Page 123 of Haunted Prey

“Bitch, I’ll get you!”

I gripped the rail while wrapping an arm across me. As the banging of his fist and his voice faded, I started to notice shouts and screams coming from below.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The elevator brought me to the second floor. As I stepped outside, I saw people running, some bloodied, some not. The emergency lights were on, flashing orange and white, from what I assumed was the power going out. I could also smell smoke nearby, could hear the crackle of a fire even if I couldn’t see it.

I started to follow the others until I noticed the bodies of several staff scattered along the hallway, many of them medical staff. I followed the trail until I came to a room at the end of the hall where one staff member slumped over a door leaving it ajar. I peered inside a large meeting room and my heart leaped as I saw Cassidy with her back to me. Facing her was Tyler cornered into a window, grabbing his shoulder which was bleeding as was his lip.

Cassidy pointed her knife at him. “I’ll make this nice and slow for you, Kennedy,” she crooned. “Just like you and your people did to your little test subjects.” I noticed her gun in her other hand and wondered how many bullets she had left. “I’ll cut off your dick and balls first then stuff them in your fucking mouth and make you eat them.”

Kennedy watched her, hardly moving. “We’ll burn before then.”

“We’ll see.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” he said, softly. “I’m sorry we failed you. But this had to happen.”

“None of this had to happen,” she hissed. “You just thought you could win your noble peace prize with blood on your fucking hands. Could be the billionaire who supplied the military with a bunch of jacked-up soldier dogs. Or anyone who was willing to pay the price. Fuck you, Kennedy.” She moved on him. “Get on your knees.” When he didn’t move, she shoved him down. She ripped into his clothes then started to press the point of her knife into his skin, twisting it.

His screams were strained as he gritted his teeth. Sweat dripped down his face and neck. I stepped further into the room as I wanted to see. Needed to see.

I felt numb as I watched, reality beginning to unravel around me. This was happening. And I couldn’t move.

Or maybe I didn’t want to.

Cassidy moved her knife out then back into his thigh, circling it around, digging it in.

I listened to his cries until someone shoved me aside, making me fall to my knees. Before I could react, Leo was on Cassidy. They struggled, back and forth, Cassidy shrieking as she wrenched out of his grip. As Leo tried to take a hold of her, I saw him bring up his hand. There I caught the shard of glass in his fist. He brought it down and stabbed her in the back several times and then in the neck. Cassidy screamed before she was able to buck him off her. He lunged at her again and she brought up her gun.

Bang! Bang!

One bullet to the chest and the other to the stomach. She tried to let off more but there was only the click of the trigger as the barrel lay empty. Leo fell back into the wall. Cassidy fell back on to her side.

I sat there frozen. Everything had happened so fast and yet so slow at the same time. I hissed through my teeth as I crawled over to Cassidy.

I could see her shallow breathing, her blood pooling around her. I pulled off her mask and saw her staring at me.

“Damn,” she said, laughing a little, blood dripping from her mouth. “Guess I shouldn’t have…gotten so…greedy…huh?”

I put a hand on her shoulder as she tried to move, a cry tearing up her throat as she clamped her mouth shut.

“Take…it,” she groaned, her bloody fingers reaching for the knife. “Finish it.”

My eyes drifted to the knife.

I saw a shadow move at the corner of my eye and knew my phantom was there leaning down toward me, his skull face next to my ear.

Finish it, Eve.

“Eve.”

I looked up and saw Tyler watching me. His face twisted as he shifted below the sill of the window. “It really didn’t have to be this way.”

I slowly rose to my feet. “Maybe it didn’t. Maybe you should have known you couldn’t hide forever. You could have stopped the experiments your dad started, but you chose to keep going.” My hands turned into fists at my sides. “But they’re done now and you…you’re going away.”

Tyler gaped at me, then started to laugh. “This won’t stop if I go to jail, Eve. If I even end up there. And I’ll just start again somewhere else. This was my father’s work and it’s mine. Our family’s work, and we were too close to stop now.” He let out a rattled breath. “If Adrien’s baby lives, at least one of you girls will show our success.” His eyes drifted down my body and stopped at my legs. “I’m sorry it couldn’t be you, Eve.”

His words confused me at first, but then something warm trailed down my leg.

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