Bound (The Grandor Descendant Series Book 3) (38 page)

“What is this place?” she asked, moving towards the nearest glass cage, where the unconscious body of a girl, no older than eighteen, hung as if suspended in gelatine.

The girl’s eyes were open wide, her pupils small and fixed, though her irises had become ghostly and pale, as if the liquid she was being kept in, had robbed them of all colour. Thick masses of dark hair hovered around her face, and coming from her neck, wrists and thighs, were thick red tubes. Attached to her nose were two small tubes, from which tiny bubbles traced up her face.  

“Are they dead?” asked Chris, but as he approached the first row of people, they heard a whispered humming of what was unmistakeably, very faint heartbeats.

Ari realised that the sound was coming from monitors that were strapped to the sides of the glass vessels. Each monitor displayed various life signs; blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, saturated oxygen percentage, total blood volume, blood collected.

“Blood collected,” said Ari, and without meaning to, her finger traced across the monitor and the figure 38.9ml flashed green before disappearing.

“Oh my God,” said Chris, his voice disgusted. “They have been kidnapping students to form their own private blood bank? Talk about greedy.”

“But, but, they can’t do that.”

“Well, apparently they can,” said Chris. “Guess we know why they needed that backup generator and why it’s so damn cold in here.”

“But where did all these people come from? I thought that it was just a handful of students who had gone missing.”

Chris shook his head, then his eyes widened and he pointed to a glass cell, saying, “Jesus Christ. That’s Pip, and, and oh my God. It’s Perry and Peter too.”

“But we were with them last night.”

“They must have been taken this morning,” said Chris. “That must be why the campus is so deserted. They have probably been planning this for ages. Taking one or two students as test dummies and today is the big reveal.”

“Do you think Riley’s already in here? She’s so close to being due. I don’t know if her body would be able to handle something like this.”

“Just calm down,” said Chris. “We’ll find her.”

Ari moved down the lines of people, searching their cold and lifeless faces for any trace of Riley. Occasionally Ari recognised a few students from the campus, people who she hadn’t even realised were missing.  

“Ari,” Chris said after a moment, and Ari immediately raced to his side.

“What? It’s not… it’s not Riley?”

The moment she had reached Chris and followed his outstretched hand to the glass cage he had indicated, Ari saw Emily. The girl looked pale, her hair saturated and gliding around her face from the suspension of liquid. She wore a thin cotton dress which glided eerily around her body, making it appear as if she were lying fully clothed in a bath tub.

“This is so wrong,” said Chris.

“I don’t understand. I mean, it doesn’t make any sense. Why would they want to kidnap a heap of students, just to get their blood?”

“Blood is kind of essential to vampires.”

“Yea, but, they could just take it if they wanted it. And if they wanted a heap of blood, they could just buy a blood bank, or lull a doctor, or steal it from-” Ari began to say, but outside there was a beeping noise, and the pair watched in horror as the glass doors swung open and Gerald and the boy next to him walked inside.

Immediately Chris and Ari hid behind Emily’s glass prison, their bodies pressed up against the cool glass.

“Welcome Gerald Fulton,” said the same robotic voice as before.

“This way Timothy,” said Gerald, indicating for the boy to follow him, and the pair made their way to the desk in the corner of the room.

Ari watched Timothy glide along the floor, his face dull and lifeless. Gerald reached for something in the draws. Ari saw, with a pang of confusion, that it was a microchip reader; she recognised it immediately from her time at the Pasteur Veterinary Clinic.

“Hold out your arm,” said Gerald.

Timothy obeyed without question, holding his arm out so that Gerald could scan it with the microchip reader. A moment later there was a buzz, and Gerald punched the numbers from Timothy’s microchip into the computer. There was a loud thunk, and a second later the robotic arm hanging from the ceiling came to life. It hovered for a moment then swung the length of the room, returning with an empty glass cage clutched in its metallic hand. Slowly the glass cage was lowered to the floor and then the door leading to it swung open.

