3
Ursula tried to shift ever so carefully underneath the large vampire, testing at the same time, how responsive his movements were. She took one of his arms and lifted it, noticing how willingly he let himself be guided by her.
“Oh, yeah,” she moaned, “more, take more.”
He needed to drink more of her blood so she could overwhelm him. She’d seen the effects of her blood on several other leeches. When the guard hadn’t intervened in time, or more often when the leech was new and unaccustomed to her blood, he’d passed out like a drunk. She hoped to make this particular leech succumb in the same way.
But it had to happen fast. Dirk wouldn’t stay away forever, and whatever was going on in the red room would eventually be resolved. Then he’d return, and her chance of escape would vanish in a flash.
In an effort to urge the vampire on to take more of her blood, she pressed her pelvis against him and clamped her hand over his ass, squeezing hard. She knew enough about vampires by now to know that their sexual drive was intimately connected to their drive to feed. The more she turned him on, the harder he would suck on her vein, the more blood he’d take. And the more she could drug him.
Why her blood and that of the other girls did that to them, she didn’t know. And at this moment, she didn’t care. All she cared about right now was how fast she could drug him.
“That’s good, more!” she encouraged him and heard him groan in response.
His hand came up as if he wanted to stroke her face, but it fell limply onto the sofa cushion instead.
Another scream from down the hall sent a shock through her body. Then she heard footsteps in the corridor. No!
Please let it not be Dirk!
She held her breath, but to her relief the footsteps went past the room and grew fainter again. It was now or never. Once another guard was helping in the red room, Dirk wouldn’t be needed any longer and would return.
Suddenly, she felt the vampire go slack. As carefully as she could, she took hold of his head and eased it away from her, careful not to be injured by his fangs. But she wouldn’t have had to worry: his fangs had already retracted. However, he’d passed out before he could lick her wound, which continued to bleed. Had he licked it, his saliva would have sealed it, stopping the bleeding.
Using all her remaining strength—and it wasn’t much since she could already feel the effects of the blood loss—she rolled him to the side so she could slide out from underneath him. Breathing hard, she sat up, but she had no time to catch her breath. Dirk would be here any second.
Getting up, her knees nearly buckled, but with sheer willpower, she soldiered on, one hand pressed against the bleeding incisions of the vampire’s fangs, the other stretched out in front of her to lend her more balance. Knowing that there was no escape through the two windows, because she would break her neck jumping from the fourth floor, she stumbled to the door and yanked it open.
The hallway was empty. Closing the door behind her, she ran back the way she’d walked earlier. There was only one way out from this floor, because she would never make it through the lower floors, which seemed to contain the reception area as well as living quarters for the vampires who ran this operation.
There was a fire escape. She’d noticed it one night when one of the vampires had opened the blackened window at the end of the corridor where it made a bend to the right. It was her only chance.
She ran for it, stumbling several times until she reached it. Frantically, she tried to push the lower portion of the old sash window up, but it didn’t move. Panic surged through her. Had they nailed it shut? She jerked on it again, this time more violently. Her breath deserted her and she dropped her head.
Why? Why? she cursed inwardly and slammed her small fist against the frame.
Then her eyes fell on the metal mechanism on top of the frame. The window was latched. It was one of those old latches from decades ago that simply held the window shut with a small lever one pushed from one side to the other; no key was needed.
Throwing a look over her shoulder, she quickly unlatched the window, then pushed it up. Cool night air drifted into the sticky corridor, making her shiver instantly. Her gaze fell onto the metal platform that was built outside the small window. The fire escape hung from it.
With haste, she squeezed through the open window and set her feet onto the platform, testing whether it would hold her. It bent under her weight, making her glance at the bolts that secured it to the building. It was too dark to see much, but she would bet that the metal was rusty.
Grabbing the handrail, she took her first hesitant step, then another one. Then she set a foot on the metal ladder, descending one story, then another. At the second floor, she stopped. The ladder came to an end. Panicked she surveyed the platform, then discovered a stack of metal that appeared as if it was a ladder that had been gathered up. She kicked her foot against it, but it didn’t move. Shouldn’t it go all the way down to the ground?
