Phantom Shadows Part 36

The helicopter wobbled erratically as the pilots panicked.

The raptor wheeled around and dove straight for the nose of the copter. At the last second the eagle spread its wings and extended its legs forward. Its talons drove through the front windows, shattering gla.s.s and bending metal, and clutched the two pilots.

The engine whined as the helicopter began to spin. Deftly avoiding the blades, the eagle yanked the pilots through the shattered windows and dropped them like stones.

What. The. h.e.l.l.

Bastien barely noticed the helicopter crash and burn. His gaze followed the eagle as it swooped down and ducked into the forest.

Bullets struck Bastien.

Swearing, he turned the machine gun on the soldiers firing at him. When that bunch had fallen, he looked back at the forest, searching for the raptor.

David stepped from the trees.

s.h.i.+t. David could shape-s.h.i.+ft? n.o.body had told him immortals could shape-s.h.i.+ft.

The elder immortal was garbed all in black. As he strode into the melee, his long dreadlocks wove themselves into a braid and knotted at the base. His eyes flashed bright amber. He reached over his head and drew two drool-worthy Masamune swords.

I know Ami is here.

A chill accompanied that deep voice in Bastien's head.

If anything happens to her, you're dead.

David's large form blurred. More screams joined the chorus of others already splitting the night.

A bullet ripped through Bastien's thigh.

Shaking off the distractions, he leapt down and raced for the nearest soldier. The soldier's companions yelped when Bastien yanked him from their midst and ducked into the forest to feed on him.

As warm blood entered his veins, the virus swiftly began to repair the many wounds Bastien had suffered, pus.h.i.+ng bullets from his flesh, closing the holes, and stopping the bleeding.

The sun would crest the horizon soon. The towering trees around them would offer some protection, but all needed to be at full strength.

Dropping the soldier, Bastien returned to the battle.

Stuart did one more sweep of Sublevel 3. When he found no more survivors, he headed for the elevator shaft.

Two forms shot past in a blur. The other vampires.

Stuart liked Cliff. But didn't really know what to think about Joe. The blond vamp was throwing off some eerie vibes.

Since those two headed into Sublevel 2, Stuart leapfrogged up to the first bas.e.m.e.nt level.

This floor was all shot to s.h.i.+t. Huge, gaping holes in the ceiling let him see a sky brightening with approaching dawn. If this didn't end soon, whoever was left up here would die here, because he wasn't going to fry in the sun for anyone.

He had almost fried once right after he was turned. He hadn't understood what had happened to him and . . .

Stuart shuddered, remembering.

Fear trickled in. Or rather more fear. That immortal down on Sublevel 5 was freaking him out, staring at him with those fury-filled eyes every time Stuart delivered another walking wounded.

What the h.e.l.l was he so p.i.s.sed about? Stuart hadn't meant to bring all of this down on their heads. How was he supposed to know that tracking thing had been stuck in his head? He hadn't felt anything. The stupid drug the mercenaries had given him must have slowed the virus's ability to repair enough to keep the virus from pus.h.i.+ng the d.a.m.ned thing out. Or maybe they did something to keep it in there.

If he had known it was there, he would have cut it out himself. Probably. That s.h.i.+t had hurt. But the knowledge that someone was tracking him or stalking him was creepy. And irritating. Like the time his parents had secretly tracked him using a GPS device and busted him for going to a party that had had drugs and alcohol at it.

So it's not like he had wanted that thing in his head. Or wanted to help those human p.r.i.c.ks.

And wasn't Stuart helping the immortals and their human friends now to make up for it?

He was doing his part. Making up for his mistake.

Yet that a.s.s avenger on Sublevel 5 kept glaring at him as if he wanted to cut Stuart into little pieces.

Whatever.

Stuart studied every dusty, dirty lump and peered between chunks of ceiling and whatever the h.e.l.l used to be upstairs, looking for an arm or leg or any body part belonging to someone who might be trapped.

Beneath the screams and weapons fire outside (What the h.e.l.l was going on up there? It sounded like the f.u.c.king Band of Brothers!), a moan sounded.

Stuart traced it to a pile of granite tile beneath another hole in the ceiling. He started tossing rubble aside.

A woman. It was a woman. He grimaced when he saw the bone protruding from the pudgy arm he uncovered. Ugh! Nasty! Her leg was even worse. He really wasn't cut out for this c.r.a.p.

Her face, reddish-brown hair, and clothes were nearly white with dust. "Thank you," she huffed. "Thank you."

She raised her eyes, met his, and screamed.

"No-no!" Stuart held up his hands. "It's okay! It's cool. I'm here to help you."

The screaming stopped, thankfully, because this chick had a set of lungs.

She still looked scared as h.e.l.l though.

"It's okay," Stuart repeated and leaned down.

Debris s.h.i.+fted behind him.

Stuart swung around. A dozen human soldiers stalked toward him.

Oh s.h.i.+t. Okay. What should he do? He didn't have a weapon and these guys were armed out the a.s.s.

Grabbing huge hunks of cement and stone, he started hurling them at the soldiers at preternatural speeds.

