Dark Survivor Awakened Page 6

  Sylvia would never understand, nor would any other immortal female, but Ruth wasn’t like them. The question that kept bouncing around her head, though, was whether she’d been born different or had her miserable experience shaped her attitude.

  Probably both.

  She was a virgin when she’d met Sylvia's father, which was very unusual for an immortal female in her early thirties. Hell, it was unusual for a human that age. But she’d always been socially awkward and stayed away from people as much as she could.

  Ruth had met Ashton at the supermarket. He was charming and outgoing, all the things she was not, and she’d fallen for him in no time at all, or so she’d thought at the time. She had definitely not fallen in love with his lovemaking, if it could’ve even been called that.

  What a nightmare that had been.

  He’d basically date-raped her. Except, Ruth wasn’t sure if what he had done qualified as rape. After all, she hadn’t fought him off. She hadn’t even said no. But she hadn’t said yes either.

  Some naive part of her had hoped that he wouldn’t want to hurt her, and that he would realize that she wasn’t ready and needed more time. But Ashton was a selfish man, and she had been in love with the idea of love, not him.

  How could she have loved him if his hands on her repulsed her, and nothing he had done to her had felt pleasurable?

  He’d told her he loved her, and she’d been so starved for affection that she’d kept coming back for more despite the prohibition on having an ongoing relationship with a human. And for what? So she could suffer silently while hoping it would get better?

  Eventually, it did. Less fear and less pain had made it more tolerable.

  Still, Ruth couldn’t understand why the other immortal females were so obsessed with sex. Were they all masochists?

  And what about human females?

  She’d read sweet romances filled with tender lovemaking scenes and could relate to none of it. Maybe she was just different. Perhaps she was defective in some way.

  If she were a brave soul, she would have sought a different partner to see if it were her fault or not. But once Ruth had discovered she was pregnant with Sylvia, none of that mattered anymore.

  As a mother, her number one priority was to protect her child. And as an immortal female, it had been her duty to keep her conception secret from the father, or sperm donor as the other immortal females referred to the humans who fathered their children.

  It had to be done that way even if the human male had been perfect in every way, which Ashton hadn’t been. Not even close.

  Ruth had broken things off with Sylvia’s father before he could suspect the pregnancy and try to lay claim to her unborn daughter. She’d never seen him since, neither did she want to, nor had she been intimate with anyone else.

  Living inside her books and her own imagination was much safer than risking another disappointment. She’d been content to keep things the way they were and had had no desire to upset her comfortable routine.

  But then Nick had stormed into her life, awakening her sleeping heart and her dormant desires along with the demons she’d worked so hard to bury.

  13

  Grud

  As soon as the woman left, Grud walked over to the grate covering the refuse gutter and pulled.

  It had taken him many days to loosen the bolts securing it to the cement. He’d had to be careful, making sure that the floor looked as intact as possible so Wonder wouldn’t notice what he’d done.

  Taking the grate with him, he walked back to his mattress, sat down, and started working on the metal rods.

  “Why are you wasting your time on it?” Shaveh asked. “The gutter is too shallow for you to fit in. Work on the gate instead.”

  That was what his two jail mates had been doing since day one.

  But unlike the two morons, Grud was smart. He’d reached the conclusion that the cages had been built to hold gorillas or orangutans a long time ago. Supposedly, the big apes were ten times stronger than the average human man, which meant that they were about twice as strong as an immortal male. Not that he knew that for a fact. Maybe immortal males were only three times stronger than humans. It didn’t change the fact, though, that there was no way for them to break free from cages designed for the powerful apes.

  For a long time, Wonder had refused to tell them anything about where they were and what the cages had been used for before. Grud had thought she didn’t know, like she didn’t know a lot of other things. He was an uneducated soldier, but compared to her he felt like a scholar. It was amazing how little Wonder knew about anything, especially since he didn’t think she was dumb.

  Eventually, though, she’d revealed that the facility had been used for testing drugs on apes. Later, it had been outlawed or something, and the place had been shut down.

  Grud had shared the information with the two, explaining that they could work from now until eternity and not succeed in bending even one bar. But if they wanted to waste their efforts, it was their business. He was getting out of there, and once he was free, he would consider coming back for them.

  Maybe, he wasn’t sure about that part.

  “What are you planning to do with the grate?” Mordan asked.

