Page 82 of Revenant

Alarms blare in the distance, the sounds muted.

Underneath the loud noise, the area is eerily quiet.

Too fucking quiet.

No stampeding of footsteps as people flee, no yelling to get out, no screams or murmurs of worried employees and fearful patients.

Just silence.

My skin heats, as if sensing some unseen danger, the sensation much like the hairs on the back of my neck lifting. The air is heavy with expectation, like a trap right before it springs, and everyone is quiet as they join me at my perch.

All except for James, and I pinch the bridge of my nose when the psycho boldly steps around everyone and saunters down the hallway like he knows where the fuck he’s going. And maybe he does. He studied the maps to this place more than any of us in his obsession to rescue Rue.

I shrug, guessing subtlety is out the window since we basically set fire to the place.

The lights are dim, the building on auxiliary power.

“The cameras are offline,” Ellis says as he joins me, fine lines creasing the corners of his eyes from the strain of constantly using his abilities. “Security in the entire building is down.”

I shoot him a sharp look, and he shakes his head. “Not by me.”

“It’s the fire,” Jace adds, his hand wrapped around Crystal’s ankle as he drags her behind him. No one protests, their tolerance level for the bitch gone. I’m actually surprised he didn’t toss her down the elevator shaft by “accident.”

He is more patient than I am, that’s for fucking sure.

“Right.” I scrub a hand down my face and nod. “It’s a safety measure. In case of a fire, all elevators open and all doors unlock.Hopefully, everyone is busy with the patients, and we can slip past them unnoticed.”

“That means we’re on a countdown,” Gunner warns, shifting on his feet, as if eager for the coming fight. “The hospital is located in the middle of nowhere. Their emergency services would’ve been alerted the instant the alarms went off.”

“The computers are down everywhere. I’m not able to access anything.” Ellis wears a scowl, his agitation obvious as he fiddles with his glasses. “Since it’s a government funded project, we can assume some security force is going to come for the doctor sooner rather than later.”

A beat of silence follows that ominous announcement.

“If we’re still here when they arrive, they will scrub the place of any evidence of their involvement. We will either be taken or eradicated. It wouldn’t do for them to leave signs of their crimes behind for someone to find.” I share a grim look with the others. “Since they only took Rue, my guess is the rest of us are expendable.”

“Then let’s not wait any longer,” Sue calls over her shoulder as she heads down the hallway after James. Her sister skips forward and lifts a baton in her grip like she’s ready to bash anyone they meet over the head. The two men with them fall into formation around the girls, one slightly ahead and one a step behind to guard them.

Their form isn’t bad, the group has potential, but it’s hard to guess how someone will react when under pressure. Life-or-death situations have a way of bringing out the best and worst in people.

We quickly overtake the small group, Gunner and Jace falling back to guard the rear, while Ellis and I catch up to James…and find one guard lying at his feet, his neck at an awkward angle. When I shoot him a sharp glance, he lifts his arms with an innocent expression and shrugs. “Oops.”

Ellis quickly crouches and riffles through the guard’s pockets. He tucks a gun into the back of his jeans, grabs the radio from the man’s belt, and pockets the keycard. Even with the electricity down, you never know when you might need it. He collects the baton last before rising to his feet.

The door the man was guarding is unlocked, and I glance at Brad and Dillon. “Which way?”

Instead of answering, they slip through the door and head right. To my surprise, they are so silent, I can’t hear them, even with my enhanced senses. No footsteps. No breathing. No rustling of clothing.

I’m impressed.

They move quickly, without any fuss, silently communicating with each other. They weave through the hallways, pausing when we come across guards, waiting without moving for them to pass. The farther we head into the building, the more the alarms fade into the background.

I would worry we’re heading in the wrong direction, but the number of guards increases with each hallway we pass. We come to an abrupt halt when we hear voices.

A quick glance reveals five guards protecting a single door. Even more revealing, the room beyond is glowing with lights. This wing is running on backup power, the small hum of generators filling the silence, and I know we have reached our destination.

Brad confirms it with a pointed nod. I duck back around the corner and face the rest of the group. “You did your job,” I say to Sue and her little army. “We can take it from here.”

The twin girls cross their arms in unison, matching scowls darkening their expressions. Much like Jace and James, they seem to communicate without words. Sue speaks for them both. “We’re not leaving without Rue. We made a promise. She kept her part of the deal, we will keep ours.”

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