Blood Rebel [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty Three - Sewers

Richard Mason weaved through the corridors, stopping only to check he was going in the right direction. Behind him were two of the former prisoners who reached out and stabbed any oncoming Vampire guard with one of the silver blades, which gave the group enough time to pass by.

Selene ran as fast as she could, fearful of losing a man with such purpose. Behind her were Jackie and the other prisoners. Selene was aware that they had greeted Jackie with delight, some ruffling her hair, some throwing their arms around her, others smiling and punching her upper arm gently. Jackie received their attention with obvious enthusiasm, returning as good as she got. Their friendliness made Selene uncomfortable; she felt outnumbered and confused.

Richard Mason stopped in the middle of a corridor, and began to tap at individual bricks. Everyone watched in silence. They were far enough from the scream-filled hall now that they couldn’t hear it at all.

“It’s here somewhere. It should be here.” Richard’s hands began to tap faster.

“You said you knew where it was?” The prisoner with a scar across his lip stepped closer to the wall.

“I don’t know exactly. I’ve never actually done this before!”

Selene’s heart began to beat faster, as it occurred to her that escape was uncertain. Her breath caught in her throat when she heard a scream echoing back where they had come from.

“Feel that heat?” Asked one of the prisoners.

“The fire. It’s coming,” said another.

Selene looked back down the corridor, and could just see the orange flames leaping into the narrow corridor, licking the distant doorframe with its many forked tongues that moved and changed and danced in waves of red, gold, orange, crowned with heavy dark smoke.

“Hurry!” Said Jackie, pushing towards the wall and beginning to tap the bricks herself.

Suddenly a loud crunching noise interrupted their panic, and part of the floor just ahead of where they stood in the corridor slid away, revealing a dark hole in the ground.

“This doesn’t look good,” said Selene, beginning to panic as the heat of the fire seemed to beat at them from every direction.

“Trust me,” said Richard, pulling her over towards the trap door where she stopped, teetering on the edge, her white dancing shoes poking over into dankness.

“Don’t stand there gawping. Come on!” Jackie pressed her body against Selene’s in her hurry to get out. It smelt like Vampire sewage, the raw scent floating up and choking them as they breathed the last of the clean air. Selene nearly retched, but didn’t have time before she felt herself being pushed into the hole, tripping down the algae covered steps that descended into darkness, followed rapidly by Jackie, whose entire weight fell on her. She landed flat in the rust-red Vampire sewage, its acidity stinging her eyes and skin. She pushed Jackie off her and struggled to come up for air. 

“This is disgusting,” exploded Jackie, trying to wipe it off her face and eyes.

“Wait, listen. What’s that?” said Richard Mason, who still stood above them in the corridor, standing completely still, and listening intently. Selene could just see his head in the square of the hole over her head. 

“I don’t hear anything,” said Jackie, anxious to keep moving.

“I do,” said Selene, as she heard the desperate calls of her name from above. Hector was coming down the corridor. “He’s followed my scent.”

“They can’t detect it once we’re in the sewer. He’ll lose it soon. You smell like Vampire shit now,” said the prisoner with the scar on his lip, as his hulking form slipped down the steps and into the sewage.