  There was no harm in sharing his idea. “I’m trying to pry one of the slats free, so I can use it as a tool to dig a hole in the back wall.”

  Shaveh grabbed onto his cage’s bars and pocked his nose into Grud’s. “Do you think it leads to the outside?”

  The guy was a moron.

  “We are in a basement, so obviously it can’t lead to the outside. But it leads to another room in the facility.”

  “What if there are more cages on the other side?” Mordan asked.

  The guy was slightly smarter than Shaveh.

  “That’s possible. But I’m betting on it being just a regular room with a regular door designed to keep humans out that I can break down easily.”

  “How do you know there is a room on the other side and not dirt?” Shaveh asked.

  “If you put your ear to the back wall and listen, you can hear Wonder’s footsteps when she leaves.”

  “Oh.” Shaveh seemed satisfied with the answer.

  Mordan threaded his arm through the gap between the bars and waved a hand. “What are you going to do with the rubble? Where are you going to hide the blocks?”

  Grud sighed. “I don’t have a tool yet, and you worry about the debris? I’ll crumble the blocks and dump them in the gutter.”

  “It will get clogged, and we will be stuck with shit piling up.” Finally, Shaveh had something smart to add.

  Turning to look at the guy, Grud shrugged. “If I crumble it enough, the little pieces will get washed away when Wonder hoses the cages down. And in any case, there will not be that much rubble. All I need is a hole large enough to fit through.”

  “How are you going to hide the hole until it’s ready?” Mordan asked.

  Grud pointed to the stack of books by his bed. “I’m going to move this against the back wall. That’s why I’ve been asking her for more and more books.”

  Mordan laughed. “So that’s why you’re suddenly interested in reading. I thought you wanted to impress the woman, because you only pretended to read while she was here.”

  Well, that too. She was softening toward him. But Grud couldn’t count on her lowering her guard enough to let him out of the cage. Still, that could be a backup plan in case the first one failed.

  He picked up a book and lifted it to Mordan’s dangling hand. “Start reading out loud. I need to know what the book is about if I want to strike up a conversation with her.”

  Mordan threaded the book through the gap and started flipping through the pages. “You still think you can soften her up?”

  “If I can loosen an iron grate, I might be able to loosen Wonder’s will.”

  “What about us?” Shaveh asked. “How are we getting out? Will you come back for us?”

  “Of course.”
/>   Maybe.

  14

  Anandur

  “Will it take you much longer to get ready?” Anandur asked Magnus as they returned to their hotel room.

  The guy fussed with his appearance like a teenage girl.

  “Blow me.” Dressed in grey boxers, black socks, and a black button-down, the guy pulled out the ironing board from the closet and put his slacks on it.

  Well, that was his answer. Ironing pants took time. Anandur plopped on the couch and clicked the dumb box on.

  “Aren’t you going to get changed?” Magnus asked.

  “Nah. What I have on is fine.”

  “You’re going to a club, not to toss out the garbage.”

  Anandur switched to another channel. “My clothes are clean, free of stains, and don’t smell. It’s good enough.”

  “You’ll be the only one wearing a T-shirt and Levi's. You’re going to stick out.” The iron hissed as it released steam over Magnus’s pants.

  “I’m six foot six with a mop of red curls on my head and on my puss. You think a fancy shirt is going to help me blend in?”

  “You’ve got a point.” Magnus flipped the pants upside down and kept ironing. “You should consider giving that hair of yours a trim. And shorten the beard too. I can take you to a good stylist.”

  Wonderful. The guy was fresh off the boat, so to speak, and he knew a stylist already. It was good Magnus could kick ass with the best of them. Otherwise Anandur would have wondered about his aptitude for a Guardian job.

  “Next time you go for your Brazilian blow-out, take me with you,” Anandur said in his valley-girl's tone impersonation. “We can get matching hairdos.”

  Magnus waved a dismissive hand. “Forget I ever mentioned it. Let’s go.” He pulled on his slacks and then threaded a fancy belt through the loops.

  The thing probably cost more than Anandur’s entire wardrobe.

  “What do you think of Vincent’s story?” Magnus asked as they got in the car.

  “I believe him. Unless he’s lying about his hypersensitivity to immortal males. Though I can’t imagine why.”

  Reaching for the car’s GPS, Anandur typed in the club address Vincent had provided.

  “Maybe he’s using it as an excuse not to move into the village.”

