Page 186 of Sin Like the Devil

“How can you be sure?” I limp towards the door.

“I checked. All the other cells are empty.”

Looking over my shoulder, I watch the two Z wing patients struggle to manoeuvre Lennox between them. He’s breathing unsteadily, his head still limp.

“They got names?” I whisper to Rick.

“Nah. Haven’t said a word.”

As we step out into the corridor, the smell hits. I should be used to it by now, yet nothing can prepare you for the scent of a bloodbath.

It’s everywhere. Covering everything. Walls, floors, cell doors. There are signs that a body has been dragged through the spillage. I have no way of knowing if our mysterious saviour made it out alive.

Not a single soul, though.

We’re in a ghost town.

“Where are all the guards?”

Rick picks his way through red spillages, heading where I point. “I don’t know. Unless we’re missing some secret society party down here, the place has been abandoned.”

Not likely.

When I slide on a crimson pool, Rick has to lunge to catch me. My knees are knocking together, I’m so weak. Numbness has swept in as my extremities switch off due to the constant onslaught of pain.

“I’m fine,” I struggle out.

“Yeah. You look it.”

“No more than Harrowdean’s whore deserves, right?”

He clears his throat. “Think we’ve both paid our dues down here, Rip.”

Honestly, he has a point.

We move slowly, barely able to shuffle ourselves towards the concrete staircase leading upward. Tackling each endless step feels like running a marathon on an empty stomach. The thick steel door seems forever out of reach. I can hear the grunts of the pair behind us struggling.

At the top of the stairs, I use the special black pass to unlock the door. My heart threatens to explode when there’s no response. I try several times, each failed attempt causing my breathing to hitch.

“Come on!” I hiss under my breath.

Trying one last time, I’m rewarded at last. The security system eventually buzzes, and I could cry from relief. The door clanks open loudly.

A cacophony of sounds immediately filters in, emanating from beyond. Sound can’t penetrate the Z wing’s fortifications, but it’s clear that something is unfolding outside. I hesitate, listening to the distant screams.

“What is that?” Rick’s nose is scrunched up, a divot between his brows.

“The reason why there aren’t any guards watching us.”

With that grim realisation, we inch out of the Z wing and into a lit corridor. The bare bulbs are illuminated, breaking up the nighttime shadows. I don’t even know what day it is or how long we were below ground. I’ve lost all concept of time.

Hanging back, I let Rick take the lead as we break outside. Lennox has roused a little on the way back up, his teeth now gritted for each movement. I swipe hair from his face to check on him, my hand sticky with his blood and sweat.

“You with me?”

“Just about,” he grunts.

“We have to find Raine and Xander. I don’t know what we’re walking into, but this is our chance to get out.”

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