Outlaw's Promise(85)

No. No!

But he still had hold of my wrist. And before I could stop him, he was pushing the needle into my upper arm and squeezing the plunger. A clear liquid shot into me, burning and throbbing.

He let go of my arm. “Lie down,” he told me. “Wouldn’t want you hurting yourself when you fall asleep.” He jerked his head at the others. “Get everyone together. I want to brief people on what’ll be happening while I’m away.”

They sauntered off. I jerked my arm back through the bars and rubbed at the sore spot. Shit! What had he given me? Some sort of sedative? Once it took effect, I’d be helpless.

I looked at the lock. It had taken me an hour last time. How long until they came back for me? How long did a briefing take? Ten minutes, twenty?#p#分页标题#e#

I dug the piece of wire out of my jeans, slid it into the padlock and frantically went to work.





56





Annabelle





I could feel the drug coming on. It was subtle but it was there, a sort of thickening of my thoughts. As if ideas had to swim through oatmeal instead of water. My hands started to slow, my head lolling.

Then a hand gripped my arm. I looked up to see Cassie reaching through from the next cell. She squeezed my arm in encouragement and nodded.

I forced myself to keep going. Focus. Just...feel for the last...pin and then...twist….

The lock sprung open. I blinked and stared at it for a few seconds before it really sank in. Then I very gently lifted the padlock from the loops of chain, trying not to make a noise. Getting the chain off the bars was even worse: the heavy links made clangs that that seemed to echo around the entire building. I lifted it free as gently as I could, wincing with each sound. When I looked up, all the other women were staring at me with huge eyes.

I inched open the gate and peeked out. For once, the entire massive floor was empty. The guards must all be having their briefing with Volos.

I glanced around for the nearest door: way over the other side of the room. But at least for once, I could duck under the barriers and go straight across instead of threading my way back and forth. I ducked under the first one—

Everything went simultaneously black and red. I stumbled backwards, dizzy, and very nearly brained myself on the metal barrier behind me. Whoah.

What’s the opposite of a head rush? That’s what had happened to me. Just ducking down had almost put me on the floor. The drug was starting to really hit me.

Moving more carefully, I ducked my way under the barriers until I reached the exit. I wrapped my hand around the heavy steel handle: locked. And it looked like it’d be much harder to pick than the padlock.

I looked desperately around. I didn’t want to head towards the front of the building, because that’s where Volos was having his meeting. There was another door at the back, behind a stack of boxes. I headed for that...but before I’d even gotten halfway, I heard a door open and voices coming my way. The meeting was over.

I searched around for a hiding place but there was nowhere. And I was in the worst possible place, the killing floor. It was just a big, white-tiled expanse with the meat hooks above and slightly sloping floors below to drain the blood….

I looked down and followed the slope of the floor. It led down to a big metal drain cover.

Oh Jesus, no. I can’t.

The voices were getting closer.

I knelt down, which made me woozy again, and levered up the drain cover. The pipe below was big enough to crawl in: just. I lowered myself into it, slid the cover back into place and held my breath.

Footsteps filled the room as the guards returned to their positions. No shout went up, so no one had seen me. I took a second to look up and down the pipe. Thankfully, no blood had drained down there for years but it still stank and the walls were covered in slime. There were smaller grates every ten feet or so which let in enough light to see by. I could see side tunnels branching off. The pipes must run under the whole building.

At that second, I heard a yell from over by the stalls. As everyone ran over there, I followed them through the pipe, using their pounding footsteps as cover. By the time I got there, Volos was staring into my empty stall, a murderous look on his face. He reached through the bars of the stall next to mine and grabbed Cassie by the throat. “Where did she go?” he yelled in her face.

I held my breath. She’d probably watched me get into the pipe. Would she grass me up to save herself?#p#分页标题#e#

Cassie opened and closed her mouth a few times. Then, “I didn’t see,” she whispered.

Volos cursed and flung her aside. “Find her,” he muttered. “Find her quick.”

Very quietly, I crawled away. The drug was really starting to hit, now: thinking was like trying to walk through thick, glutinous mud. I had to find another drain cover. Somewhere near the edge of the building, or even outside. Through the grate above me, I could see guards running back and forth. If one of them so much as glanced down as I passed under a grate, if I made even the slightest sound….