Hunters

Chapter 7

Cold coated Rachel's very bones, sending her body into a trembling fit. Everything hurt as if a herd of rhinoceroses had trampled her. She moaned and opened one eye. Nothing. Velvety darkness surrounded her. All lay silent and damp. Her head swam together with her stomach.

She tried to move, to press her hands against her temples, but her body refused to obey. What had they injected her with? It even hurt to blink, not to mention breathe. Every time she filled her lungs it stung as though a hedgehog had taken residence inside her rib cage. An annoying itch stung her left shoulder.

She gasped. What time was it? Was Daniel...? Her throat tightened at the thought. He couldn't be dead!

Gathering the little strength she had, Rachel urged her body to move. She managed to roll to her stomach and pushed herself into a sitting position, with her back pressing against the wall. The effort provoked a coughing fit and she was suddenly aware of her lungs. Tears filled her eyes. As hard as she tried, she couldn't pull herself together and at least try to get out of there.

Feeling like a helpless child, she hugged her knees and let the tears flow. She didn't usually cry, but all that had happened in the last day was too much. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she was in a bar, pissed off at Daniel, and now, she might never see him again. Now, here she was in a pitch dark place, sitting on a rough stone floor, in complete silence, letting the waterworks flow.

Her insides turned icy cold. What did this fear and sense of no purpose mean? Why did the thought of Daniel dead terrify her so much? The idea of not seeing him, not touching him again was too much for her heart to process. She should be worried, he was her friend, but this was so much more. His face appeared in the darkness, dark blue eyes twinkling. She could hear his laughter, see his smile. That day back in Prague, when Cheryl was still alive, came to her mind. How he'd made her happier than she'd ever been with just one touch.

Hot determination filled her veins and dried her tears. No, she wouldn't let them do this!

Rachel unlocked her limbs, felt her way up the wall and pulled herself to her feet. Ignoring the millions of needles stinging her numb body, she moved to the right, feeling up the cold stone. She reached the adjoining wall, which turned out to be rough, iron bars.

Perfect! She wrapped her fingers tightly around them and pulled. Except for a pathetic rattle, nothing happened. Rachel frowned. They were supposed to come right off. She tried again, tugging harder. A louder rattle, but nothing else. Whatever was in that drug, it sapped her powers.

Rachel leaned her forehead against the damp iron, breathing deeply, trying to calm down.

Everything was wrong. She was weak and dizzy when she was supposed to be her strongest and help Daniel. If he wasn't dead already. Daniel dead, Cheryl dead, Chris hated her. Her eyes stung, trying to hold back a fresh wave of tears. Not the time to drown in self pity. But if Daniel was dead...No, don't think about that!

Tightening her grip on the iron bars, she clattered them. "Let me out, you assholes!" she yelled as loud as she could. "If you don't, I'll hunt all of you down and make you pay!"

A door slammed, sending an eerie echo through...wherever she was. From the way the sound bounced off the walls, she supposed there was a corridor on the other side of the bars. Quick footsteps pressed on the stone floor toward her, and stopped on the other side of her cell. She squinted, but she couldn't even make out a shadow. An earthy scent filled her nostrils. A man stood before her.

"I didn't expect you to be up already."

Rachel gasped. She recognized the voice. It was the Head Hunter. "Let me out," she said, trying to keep her voice calm.