“That’s it,” Paul said during the fourth night of training at the warehouse. “You did it.”
He moved to hug her, but she stepped away.
“I thought you were afraid of me. Afraid to touch me.”
Paul shook his head. “Not afraid. And I know the risks, what’s safe and what isn’t. Basic touch is all fine.”
They moved back together, the connection brief. Then they resumed Karen’s training.
She dove back into Paul’s mind. Paul’s outside appearance made him seem meek, but his mind was powerful, especially given his knowledge of Karen’s abilities. But if she could use suggestion on a knowing participant, an individual fighting against her and having a strong mind, then a normal unaware person would prove effortless. At least that was the assumption.
Karen concentrated, focusing on the simple task of making Paul feel the need to go to his car. She found the vehicle in his mind, showing it to him so that he could focus on nothing else and blocking out all other thoughts. She found the words “Go” and “To,” bringing them to the front of Paul’s mind. She flashed “Go,” then “To,” then the image of his car, repeating the barrage of images over and over in hypnotic fashion.
Seeing into his mind, Karen sensed Paul’s resistance. She increased Paul’s longing to urgency so that nothing would stop him from doing as she suggested. A knife layered in blood flashed between “Go” and “To” almost worked. She added a loaded gun to the sequence and set it on the driver’s seat. An assailant was coming for him, armed with a knife. Paul’s life was in danger. He needed to get to his car, to get to the gun.
Karen squinted, her focus one-hundred percent on Paul.
He was frightened and confused, not understanding what was happening. Paul got up and marched outside, behind the warehouse. Karen sensed relief fall over him as he drew nearer. He continued forward and out of sight, behind the pile of trash.
Karen was afraid of losing her connection with him, but held on until he opened his car door and climbed in. When the connection broke, her legs turned to jelly and she started to collapse. Morgan caught her.
“Whoa there,” he said.
Even speaking taxed her. “Did I do it?”
“Let’s ask the professor.”
Paul came trotting around the makeshift wall. “You did, Karen. You sure did.”
“Okay,” Morgan said. “Let’s get home and get you some rest. Tomorrow’s a big day—I return to the Murphy base and you get to worry about me being there.”
Chapter 45
Morgan crouched in the woods outside the Murphy compound, taking up the same location as his previous visit. He arrived shortly before sunrise, wanting to have the entire day for his stakeout. Eleven hours later and Morgan felt like he was watching a rerun. Nothing had changed. The place was like a ghost town apart from the guards changing shifts and scientists coming and going in their vehicles, Paul’s among them.
He sent text messages to Karen every four hours, letting her know he was okay. By seven p.m. Morgan was satisfied that he’d seen enough and was ready to leave when two black Sprinter vans like the ones from O’Hulahan’s exited the barn. Intrigued, he watched as the vehicles raced out of the compound and down the road. He heard the opening of a door and turned his attention back to the barn.
A door had opened, and soldiers, heavily armed, marched from the structure. They wore full body armor, helmets with face shields like riot police, but with guns instead of batons and shields.
The guards in the towers remained as they always were, clearly not a part of what was happening. The soldiers spread out along the fence closest to where Morgan lurked, lining up with their backs to him like a row of nutcracker soldiers on Christmas Eve, guns at the ready. Silence filled the air as if everything had frozen in time. Then: loud rock ’n roll music erupted from the P.A. system, obliterating the calm.
What kind of silly drill was The Murphy Unit running? Morgan rose to leave when he felt a painful sting in his back. Four more quickly followed. The music stopped and he heard the hustling of footfalls and hushed voices. Aware of what was happening, he spun in the direction of the assault.
Movement, numerous dark silhouettes in the forest—damn, he’d been tricked. The trucks that had left the compound were for him, filled with soldiers and sent to come in from behind, pinning him between them and the compound.
He turned back toward the fence as his body seared with agony from whatever they’d shot him with. The soldiers inside the compound faced him, the laser sites of their rifles focused on his chest. More stings bit at his body, and Morgan knew he’d made a mistake by underestimating his enemy.
