The Vampire's Last Omega

Leap of Faith

The shock wore off. Blaise snapped back to reality at the sound of rushing water. He didn't panic, unlike the person next to him looking around wildly. After participating in countless wars and intense situations, keeping his cool was required to get out alive.

"Oof!" Lucas heaved when Blaise suddenly hoisted him onto his back again. "There has...never been a flood! What do...we do?!"

"All you have to do is listen to me and stay put. Don't get down unless I say so. Hold on tight."

The very last thing Lucas needed was to get wet. If he were to have a dunk in that freezing water, he'd done for. His body was already weak. It wouldn't be able to handle a case of hypothermia, too.

The strikes of lightning above faintly rattled the cave. For the vibrations to reach down here, the storm must have been astronomical. Kieran and Teru crossed his mind. Wherever they were, he hoped they were somewhere on higher ground.

Because being in a cave was the worst place to be during a flash flood.

Blaise studied the doorway leading to Fat Man's Misery, water surging through it to fill the room. There was no way to use that route again. They'd have to find a different exit. The only choice was to keep going, and fast.

Lucas pointed to the opposite tunnel of the relief hall, completely dark. "That way."

Blaise ran into the unknown, splashing the water that was up to his ankles now.

I've had my fair share of being stuck in floods and watery graves, but never this far underground. This is new territory for me!

But, no matter what happened, Blaise had to stay calm. If the both of them were to lose their marbles, it would be a death sentence.

As he trekked further in, it was dry. That was a good sign. The flood hadn't reached over here yet.

Soon, there were two tunnels. The pheromone trail leading to the left one was brighter. Blaise leaned a little into its entrance, listening. In the distance was gurgling and bubbling.

"Down there," Lucas said, "is River Styx. Styx Pack...owned it."

Blaise stepped back. "I can tell that it's completely underwater. What about the other? Where does it go?"

"I...don't know. That tunnel...doesn't belong to the Valley Pack, too. We were always...fighting over the territory with them. My pack was...in charge of the upper tunnels. Styx...used the deeper sections of the cave."

Blaise eyed the second tunnel. There were barely any pheromones. Having no choice, he put on his big-boy pants and went inside. He treaded slowly because the ground was unstable from the earthquakes. He immediately loathed the tubular passage as much as Fat Man's Misery. The walls lowered. Though the sides widened, it was awkward to kneel. The ceiling was uneven. The path had random dips and holes. Sometimes he stumbled on a newly formed crack.

The glow stick changed colors. White. Almost a full day had passed.

Blaise squinted, trying to see ahead. It seemed to open up! The pheromones sparkled slightly more, but not by much. At least it was something. If they were in an area without any colorful glitters to guide them, that would be serious trouble - no pheromones, no human presence, no way out.

Lucas saw the opening, too. He extended his arm out so the glow stick could lighten ahead. Blaise stopped.

"What's that?" Lucas asked.

The vampire looked up, neck craning all the way to see upwards. Oh, heavens! Centuries-old steel beams formed flights of stairs. The rusty pipes were still held together, welded before the vampire takeover.

Their light source couldn't reach the top. How far did it extend? Blaise wasn't a cave expert, but he knew the name for this natural, vertical formation.

"We are in a shaft."

"And we're...going to climb that?" Lucas wasn't comfortable with the idea. Blaise did not blame him. The stability was questionable.

BOOM. They heard a trickling sound from afar. Water was coming. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. The storm continued to rage above, more violent than earlier. BOOM.

The spiraling stairs swayed. Chunks of red and orange rust rained on them. It was now or never. Blaise started the climb, being wary of the random holes in each step eaten away over time by moisture. It didn't seem to be too high, probably four or six flights.

They passed the second floor-

RUMBLE.

The entire room shook.

"Shit!" He grabbed the handlebar, gripping it for dear life. His other hand clenched onto Lucas's handmade coat, but the animal skin disintegrated.

SNAP. CLANG.

That wasn't the only thing falling apart. The stairs leading to a possible way out would soon be nothing but a mangled pile on the ground. When the earthquake rocked harder, Lucas whined when he was slipping off.

The desperate vampire growled and raced as fast as could, hoping Lucas could keep his hold around his neck by himself. He tripped often, scraping his knees raw repeatedly and unable to heal. Blood dripped down his legs. His blood loss was worsening. Ah, he detested how crimson eyes looked on him!

It took all Blaise had not to lose his balance. If he did, they'd plummet to the freezing water pooling below. He knew falling into the water would not kill him. Kieran described him as a cockroach once, which was exactly what he was. It would take an apocalyptic disaster to take him out for good.

The shaking ceased. There may be aftershocks later.

CLANG. SNAP.

The cement that kept the poles in place split. Metal bent, creaking angrily. The stairs gave up. They were toppling over. The glow stick just barely illuminated the shaft's dome top, including an entrance to another tunnel where stairs led.

"I can't!" Lucas cried. He couldn't stay on anymore, sliding down.

Blaise took Lucas off his backside and cradled him, even though it'd be more challenging to climb. His gaze never left the small entrance that could lead them to higher ground. No matter what, he had to get Lucas up there.

His mind blanked as he sped up. Feet ricochetting off of falling pipes. Ignoring the shards slicing his body to protect the human in his grasp. Just focus on going up, and up, and up!

He cursed and stopped, feet skidding over the last floor. The distance to the door grew farther as the stairway collapsed on itself, already several body lengths apart. They were so close! Having no choice, Blaise sprinted a few steps and jumped before it fell with the rest.

CLASH. SPLASH.

"Ahhhhh!" he yelled, using his strength to hold Lucas up above his head. He chucked him into the opening and heard his body slide across the dirt inside. Safe.

As for himself...

Blaise didn't make it.