Эллен Шрайбер - Cryptic Cravings

It was a cool, windy night, and the leaves rustled in the trees as we passed by them. When we reached the gravel road we both sighed with relief. The road was empty of all familiar vehicles.

I showed Alexander the door I’d used to enter the factory and we quickly snuck in.

The empty, hollow factory rooms were just as I’d seen them a few hours earlier.

I illuminated the way with my flashlight, though Alexander could make out objects better than I could in the dark depths of the factory.

We descended the rickety staircase and I led the way down the narrow, dark, and dank hallway until we reached the last two opposing doors.

“It’s this one,” I said. I reached for the doorknob, but like the last time, it fell off in my hand.

Alexander’s face grew serious. “Hurry!”

My hand shook as I stuck the knob back in its groove and tried to wind it so the latch would catch.

Alexander anxiously tapped his monster boots on the cement floor. The sound echoed, causing me to be more nervous than I already was. Finally, the knob caught the latch and we were inside Jagger’s office.

I raced to the desk. The rolled-up blueprints were in the same position I’d left them. I quickly took off the rubber band and unrolled them.

“Here.” I showed Alexander the second set.

Alexander peered at the plans. These drawings weren’t as big as the Crypt’s blueprints were.

“It looks like another club,” I said, using what I’d learned by examining the Crypt’s plans with Alexander.

“Yes. .” he said. “Here’s a small bar, a main stage, and a game room.”

“The Covenant. .” I said. “This room has to be the one Jagger’s planning as the vampire club. It’s underground and secluded, just like the Dungeon is at the Coffin Club. He said it himself— mortals above, vampires below.”

Alexander shook his head, frustrated by what we’d just discovered.

“What’s this?” I asked. I pointed to a small unmarked box drawn opposite the main stage.

Alexander and I froze when we heard noises coming from upstairs.

I could barely breathe.

“We’ve got to go,” he said, replacing the Crypt blueprints on top of the ones for the Covenant. While Alexander headed for the doorway, I rolled them back up, being careful not to damage them in any way. I bound them with the rubber band and set them back into their original position.

Now that we’d accomplished the sneaking in part, we’d have to accomplish the harder part — sneaking out.

Alexander hung by the doorway as I grabbed my backpack and fumbled with my flashlight.

I could hear noises above us getting closer, and I did my best not to panic.

I tried to recover and tiptoed to the door, trying to avoid flashing the beam in Alexander’s face. The light shook as I made my way between the desk and the filing cabinets. Suddenly my face banged hard into something.

“Are you okay?” Alexander whispered.

I felt the large metal object in front of me. It was cool to the touch and felt smooth. I’d walked into one of the filing cabinets.

“Are you okay?” Alexander asked again.

I was too embarrassed and shocked to feel any pain. I shined the beam on the floor as I continued toward the doorway.

“What’s that?” Alexander whispered.

“What’s what?” I wondered. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“That scent. .”

“I’m sure it’s just mold. This place hasn’t been cleaned in years.”

“It’s not a bad smell. . it’s the scent of—” It was then I felt the dewy drops on the side of my cheek. I must have broken open my wound when I ran into the cabinet.

I stepped into the moonlight. Alexander’s eyes lit up, then he backed away.

Alexander didn’t know what to do. If he got any closer to me, he might be attracted to my mouth, with lust and thirst.

We didn’t have time for a romantic vampire moment between us.

We heard the scuffling of footsteps coming down the staircase at the end of the hallway.

“They won’t—” I said. “It’s not enough and they are too far away.”

Alexander put his finger to his lips to direct me to be silent as they came down the corridor.

“You must wipe it away. Before—” My cut was small, but the scent of blood would be ripe on a breezy night in an empty factory. If the vampires were close, it wouldn’t take long until they’d know a mortal was near.

“Do you smell that?” I heard someone say. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear them shuffling around in their coffin room.

“It’s blood,” I heard a voice say. I couldn’t tell if it was Sebastian or Jagger.

“It must be from the bottle in your office. You left it there last night,” Onyx said.

“I finished it,” Jagger said.

“It’s human,” I heard a female voice say. “Definitely not an animal.”

“Yes, it’s mortal. I could smell that a mile away.”

“But why would anyone be here?” I recognized Sebastian’s voice.

“It could be a homeless person,” Jagger said. “I can’t keep track of every nook and cranny of this vast place.”

The voices were so close; I knew they had to be standing only a few feet away.

I pulled my sleeve over my fist and pressed it to the crease of my mouth.

Alexander’s escape would be easy and painless and take only seconds. In bat form, he could easily fly through the sky-high ceiling and out the crack in the window. I, on the other hand, had only two legs and a very impatient nature. Without someone to guide me out, I had only the help of my flashlight.

“I’m not leaving you here,” Alexander said as if he was reading my thoughts.

“That handle gets stuck,” I said. “Maybe that could ward them off for a few minutes. Push the door closed.”

“There’s no other way to escape,” he said.

I could only hope they would let me be — but with such a temptation as my blood looming before them, now wasn’t the time to find out. It was one thing for me to be in the company of Alexander. But it wasn’t a good idea to be in the company of other, more impulsive vampires.

Alexander peered through the crack of the doorway. “They’re in their room. Now is our only chance!”

He grabbed my hand and yanked me out of the room and toward the staircase. It was rickety and dangerous at best, but the elevator would be creaky and loud if it still worked. Not only would it draw attention to us — it could trap us in a cryptic cage.

We had just reached the stairs when the voices and footsteps emerged from the other end of the hallway. There was no time for a dash up and out. Alexander drew me behind the circular stairs and we stood close together in the shadows.

“Maybe I should tell Alexander I’m still here,” Sebastian said. “What if he stumbles upon us, dude? He’d be, like, double mad knowing I hadn’t told him I didn’t leave.”

“Why are we talking about this now?” Jagger said. “We might have an intruder.”

“Because this is just as important.”

“Why don’t you wait until the club is up and running?” Jagger asked. “Then you can invite him. Wouldn’t that be cool?”

“So, I just wait for months?” Sebastian said. “That’s not cool, dude. Not cool at all. I have to face him again.”

Just then Sebastian stepped away from Jagger. He was standing in plain view of me. I held my breath. My combat boot was sticking out clearly in his sight line. Sebastian eyed it for what seemed like forever. Our cover was blown. I was unsure what he was going to do next.

“That’s it—” Sebastian declared. He turned his attention away from my boot and stared in Jagger’s direction. “I’m going to the Mansion.”

“Now?” Jagger asked. “But we have to find out who—”