“If you wouldn’t mind getting inside,” said Gerald, indicating the cage.

Timothy moved over to it indifferently, stepping inside.

“Hold out your IV,” said Gerald, and Timothy rolled up the sleeve of his left arm.

Ari’s mouth dropped open when she saw the neatly bandaged IV that was already in place. Humming tunelessly to himself, Gerald connected a tube from the side of the glass cage to Timothy’s IV. After that Gerald moved to the monitor on the side of cage, switching it on. A white liquid filled the tube running into Timothy’s IV, and Gerald reached for another two tubes, connecting them this time to the boy’s nose. Satisfied, Gerald pressed one more button on the monitor and the cage door swung shut, just as thick gelatinous liquid began to fill the prison.

Ari made to move closer but Chris grasped her hand hard, shaking his head adamantly when Ari turned to look at him in confusion.

There was another loud beeping from outside the room, just as the robotic female voice said, “Welcome Gwen Harper.”

When the glass doors opened, Gwen bustled into the room.

She walked over to Gerald smiling, her eyes flickering to Timothy for only a moment before she said, “Excellent. Is that’s the last one for today?”

“Are you kidding me? The line outside is enormous,” said Gerald, “plus there’s another batch being brought over from Delta, but Damien won’t be here with them for a few more hours. He’s going around to make sure that there aren’t any stragglers. I think we have got them all though.”

“Well hurry up,” said Gwen. “James wants to see us. There are some vampires who have been asking questions about the Farm. They’re being questioned now.”

“Which vamps? Students from Cruor or outsiders?”

“Ragon and some of his other traitor friends,” said Gwen, a touch of triumph to her voice. “I told James when Bridget was killed that Ragon was behind it, but he didn’t listen. I hope he hurts them. Actually, I take that back, I hope he kills them.”

Gerald nodded, moved back over to the computer and punched a few keys on the keyboard. Immediately the robotic arm swung to life, lifting the glass case, which now held Timothy’s unconscious form, and moved him back to the end of the room. Gerald and Gwen did not wait for the hand to return to its cradle, but made their way back to the door and left.

The moment the door closed, Ari and Chris immediately began shivering, their teeth clicking loudly in their mouths from the cold. The muscles in Ari’s jaw felt tense, almost numb, and she soon realised that she was grinding her teeth.

“What the hell do we do now?” asked Chris.

Ari felt sick; what did they do now?

Chapter 17- Prisoners of War
              

A thousand horrible thoughts ran the length of Ari’s mind, sending her into chaos. She wanted to run from this room, run as fast as her legs would carry her until she found Ragon. But she couldn’t leave yet, not without making sure that Riley had not been subjected to this blood collecting torture. It was bitterly cold in the room, perhaps even as cold as the freezer at the Veterinary Pathology laboratory, but Ari didn’t care about any of that. She and Chris checked every single glass prison twice, but Riley was nowhere to be seen.

“She’s not here,” said Chris. “What do we do now?”

Ari was thinking about Ragon and the rest of the coven. Gwen had said that they were being questioned. What did that mean? Had they stormed into the Farm demanding to know what was going on? Was Gwen right; would James torture them, or worse, would he kill them? 

“Ari, did you hear me?” Chris said, “What are we going to do?”

“Can you call Lea? If the coven has been captured then we are going to need the circles help to-”

“-shit!” said Chris, cutting her off. “There’s no cell reception.”

“Great. Just perfect.”

“Well, we need help. Maybe we could try to find where the coven is being kept. You could freeze the room and then we could move them-” Chris started to say, but Ari cut him off.

“-that won’t work. Gwen said that James was with them, and my freezing powers don’t work on him, at least, I don’t know if they will. Besides, when I freeze vampires, I can’t move them by myself. They’re too heavy.”