He watched as the soldiers’ red lasers multiplied in number, his vision blurring. He attempted to run but fell flat on his face as the tranquilizers did their job.
Chapter 46
The knots in Karen’s stomach pulled tighter. It had been two hours since Morgan’s last communication. He said he’d be home no later than eight p.m. unless something came up, in which case he’d let her know. The routine had been the same for the past week and a half: home by eight p.m., eat dinner, then head to the warehouse and meet up with Paul. It was probably still too early to fret, but for some reason she couldn’t shake her worry.
Grabbing her cell phone, she dialed Paul’s number.
“Karen,” Paul said, answering his phone. “Where are you guys?”
“Morgan hasn’t come home yet. I think something happened.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Paul reassured. “He’s probably on his way back now. Maybe his phone broke or the battery died. It’s Morgan we’re talking about, remember? Hold on a second, Karen, my work phone is ringing.”
She could hear Paul’s side of the conversation.
“Right,” he said. “Okay…six a.m. No problem.” Silence followed for a moment, then: “Karen?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“I have to go in early tomorrow.”
“Did they say why?”
“No, but when they tell you to come, you obey.”
“You better head home then. We can work tomorrow night.”
“I can wait a little longer for you guys. It’s no problem. We can still get some work done.”
“Okay,” Karen said. “I’ll call you as soon as Morgan’s home and let you know when we’re on the way.”
“You got it.”
After hanging up, Karen went to the kitchen and put a kettle of water on the stove to make tea. While waiting for the water to boil, she went over to the living room window. The day looked pleasant enough, but staring out through the glass was like looking at a still photograph void of people. The sidewalk was empty, as was the park across the street. The only people she did see traveled past in cars; there one moment, gone the next.
She made the cup of tea, sat on the sofa, and sipped without realizing what she was doing. The hot beverage lasted in her cup only a few minutes, Karen finishing it way too quickly.
Two hours later, she knew something was wrong. As she reached for her phone, it began to ring.
“Heard anything?” she asked.
“No, was hoping you did. He’s still not home?”
“No.”
“I dozed off in my car or I would’ve called you sooner. The only reason I woke up was because my work cell rang. They want me to come in right away.”
Karen’s chest began to ache, as though something heavy were pressing against her sternum. “Do you have any idea why?”
“I’ve been called in to work early before. It could be a number of reasons—trouble with equipment or one of the other team members out sick.”
“So you don’t think it has anything to do with Morgan?”
“No, no.”
“Okay, you’d better go then.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow. And Karen…”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t worry about him. You know how he is. I’m sure he’ll walk through the door any second.”
“Thanks, Paul.”
“No problem. Bye.” He hung up.
Karen had never felt so alone. She stared at the phone in her hands, her mind traveling to a very dark place. If something happened to Morgan, if he was hurt or worse…
She stood up, unwilling to allow herself to think like that. It was pointless and unfair to Morgan. He deserved better. He was, after all, Morgan Hughes. A smile crept onto Karen’s face. He was fine. He had to be.
Morgan had survived hundreds of years. Maybe the car had broken down, and right now as she pondered everything, he was running back to her. She made another cup of tea, sat on the couch, and waited.
Karen received a text message. The familiar chime was an overwhelming relief, bringing with it a feeling of anticipation.
Opening the phone, beyond eager to read Morgan’s message, she frowned. The message wasn’t from Morgan, but from Paul. The feeling of hope that had exploded from her heart was gone; her body suddenly feeling as if it tripled in weight. With her thumb on the OK button, Karen pressed down. The screen changed, revealing the written words.
They have Morgan. Stay there until you hear from me.
Karen sagged back into the sofa. She felt dizzy, the world around her fading until darkness embraced her and she fell unconscious.
Chapter 47
Morgan woke from the fog. He tried moving his arms and legs, but found himself pinned down by reinforced steel. The feeling was familiar, but the memory was distant. He opened his eyes.
“Ah, welcome back, Mr. Hughes,” a man’s voice said. “Thought maybe we’d pumped too much tranquilizer into you and you’d be asleep for days.”
