“Mmmrr.” A soft moaning emanated from dead center of the deeper shadows.
I froze, realizing it had to be a person. My heart caught in my throat and I took a step back in shock, landing on a creaking bit of floorboard.
I froze out of panic, forcing myself to stand still. I willed my eyes to try to figure out the shape now. I realized I was looking at someone sitting in one of the rolling chairs from the work table.
“Mrrrrr.” The moaning got louder, clearly defining that it was human, awake, and wanted to talk, but for some reason couldn’t.
The urge to run swept through me so hard. I wanted to cry out and go find Luke or Gabriel. I was sure it was Volto, only his voice gadget was broken. Or a security guard ready to shoot. Or maybe it was a zombie from one of Nathan’s movies. Every scenario tried to play through my head. It was just like one of my nightmares come to life.
Until the scent of spring soap caught my attention.
In that moment, everything seemed to stop around me. I smelled the air again, just to be sure, but it was still there, lingering over the top of Victor’s moss scent and the wood polish and other house smells.
I was sure. Spring soap.
“Mr. Blackbourne?” I whispered.
“Ms... Son...” The voice became more distinctive, still muffled.
My heart leapt. I dashed forward, crashing into legs and a chair that rolled heavily. I felt forward, finding a face, no glasses, and something wrapped around his mouth. I hooked my fingers against his cheek, tugging, and hoping he wasn’t going to yell at me for doing so, because this was some weird Academy thing.
I tugged the band from his mouth, stretching it down over his chin.
He swallowed, breathing heavily and I felt his breath against my skin. “Miss Sorenson,” he said clearly now.
A soft groan emanated from right behind Mr. Blackbourne.
“What’s going on?” I whispered. “Who is—”
“It’s North,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “Listen to me. Who’s with you?”
Did we mess up? “Luke and Gabriel. They’re downstairs scoping out the house.”
“Did you see Miss Addison?”
“Who?”
“The maid.”
“Muriel? She just went downstairs.”
He swallowed again. “Listen to me very carefully. Go to Victor’s desk. In the top left hand drawer, there should be a set of tools. Find a screwdriver. A thin one. Bring it to me.”
I knew what he was talking about, but what stressed me out more was that he couldn’t get it himself. I knew the reason why without having to turn the light on to see. Unease settled through me. Weeks ago I’d been bound in the shower, and here he was tied up in Victor’s office. How? Why?
I let the questions roll around in my head, now used to not getting answers right away. It wasn’t important. I needed to hurry.
I slipped across the floor, doing my best to stay quiet. When I reached the desk, I climbed on top of it, using the desk itself as my sound barrier. I sat on it, smoothing myself over the top and finding the correct drawer.
I eased the drawer open, checking inside for the tools. I found two that felt like screwdrivers. I held them in my mouth before I closed the drawer again. I slid across the top of the desk, landing softly on the floor and inching my way back over.
“Good,” Mr. Blackbourne whispered. “Feel down for my hands. Give it to me.”
I found his face again, my heart wanting to thunder more as I realized I was touching Mr. Blackbourne. I felt down his cheek, tracing to his shoulder ...
His bare shoulder. No wonder he didn’t mention a light.
“Mr. Blackbourne?”
“She stripped us. She knows we keep special tools and phones inside our clothing. She’s been in charge of Victor’s things, and knew better than to leave us anything to work with.”
I followed his arm that twisted around the back of the chair. I traced my hand along until I found his. I passed him the two screwdrivers. His wrists felt like they’d been bound by some silken cord.
“Now, Miss Sorenson,” he said. “Listen carefully.”
I stood up fully, giving him my attention. “Are you hurt?” I asked.
“We’re fine,” he said. “You need to hurry. I want you to go across the hallway, and find Victor. Find him, and check him out. If he’s unconscious—”
I hadn’t meant to interrupt, but the idea of Mr. Blackbourne and North being tied up in this room was already driving me into near hysterics. I swallowed back my fears to find my voice. “He could be?”
