Hurricane - Book 2

Chapter 2

TW in the Description
Thank you to skyellux_ for capturing my character so well!

Alberto POV

The smell of rancid water hit Alberto. He was in their prison—the black box with no oxygen left for him to breathe. The lid was thrown open, letting a flood of white light hit the water. The familiar hose fell with a splash.

Alberto looked at the emaciated body in his arms.

Luca.

It seemed like an eternity ago though Alberto knew it had only been moments. Moments ago, this body was lifeless in his arms. But now...

A small stream of bubbles escaped Luca's mouth.

He was alive.

A light had appeared inside Alberto. He didn't know where it came from. Or even what it was. But it was Gold. And it gave him hope. With strength that should have been impossible in his decrepit body, Alberto threw himself at the opening in their prison.

With a deafening cry, Alberto broke from the water and out of his prison. The guard below him didn't have a moment to react before dagger-like claws were upon him. Alberto lost himself. All the pain, the torment, the torture.... it came out of him in manic violence. He tore at the man's flesh. Then he sank his jaws into his throat. Blood filled Alberto's mouth as he ripped the man's windpipe from his body.

It was over in a moment. Alberto stood, blood dripping from his mouth, standing in a pool of crimson. But that was it. All the strength in his body... and he just spent it. His legs collapsed beneath him.

He looked at the black tank that he knew held Luca inside. He reached for it but was too weak. His outstretched hand fell into the gore around him as a dark tunnel began growing in his vision.

In the back of his mind, Alberto was only faintly aware of red lights flashing and the sound of alarms wailing through the ship.

UNKNOWN POV

The moment she broke free of her cage, she knew there was little time to escape. She shook herself, letting her Navy scales disappear to reveal dark brown skin. The metal spoke she had used to kill her captor lie on the ground. She picked it up, using it to pry open the locked door.

The doorframe broke with a loud SNAP, and she was in the hallway within seconds. She looked around. This ship was familiar. She had seen one like it before; a shipping vessel turned prison.

"There must be others." She began searching from room to room. But any room that might contain her brothers and sisters was locked. She didn't have time to free them. Not before being discovered.

But... she might have time to make sure this vessel never captured another one of her kind ever again.

She ran to the ship's engine room, avoiding guards as she went. In the bowels of the ship, hot pipes spouted steam, and pumps worked so loudly she could hardly hear herself walk.

"Hey!"

An engineer had snuck up on her in the din. She was on him in an instant. With a quiet snap, his neck was broken, and he slumped to the ground. She only had to search for a few moments before she found what she was looking for—the pressure valve.

Hitting a few buttons on the master console released the lock to the valve. She turned it. Instantly warnings appeared on the monitor beside her. That's what she was counting on. She turned the valve to max then, with a powerful kick, bent it beyond repair. Now, even if someone did find it, there would be no stopping the inevitable. The pressure would build.