Page 77 of Revenant

I don’t have a mark on me.

I turn to help the others, but it’s not needed. All the guards are down without the alarm sounding. I stomp across the room,unaware until now that my muscles have bulked up to nearly twice my normal size in preparation for the coming fight. I join the others, cracking my neck from side to side, the need to hunt down Rue impossible to resist.

The room falls ominously silent, every eye in the room trained on us. Then one tiny girl full of moxie—much like Rue—stands and lifts her chin. “Are we doing this now?”

Hicks nods, a muscle in his jaw ticking with his temper. “Let’s head out.”

The girl nods back, determination filling her expression. “Just remember our deal.”

When we head toward the door, nearly everyone rises to their feet. A few people glower at us, backing away slowly, bracing for an attack. Some brave soul from the back of the crowd hollers out a question. “What the fuck is happening?”

The little bit of a girl smiles, revealing very sharp, pointy teeth, and my eyebrows rise in surprise. She cocks her head to the side, her expression chilling. “We’re escaping. You might enjoy being a lab rat, but the rest of us want out.”

Only a second passes, then the whole room descends on them. Satisfied they have it handled, I turn toward the guys, falling into step with them as we head out in search of Rue.

The girl follows us, her two goons behind her, and the rest of the patients trickle out after them. Elliot pauses in the hallway, then hands out one of the two badges toward the ragtag group. “Remember to stick together. The cameras are looped, so you should have a clear shot to the exit. We will distract the guards, but you need to remain alert.”

A few of the inmates appear wary, too disillusioned not to expect a trap. One young man steps forward and snatches at the badge like he expects a trick. When nothing happens, he blinks in surprise, and a menacing smile blooms across his face. Fangs flash, the upper and lower teeth nearly an inch long, resemblinga long-ago saber-toothed tiger. His thick, shorn hair is more like fur, and his pupils expand like he’s ready for a fight.

He shuffles down the hallway to avoid us, never removing his gaze from our group. When we don’t follow, he turns and dashes down a hallway so fast that he’s just a streak. Two people rush after him, not even bothering to look if they’re being chased.

When we still do nothing, the last few clutching the guards’ stun batons quickly follow, scampering off after the others. The only ones who remain are Rue’s friend and her two men. I raise an eyebrow at her, but she just shrugs and lifts her stubborn little chin. “I am not leaving without my sister. Rue said she would help find her, and I’m going to keep her to her word.”

“What about the others?” I gesture down the empty hallway to indicate the inmates who have already disappeared, not really giving a shit about them, but I’m surprised she would switch loyalties so easily. Then again, Rue has that effect on people.

“They know the plan.” She gives a negligible shrug, then turns and heads in the opposite direction, calling over her shoulder so everyone can hear the warning in her voice. “If they want out, they will follow our plan, or they can stay and die with the rest.”

I catch up with her before they turn the corner, holding out my hand to keep her back. “Stay behind me. If there are any guards, let me take care of them.”

Sue huffs, dismissing me without even a backward glance. “This place is a maze of underground tunnels. I’ve been searching for my sister for six months. I know where to look, so we’re not wasting our time.”

I can’t argue with that.

I glance at Hicks, and the man in question nods, ready to enact James’ outrageous suggestion. He places a hand on the wall and closes his eyes in concentration. A second later, tendrils of smoke rise from the surface, the white wall darkening tobrown, then black. Flames burst to life around his hand, licking up the wall to the ceiling. Much like napalm, it hungrily eats away whatever it touches.

The flames are a bright orange, black smoke curling through the air, and it’s not long before a wall of fire fills the tunnel. Hicks walks through the blaze like it’s nothing, not even choking on the smoke, and he nods to us. “Let’s go.”

Maybe we should be worried about setting the place on fire with people still underground, but none of them are exactly innocent. They’re getting exactly what they deserve. It’s not like we tied them up and left them to die. They can fucking walk out at any time. It’s a mercy they didn’t allow the inmates. As far as I’m concerned, it’s more than they deserve.

Any guards we crossed don’t even bother sparing us a glance on their way out.

We methodically check each room, each level, only to continue to come up empty.

Whatever doors don’t open with the key card, we use our new skills to infiltrate—Ellis manipulates the digital locks, or Jace picks the manual ones, or I kick them down when I become too impatient to wait. With each new door that opens, my disappointment and concern increase.

We set the fire to force the doctor’s hand, hoping Hershamn would just flee. Apparently, we underestimated him. We knew it could be a risk, but it was one we were willing to take. The longer Hershamn has Rue, the more dangerous it will be for her. If given the chance, he will take her apart to get the answers he so desperately wants.

The longer we go without finding her, the more my anxiety rises.

Time is running out.

If the doctor disappears with her, none of us will survive losing her again.

We can’t allow that to happen.

The smoke continues to thicken, and visibility becomes difficult. We haven’t seen another soul in fifteen minutes. I clench my fists to keep from giving in to my rage and tearing apart the walls with my bare hands until I find her.

A light set of footsteps hurries from around the corner, and I whirl to face the threat. I block the hallway, my shoulders practically touching the two walls, and brace for the guards. I roll my shoulders, almost excited at the prospect of a fight.

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