“We were given heavy sedatives,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “If he isn’t conscious, make sure he’s still breathing and check his body for any injuries. If he’s awake, help him get out if he’s bound. If he’s very hurt, come back here. I don’t care if you’re loud, just do it.”
“Why can’t ... ?”
“I’m going to try to catch her. If I’m quiet, I have a chance to sneak up on her without injuring her too severely.”
Muriel? The maid? She did all this? I wanted to put the pieces together, but I couldn’t find the questions to ask him and I didn’t have time.
“Hurry,” Mr. Blackbourne said. He shifted, as if already making use of the tools I’d given him. “Before she makes another round to look in on us. If Victor isn’t too bad, free him, and go find the others. Collect them and go. I’ll take care of North.”
I moved away from him quietly. I felt a little better having found them, knowing I’d given him possibly what he needed to escape. I needed to find Victor.
I found the door again, gripping the handle with both hands to twist and hold, easing myself into the hallway. This time I hurried, tiptoeing across the hallway, eager to find Victor.
I twisted the handle to Victor’s bedroom. I wanted to be extra cautious in case Muriel had returned.
At first I couldn’t find Victor. There was the clutter of clothing across the floor, as if someone had been through his closet and dragged out every article. His books were torn through. The piano had manuals and folders opened up on top of it. If it wasn’t for the piano, I may not have recognized the place.
Part of my twisted mind wondered if my mother had been through here.
On a second scan, I spotted a bundle larger than the rest in the middle of the bed.
A few steps in, and I spotted a drift of wavy hair from under the pile on the bed.
I rushed forward, nearly tripping over clothing in my hurry to get to him. I ripped away the blanket and clothing that had been thrown over him.
Victor’s eyes were closed. I pressed my fingers to his lips, feeling for breath. Air swept past my skin as he inhaled. Not fully relieved, I lowered my head to his bare chest, listening for his breathing and his heartbeat. My heart stopped and started up in the same split second I heard his heartbeat. He was alive. He was okay.
Victor’s arms were over his head, bound with silk cord. I tugged at the cords, testing, but the knots were complicated. Pulling at one made it feel like it was tightening around his wrists. I didn’t want to hurt him further. I needed a knife.
“Mmmh,” Victor started moaning. He twisted a little, his eyes flickering, but they were dull and heavy with sleep. It was a horrible sight; Victor without his fire.
“Hang on, Victor,” I said softly. I glanced around the room, not seeing anything useful. I wondered if I should go across the hall and find another tool from his desk. On second thought, I wanted to try the bathroom. Maybe there were scissors.
I glanced back down at Victor, at his closed eyes, his almost peaceful face. My heart was breaking looking at him bound and helpless. I wondered if this was how Silas and Nathan had felt when they had found me. Somehow in that moment, I understood more about why they made the decisions they did. Why Kota grounded me when he was only worried about me. Why North would have kept me in a bubble. I wanted to keep them safe, too.
I bent over, kissing Victor’s cheek quickly. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
I slipped off the bed, picking a path through the mess toward the bathroom, hoping it wasn’t in ruins, too.
The bathroom looked oddly messy in a familiar way. It hit me when I realized the bathtub was filled up, and the phone was smashed up on the counter. It didn’t look like anyone had been inside since Victor and I left.
I was opening up drawers when I thought I heard something. I quieted, listening. Someone was coming down the hallway.
I went back to the bathroom door, hiding with my body against the wall.
There were shuffling sounds in the hallway, like the office door was being opened. A light was flicked on, the glow trailing from the other side of the hall. It was turned off again in a moment. The footsteps changed direction, coming to the bedroom. Did she not see Mr. Blackbourne trying to break free?
Muriel’s head poked in. I only caught the corner of her face from my angle, but she turned her head as if scanning the room.
I focused on her. She was a little taller than I was, thick in the hips and at the shoulders. Could I do something? Kick her? Strike her in the neck? I wasn’t sure how I’d get a surprise hit on her. She’d see me coming. How did she manage to tie up the guys?
