CHAPTER 19: CH 19: MY SISTER.

They both took a breather in the corridor.

Their other squad mates were dead and now it was just two people whose personalities couldn’t be farther away—

Levi Kane and Jace Korran.

Jace nudged Levi on the shoulder, "Come on, let’s finally finish this."

Levi nodded, dragging himself up, behind Jace as they both rose to the next floor.

The massacre continued as they killed vampires after vampires.

Mostly E and D-class as they were relatively less clever.

They mostly relied on their strength, speed and numbers, although a sound plan wouldn’t work for anyone who actually knows how hives act.

Levi finally had enough, "For fuck sake, how many of these things are they?"

Jace panted, trying to catch his breath, "You say it like I’m supposed to be counting? Anyway we’re on the fifth floor so they can’t be that much now."

They kept moving, along the spiral stairs that sprung up.

Jace pushed a door at the side.

They both peeked in, the room was empty.

Dusty, filled with old shelves riddled with dust and cobwebs.

Jace was about to close the door—

Levi shot his leg out, like a wedge between the door and the frame.

Jace let go of the handle, clearly annoyed, "What the hell are you doing?"

Levi didn’t answer right away. His eyes were scanning the room—

not the shelves, not the dust—but the floor.

There were drag marks.

Faint, but deliberate. Like something—or someone—had been pulled across the room recently.

He walked in crouched down, staring and tracing out the marks, "Someone— or some people, were dragged across this floor."

Jace rubbed his temple, exasperated, "And how do you know it wasn’t just vampires Levi?"

"Because it’s not claws, it’s just nails— that’s why you can’t see them, they barely made a dent on the surface apart from slight blood streak I wouldn’t either."

Jace leaned next to the wall, "Do you know if they’re still here?"

Levi said nothing, still just tracing the drags over and over again.

"Kheum... Levi?"

Levi whipped his head in his direction, giving him a look that said it all: Shut the fuck up.

Jace said nothing more, dropping his hands and placing them by his side.

Levi shut his eyes, slowed his breathing, focusing again on his hearing, trying to concentrate on the most minute detail.

~Click.Click.Click.~

His eyes shot wide.

"This room’s not empty," he muttered, "There’s something else here."

He turned to Jace who was watching with all the anticipation in the world.

"What do you hear?"

He pointed at a collapsed shelf, "There’s something else here."

Jace arched a brow, "What’s there Levi? I don’t have your abilities so you’re gonna have to fill me in here."

Levi didn’t answer, eyes fixed at the shelf.

Jace lost it, a vein bulging by the head of his forehead, "Levi! Stop ignoring me."

Levi retorted, "I’m not ignoring you, I’m fucking thinking. Try it sometimes...

Look, I don’t know what’s there, except for the soft clicks and humming of the elevator and lock I can’t sense anything else."

Jace dragged a hand across his sweaty face, "God fucking damnit, it’s titanium."

"What?"

"It was discovered about a year ago that vampires can’t hear through titanium, it’s thick and some science shit..."

Levi stood finally, marched to the wall, moving and tossing the broken shelf pieces to the side—

The hit the ground as the sound echoed and dust billowed.

Jace dusted the faintly glowing red button that was covered by a piece of wood, before pushing it.

The elevator split open with a soft ding.

They both turned to each other— waiting for the other to make the first step.

Jace nudged his head for Levi to go first.

’Fucking crazy coward.’

Levi remained stoic as he stepped into the elevator.

The soft florescent light bathing him and providing him with the slightest bit of warmth he’d felt since being here.

Jace watched him for a minute — most likely observing if it was safe before stepping in slowly.

Levi tapped on the button by the panel, there were only two— ’T’ for top and ’B’ for bottom.

They assumed.

Tapping on the ’B’ bottom as the door slid shut with a rhythmic ding.

The elevator ran an eerie silent— except for the cosmopolitan hum of the elevator as they slowly descended.

Jace sensed the awkwardness, bouncing on his feet over and over while occasionally glancing at Levi.

’Please don’t talk to me. Please don’t talk to me. Please don’t talk to me.’

He pleaded inwardly but kept his gaze dead ahead at the wall.

"So what are the possibilities of us killing a new variant down here?" Jace asked casually.

He sighed. "I don’t know Jace, it’s honestly anyone’s guess now."

The habitual ding of the elevator snapped them out of thought as they both instinctively moved for their rifles hanging lazily around their necks.

The wide chamber unfolded before them, dimly lit by the faint red emergency lights that lined the walls.

The chamber was mostly empty, except for the containment pods lined the walls—some shattered, others still sealed. Inside: pale figures suspended in fluid. Not quite human. Not quite vampire.

They moved forward but with caution, trying to avoid the widespread shards of glass that decorated the floor making it impossible to move with a significant crunching sound.

The air was stale, thick— humid, like something was left to sour and rot away but refused to die.

Jace whispered to Levi, "Do you sense anything at all?"

"Nothing, if anything was here, it’s long gone by now" he muttered.

On the far end of the chamber stood a metal rack, numerous files stood on the table as they slowly approached it.

Jace and Levi carefully ran through most of the files, hands and eyes moving at darting speed as a eerie feeling crawled within them.

Something bad was going to happen— and soon.

Jace glanced at Levi, "what do those say?"

"Same as yours, they kidnapped people and used to experiment on them here, they wanted to make something that was faster, stronger, and more clever than an S-Class."

Jace scoffed, "That’s not possible. Till this day the fact that the S-Class turned out how they did is still a miracle... There’s no way to replicate it."

Levi continued, "Possible or not, they tried, and it seemed like they actually made some progress if you don’t consider the numerous side effects and—"

Levi stopped.

He read it again.

Again.

Used his hands to trace the line of the words to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.

’What the hell is this?’

He turned to Jace with an expressionless face, "Korran, I need you to answer me without lying through your teeth for once in your life...

What’s my sister’s name doing in this file?"