Eternal Faith - Book 4 (The Ruby Ring Saga) (15 page)

I
aimed for the man’s leg and let off a few shots. I rushed toward Della so I
could reach for her hand.

“I
see her! The pregnant one!” a man shouted.

“I
see the skinny one!” another said. He aimed his gun at Della and pulled the
trigger.

Then,
just like that, she screamed in agony as the bullet tore through her shoulder.

D
ella
had been shot, and my heart raced as she crashed to the ground.

“Della!”
I shouted, rushing over and realizing our plan was going horribly wrong.

When
I glanced up, I gasped. The other guard came at me with the stun gun. I assumed
that since they weren’t pointing a real gun at me, I had to be very valuable to
them for some reason. I swung my leg in a semicircular motion, delivering a
Muay Thai high roundhouse kick. It was the only move I remembered from a
self-defense class I’d taken with Beth ages ago, but it did the job, and the
brute fell to the floor.  

Grunting,
the guard kicked and swept my feet out from under me. I tumbled back, crashing
to the floor, still gripping the gun tight. He might’ve gained the upper hand for
the moment, but it only meant I’d have to fight harder. I rolled aside to dodge
a blow from his steel-toed boot and scrambled to my feet.

Using
my forearm to block, I dodged more quick jabs to the chest, then kicked a
sideways blow into the man’s side. He stumbled to the ground, scooted back, and
jumped to his feet, then lurched at me. I wrapped my fingers around the trigger
and squeezed. The man’s body jerked and convulsed as he crumpled to the ground.

Finally,
Della gripped my hand once more.

“Where’d
she go?” the man asked.

I
grabbed the collar of the man’s shirt and kicked him in the nuts, stunning and
crippling him just long enough for Della to yank me out of the cell and slam
the door shut, locking the men inside.

I
stuffed the gun into my waistband, covered the open wound on her shoulder with
my hands, and pressed hard to stop the bleeding. Della winced as rivers of warm
crimson oozed out between my fingers.

“You’re
losing lots of blood,” I said.

She
drew in a sharp breath. “I cannot believe the power of your weapons.”

“He
nailed you good.” I stared at the torn tissue. I wasn’t a doctor, but it looked
pretty bad to me. I ran over to a table by the window and pulled off a
tablecloth, sending a vase of flowers crashing to the floor. Frantically, I started
to wrap Della’s wound.

“We
haven’t the time for first aid, Sarah...and I don’t need
you
to be my
nursemaid.”

“Do
you want to leave a blood trail for them to follow?” I asked, tying the cloth
securely around her shoulder as she winced in pain.

“No.
I suppose you’re right,” she said, moaning.

Once
her wound was wrapped tightly, I opened the door and peeked out. The hall
appeared to be empty, which was a lucky break for us. We turned left and raced
through the deserted corridor. Red lights flashed, casting an eerie crimson
glow, and the sound of marching boots echoed from somewhere in the distance. My
jaw dropped as a platoon of soldiers stretched across the hall, the scene
playing out in slow motion.

As
we raced down the winding corridors, high-pitched sirens blasted in my ears. I
blinked, shielding my eyes from the flashing red lights beaming from the
ceiling. Soldiers appeared behind us and rushed past, and I had never been so
thankful to be invisible. I unclenched my fists and let out a breath, relieved
that no one had seen through our little façade—at least not yet.

Just
a few feet ahead of us, the passageway split off in a fork. I leaned against
the wall as I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of what lay hidden beyond the
long corridors. A sudden rush of energy flooded through me, and I leaned on the
wall. I needed my medicine, but the Immortals had stolen it from me. I squinted
as the energy transferred from my feet to my hands and then to my head. It felt
as if it was being bounced around.

Della
looked at me. “Shall we go left or right?”

“Left,”
I suggested, a random guess.

As
well as I’d tried to bandage Della’s wound, I was no nurse, and her shoulder
was bleeding profusely. A soldier pointed at the puddle of blood by our feet. “They’re
right there!”

Dozens
of red beams split the air as attackers rushed forward. Crackling and whistling
echoed all around me, and my heart pounded so hard it felt like it might
explode. Breathing hard, I flattened myself against the pillar and peeked out.
I took aim and focused. The first shot missed, but I positioned the gun again
and let out another blast, followed by two more, and three guards fell
backward.

Another
round of laser fire ripped past. I dodged and hid behind the pillar, taking a
quick breath to calm my nerves. My grip on the gun tightened. I rolled back out
and shot four more guards before taking cover. They returned fire, unleashing
all their fury. The scene reminded me of a light show at a Mega Scream concert
Beth had forced me to watch a few years back, except now, there was far more at
risk than my eardrums.

