Of Royal Descent (31 page)

"Chuck just called," she continued softly.  "Edgar sent a letter addressed to him at the clinic in Oak Ridge.  It said that if you didn't return voluntarily to his clinic, he would..."  Her words became incoherent as her sobs heightened.

"Shh.  It's going to be okay.  Just tell me what he's threatening to do.  We'll fix it."  I kept my voice calm, but I was raging on the inside.

"Doyle, he said he's going to start killing off your family and friends.  There was a list in the order he was going to do it."

I was inadequately prepared to hold off shading under such volatile rage and quickly found myself in royal form.  I concentrated on my next words very hard as Addy struggled to keep her tears in check.

"Who...
list... first?" I asked.  Addy must have known by my speech that I was shaded, but she didn't acknowledge it.

"Dylan is first, then William.  We think it's because he has th
e easiest access to them.  Chuck is third."

A low growl escaped before I could swallow it
, and Addy began to sob again.

"You can't tell them you know.  I wasn't supposed to tell you.  Russell says he's taking care
of it, but I'm scared.  Anomaly says that it's Chuck's word against Edgar's since there's no way to trace the letter back to him.  And even if Dylan and William die, Russell is saying Anomaly wouldn't get involved because Edgar is authorized to do as he sees fit with his group of royals."

Of course they wouldn't get involved
, I thought.  I was sure they would be greatly relieved if all the royalty were killed off.  That was one less thing they would have to worry about.

I willed my mind to relax and let my safe word take center focus.  I felt the subtle shift of gears in my mind and knew, once again, I appeared human.

"How long do I have before he kills Dylan?"

"Tw
enty-four hours."

"Don't tell them you
told me.  I'll take care of it, but there's something I need you to do for me," I said, as a plan began unfolding in my mind.

"Anything."

I paused. 
Could I really ask this from her?
  I briefly considered other options.  There were none.  I exhaled slowly.

"I need you to let me out."

24

I
knew Addy was staring back at me, though the darkness concealed her face.  I could taste a heightened level of fear.

"I won't hurt you," I said solemnly.

"I know," she said softly.

"Then why are you afraid?"

"I can't lose you."

"I'm not delivering myself to him," I explained.  "I have a plan."

"But how will you stay safe?"

I grinned.  "I don't know if you've noticed lately, but I'm
kinda a big deal."

Addy stepped forward and reached out quickly, grabbing my hand resting through the slats of the bars.  Hunger and lust battled for the forefront of my attention, each taking their turn in knocking the breath out of my lungs.  Addy didn't remove her hand and much too my satisfaction, I did not attack her.

"Doyle, I'm serious.  Edgar will be expecting you.  He'll be prepared.  I don't want you to go."

"Adeline Murray, there are no preparations, no matter how extensive, that would succeed in stopping me from protecting you. 
And as long as Bradbury is alive, you’re not safe.  None of us are.  I have to go.”  I spoke with as much confidence as I possessed, and I could still sense her resistance.

"Please, Addy.  Dylan doesn't deserve to die.  Let me save my father."

She walked slowly to the keypad and unlocked the cell door.  I slid it open.  The signal from the control panel emitted a pinpoint of light, just bright enough that I could see her shadowy figure before it blended into the darkness.

I took a step forward and crossed the threshold of my prison.  It was an odd sensation, knowing I was free.  I was vividly aware that I was physically capable of slaughtering everyone in the house, if I had wanted to, and there was nothing anyone could have done to stop me. 
If I had wanted to
, but I didn't.  I smiled to myself. 

For weeks I had feared the unthinkable.  Being bloodthi
rsty for animals was bad enough, but nothing had ever terrified me more than the desire to rip apart human beings, let alone my own family.  It wasn't just for the thought of food either.  Fear, anger, the need for violence, it all played a part in my desire to kill.  All I had to do was focus my attention on the deserving recipients.  For the first time in a long time, I knew I was going to be okay - provided I could save my family from the hands of Bradbury and his henchmen. 

I closed the space separating me from Addy and leaned down to kiss her.  My lips hovered above hers
, and her breathing hitched.  Her body was pumping out a variety of pheromones based on her emotions, each one leaving a distinct taste in my mouth.  There was fear.  I could taste it on everyone, and therefore it was the most familiar, although hers had a uniquely salty flavor.  I parted my lips and kept them poised above hers.  I wanted to experience something more than fear.  I could taste love and lust, each one delicious in its own right.  I inhaled deeply, trying to pinpoint the name of the last one.  I licked my lips.  It was trust.