Muriel stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She locked the door.
When she turned again, I spotted a syringe in her hand, the plug pulled back and a small amount of liquid inside.
I sunk back behind the door. Was that what knocked them out? Where did she get it?
Muriel crossed the room. She paused at the piano, placing the needle down on top of the pile of piano books on the corner of the bench and then proceeded to the bed. She stood there, hovering over Victor’s form.
“Don’t worry,” she said, the sound of her voice familiar, but the tone was wrong. It was stronger now, not the weak, diminutive sound I’d heard before. “He promised to come for us soon. He said everything will be okay.” She reached down, her fingers curling over Victor’s face in a way that made my skin crawl. “We’ll get out of here, find a place where no one will find us. That little leech won’t get to you anymore.”
My heart stopped, the realization of what Muriel had been up to coming together. It was why the pictures didn’t register with Volto, because he hadn’t been the one who had sent them.
Suddenly everything pieced itself together. We’d been chasing two different ghosts, assuming there was only one. Muriel sent a warning via the phone before, but it wasn’t to the boys. It was to me, to stay away from Victor.
But who was the “he” she promised would come? Was there someone else she worked with? Was that where she got the syringe?
Muriel lowered herself to the bed. She snuggled up against Victor, stretching her leg over where I thought his hips were. She laid her hand on his chest. She brought her lips to his cheek.
I glanced around wildly, not wanting her to touch him, not having a weapon or an idea of how to get to her if she had a needle ready and I didn’t know what it could do. Where were Luke and Gabriel? Where was Mr. Blackbourne?
“Mrrm.” Victor’s mumbling sounded.
“I’m here,” Muriel said in a soft voice. “It’s okay. I’ve got you now. You’re safe.”
More mumbles came, and at first I couldn’t recognize anything he said. Muriel cooed at him, but in between mumbles, he repeated something distinctive.
“What was that?” Muriel asked.
Another few mumbles, but it soon came out clear.
“Sang,” he said. He moaned it. Over and over.
I forced my heart to still. Victor was calling to me in his sleep.
Muriel grumbled. “She’s not here,” she said. Her hand splayed out and she smacked him sharply across the cheek. “Stop talking about her.” She hit him again on his chest, hard enough that I could hear the smack of her flesh against his.
I forced myself out into the room. I didn’t have a plan. I just couldn’t take it anymore. “Stop it.”
Muriel turned to me, shock and disbelief etching into her otherwise plain face.
“Let him go,” I said.
She regained herself quickly, anger contorting her features.
I pounced forward toward the piano bench. She moved, too, but I was faster, knowing what I wanted. I grabbed the syringe, pushed down on the plunger to empty it, and then tossed it into the mess, wanting it to disappear.
Muriel turned, temporarily distracted. “No!” She stepped over to the pile of clothes, scanning the surface.
I turned on my heels, no longer caring to be silent. I headed toward the stairs. If I couldn’t stop her physically, I could at least play cat and mouse with her, leading her away from Victor.
I fled down the hallway nearly tripping along the back stairs, but caught myself. Muriel was quick to follow. She knew the house better than I did. I hoped she didn’t find another needle.
When I got to the second floor, I didn’t stop. I darted down the hallway. There was another staircase somewhere else, I knew. I wanted to run for it. I’d make a circle. I’d keep her busy if I had to.
“Get out of his house!” Muriel shouted behind me. “I’ll call the cops.”
“Go ahead,” I shouted back, eager to let Luke or Gabriel know where I was, hoping they’d find us. Where were they?
I zipped down the hallway, forced to a sudden stop as the darkness drew heavier around me.
But if my eyes weren’t adjusting, hers weren’t either. I quieted, stepping aside hoping to hit a wall to guide me, but no luck. I was out in the open.
Muriel was a few feet behind me. I could make out her shadowed figure as she came around the corner, but I lost her quickly as she ducked into the heavier shadows. Now what?