He scored a lot of hits before the bullets started flying. Some struck him. Some missed. He thought one might have hit the woman at his feet because she screamed again and started crying.

p.i.s.sed off now, Stuart zipped around and came up behind the soldiers. He'd never broken someone's neck before. It was disturbingly easy.

Only three or four soldiers remained when Stuart had to dodge the first tranquilizer dart. If one of those hit him, he was a goner.

He had to go on the defensive then, dodging the deadly drug. Something hit him in the stomach and bounced to the ground. Ducking another dart, Stuart glanced down.

Oh s.h.i.+t! A grenade!

He leaped away.

Fire. Pain. Deafening noise.

He knew nothing else for he wasn't sure how long.

He was down. Something heavy was on top of him. He tried to move. One arm, two. One leg, two. He nearly wept he was so relieved. No missing limbs at least.

The woman continued to cry. He almost couldn't hear her for the ringing in his ears.

Stuart dug his way out of the rubble. The soldiers huddled around the woman. It looked like they were trying to fasten a harness or something around her. Were they going to take her prisoner?

A little wobbly on his feet, Stuart crept up behind them and snapped their necks.

The woman thanked him again and again as he lifted her into his arms and staggered back toward the elevator shaft.

Weird. She felt heavy. He should have been able to carry her above his head with one hand and twirl her like a pizza. But she felt heavy. And he felt tired. And thirsty.

He paused at the edge. "It's gonna be okay," he murmured and stepped off into air.

Instead of landing smoothly, he hit what was left of the elevator roof hard. Pain shot up his legs as he stumbled and nearly fell through the opening.

The woman screamed again and clung tightly to him.

"'s okay." Stuart dropped through into the elevator and started making his way through the throng down the long, seemingly endless hallway.

The human doctor-what was her name?-saw him coming. Face creased with concern, she waved two of the guards over to take the woman.

"Stuart?" the doctor said. "What happened?" She took his arm.

"Explosion." His vision was all wonky. The color was off or something.

"Come with me."

He trudged after her. His body hurt all over. Cramped. He felt like something was trying to eat him from the inside out. Like . . . like he had when he had first been transformed.

His fangs cut his lip. Salty blood hit his tongue. He needed to feed.

The doctor led him out of the hallway and into . . . He didn't know. He couldn't concentrate. He hurt too much.

She said something as she left him and opened a cabinet. Cold air rushed out and danced around his legs. A refrigerator?

She walked back toward him, held something out. ". . . losing a lot of blood . . . not healing . . . need to feed."

Yes, he did need to feed.

Knocking whatever she held aside, he grabbed her arm, yanked her close, and sank his fangs into her neck.

Sweet, sweet relief.

He nearly wept with it as the cramping ceased and the pain began to recede.

Cliff waited while Joe handed off another wounded employee to the guards in the tunnel. "We're both pretty banged up," he told his friend. "Let's stop off and get some blood before we go back."

Joe nodded.

Cliff didn't need the blood so much himself. But Joe was looking a little ragged. He'd been injured. The scent of blood was every-freaking-where. And they'd had to take out some human soldiers who had infiltrated the upper floors. Cliff worried that the strain of everything might send Joe over the edge. If he replenished what he'd lost, maybe it would help him maintain control.

Cliff nodded to the immortal by the tunnel, unsurprised when the large warrior didn't nod back. Marcus, he'd heard one of the guards call him.

Marcus looked p.i.s.sed and ready to rip everyone to shreds as he stood sentinel in front of a pretty, pet.i.te woman with red hair. Her eyes were closed, her brow furrowed as if she were concentrating very hard on something. Maybe she was an immortal with one of those cool gifts.

Joe made his silent way to the lab they both had frequented so many times. Dr. Lipton kept a special refrigerator stocked with blood in there.

Cliff followed. The crowd in the hallway began to thin. There were still a h.e.l.l of a lot of explosions overhead, though, and quite a few humans trapped on Sublevel 2, so he thought this thing was far from over.

A few steps inside the lab, Joe stopped short.

Cliff b.u.mped into his back. "What is it?"

Joe didn't answer.

Cliff stepped around him and felt his heart drop into his stomach.

The new vampire was down on the floor with Dr. Lipton in his lap, his fangs buried deep in her neck.

"What the f.u.c.k are you doing?" Cliff bellowed and rushed forward.

Stuart raised his head and snarled something.

Dr. Lipton lay still, eyes closed, blood trailing down her neck.

Cliff lifted her with care, then backhanded Stuart, sending him flying across the room to shatter the already cracked sheetrock on the far wall. "Dr. Lipton?" He placed his hand on her neck to try to stanch the flow of blood. "Melanie?"

Joe watched with wild eyes. "I can't hear a heartbeat."

Neither could Cliff. He'd like to think it was because there was so d.a.m.ned much other noise going on, but . . .

She was pale. Her lips were blue.

"What happened?" Stuart asked, slumped across the room.

Joe turned blazing eyes on the vampire. "You killed her! You f.u.c.king killed her!"