I slowly touched my mouth to hers
, and she wound her hands through my hair, pulling me closer.  Intense desire ignited in my abdomen and flamed outward.  Her breathing turned ragged, and I found my control beginning to slip.  I broke away from her.  As badly as I wanted to stay, there were a few things I had to see to first. 

I brushed her cheek with the pad of my thumb.  "I will always protect what's mine.  And you are mine."

"And you are mine," she whispered.

I leaned down to kiss her quickly before I turned to sprint up the staircase.  I was
temporarily disoriented by my own speed abilities and paused to regroup.  The light shone bright in the study, and I was relieved to find it empty.  I crept to the doorway and heard Russell and Stephen arguing from further down the hall.

"He has a right to know.  Let him make his own decisions," Stephen spoke with conviction.

"He's my son!"  The following silence was deafening before Russell continued softly, "I will protect him at all costs.  Dylan would want it that way." 

I made my way to the window th
at overlooked the side yard and soundlessly slipped through, landing on the soft, overgrown grass below.  The night mountain air was cold.  I had lost track of the days at some point during the first shade and was surprised to realize it was now October.

I surveyed the landscape in front of me and tried to get my bearings.  I sensed, rather than remembered, the way we had driven in
, and I darted in that direction.  Trees passed by in a blur as I tore through the woods.  The cold wind bit at my exposed flesh, but it didn't register as painful.  It felt unbelievably good to stretch my legs after weeks of failing health and being penned up.  I pressed myself to run faster and was amazed when I could.

What had been a five hour dri
ve, took me four hours to run, and that was counting stopping for a late night snack.  I had come across two deer heading up the mountain, and they never knew what hit them.  I managed to stay concealed for at least half the trip by keeping to wooded areas.  When I had to emerge, I was thankful for the cloak of night.  Even though I remained in human form except for when I ate, I was pretty sure a man running more than sixty miles per hour might draw suspicion.

I began to slow when I neared Kettering.  There was no telling how far out Bradbury had his perimeter drawn.  I progressed slowly, keeping my senses on high alert.  It wasn't long before I picked up a familiar scent.

"I knew you'd come.  And thank God for it, because for once, I'm out of my league here."  Chuck smiled down at me from his tree-top perch.

With a leap and a couple swings, I maneuvered to the branch parallel to him.  "How long have you been here?" I asked, eyeing his rifle.

"Not long.  Just got here.  I was already headed this way when I decided to call Russell.  I knew you'd find a way out."  He raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes.  "If you hadn't, I'd have been royally screwed."  He pursed his lips together.  "No pun intended.  Anyway, Edgar's security guards seemed to have multiplied.  They're everywhere."

"Hey, about the other day," I began.

"You can write me a love poem later.  Right now, I'd really just be grateful if we bonded over killing us a mad scientist."  He lowered the binoculars and looked at me.

Leaves rustled above our heads
, and a couple birds who had not yet began their flight south for the winter peered down at us.

I nodded.  "Hey, wanna see something cool?"

* * *

The front of the clinic was illuminated by flood lights
, and I could count ten posted guards.  Behind the darkened lobby doors was anybody's guess to how many more stood to attention inside.

I looked back in the direction I had
come and saw Chuck extend a waving hand from behind the sheet of orange and red leaves.  He was still perched on the tree branch where I had told him to stay.  Knowing Chuck, I knew he would only take orders if he felt he was fulfilling the highest role of his potential.  So I had instructed him he needed to cover me in case I became overran with guards. 

I smiled to myself. 
Overran with guards.  Ha!  As if.
  I had shaded to royalty and was now clinging to the side of a storefront across the street from the clinic grounds.

I gave a low growl and from out of the bushes, staggered forward my first pawn in the battle.  A security guard, or as I would remember him, my first human victim, had been easily picked off while doing his rounds.  I had been careful not to mark him in the front, knowing the closer he could get to his buddies, the more damage that would be done.

It had been extremely difficult to restrain myself from completely mutilating his body once I began eating, but the will to protect my family was stronger, and I was able to leave the nameless guard's appendages intact.  Although his gait was slow, it appeared almost normal as he made his way to the line of security detail in front of the doors.

