of me
when my suspicions were confirmed. The nurse leaned over the female patient, covering the patient’s mouth with a rag while the other two attendants watched. She was a dark demon. A wave of black mi
st rolled over the body from her
hands
, canvasing every inch of the victim.

The dark demons began laughing as they all joined in producing the thick layer of haze in every direction. The patient’s body shot toward the ceiling, stopping short of crashing into it. As she hovered, the black haze began transforming into a dark spirit that entered her soul. The woman’s body floated in the air, with her arms and legs completely still. How many times had
this been
done
tonight? How many patients had
we already lost to the transformation by the dark side? The woman’s body slammed back on the bed
,
and then
her upper body spra
ng up into a sitting position, her eyes glowing red as she threw a gaze toward
the window
, which I quickly dodged as I flattened myself against the brick wall.

I had to get in there
tonight
.  As I continued to climb the building, I glanced in the windows I passed seeing nothing more that was concerning. The
first
incident was enough. I reached the roof and fell over the brick
cornice
onto the flat roof’s surface, catching my breath. I scanned for the entrance, finding it in the far corner.

“Arie, I’m going in,”
I channeled to her.

“I’m already in,”
she answered back.
“
Saw too much.
I couldn’t wait. I w
ent in through the roof
,
and
I’
m on the third floor.”

“I’ll survey the fourth and fifth floors,”
I replied.
“Someone was in the woods behind Athen. He went to check it out.”

“Ooh, s
ame with Cy.”

Oh no. They were expecting us.
Whoever
they
were.

“Looks like
someone
know
s
we’re here. Might as well get what
information
we can out of
the place
before we take off.”
I opened the large rusty door and began climbing down the stark stairwell.

“Agreed.
No turning back now.
”

Reaching the door that had a large painted five on it, I yanked on it and walked onto the
barely lit
fifth floor. A faint hum of Bing Crosby’s
White Christmas
tumbled
down the hall from the nurse’s station.
It did little to put me in the holiday spirit.

Slowly walking down the hall the sound of whimpering met me with a pattering of footsteps in the distance.
I opened the door nearest me and dashed in, closing it quickly
behind me
. The room was completely dark
,
and the
space was so confining
I wasn’t sure where I landed.
I
tasted
bleach
in the air
.
It had to have
been
a cleaning closet. The foots
teps in the hallway slowed.
Please let them not need anything in here.
I waited until I heard the footsteps
start up on
ce
more
and continue
down the hall.
I slowly opened the door, allowing a small stream of light into the closet. Glancing at my surroundings I saw mops, buckets, and chemicals.
I was grateful for the small amount of fresh air that was sneaking in
after realizing what I was surrounded
by
.

Focusing
on the h
allway, I waited to see what
might be transpiring
.

Athen probably took care of whatever creature they sent after him. His fighting ability was unmatched and most dark demons never expected us to be as good as we were, and Athen was
e
xception
al
. So if I took too long, Athen would no doubt come looking for me. This was supposed to be a quick surveillance, and I hadn’t planned on going into the building, and yet here I was.

“
What’s your problem,
cry baby?” the man
’s voice yelled.

He was draggi
ng a female patient by her hair to
a
room, her legs
thrashing against his
strength
, skidding on the linoleum.
My heart dropped. It was like my vision but a different patient.

Slowly leaving the closet to get a better view, I watched the man tie the patient down to
her bed with straps and flip
the light off as he exited.

If only I could just take
this monster
out now.
Maybe I could.
I knew what he was capable of.
The uncontrolled anger whipped through my body as
I
confronted
the demon posing as a man
.

I felt the thump
s
of my heart beating double time as I stared at th
is disgrace. He avoided my gaze, and h
e only stared at the floor.

“Look at me,” I hissed, walking closer
to
the man.
He was dressed in an orderly
’s
outfit, all white.
His dark
, glossy
hair was slicked back.

“I
said
look at me.”

His vacant eyes flashed up
to meet mine
.

“Who sent you to tamper with
the patients in this
hospital?” I asked.

“I don’t know what you’re
talking
about,” he replied coolly.

“Of course you don’t.”

A vicious smile appeared on his lips right
before he lunged
at
me. I dodged out of the way, sliding my body on the floor until my feet hit the
rubber baseboard
.
My
body
turned
to face him once more.

“Either
answer me
now or I’
ll end you,” I replied, readying my stance. I already knew what his answer was going to be, and I was looking forward to a little combat.

He s
hook his head
and swiped at me
,
coming close enough for me to grab his wrist.

“Were you trying to turn that
woman
?” I snapped.

“Maybe I already did
.”

Climbing up the wall, I
backed
myself against the ceiling and
waited as his body dangled from my grasp.
I could crush him so easily.

“
One more chance. Now
,
w
ho sent you?”

The demon shook his head at me. I had the complete advantage. He was so new he didn’t even know how to climb walls.
I let go of his wrist and he collapsed as
I
fell
back onto the ground
. I wanted to
face him before I
destroyed
him.

“
You have n
o idea who you’re messing with.”
I laughed, as I
broke
his wrist
with a squeeze
.

His
squinted
at me
in confusion
,
and I pulled him toward me
.
His struggle was a fee
ble attempt against my
strength
.
He wasn’t going anywhere.
He pr
obably was only a few weeks old
in demon terms.