Page 45 of The Heir
"Melody!" I bellow. "I've got the keys!"
Melody doesn't respond. I swivel my head and find her beating Ella's head into the ground. Blood splatter sprays my wife's gorgeous face. God, she's ethereal.
I run over and place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Love, come on. Let's get the others."
"Huh?" Melody looks up at me with confusion. "Others?"
"I know Helena's here, come on, love," I urge. "We can get Melnyk, and Nihil, and Forge—"
"—we can't," Melody interrupts. "We can't get Forge."
"What? Why no—it doesn't matter. We can talk later, love. Let's go, please!" I yank on her shirt, pleading with her. She stumbles back, rubbing the heel of her hand inher eye. My wife looks at me with mildly unfocused eyes before nodding.
I grasp her hand in mine and pull her behind me, sprinting back into the godforsaken prison. Melody staggers, panting heavily. We race down darkened hall after darkened hall.
"Helena! Melnyk! Anybody!" I shout. "We're leaving, where are you?"
Just barely audible over Melody's heavy breathing and discomforted whimpers, I hear a wailing scream. It sounds like Helena, and it sounds like it's coming from above. Fuck. I know Ella and Hannah are still alive. There's no way a few shoves killed them. We are on a serious time crunch, and Melody's inebriated state isn't helping.
"Melody, darling," I wheeze out. "Can you get Helena? Can you do that for me?"
"What? You're leaving me?" Tears fill her beautiful honey-brown eyes, and her lower lip wobbles. "No, you can't leave me!"
I curse under my breath. I don't want to leave her, but it would be so much faster if we split up. I sigh. "You're right, love. I'm sorry. But please, hurry!"
Maybe it's the urgency in my voice. Maybe it's the darkness surrounding us. Maybe it's both or nothing, but Melodyruns. Whatever drug Ella injected her with seems to have given her shocking speed. She runs downthe darkened hall, huffing and panting, with her head on a swivel. Helena's muffled voice yells out again, and Melody corrects course. She bounds toward an illuminated staircase and jumps up the steps—taking them two at a time, sometimes three—with her hand clamped over mine.
We burst through the door and find Helena's waving arms sticking out of another cell.
"Over here! Where are you? How?" Helena shouts.
Melody's eyes widen, and she releases my hand, scampering over to Helena. "Oh, honey. What did they do to you?"
"What did they do toyou?"Helena gasps. "Oh, god. Oh, fuck. Get me out of here—please!"
"Where are the others?" I demand and shove the keyring into Melody's hand. "Here, try these, love."
"Melnyk is down the hall—but I haven't heard him in a few days," Helena sobs. "I'm sorry—I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if he's alive."
Fuck. I turn to Melody and force her to look in my eyes. "Love, listen to me. I'm coming back, okay? I'm not leaving you. I'm going to check on our friend. Keep trying to get Helena out, alright?"
"I promise," Melody whispers, fiddling with the keys. Her eyes still have that glassy, red look. My heart lurches in my throat. I don't know what the fuck Ella gave her, and it's scaring me. But I have to get Melnyk. Ihave to get our allies. I have to get us out. I've failed everyone—so many times—I have to do this.
Gritting my teeth, I nod and kiss her forehead. She giggles, still poking keys into the lock. "Go, babe."
And I do. I run down the hall, peering into each cell. They're all in such disrepair that I nearly miss Melnyk's huddled form. All the air escapes my lungs as I look down on the man. He lies in the prison cot, and I can't tell if he's breathing. He's not moving. He's not fucking moving.
"Melnyk!" I yell, rattling the bars. "Wake up, come on, please!"
He doesn't move. The thin mattress under him shows signs of intense sweating, as if he has a fever. The harsh light shows beads of perspiration marking his forehead and neck. Something sickly yellow crusts the corners of his mouth. I hold my breath and watch him intently.
Relief floods my veins when I see his chest rise and fall with labored breaths. They're slow—much slower than I'd like—but heisalive.
"Melody!" I shout down the hallway. "I found him—hurry!"
Melnyk flinches at the sound of my voice, and I inhale a sharp gasp. "Melnyk?"
"Mm?" He cracks a bleary eye open and tilts his head toward me. "You?"
