Page 13 of Crimson Storm

Even if we did manage it, what if it was daylight outside? I had no idea how long we’d been unconscious or how much time had passed since we’d arrived. It might have been a few hours or a whole day.

“What do you think they plan to do with us?” asked Heather, who’d just awakened as well.

“I’m not sure. But we’re going to be okay. I’m going to get us out of here.”

My voice sounded so confident, but inside I wasn’t as certain. None of us had taken in blood since we’d left the Safety Center.

We could only go four or five days without it before we began to desiccate. And I wasn’t sure how far these men were prepared to go to ensure our cooperation. Would they resort to torture and starvation?

“Maybe we should just bite the old guy,” Heather said. “It won’t turn him, but they might let us go. They don’t know how many bites it takes.”

“I doubt they’d release us before they’re sure it worked. Besides, that’s not who we are—it’s not who Sadie taught us to be.”

“But Sadie isn’t here, is she?” Kelly asked. “And where was she when we were locked up in the Safety Center? I think we should do it. It’s worth a try.”

“Is it worth your soul?” I asked her. “Is it worth undoing all the progress vampires have made in the world since the Crimson Accord was signed? We have to stay strong, stick to our principles. I’ll figure something out.”

The door at the top of the stairs opened. We heard the sound of footsteps descending, and I prepared myself for battle. I would not allow myself and my friends to be injected again.

I was a pacifist, but I wasn’t a martyr.

It was Glenn. He was armed with a syringe in one hand and the pistol in the other.

He stopped on the bottom step, eyeing us warily. “You ladies ready to be reasonable now? All you have to do is bite him. Do it, and we’ll let you go. You gotta be getting thirsty by now.”

“Go to hell,” Kelly said, but from the corner of my eye I noticed the tips of Heather’s fangs slide between her lips.

“We’re never going to agree to it,” I told him. “Either you let us go, or you’re going to have to carry three dead vampires out of your house.”

“No problem. I’ll leave you alone for a bit and let you think about it. Meanwhile, I think I’ll go get myself a nice, big drink. I sure am thirsty.” With a smirk, he added, “Have a nice day.”

Marching back up the stairs, he slammed the door behind him. The heavy slide of chains and the click of a padlock followed.

So... we were locked in and on a forced hunger strike.

“I’m beginning to see why some of our kind hate humans,” Heather muttered.

“They’re not all like that,” Kelly reminded her.

Was Shane like that? The alarm in his voice and the concern on his face made me think he wasnotlike his uncles and their friend. But he hadn’t stopped them either.

No, we were definitely on our own.

Rising to my feet, I said, “Come on. Let’s see if we can make any headway with this wall.”

8

The Smell of Blood

After many hours of bare-finger scratching and digging, we’d made minimal progress on the mortar between the cinderblocks of the recently erected enclosure.

I climbed the stairs to test the door to the kitchen, but it held tight against my efforts to push it open.

Exhausted and dejected, we all lay on the floor again and rested.

Lying with my face against the hard, cold floor, I willed sleep to come. I’d need the energy to continue the excavation project, especially with no blood to replenish my strength.

Unfortunately worry kept me awake. I wasn’t sure how long I lay there, thinking of the decisions I’d made that had led me here.

---