When the MZ was about twenty feet out, one of the other guards waved at him.
  No response came as he continued down the course I'd set him on. 

"Hey, you okay?" asked another guard.

"Hey!  Something's wrong!" shouted the guard who had waved, drawing his weapon and aiming it at the MZ. 

I shrieked orders into the night
, and my army of one began to create mayhem.  Lunging at the closest guard, he ripped off a chunk of flesh from his face.  I screamed again, and the MZ shifted to attack the next victim. 

One of the guards fired carelessly into the crowd, accidentally striking another guard who was attempting to flee.  The sound of shots drew additional watchmen who had been canvassing the area
, and they opened fire on the front of the building.  The MZ dropped to the ground, but so did the rest of the guards who had been among the lineup in front of the doors. 

I bellowed, sending forth my second wave of infantry.  A flock of six zombified birds swooped from the tre
es and descended upon the watchmen.  The men screamed and tried to protect their faces from the pecking and clawing of the ravenous creatures. 

Some of the men fired wildly into the sky, but none hit their target.  When the guns fell silent, I leapt from the shadows.  I sped from man to man, my teeth shredding through muscle, my hands snapping necks, until I was the only one left standing. 

I called the birds to me and waited to see how many of the fallen men rose again.  After a few minutes, I did a head count.  Six birds, three MZs, and...
one Chuck?
  He was running up the sidewalk.

I was afraid to shade to human form, for fear I would lose command of the mutated strain recipients, who no doubt, wo
uld go after him.  So I gritted my teeth and shook my head at him, resisting my own urge to turn him into dinner.

"Dude, I can help," he argued, understanding my position.

"No."

He raised his jaw slightly.  "
Listen, the cure from Oak Ridge isn't just a cure.  The only way they could kill the virus was to inject me with a diluted version of the portion that carries the self-healing properties.  I won't slow you down.  I'll be an asset, because they can't kill me."

Hm
m.
  I nodded my understanding, granting him entrance into my army.  Wiping the blood from my face with a pass of my right forearm, I focused on the lobby doors.  Narrowing my eyes, I walked away from the site of carnage, feeling invincible and more than a little like a boss.

I paused
before pulling back the door while my extra sensory perception confirmed no foul injustice awaited me directly on the other side.  It was dark and quiet within, but I was fine tuning my sixth sense antennae.  Not only did they know I was here, I was being watched.  I smiled for the camera that was mounted in the corner, splaying my razor teeth in all directions.

The elevator door opened, invitingly.  Bradbury's disembodied voice filtered down from a speaker.  "Don't be foolish, Doyle.  The sub-levels are impenetrable.  Submit before your stubbornness kills you and your entire family.  I am inviting you to be a part of somethin
g so much bigger than yourself - a new race of superior beings, to make leaps in scientific discovery, the chance to serve our great nation.  Join us."

I crouched and slithered my way up the wall until I was directly in front of the camera.  "Come... get... me," I spoke into lens, before pulling it from the
wall and tearing it in half.  I let the pieces fall and dropped to my feet. 

I crossed to the elevator and
commanded the troops to enter, raising a hand to halt Chuck as he began to follow suit.  Pressing the button to seal the doors, I sent my army into the bowels of the clinic with only one order:  Kill.  I could hear the whir of the elevator as it descended, and I knew Bradbury was overriding the security code. 

I clawed the door open and slung Chuck over my shoulder.  Without hesitation, I jumped into the shaft, landing with a thud on top of the elevator. 

When we reached the next level, I motioned for Chuck to grab hold of the ladder embedded into the wall.  I had no problem clinging to the smooth surface of the shaft, and we watched the elevator continue to the depths below before I pried open the door.  We crawled through the opening and found the room to be similar to the lobby - dark and empty.   

The elevator cables ground to a halt
, and several rounds of ammunition being fired sounded from beneath us.  I gestured across the foyer, and we continued on our way.  We were in a room identical to the one directly beneath us, where I had first met Bradbury less than a month before.

The door to the corridor was unlocked
, and we made our way down the hall.  Our choices were limited.  We could take the second elevator to the next floor down, but I didn't have the best feeling with that option.  Or we could muscle our way into one of the two locked hallway doors. 
Eenie, meenie, minie, mo.
  I shouldered my weight into the first door, and the lock popped.