Angels of Darkness

Jets of flames spurted from the ground. The whole hill quaked as if caught in the grip of a powerful earthquake.
    Oh, dear God. So that’s what a Wither does . . .
    â€œNow!” Henry barked.
    Karina took a deep breath, cradled Emily, and stepped into the darkness.
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    I t was like being underwater. As if she were walking through a flooded tunnel of crystal-clear liquid filled with sunlight. Her body was very light, almost weightless. It lasted a lifetime or a single moment—Karina couldn’t tell—and then she stepped onto beige carpet.
    For a second she was afraid to move, afraid to do anything, and then she remembered to breathe. The air tasted sweet.
    Emily looked at her, blinking.
    â€œAre you okay?” Karina whispered, her voice strained.
    Emily stirred. “I know!”
    â€œKnow what, Emily?”
    â€œMom, I know, I know! I am the Courageous Princess. Like in the comic book.”
    Karina exhaled and hugged her. For some reason, she wanted to cry.
    They stood in a foyer. There were people around her, both men and women. In front of her a glass wall guarded a conference room, a long black table with matching chairs; and beyond that a floor-to-ceiling window offered a view of an evening city from above, lit up with electric lights. They had to be on the twentieth floor.
    They had gotten away.
    In her mind the bodies still burned, vomiting fire and ashes. What the hell was Arthur? What were all of them?
    â€œWe shouldn’t be here,” Henry said next to her, his voice vibrating with alarm. “This is wrong.”
    A woman behind her snarled. “The fucking Ripper dropped us into the wrong base.”
    A soft thud made her turn. Lucas crashed onto the carpet and Daniel tried to pick him up. Lucas’s eyes were closed. He looked so pale, his skin had gained an almost greenish tint.
    She set Emily down and knelt by him, sliding her hand on his forehead. His skin was cold, almost clammy. Blood clung to his rib cage and a big purple bruise stained the right side of his stomach. He looked like he was dying. The heavy metallic scent rolled off him, so thick she almost choked. He wasn’t just hungry for her blood. He was starving for it and he hurt.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?”
    â€œToo much venom,” Daniel spat out. “He shouldn’t have phased into the attack variant so soon after the last fight.”
    Arthur stepped onto the carpet out of thin air. “He will be fine.”
    A grimace skewed Daniel’s face, stretching his scar. He looked like a rabid dog. “We should’ve evacuated yesterday. You overwork him. You know he needs at least two weeks between phasings, but you counted on him to save your ass anyway, because you knew he would do it. Look at him. Look at him, Arthur. He’s dying from the venom.”
    Arthur glanced at the skyline. “Not now, Daniel. Where is the Ripper?”
    â€œYou are a fucking asshole!”
    Henry closed his eyes and opened them. “She isn’t in the building.”
    â€œDaniel, stop your hysterics and search the building . . .”
    â€œFuck you!”
    â€œWill the two of you shut up?” Lucas said. His eyes were still closed. A shudder gripped him. He arched his back, his heels digging into the carpet, his arms rigid, his massive body straining against the pain.
    Idiots. Karina wrapped her arms around Lucas, trying to hold him down, but it was like trying to hold down a bull. “We need something for his mouth. He’s grinding his teeth.”
    â€œVault, now,” Arthur snapped. “Pick him up.”
    People swarmed Lucas, brushing her away. He lashed out, convulsing, throwing a man aside like a rag doll. They pulled Lucas up and dragged him down the hall.
    Arthur bent down, grasped her by the elbow, and pulled her to her feet. “Come with us.”
    â€œMy daughter . . .”
    Arthur’s fingers clenched her arm like a vise. He pulled her down the hallway, after the clump of people trying to move the convulsing Lucas forward.
    Emily ran after her. “Mommy!”
    Karina jerked. “Let go of me! You’re scaring her!”
    â€œDo you want your daughter to live?” Arthur asked.
    â€œYes!” Bastard.
    â€œThen do as you’re told.”
    They were almost to the end of the tunnel. Something swung open with a heavy metallic sound. Karina caught a glimpse of a huge vault door standing ajar. The people carrying Lucas