Out For Blood 60

‘Just like the old guy in the cell then,’ offered Jill. ‘The one who drew out the tunnels for us. He said he was one-hundred and thirty-six, yet he looked no older than what… fifty? He claimed it was down to that injection… “The Turning” he called it!’

‘Celia and Marianna have to be a part of this, there can be no other explanation!’ Said Gregg.
‘Well if they are… why have they taken her daughter?’ asked Jill.
‘What else did the old guy say… something about change?’

‘He said the Primary One was working on something, something that was going to change them!’
‘Yes he did, if Celia Brontrose is one of them… Marianna must be at least what, third generation Vamp..?’ he stopped himself from saying it. ‘What if she’s the one that holds the secret to this… change he was talking about? What if, they were hoping to branch out… like in the rain say? She sails a boat on the lake where she lives, if Marianna was afraid of the water she wouldn’t do that right?’

Jill nodded. ‘Well that must be why they have her, something Marianna has could hold that key! Can you imagine what would happen if this lot were free to roam the streets?’
‘Then that gives us even more of a reason to blow their fucking world apart.’
‘Nuke it in the bud so to speak.’ Said Jill.

‘Exactly, but the young girls are my main priority at the moment; I’ve got to get them out first, and speaking of which…’ he then took Jill over to the 4X4 and opened the rear door. ‘Jill Gordon, I’d like you to meet Alicia Vincent.’

Alicia sat up on the seat and narrowed her eyes. ‘How do you know me?’ she said suspiciously.
Jill looked at Alicia then at Gregg. ‘How did you..?’

‘In a moment Jill, Alicia, my name is Gregg Pierroni, I’m a private investigator from Richmond and your mom hired me to find you.’
Alicia looked at Gregg, her eyes blinking rapidly, and then a solitary tear dropped the short distance to her cheek and rolled past the corner of her mouth. ‘Thank you Mr Pierroni!’ She said. ‘…and I know my mom will say thank you too.’

‘The names Gregg Alicia.’
Alicia tried to smile. ‘Thanks’ Gregg!’
Nick came over after his inspection of the van. ‘Have you seen what they did to my… whoa, is she one of them?’ he said stepping back.
‘No Nick, this is Alicia.’ said Jill. ‘Alicia, say hi to Nick.’
‘Hi Nick.’
‘Hello Alicia. Where’d you find her?’ he asked Gregg.

‘To be honest… she found me, but that’s a question I’d like to ask you Alicia. What were you doing in the tunnels?’
‘The tall lady let me go.’
‘The tall lady? Do you mean Ella?’ asked Gregg.
Alicia shrugged. ‘Don’t know her name; she said when I get out of the tunnel I was to give this to the investigator.’ She held out her hand.
Gregg looked at Jill then at Nick, he then took a piece of paper from Alicias’ hand and opened it out. He started reading it to himself.

‘It’s okay for you to read it out loud; I know what it says because she made me write it. I don’t think she knew how to write.’
Gregg cleared his throat and began reading the note to the others.

'“Here’s the deal.
I have given you what you came for, take the girl and leave now. No one will try to stop you leaving and no one will come after you. If you refuse this offer of freedom then you will only have yourself to blame for the consequences that will undoubtedly follow.” And there’s no signature.’ Finished Gregg.

‘Does that mean we can get out of here now?’ asked Nick.
‘Alicia, are there any more like you? Is anyone else locked up where you were?’ asked Gregg.
Alicia nodded.
Jill took hold of Alicias’ hand. ‘How many more Alicia?’ she asked.

‘Two, Jenny and this other girl, I don’t know her name because she never spoke, she only cried.’ Alicia then held out her arm; on her wrist was a brightly coloured plastic bangle. ‘I had two of these,’ she said. ‘But I gave one to Jenny for being my friend.’

Gregg thought for a second then he recalled… ‘Jenny Walsh; taken from Little Falls in Fredericksburg two weeks ago. She’s Senator Edward Walsh’s granddaughter, and only just turned thirteen.’

‘We have to get them out Gregg.’ Said Jill.
‘I know,’ he said nodding. ‘Alicia, what can you tell us about where you were kept?’
Alicia frowned slightly. ‘The room you mean?’
‘Yeah, tell us about the room.’
She shrugged. ‘Okay… it was small, there was a window with bars, and there were two small beds… and that’s it.’

‘Did you see outside the room, like when the tall lady let you leave?’ said Gregg.
‘Sure, she unlocked the door and told me to follow her; I thought she was going to kill me or something.’ Jill lightly squeezed Alicias’ hand. ‘I picked up my school blazer but she said to leave it where it was, then we went down a staircase in this big hall, and then into a kitchen, that’s where she made me write that note.’

‘Carry on,’ prompted Gregg.
‘…so, she opens this door in the floor and we go down some more steps to another door, she unlocked it and pulled me into a small room.’
‘What was in that room Alicia?’ asked Gregg.
‘Just two more doors in the floor, a wooden one and an iron one, I think it was iron. Oh and a small table in the corner, it had flashlights on it, or something like that.’