I inched back, trying to do it quietly. Unfortunately, she had a better advantage from knowing the layout.
My foot caught on a carpet runner. I tripped, landing on the rail to the front staircase.
I turned, trying to use the rail to steady myself.
Hands found my shirt. She gripped it, yanking me from behind.
I gagged as the material jammed into my neck. Instinct took over as I reached up, tucking my fingers into the collar of my shirt to stop the choking. I struggled, pulling myself against her wrenching hands.
That’s when I saw them on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. The light from the front windows shone on their bodies. Luke was on his back, sprawled out. Gabriel was on top of him. Both unconscious.
How was she able to get to them? Not wanting to find out, I swung my leg back, striking her in the thigh.
Muriel yelped, yanking hard at my shirt. I spiraled back. If I couldn’t get away, I wasn’t going to let her take me down like she did the boys.
I lunged, striking out again with my fist. I connected with something, an arm I thought.
At the same time, I felt a jolt surging through my body. It started in my arm, spiraling into my brain. An electric current, strong enough to make my brain freeze and bolt my feet to the floor. The shock took over every part of my being. My breath left me. My heart stopped. All I could feel was the electricity running through me.
The jolt stopped. It felt like a hundred years and a second all at once. I forced my lungs to work.
Muriel lifted a black device away from my shoulder. Blue electricity zapped from it; it was a stun gun. Is that how she took down the boys? Don’t those things knock people out? I’d never been shocked before and it terrified me. But did it somehow not work like it was supposed to? How was I still standing?
I lifted my leg, trying for a solid kick.
I struck something soft. Muriel cried out. There was a loud thud, like something fell. The blue zapping light was gone, so I must have knocked it out of her hands.
I tried to kick again, but I flailed, hitting only air. In the darkness, I couldn't see where she was.
Suddenly, I was hit in the gut, and fell back, the wind knocked out of me. My legs and butt landed on the floor, but my upper half was leaning over the start of a staircase. It took a lot
of strength to hold myself up from sliding backwards and tumbling down.
Muriel landed on top of me, crushing me against the floor. My hands flew up protectively. She pushed me harder. She was going to try to shove me down the stairs.
I struck out, hitting at her face and arms, but she was bigger, and used her weight to pin me down.
Through our ragged breathing and Muriel’s cries, a ringing sounded. At first, I wasn’t paying attention, but Muriel slowed, looking down at my chest, which caught my attention and I looked.
The phone in my bra was ringing to life. The illuminated screen displayed an unknown number.
Muriel screamed at me, shoved, and at the same time, ripped at my shirt, clawing to get the phone. I had a hard enough time trying to stay on the landing and not go down the stairs, that I was willing to give her anything. I found the phone myself, throwing it at her.
Muriel pushed me once more, hard enough that I toppled backward, falling a few steps down. My cheek banged hard against the step, making me instantly dizzy. My legs and arm splayed out, but I caught one of the posts on the rail before I could fall any further.
Muriel’s voice drifted to me. “Where are you? How did she get this phone?”
I tried to pick myself up, getting my body to sit on the stair. I swayed. My head spun. I needed to get away. I needed to get to Victor. Mr. Blackbourne said to get to Victor.
“You promised!” she screamed at the phone. “You said you’d help us. I’ll do it myself. He’ll go with me.”
In a fury, I launched myself at her voice.
Muriel threw the phone at me before I caught her around the waist. I tried pushing her over.
“Get off of me!” she screamed. “Don’t touch me.”
I held on. If she was going to take me down, I wanted her with me. I didn’t want her to go back to Victor. I didn't know what she had planned for the guys, but she’d have to get past me first.
Muriel pulled my hair. I cried out. She dragged me back toward the staircase.
“Wait,” Victor’s voice called to us. “Muriel wait a second.”
Muriel stopped, but still held my hair tight in her hands. “Victor?” she said, her wild, angry voice restrained now, but it sounded forced. Like she was used to addressing him in a certain way.