I
returned a rapid shower of fire, my marksmanship surprising me as more soldiers
flew backward. I aimed and fired again and again, watching our enemies fall in
every direction, but like a swarm of insects, more just kept coming.

A
flash of blue caught my eye, their trademark Immortal ring.

“An
Immortal!” Della said, her mouth gaping. “Run!” she shouted.

The
Immortal threw his hand forward and shot out showers of bright sparks, followed
by trains of white and yellow. I ducked behind the pillar as hot particles
rained down. He threw more spheres of light, and the spinning ball changed
color, from brilliant red to dazzling orange to lime green, like a Fourth of
July fireworks show, only far more deadly. A whistling roar echoed as the ball
flew past. An electrical crackle filled the air, and thick, black smoke erupted
as the fireball blazed across the corridor, leaving a trail of yellow sparks
behind.

If
only I had my fire balls to fight back.

The
explosion sent me staggering backward, as if someone had just kicked me in the
gut. I fell to the floor on my side, shielding my face from the yellow flames
and black smoke that threatened to engulf me. My eyes continued to water, my
lungs burning with the pressure building inside. The fumes made my nose and
throat sting as heat singed my flesh. I looked for Della through the smoke, but
I didn’t see her anywhere. I didn’t know if they had grabbed her or if she’d
just darted off without me, which I wouldn’t have put past her.

Aiming
for the Immortal, I fired off a series of shots. He fell backward, crashing to
the ground. I couldn’t see anymore, because he was obscured by the leaping
flames. I heard soldiers’ voices all around me as the fire crackled. The
corridor lights flickered, then went out. Droplets of water pounded down on me,
falling over my head like rain, courtesy of the fire prevention sprinklers. I
blinked through the water that was dripping down my face. Without another
thought, I bolted down the hall. I knew the building had to have an exit, and I
desperately needed to find it.

The
red lights continued to flash, the stench of acrid fumes lingered, and the
sound of marching boots echoed somewhere in the distance. The place was armed
to the hilt, and I wasn’t sure how I’d get past all the security, but I knew
there had to be a way. Letting out a long sigh, I squinted and swallowed hard.
I couldn’t stay there on my own. I needed Della and her invisibility, or I would
never get out of there alive; fighting Immortals without my powers was an
impossible task.

Following
the slow curve of the corridor, I scanned the darkness through the water
pouring down from the ceiling, stifling the remaining flames. I raced down the
long hall as a red blast of energy bounced off the wall, missing my head by mere
inches. I shrieked and cowered down, then dashed around the corner. The
soldiers continued to shoot blindly, their red beams crisscrossing the air,
cutting through the wet curtain.

I
leapt forward and slipped in a puddle, causing me to fall down. It was even
more difficult to move and run because of my pregnancy, but ironically, that
was even more motivation to get out of there alive. The sirens continued to
blare in the distance, and I knew I had to find someplace to hide before the
soldiers found me. I scrambled to my feet and spun and, much to my relief,
spotted a door, marked with gender symbols: the Venus symbol, a circle with a
cross beneath it; and the Mars symbol, a circle with a diagonal arrow. I fidgeted
in front of the door for a moment, wondering if it was just a unisex bathroom
or something more sinister. I closed my eyes to focus for a split second, then
shot the lock. The sound reverberating from the walls was barely audible among
the gushing water and guns around the corner.

The
door slid open, and I jumped inside before it closed again. I instantly raised
my gun. It would have been a jump-out-of-my-seat moment, except for the fact
that I was already on my feet. My pulse pounded in my ears as I swept the room
with my weapon. There were no footsteps or anything else to signify that anyone
else was there. I heaved another big sigh of relief and took a look around.

One
entire wall was covered with control panels, and the only light was coming from
the back of the room. I stared in horror at the rectangular capsules extending
from the floor to the ceiling, each of them containing a person.
Human
hibernation pods? Are these the missing people from television? What’s going on
here?

“Oh,
Alexander,” I said. “Anyone who would do something like this is a monster.
Mommy has to get you out of here.”

A
lump formed at the back of my throat as I realized people really had been abducted
off the streets for experiments. I took a step back, my entire body suddenly
shaking. The door opened, and voices made me flinch. I took cover behind a
large container, my ears straining to place the hard thuds. Footsteps approached,
then retreated again, and then there came another voice. Someone was there, and
I could only hope no one had seen me.