Looking around the room, Morgan understood where he was. Everything he saw was new, undated, but relatively the same. He’d been in a room like this before. Men stood to either side of him, one of The Murphy Unit’s prized possessions back where it belonged. His eyes stopped on a familiar face, Paul’s. Quickly, he took his glare from the man and resumed scanning the room.
“This is a special night, gentlemen,” the voice said. The person speaking was out of Morgan’s view, behind him. He didn’t recognize the speaker, but knew the tone just the same. It was a voice filled with assuredness, leadership, and authority. Footsteps clacked loudly against the tiled floor as the figure walked to Morgan and his face came into view.
The man had short cropped platinum hair and was clean shaven. His eyes were blue but cold, lacking any mercy.
“This, gentlemen, is the famous—or should I say infamous—Morgan Hughes.”
Voices ping-ponged, some of the men clearly impressed.
Morgan grimaced, straining against his bonds, hoping to break free and kill the bastard, but the steel restraints held firm.
“Typical,” the man said, moving closer. “It’s been years since anyone from this organization has laid eyes upon you, let alone known your whereabouts. But that’s neither here nor there now. We have you back and I will finish what my predecessors started. No,” he quickly added, holding up a finger. “Improve what they started.”
“And who the hell are you?” Morgan asked.
This brought a grin to the man’s face. “My name is General Krueger. I am in charge of this facility. The previous head is occupied with other duties.”
Morgan was taken aback, almost disappointed. Paul had told him such, that Commander Keegan was no longer in charge, but now it was confirmed by his own ears.
“So I did you a favor when I destroyed the old place?” Morgan said. “Helped promote your ass.”
“Indeed.”
“Don’t get too high on your own fumes because when I get out of here I plan to do the same to you. Nice touch with the music earlier,” Morgan said.
Krueger said, “I couldn’t have you running away again. You’re not a very smart man, are you? You just couldn’t stay away.”
“I like to finish what I start.”
“You destroyed everything. All data relevant to yourself as well as so many other projects. But that was a long time ago. We’re better prepared now and not as foolish and careless as we were in the past.”
“Like I said, don’t get too comfortable. I plan on bringing this place to its knees.”
“Very confident for a thing in your position, aren’t you?” Krueger asked, picking up a steel mallet. “You see, Morgan, I’m not a man to fuck with. And I’m not like my predecessor. No, I’ve evolved. I have gone to extreme lengths to make sure this facility is secure and well-run. I only take on the best employees, as provided by the U.S. military.
“When one of my guards spotted a life form on the infrared camera, he brought it to my attention. It could’ve been a deer or a camera malfunction. Other cameras, when panned to that particular area, showed the same image. It wasn’t a camera error. It wasn’t so much that a life form appeared on the infrared, no. It was the fact that it had no heat signature and hadn’t moved in hours. Maybe it was a zombie or a ghost?—they can remain motionless for long periods of time. But no, for they haven’t got the discipline. I knew it couldn’t be a vampire because they fry up like pieces of bacon in the sunlight. Then it hit me. I couldn’t believe it at first. Could it be the one who had escaped us so many years ago? Come back to finish The Murphy Unit? I wasn’t one hundred percent sure of course, with all the abominations running around free in the world these days, but I thought we ought to find out.”
“Go to hell, you sick fuck,” Morgan spat.
Krueger grabbed Morgan around his throat.
“But what I don’t understand, not for certain, is why you came back here. Or how you found us.”
“That was easy,” Morgan said, laughing. “I just followed the smell, you arrogant asshole.”
Krueger shoved himself away from the slab, then swung the mallet downward onto Morgan’s arm, where forearm met bicep. The sound of crunching bone echoed throughout the room. Morgan clenched his teeth, refusing to yell out. The general smiled, raised the mallet up high, and smashed it down on Morgan’s left kneecap. This time, the pain was too intense for Morgan to hold back a cry.
General Krueger placed the mallet down on a tray next to the table. “I’m done here for now. Bring in Mr. Kubek. Tell the man to break every bone in Mr. Hughes’ body. But make sure to inject him with vampire blood first; I want to ensure that our guest is in top condition. Continue the process until he talks. I want to know why he’s here and how he found us.”