“Ok,” Chris said, his voice drawn out, “then we need to get out of here!”

“What! We can’t leave. I can’t… I can’t leave Ragon and we still haven’t found Riley.”

“Ari,” hissed Chris, his voice a barely audible whisper. “The coven has been captured. Our only chance is to tell the circle; we need their help. You said it yourself; your powers don’t work on James. If we are going to have any chance to save Riley and the coven, then we need Lea. She should have told them by now what is going on, and once they hear what we have found, they will have to help us.”

Ari fought against the voice inside her head, demanding she stay and find Ragon and Riley, but just barely; she knew Chris was right. With her head held low, she and Chris made their way back to the hallway and raced along the dark corridor. They didn’t see anyone, and when they walked through the entrance doors, the pair broke into a run.

It was dark now. This late in the year the sun always set early, but Ari hadn’t realised how long they had been inside the windowless Forensic Agency and Research Morgue. As they ran, several loud cries pierced the night sky. Ari felt the terror behind the sound but kept running. Half way to Omega, she realised why it was so dark; there were no lights on. Normally the campus was lit by the lights from all the buildings, not to mention the tall iron lanterns which were placed along the paths. Now, with only the pale frame of the moon to guide her way, it was almost impossible to see where she was going. The combination of occasional startled cries and lack of light, left her terrified, as if she were living a horror film. It was as if there were things lurking in the shadows, waiting to creep up on her and drag her into the darkness.

When they were finally outside of Omega halls, Ari’s feet gave way under her and she clutched painfully at her ribs. The moment she straightened up, Ari noticed that there was a large man standing outside the entrance of their hall.

“And where are you two going?” he asked, looking at them curiously.

“To our rooms,” Chris said obnoxiously.

“Whose source are you?” asked the vampire.

Ari’s mouth fell open.

Chris also looked stunned, but quickly hid his confusion by saying, “Ragon Young.”

The vampire on the door narrowed his eyes, apparently unconvinced.

“Show me your bite,” he snarled.

“Why should we?” asked Ari, standing in front of Chris. “We are Ragon’s source. Only he can command us. He told us to come here and text our friends on campus, to, err, make sure they had all been lulled and were at the Farm.”

The vampire took a step towards her, standing so close that she could smell his aftershave.

“Well,” he said, turning to glare at Chris, “make sure you get back to the farm once you’re done.”

“Um,” said Ari, unsure of how to answer.

“Sure,” said Chris, grabbing Ari’s hand and pulling her past the guard.

Ari and Chris waited until they were out of ear shot before turning to face one another.

“What the hell was that all about?” said Chris, staring at Ari in confusion.

“The vamps are taking over,” said a small voice.

Ari and Chris turned on the spot, looking for the source of the noise, but there was no one in the hallway. Ari stared for a moment at the wall; it looked different somehow, almost as if it had become fluent. Then the wall shimmered, as if a vail had been lifted off the brickwork, and from it Lea appeared.

“Lea,” Chris breathed, rushing to her side. “What the hell is going on?”

“The vamps are taking over,” she said again.

Ari thought that Lea sounded fatigued. She definitely looked paler than normal; her eyes were blood shot and bulging, as if she had been crying and her nose was red and puffy. But it wasn’t just her appearance which worried Ari; there was something in her tone. It sounded dull and lifeless, as if, somehow, she had lost a part of her. 

“What… what do you mean?” asked Ari.

“After you left,” said Lea, scanning the corridor, clearly afraid of being overhead, “the vamps from Cruor halls started attacking everyone. The entire campus has been overrun. They’re still out there now, capturing any humans who hadn’t been bitten yet. Everyone in the circle was killed. I only just got away. I have been hiding in the wall using a disillusionment charm.”

“But,” Chris said, apparently unable to finish his sentence.

“They took them all to the Farm. They are probably dead. I saw them take Ragon and the coven there too. I don’t know what’s happened to them; they are probably dead too.”