I
wiped my sweaty palms on my pants as my heart skipped a beat. As much as I
wanted to investigate further and to see if I could help, my curiosity would
have to wait. The thought of my brain floating around in a specimen jar freaked
me out big time, so being found wasn’t an option, but I didn’t know where to
hide.

“We’ll
check that room in a minute,” said a voice. “First, this one over here.”

I
stuffed the gun in my pocket, careful not to make any noise, and hurried over
to one of the empty capsules. The glass lid was open, so I slipped inside and
closed it, leaving it ajar just a fraction of an inch, as I didn’t want to trap
myself in any kind of Space Age tomb. The narrow space reminded me of a coffin.
The air seemed stale, devoid of oxygen. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my
racing heart, but I couldn’t quiet the sudden panic that threatened to
overwhelm me. I took a deep breath, chanting over and over to myself that I
wasn’t stuck. The key was to stay focused and avoid panicking, so I crossed my
arms over my chest like the other captives and waited.

The
door slid open, and voices and footsteps carried through the silence of the
room.

I
sucked in my breath as rivulets of sweat started to run down my spine. I could
only hope I looked like the countless other sleeping humans.

“Look
at the puddle of water,” said a voice. “They’ve been here.”

The
water was a dead giveaway.
Where’s a mop when you need one?
I clenched
my fists, hoping they wouldn’t figure out I’d climbed into an empty pod.

“They’re
gone now,” a female voice said. “Move to the next room and find them quickly.”

I
let out a tiny, silent breath. I hadn’t been discovered, and while it was a small
victory, it was a good one nonetheless. Crackling like fire echoed around me. I
craned my neck, but I couldn’t see beyond the vapors surrounding me. A smell
that reminded me of laughing gas from the dentist’s office tickled my noise and
made my eyes water. Before I could stop myself, I sneezed, the voice cutting
through my eardrum like a knife.

“Sir,
I think this one’s still awake,” said a female soldier.

They’ve
spotted me!
My heart thrummed in my chest.

“Not
for long.” A gloved hand appeared and shut the lid tight, trapping me in the
confined space. “Dr. Larson just brought back five human test subjects. I bet
his assistant slipped up again.”

“Good
thing we spotted the human,” she said. “We can’t have our human test subjects
wandering around in a daze.”

They
didn’t know it was
me
. They thought I was one of the human test subjects.
I suddenly realized I might actually be stuck in that claustrophobic capsule
forever. My eyes fluttered wide open, and I lurched up. I hit the thick glass
with my palms as three distorted figures turned their back on me and headed for
the door. Quiet returned to the room, other than the sound of my own heart
hammering like a drum in my ears. I had no idea how to get out of the death
trap, but I felt around for a latch or something. The sides felt as smooth and
cold as marble. I pounded on the glass with my fists and screamed, “Get me out
of here!” Nothing stirred, no one came to my rescue, and I realized that no one
could hear me.

T
he
strange light coming from the capsule bathed me, and I felt a sudden flow of
energy surround me. My hands thumped against the glass until they throbbed. The
smell of gas hung in the air, and wisps of glowing green mist floated above me.
I coughed between jagged breaths and covered my nose and mouth with my
stretched shirt. A strange sensation crept over my body. My palms, feet, and
lips tingled; my eyelids felt heavy. I tried to move my arms and legs, but they
felt like logs. The fog engulfed me, and my vision blurred. “I have to fight
this!” I screamed to no one. My mind raced to find a way out, but I couldn’t
think straight. Whatever happened, I knew I could not let myself pass out.

Locked
in a glass capsule, I tried not to panic, but that seemed impossible with all
the green fumes swirling all around me.

I
coughed and wiped my burning eyes, then shuddered as I thought about my son,
who was just as trapped as I was. Guilt overwhelmed me, and I pounded the glass
until my fists burned and throbbed. The pain couldn’t even compare to what my
heart felt at that moment. I wondered why fate insisted on bestowing that
wonderful honor on me, on dragging me through all of the Ethano crap, only to
fail.

Panic
gripped me again as I held the collar of my shirt over my nose. I knew I needed
to quiet my mind from all other thoughts and relax my entire body so I could
stay calm enough to think.

I
laughed at myself. “Right. I’m gonna relax when...” I broke off, coughing. “...when
I can’t breathe.” I touched my stomach and told my son not to panic. My mind
buzzed as a wave of tranquility washed over me.

I closed my eyes
again. Keeping quiet didn’t mean I was giving up, yet I couldn’t stop thinking
I shouldn’t go down without a fight. My mind absorbed the calm with deep
breaths, slowly starting to feel at peace.

