Welcome to the Darkness (Darkness Trilogy) (29 page)

“I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this?”

“Because . . . I require your assistance.
The King and I share a bond that allows him to know my whereabouts at all times. He will not be overly wary that I came to see
you
, but he will be suspicious if I enter the room where he keeps the virus. I am certain he would stop me the second I stepped foot into that room. However, not only can you enter this room, but you can use your ability to sense whether others are near, correct?”

“It sounds risky,” Sarah said.

The evil grin that spread across the Queen’s face made Sarah feel sick to her stomach all over again. The Queen reached into the vast folds of her dress and pulled something out of a hidden pocket. “A little something to ensure your cooperation,” she said, passing the object over to Sarah.

It w
as a smartphone, with a triangular “Play” button on the screen. “What is this?”

“Play the video and find out,” the Queen snapped.

Sarah pressed “Play” and waited. The screen was dark and someone whimpered. “Sarah?” a familiar voice whispered. Her heart sunk into the pit of her stomach and she thought she might scream. “Sarah? Please, don’t let them hurt me!” A match flared to life, revealing her sister Sophie, tied to a chair. The light flickered out and the video ended.

Tears flooded Sarah’s eyes and she glared at the Queen. “You . . . bitch!”

In a flash of movement, the Queen grabbed Sarah by the throat and slammed her up against the wall. “Careful, human.” She put her face a fraction of an inch from Sarah’s, fangs on full display. Sarah struggled for air, grasping at the hands around her throat. The Queen released her and she fell, gasping for air.

“You . . . didn’t need to . . . take my sister. I’ll . . . help you,” Sarah panted.

The Queen tilted her head, regarding Sarah. “Oh, but it was so much more fun this way,” she purred. “The other video on that phone will give you the instructions you need to destroy the virus. If you breathe a word of this to the King, we will both die, and so will every human on earth. If I were you, I would get to work immediately. After you have completed your task, I will give you your sister’s location. She is unguarded, but she will starve to death, strapped to that chair if you do not free her soon.”

Spinning on her heel, her magenta dress flaring about her in a splash of color, the Queen left the room.

Sarah slumped against the wall. How could things get any worse? Everything was spinning out of control. She pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket and selected Nathaniel from her list of contacts. She tried not to sob and waited for him to answer.

“Sarah?” Nathaniel’s calm voice somehow reassured her.

“Nathaniel!”

“What is it?”

“Nathaniel, she took my sister. The Queen kidnapped my sister!”

He paused. “Explain.”

Sarah took a deep breath. “The Queen knows all about the King’s plan with the virus. Jesus,
everyone
seems to know about it. She wants me to destroy the virus, and she took my sister to make sure I’d do it, even though I was planning to destroy it anyway!”

“What did she say about your sister?”

“She showed me a video. Sophie was tied to a chair in a dark room. The Queen said she was unguarded, and that she would starve to death if I didn’t follow her instructions to destroy the virus right away. She said she’d tell me where she was keeping my sister after I finish the task so I can go free her myself.”

“I see. I cannot be certain, but I suspect the Queen has sequestered your sister at a residence in Manhattan. The Queen owns a condominium
there, which has not been used in many years, but it seems the logical choice for holding Sophie. After the sun sets, I will go and retrieve your sister, if she is indeed there. You concentrate on your task. When you have completed the mission, contact me again and we will meet.”

“You make it sound so simple. I don’t know if I can do this.”

“You must, for the sake of us all, and the hunters will assist you. You are not alone.”

“But, my sister . .
.”

“Sarah, as you say, you had plans to destroy the virus anyway. If nothing else, the Queen is a woman of her word, so if you are successful in your task, she will give you S
ophie’s location. Hopefully, I will already have your sister in my possession, but if not, at that time we can go rescue her. There is nothing more you can do to help her right now.”

Sarah bit her bottom lip and sighed. “I know . . . you’re right. I feel so overwhelmed I’m having trouble concentra
ting. I’ll contact the hunters so we can get started. God, I can’t wait until this is over with.”

“I have one more question for you,” Nathaniel added. “Does your sister have the same ability as you to
read  minds?”

“No, why?”

“It may prove helpful if I can control her mind, and because your immunity to mind control seems to go hand-in-hand with your ability to read minds . . .”

“I understand,” Sarah said. “Do whatever you have to do to keep her safe.”

“That I promise you. Good luck, Sarah.” He hung up without saying goodbye again.

Sarah pressed the “End Call” button and stared at her phone for a minute before scrolling through her list of co
ntacts. She selected Pickle’s number and waited while the phone rang.

“Hello?” a woman’s voice answered.

“Hi, it’s Sarah.”

“Oh, Sarah, hey.
It’s Trudy. Pickle’s down for the count with a nasty flu, in case you’re wondering why I answered his phone. Of course, he went and gave it to Sahib and Liz too, so it’s just me and Joe manning the fort today. Don’t worry though. Joe’s able to set up the explosives on his own and Sahib showed me how to detonate them. We’re still good to go.”

Sarah blew out a breath. “A lot has happened since we last saw you, Trudy. Reed was hurt . . . badly.” She swa
llowed, thinking what an understatement that was. “So, I’m on my own. It doesn’t matter though. I can handle it, and I’m ready to get started.”

“Sounds good.
We’ll be there shortly. Text me when you’ve neutralized the virus and I’ll blow the place. Good luck.”

“You too, Trudy.
Bye,” Sarah said and hung up. This was it: the moment they’d been planning for.

