Page 107 of A Touch of Treachery
Bryce crumpled to the floor.He twitched a few more times, then stilled.
I released the electrical current, and all the energy snapped back into its rightful place.The lights, laptops, and monitors quit flickering, and the refrigerators’ moans and groans smoothed out into steady hums.
I slumped back against the chair, breathing hard, my head spinning with adrenaline.But my galvanism turned the chemical into energy too, and my breathing quickly evened out.
I might have killed Bryce, but I was still mostly strapped to the chair, so I reached up and wrenched his knife out of my arm.Another scream rasped out of my throat, but I used the blade to cut through the restraint on my left wrist and the ones around my ankles.
Still clutching the bloody knife, I tried to stand up, but my head spun, and I had to sit back down in the chair to keep from vomiting.Sweat streamed down my face, and I gasped for air.My fight with Bryce had further weakened me.
When my head stopped spinning, I tried again, forcing myself to move slowly but steadily to keep the nausea to a minimum.I got to my feet, then shuffled over and kicked my boot into Bryce’s ribs, making sure he was dead.
Crack!
Crack!Crack!
Crack!
More gunshots sounded, louder and closer than before.I snapped my head up and listened, but no more shots broke the silence.Neither did any screams.Worry twisted my gut.I looked at the monitors again, but I didn’t see Charlotte on the security feed anymore.
Still gripping the knife, I staggered over to the closest wall.I put my hand on the light switch and reached out with my galvanism again.
The current running through the wall was much easier to access than what had been in the chair, and electricity flowed into my body, clearing my head, healing some of my injuries, and giving me a much-needed burst of energy.The lights flickered again, even more violently than before, but I kept channeling more power.
Crack!
Crack!Crack!
Crack!
Another round of gunshots rang out.I released my grip on the electricity.The lights stopped flickering, and everything in the lab returned to normal.
I tightened my grip on the bloody knife, went over to the open lab door, and staggered out into the corridor beyond.
I had to find Charlotte.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHARLOTTE
GabrielandJoandisappeareddown their respective corridors.I drew in a breath, then let it out and started exploring my own corridor.
I made my steps as soft as possible, although they rang out in my mind like gongs chiming one after another, announcing my presence to everyone in this cursed place.The corridor went on and on and on, making me feel like I was underwater, trudging through an unending tunnel of dull gray mud.
Even the metal doors with their small square glass windows didn’t break up the monotony of the space.I glanced through all the windows, but most of the rooms were empty, as though I was walking through a giant prison and all the inmates had escaped from their cells.I shivered and hurried on.
“Gabriel?Joan?”I whispered.“Anything in your corridors?”
They didn’t respond, and I didn’t hear the faint buzz of our comms anymore.Bryce might have realized we were here and jammed the signal, or the concrete walls could simply be too thick for our comms to work this far underground.No way to tell for certain, so I kept going.
I reached another junction, where the corridor branched left and right, as well as continuing straight ahead.I stuck to my current position in the center tunnel.With any luck, Gabriel and Joan would clear their sections quickly and catch up with me.
Crack!
Crack!Crack!
Crack!
Gunshots came from the left.I whirled around, but no one was sneaking up behind me, and the center corridor remained empty.I listened, but there were no more gunshots, and I didn’t hear the smallest whisper of sound.Whatever was happening was in a different part of the facility, and I just had to trust Gabriel and Joan to protect themselves.