Find
an anchor to settle your mind.

Victor
popped into my head, and I thought about our mind-blowing kiss on our wedding
day.

I
peered around at the smooth walls, and an idea struck me.
Why not shoot my
way out?
I realized that the gas was affecting my head, keeping me from
thinking straight. Had I not been so disoriented, I would have already thought
of it. I pulled the gun out of my pocket, hoping the capsule wasn’t bulletproof,
and I pointed to the left and squeezed the trigger. A bright flash of red light
absorbed into the glass, running the length of the capsule like bolts of
lightning. I fired three more times. It didn’t seem to be working, but I hoped
maybe the beams would weaken the glass. I fussed with the tiny buttons, hoping
to turn up the power. I fired and fired until my fingers ached and my ears
throbbed from the noise.

Hissing
and crackling filled the air, like the sound of ice melting on a hot bed of
coal. The capsule shook, and a dozen long cracks appeared over me. Covering my
face with my sleeve, I kicked with all my might. On the third attempt, the
glass shattered. I climbed out hastily, nearly falling over, as a wave of
dizziness swept over me. My legs buckled under me, numb and tingling with pins
and needles, but the cold floor felt good to the touch, slowly returning me to
my senses. I drew a deep breath and coughed, for it had certainly been one of
those too-close-for-comfort moments.

I
stood and walked over to touch the glass on a capsule. A woman was lying inside
it with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes closed as if she were dead.
Soft white light surrounded her, shining on her face and body like an aura. She
looked just like an angel with her ruby-red lips, porcelain skin, and high
cheekbones. Her long, sun-kissed, blonde hair flowed in waves over her
shoulders, and she was dressed in a white dress with white heels. As I gazed at
her, I realized she looked familiar. I placed my palm on the glass pod. “I’ll
come back, Lynn, I swear. I’ll get help,” I choked out, vowing that I wouldn’t
leave her to her fate, in spite of how cruel and critical she’d been to me at
the theater.

Unable
to leave just yet, I glanced up at all the pods, from ceiling to floor, peering
at one face after another. They looked so tranquil, almost peacefully dead, and
for a moment, I thought I was staring at corpses, but then I saw their chests
rising slightly. I wasn’t sure how long they would live, but for the time
being, they were breathing. I knew if I didn’t get going, we’d all meet again
in the afterlife, sooner than any of us wanted to. I swallowed hard rehashing
everything once again in my mind. I really didn’t want to leave Della or any of
the other captives there, but I was pregnant, powerless, and without backup, so
there was little I could do for them. I had to get out of there alive, and then
I’d send help.

I
closed my eyes briefly as I was struck with a vision. Della was only a corridor
away, hiding behind a silver pillar tucked back in a nook. The vision ended as
fast as it came, and again I wished I could control my gift of sight.

Scurrying
down the corridor, I briskly walked ahead, but some movement to my left caught
my attention. I looked up at the body that was hunched together behind a silver
pillar. “Della!”

“Sarah,”
she whispered, panting between breaths. “I was certain they captured you.”

“I
found this room and...oh my gosh, Della, they’ve kidnapped so many people!” I
said. “They’ve got them in these strange pods, like coffins, but they’re all
still alive I think.” I stared at her for a moment, unable to comprehend how
anyone could—reward or not—abduct people to hand them over for the sake of
conducting cruel experiments, knowing full well the victims would suffer at the
hands of the Immortals. I gripped her hands. “Are you ready? We have to get out
of here and send help back to rescue these people.”

Her
answer came in ragged breaths. “Yes.”

I
wiped my eyes with my sleeve, then cleared my throat. “Good. Let’s go.”

We
walked down the corridor and saw a few men carrying boxes.

“This
is the last load,” one man said.

When
we were out of hearing distance, I whispered to Della, “They’re still loading
up supplies. That means the helicopter hasn’t left yet!”

“Let’s
follow them!” she said.

I
nodded.

We
opened the door to the roof, allowing a burst of wind to whip through my hair. I
blinked against the unnaturally bright light, my eyes slowly but surely
regaining focus. My jaw dropped when I met the gaze of the Immortals I’d seen
in the operating room. Luckily, they couldn’t see me, and I prayed the guise
would hold up. The door to the helicopter was open, and they were stacking
boxes inside it. Della gently pulled me past the Immortals, and we climbed into
the helicopter and sneaked into the back.

My
heart pounded. We were so close to escaping, but the voices outside were making
me nervous. A vision struck, and I watched it play out before my very eyes.