She stood up and slipped the phone into her back pocket. She pulled out the phone the Queen had given her from another pocket and watched the second video. The instructions the Queen
had given her for destroying the virus were virtually identical to the ones the hunters had come up with. At least everyone was in accordance on that front.

Sarah reminded herself she would have to get Sophie’s location from the Queen before they demolished the manor. That is, if Nathaniel hadn’t
already been successful in rescuing her sister. With any luck, Sarah would never need to speak to the Queen again, but with four of their team members out of commission, luck did not appear to be on their side so far.

Slipping out of her room into the hallway, her sneakers barely made a sound on the carpet. She continued down the hall to the grand staircase leading to the main floor. The place
was deserted as per usual during the day, and after a quick check to make sure the front door was unlocked for Joe, Sarah continued to the elevator.

After a short descent to the lower level, she stepped out into the white marble-lined hallway. The lights were as bright as she remembered from her last visit to the area, and she could see workers in the lab through the glass wall in front of her. They didn’t pay her any attention, so she turned to her right to find the storage room for the virus.

She rounded the next corner and a nearly identical looking hallway to the last one stretched out before her. It would be easy to get lost if she wasn’t careful. Concentrating on the route she’d memorized, Sarah continued straight and then took the next right. One more turn and she’d be there.

Sarah gasped
when she came face-to-face with a man going in the opposite direction. Crap! She’d forgotten to keep her mind open to avoid running into anyone.

“Are you lost?” The man looked down at her. “Can I help you find something?”

Sarah gave the man, or vampire more likely, an innocent look. Time to think fast. “I’m trying to find the King,” she said, her voice sounding higher than usual. She cleared her throat. “I wanted to talk to him about . . . something.”

“You missed the last turn,” he said. “This place can be a bit of a labyrinth. Follow me.”

With a regretful glance at the door she’d been heading towards, she turned to walk behind her guide. Was she really about to help the hunters blow this place up, killing everyone inside it, including this vampire? He seemed friendly enough, but this was a bad time to start second-guessing the plan. And what was she going to say to the King?

The vampire stopped in front of a door that looked the same as all the others and knocked. A deep voice from wit
hin called for them to enter. Sarah’s helpful guide opened the door and held it for her. “There you go, Ma’am,” he said, waving her inside.

“Thanks,” she said, and stepped into the dimly lit room. The door swung closed and she blinked. Sarah paused to let her eyes adjust to the sudden drop in lighting.

“Ms. Perkins.” The King’s voice rumbled across the room. He sat on a gigantic round bed, propped up against a mountain of pillows. Everything in the room from floor to ceiling was dark, from the deep crimson carpet to the black painted surface above them. The bed linens were black silk, and a set of midnight blue velvet couches ringed the room’s perimeter.

“
Your . . . highness?”

“To what do I owe the honor?” the King asked.

“Um . . . we had an appointment this evening for me to give you a blood sample, and I was wondering if we could postpone for a day or two. I’ve had a long day and I’m not feeling up to it.”

“Yes, I heard about young Reed. He had a bit of an a
ccident?”

“You . . . know about that? How
–”

The King chuckled. “Do not look so surprised. I
am always well informed when it comes to the affairs of my realm. As for your blood donation, consider our appointment postponed indefinitely. You may go.”

Sarah blinked. That had been too easy. Why did the King seem downright uncaring about getting a sample of her blood when he’d been so anxious to get it earlier? Or was it part of his strange behavior?

“Okay, thanks. I’ll leave you alone now,” she said, backing out of the room. She squeezed her eyes shut when the bright hallway lights enveloped her once again.

Breathing slowly to force
herself to relax, Sarah opened her mind to her surroundings. The only presence she felt nearby was the King, so she continued back to her original destination. When she reached the door to the virus’ storage room, she “listened” one more time before turning the knob. The area was clear, and the door was unlocked.

She slid inside, and
closed the door. The lights were on, reflecting off the metal walls. On the far side of the room was a bank of drawers. Metal tables covered in beakers full of liquid and lab equipment were lined up against the wall to her left. The room was slightly smaller than the bedroom in her quarters upstairs, and there was a cloying alcohol smell in the air.

Sarah headed to the drawers across the room, noting that some
were labeled while others had only an empty square where a label was meant to go. There were also three different drawer sizes, with the smallest being similar to a bank’s safety deposit box, and the largest resembling a drawer for a corpse at a morgue.

Scanning the labels on the larger drawers, she found the one she was looking for, “XIV – 11.2.” She had no idea what the labeling scheme meant, but both the hunters and the Queen had given her the same number. She gave the drawer handle a tentative tug, and when it didn’t budge, she pulled it more sharply until it released with a hiss. Frosty clouds of mist billowed out
and she opened the drawer wider. Despite the cold air swirling out around her, she broke into a nervous sweat.

The mist began to clear,
revealing about thirty test tubes arranged in neat rows. The drawer was two-thirds empty, which was perfect for the next part of the plan.

She stepped back from the drawer and surveyed the equipment to her left. There were six tanks stacked in the corner, each marked with a single word: “Oxygen.” She grasped the closest one by the metal handle ringing the top, and dragged it over to the open drawer. The tank was about two feet tall and five inches in diameter,
and it was surprisingly heavy. Squatting to slip a hand around its base, she struggled to lift the tank off the ground.

S
he manhandled the tank over the drawer and it slipped, hitting the edge. A metallic clang echoed through the room, and Sarah barely managed to stop the tank from rolling onto the test tubes. If she smashed the tubes open, she risked infecting herself with the virus.

“Focus, goddamn it,” she said. Her heart raced and a drop of sweat drip
ped down her back.