‘The wooden door Alicia, is that the one she sent you through?’
‘Yes, she told me to go down the steps and when I reach the bottom I was to go straight on until I got to the end, then turn right and climb out, and then find you. But I saw light from here that’s why I didn’t go all the way to the bottom.’

‘What happened to your shoes?’ asked Jill.
Again Alicia shrugged. ‘Don’t know, when I woke up in the room they put me in they weren’t on my feet, or my socks.’
‘To slow them down should they manage to escape!’ Explained Gregg.

‘Alicia,’ said Nick bending with his hands on his knees. ‘You know this door you mentioned… the one in the kitchen floor, would you say it was in the centre of the building?’
She thought for a few seconds then shrugged again. ‘Could be, I’m not sure!’
‘Well, was it near a window, or a door to the outside?’ he added.
‘No,’ Alicia was certain. ‘It was in the middle of the floor.’
‘Okay thank you.’

‘Okay Alicia, just a couple more questions.’ said Gregg. Alicia again nodded. ‘How many others did you see just before you left?’
‘None,’ she said shaking her head. ‘Only the tall lady. There were other rooms but all the doors were closed.’

‘Well did you hear anyone else while you were there?’
‘When I was locked in the room I could hear voices coming from below, you know… where the kitchen is?’
Gregg touched her shoulder. ‘Okay Alicia, you’ve been very helpful and very brave.’

Jill stayed with Alicia while Gregg and Nick moved closer to the hatch to sort out what they were going to do to get the girls out of the Town Hall; before they would attempt to blow it up.

‘Okay Gregg what now?’ said Nick.
‘I was about to ask you the same question.’

***

Ella took another look at Martins just before she left; listening to the beeping heart monitor she noticed it had slowed a little. She hoped by this time tomorrow he would be recovering. Ella picked up a shallow steel tray from off the small set of drawers beside his bed, on it sat a small and very dry sponge. She carried the tray across the room and on her way out of the door she rested the tray on the pedestal, then taking one surgical glove she put it on her right hand. Ella picked up the tray again and pressing the “Open” button she ascended the steps into the basement, she then unbolted the wooden hatch once more and opened it. Before descending into the tunnel itself she took a flashlight from the table in the corner and then climbed down the steps.

At the bottom Ella could hear her boots disturbing the shallow puddle of rain water that had accumulated there. She shone the flashlight at her feet and saw the puddle was around an inch deep, raising the flashlight she followed the puddle until it shallowed to nothing. Problem was, the strength of the beam died off before the puddle did. Ella picked up the sponge and dipped it into the water, when it had soaked up all it was going to she returned it to the steel tray and left the tunnel. Placing the tray on the floor she put the flashlight back on the table and then closed and bolted the hatch.

After descending into Martins chamber she hit the “Close” button and carried the tray over to Mariannas’ side of the curtain. She put it down on the small table beside the gurney; the sponge was sitting in the centre of the tray and gravity had allowed some of the muddy water to escape its grip. Ella lifted her left hand and traced her forefinger through the small pool, white smoke immediately rose into the air with the odour of singed flesh.

She then dipped her right forefinger into the pool and a small droplet of light brown water clung to the surgical glove. She carefully swept her hand over Mariannas’ face and wiggled her finger slightly causing the drip to fall onto her forehead. Ella looked on intently as the drop of water sat there trapped by the tiny blond hairs on her flawless skin.

Sighing loudly she turned back to the tray and picked it up, then holding the sponge in her gloved hand she squeezed it dry over Mariannas’ face. The cold water woke Marianna and she began to struggle with the straps.

‘What… what the hell’s going on? What are you doing to me? Who are you? Where am I?’ she yelled.
‘So many questions…’ Said Ella.
‘Let me go, I’ll have you arrested for this you—’
‘Silence,’ shouted Ella. ‘In answer to your first question, you are here to help someone in need.’
‘What the hell are you—’

‘In answer to your second question, you have something I want!’
‘I’m not rich you know, no one will pay you a ransom!’
‘Your third question… that might be self explanatory, after I answer your fourth question. Where are you...? Martinsville!’
Marianna stopped struggling and her eyes widened, the realisation evident on her face. ‘Are you… are you Ella… my grandmother?’

‘Fourth question answered, so ultimately you could say I gave you life… and now you’re going to return that favour.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You’ll see.’

She walked around the gurney to stand at Mariannas’ head. Mariannas’ eyes rolled to the top of their sockets watching her. Ella reached down and took hold of the head restraints and tried to fasten them around her forehead, Marianna shook from side to side in a bid to thwart her efforts, but Ella was as strong as she was and managed to fasten the buckle.

Marianna then began shouting and screaming once more; Ella went to a cupboard at the back of the room and retrieved a jar of chloroform, she poured some onto a rag and soon Marianna was once more silent.