Gingerly, she stepped on it, putting more weight onto what appeared to be the bottom step. Her hand grabbed the rail next to her, and underneath her fingers she felt a hook. She pulled on it.
All hell broke loose. The ladder released instantly, coming down with a loud thump, taking her with it as her feet continued resting on the last step. The freefall made adrenaline race through her veins, but seconds later she came to a dead stop, jerking her body forward. A metal rod snapped, slicing into her upper arm. Pain radiated through her, and she slammed her hand over the wound, trying to soothe the pain away.
But there was no time to lose now. The vampires would have heard the noise and would investigate.
Blindly, she ran out of the alley and into the next street. She didn’t know where she was. When she and the other girls had been brought to this place it had been night, and they had been herded from a dark windowless truck into the building without getting a chance at seeing their surroundings. She didn’t even know what city she was in.
Passing by a sign for an import/export company, she dashed into the next street, running as fast as she could. The streets were deserted, as if the area wasn’t frequented by humans. Somewhere in the distance she heard cars, but still she saw nobody.
As she ran, she tried to take in her surroundings and make mental notes of street signs and buildings she passed.
Her lungs burned from exhaustion, her arm hurt from its encounter with the metal rod, and she could still feel blood trickling down her neck. If she couldn’t close those wounds soon, she’d bleed out. She had to find help. At the same time she had to get away as far as possible from her captors, because they were like bloodhounds. They would smell her blood and be able to track her down.
Turning into the next street, she didn’t slow her furious sprint. She was running on empty, and she knew it. But she wouldn’t give up. She’d come this far, and freedom was just around the next corner. She couldn’t let it slip through her fingers. Not when she was so close.
Before her eyes, everything became blurred, and she realized instantly that the blood loss was robbing her of her remaining strength. She stumbled, then caught herself. Her hands got hold of something soft. Thick fabric. Her fingers clawed at it, then hands pulled her up.
“What the f*ck?” a male voice cursed.
“Help me,” she begged. “They’re after me. They’re hunting me.”
“Leave me alone,” the stranger ordered and held her away at arm’s length.
She lifted her head and looked at him for the first time. He was young, barely older than herself. Attractive too, if she could even make that kind of judgment in her foggy state of mind. His hair was dark and somewhat ruffled, his eyes piercing, his lips full and red.
Despite his words, he hadn’t let go of her arms, supporting her weight which would have made her knees buckle otherwise.
Looking straight into his stunning blue eyes, she pleaded again, “Help me, please, I’ll give you anything you want. Just get me out of here. To the next police station. Please!”
She needed help. Not just for herself, but also for the other girls. They had promised each other that whoever managed to escape would send help for the others.
His eyes narrowed a fraction as his forehead creased. His nostrils flared. “What’s going on?”
“They’re hunting me. You have to help me.”
Suddenly his hands clamped tighter around her upper arms, and the pain in her wound intensified.
“Who’s hunting you?” he hissed.
She couldn’t tell him the truth, because the truth was too fantastic. He wouldn’t believe her, he’d think she was some crazy junkie if she told him about the vampires. Still, she needed his assistance. “Please help me! I’ll do anything.”
He looked at her intensely, his eyes boring into her, almost as if he was trying to determine whether she was drunk or crazy, or both.
“Please. Do you have a car?”
She noticed his eyes briefly wander to a dark minivan parked at the side of the road. “Why?”
“Because I’ve got to get away from here. Or they’ll find me.” She darted nervous looks over her shoulder. So far, the vampires hadn’t caught up with her, but they couldn’t be far behind. But she also noticed that this man was still the only one in the vicinity. If he didn’t help her, she wouldn’t make it. She couldn’t run any longer.
“Listen, I’m not interested in whatever trouble you’re in. I’ve got my own.” He released her arms, and she would have fallen, had she not quickly gripped the lapels of his coat.
He glared at her. “I said—”
Desperation made her say words she thought she’d never utter. “I’ll sleep with you if you help me.”
He stopped dead in his movements, his eyes suddenly traveling over her, his nostrils flaring once more. Afraid that he would find something he didn’t like, she slung her arms around his neck and pulled his head to her. Her lips found his an instant later.