“Lea,” said Ari, moving to her side and hugging her hard, “I’m so sorry about your circle.”

Ari felt wet tears blanket her shoulder. Lea was heaving, gasping and choking, as if her tears were poison.  

“When we went to the Farm we saw… people, hundreds of them… they are keeping them like cattle, collecting their blood,” said Chris.

Lea whimpered and shrunk to the floor.

“Oh God,” was all she said.

“What can we do?” asked Chris.

“Nothing,” said Lea. “They have won. It’s over.”

“NO!” said Ari, so loudly that Chris shushed her. “We can’t let them get away with this. We have to do something.” 

It was clear that Lea had given up all hope, but Ari hadn’t. Ragon was still alive, and so was Riley; she had to be.

“There are too many of them,” said Lea. “And without the circle…”

“But we’re still here,” said Ari. “We have to be able to do something.”

“I don’t know what,” said Lea.

Ari had had enough. She walked over to Lea, holding her hand out and forcing the girl to her feet.  

“You are a witch!” said Ari, with such force that her voice shook. “A good witch! And I’m… I am the Grandor Descendant. Chris, well he can control vampires. If anyone can stop them, it’s us! You need to snap out of it. I know that this is horrible and scary but, but it’s up to us to do something. We’re the only ones who can.”   

For the first time Lea seemed to really hear her. She was nodding, her eyes peeled as she gestured for Chris and Ari to follow her to her room.

“Ok,” she said, closing the door and turning to face them, “what’s the plan?”

Ari was pleased to see that Lea looked revitalised.

“I think we should start by getting a message to your Gran,” said Chris, looking at Lea. “Tell her what has happened.”

Lea nodded, reaching for her phone but frowning the moment it was in her hand.

“What?” Ari asked, looking at her in concern.

“There’s no reception,” said Lea, holding her phone to show the emergency signal.

Quickly Chris’s hands dived into his pocket to retrieve his cell. Ari saw his face fall and knew that he had no reception either.

“Ok,” said Ari, “clearly the vamps want the Pasteur Institute isolated. They must have been planning this for a while. Let’s just think about it logically. Last night everything was normal, then I had a premonition of Riley being taken into the Farm and we found out that the vamps have been kidnapping students to be part of some sort of blood bank.”

“That’s what they’re doing with them? Stealing their blood? But why would they? That doesn’t make any sense,” said Lea, striding across the room, thinking hard. “I just don’t understand why the vamps here have all of a sudden decided to do this. Doesn’t this go against their Final Death Laws? I thought that they were supposed to keep their existence a secret, and now they have attacked the entire campus.”

“I think the Ancients are behind this,” said Ari. “Think about it. James Frater works for the Ancients, and now he’s here, in charge of the Farm. And a few weeks ago there were a heap of vampire students that were admitted, supposedly to study at the Farm. I think they were sent here to oversee all of this. I just don’t know why.”     

“What if the vamps have decided that it’s time to come out of the closet?” said Chris.

“But they can’t,” said Lea. “The vampires have always kept their existence a secret. That’s part of their Final Death Laws. If they decided to reveal themselves… that would…”

“That would mean the end of the world as we know it,” said Ari, her face grim. “I think this is what my parents and Chris’s dad were warning us about. The Ancients are behind it; they have to be!”

“But how would they get all the vampires to obey them?” asked Ari. “Ragon’s coven aren’t the only vampires to oppose having sources. There must be heaps of vampires in the world who want to remain in the shadows.”

“I don’t know,” Lea admitted. “Maybe they threatened them?”

Ari frowned; they were missing some piece of the puzzle, the clue that would tell them exactly how the Ancients planned to take over with all the vampires by their side.

“Well,” said Ari, when the silence in the room had stretched on for what felt like hours, “I think we need to get to the coven. We know that they are being kept inside the Farm. We can get in without being detected. It’s up to us now to put a stop to this!”