I
was on the roof, standing next to the others. The tall man motioned to the
helicopter pilot to go ahead and leave. Then the vision focused on Della and me
hiding. Della patted my hand, and I let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, the
vision took me back to the roof.

As
the helicopter took off into the blue sky, I could hear the pilot talking into
the radio. “Hey, I’ve got two women in this helicopter, and one’s bleeding
profusely. I request permission to land.”

“How
did they get in the helicopter?” a deep voice said.

“Their
powers returned,” somebody said.

“But
they’re supposed to be powerless for at least a month,” a woman said.

“They’re
not our kind, so the injection must have reacted differently in their bodies.
Maybe it just wore off.”

“That
would make them armed and dangerous,” the man said.

“Let’s
just kill them,” the woman said.

“The
pregnant Immortal is way too valuable.”

“We
need to dispose of both. The brunette might have the compatible DNA we need,
but she’s too unstable.”

“I
can make it work,” the man argued.

“Dispose
of the women,” a familiar voice ordered, the green-eyed doctor’s. “We need the
men they came with, their husbands. I have no more use for these women. We’ve
got enough data on Della and Sarah is dying anyway. What we need is healthy
specimens. And both our test subjects are far from that.”

“I
agree,” another woman said. “Della is all used up. There’s nothing more we can
get from her. I already put in a request to have her euthanized next week. And what
good is the other one when she’s dying?”

Droplets
of sweat rolled down my face. I huddled behind the boxes, wondering how they
were going to dispose of us. Della and I didn’t dare talk to each other,
because we couldn’t risk being found out, even though my vision told me it was
inevitable.  

The
radio crackled. “Do I have permission to land? Over.”

“Just
take the ladies with you,” the doctor said.

“But,
sir—”

The
doctor talked into his walkie-talkie. “Escort them to your destination. We’ll
have a medic waiting. We’re not an emergency room, and we don’t have the proper
equipment to save the woman’s life. That’s why we put her on the helicopter
with you.”

“I
wasn’t given that information, sir.”

“Just
get them to the waiting ambulance, or I’ll hold you responsible for the woman’s
death.”

“Yes,
sir,” the pilot conceded.

The
doctor lifted his hands, and the winds started to pick up, blowing at
incredible speeds. The helicopter started to spin as the lady with her black
hair tied up into a bun threw giant, leaping flames. With a loud, thunderous
boom
,
the helicopter exploded.

Another
woman rushed onto the roof. “You idiots! I needed the new test subject alive.”

The
man shrugged. “Too late. She’s dead now, along with her wretched companion.”

“But
I needed them alive, and you killed my most dependable pilot. Do you have any
idea how long it took me to find him?”

“Mortals
are expendable,” the doctor said. “You know that. It doesn’t take any great
skill to fly this metal contraption. We can get another pilot within a day.”

“No
living beings are expendable!” the woman snapped.

“Pssh!
They are less than the dirt under my boot,” the man roared.

Suddenly,
I was transported back into normal time, horrified that the Immortals were
going to blow the helicopter up with us aboard. I let go of Della’s hand,
scooted up to the pilot, and tried to warn him, but he thought I was nuts and
demanded to know who I was. I didn’t have time to argue with him. When he
radioed in that two women were aboard, I knew my vision was becoming a reality.
“Listen, Della,” I said, “they’re gonna blow up this helicopter! We can’t stay
onboard.”

Fortunately,
Della believed me. Her eyes widened. “I’ll make us invisible, and we’ll jump
off.”

“Let’s
go,” I said.

Gripping
her hand, we climbed out of the helicopter quietly as possible. The Immortals
were arguing and engrossed in the conversation. I held my breath as I took
steps past them, praying and hoping they wouldn’t know what we were doing.

When
a group of Immortals opened the door to the roof and came out, we took advantage
of the opportunity and rushed right past them. A loud
boom
echoed, and I
stopped midstride.

“Your
vision was correct,” Della said.

“Spot
on.” I sucked in a deep gulp of air, glad we hadn’t been on that whirlybird
when the whole thing had gone up in smoke and flames.

Della
gave me a tug, and we continued. We made it down the stairs and followed the
maze of corridors. We turned around the bend and stopped in our tracks. A
chilly wave rushed over me, and I panicked as a group of soldiers strode toward
us. We were sadly outnumbered, but I set my jaw and raised my chin a notch,
ready to kick my way out of there if I had to. I refused to let anyone kill my
precious miracle, my beautiful baby boy, and I’d die fighting if I had to.