  Anandur pulled out from the hotel’s parking lot and merged into traffic. “He doesn’t need an excuse. Kian gave an exemption to several programmers, and Vincent is one of them. His work cannot be done online. It’s classified.”

  “One of those, eh? What is he working on, anti-nuke missiles?”

  “I don’t know. Everything to do with leaking technology to humans belongs in William’s domain. I’m sure Kian gets updates, but I doubt he pays attention enough to know which programmer is working on what.”

  “Fascinating subject, but not for old-timers like us.” Magnus sighed. “I still don’t know how to navigate Facebook, let alone do any coding. The current generation is better at these kind of jobs.”

  “Mark wasn’t much younger than you.” Anandur’s good mood soured as he was reminded of the programmer’s murder. “He was the best we had.”

  “Right. I didn’t know he was that old.”

  With thoughts of Mark and his death at the hands of Doomers putting Anandur in a reflective mood, he spent the rest of the drive in silence, while Magnus stared out the window, probably busy with his own existential musings.

  Supposedly, Mark wasn’t really gone, since he’d made a reappearance as a ghost or spirit, talking inside Nathalie’s head. But even though Nathalie could not have known the things she’d claimed Mark had told her, Anandur was still doubtful. No one knew what happened on the other side of the veil, or even if the veil or the beyond existed.

  Being a romantic and believing in the power of love didn’t make Anandur a patsy who believed in everything he was told.

  “You have arrived. Your destination is on your right,” the automated female voice announced.

  “She sounds sexy,” Magnus said as Anandur parked the car.

  “You’re desperate, buddy. Get yourself a woman tonight.”

  Magnus grinned. “I plan on it as soon as we are done with the investigation.”

  “Same here.” Anandur nodded at the bouncer blocking the entrance.

  The dude, who was about as wide as he was tall and not because he was fat, frowned at Anandur but smiled politely at Magnus.

  “Welcome to Club Nirvana, gentlemen.” He opened the door for them.

  “You see why it pays to dress up?” Magnus said as they entered.

  “Nah, he probably thought you’re that actor.”

  “You think?” Magnus smoothed his hand over his goatee.

  Anandur shook his head. “Let’s ask the barman a few questions.”

  With a slight bow, Magnus waved a hand. “Lead the way.”

  The barman wasn’t much help. “Sorry, but I don’t remember anything out of the ordinary happening on that day.”

  “Any suspicious characters?” Anandur asked.

  The guy huffed. “Look around you, dude. Everyone looks suspicious.“ He leaned closer. “But you know what? Often those who don’t look it are the worst, like the creeps who slip roofies into girls’ drinks.”

  “Ain't that the truth.” Anandur tapped his hand on the bar. “Two whiskys for me and my friend. No ice.”

  “What kind?” The barman threw a menu on the counter.

  “No need. I'm sure you carry Chivas.”

  “We do.”

  “Any point in asking the servers if they saw anything?”

  The guy shook his head. “It was a relatively quiet week. There are always a few guys who get drunk, but that’s normal.”

  Despite the barman’s assurances, Anandur exercised due diligence. After finishing his drink, he talked with each of the servers. They confirmed what the barman had said.

  It had been a quiet week.

  “Well, my friend.” Magnus rubbed his hands. “It’s time to find us some willing lassies.”

  “Absolutely.” Anandur clapped the guy on the back. “Good luck.”

  “No luck needed, but I have a favor to ask.” Magnus raked his fingers through his longish hair. “Do you mind if I use our hotel room? I’m not into back-alley romps.”

  “No problem.” Anandur fished out the car keys from his pocket and handed them to Magnus. “I’ll use Lift.”

  “Not Uber?”

  “Nah, their customer service sucks.”

  15

  Wonder

  Wonder pulled out several rolls of toilet paper and two packets of toilet-seat covers from the storage room and headed for the ladies’ room. It was no longer her job to restock it with the necessities, or make sure that there was no mess left unattended, but old habits refused to die. When she noticed that the bathroom was low on supplies, she just did it. It would’ve been silly to call the new cleaner for something that took her a few moments to do.

  Tony had hired a guy as her replacement, which meant that while Jerry did his job, the ladies’ bathroom would have been closed and a huge line of impatient women would’ve formed, shifting from foot to foot and complaining about the wait.

  Besides, she was bored. No fights had broken out tonight, and she was tired of standing by the back door and keeping it open for people going out. She was a bouncer, not a doorwoman.

  Once Wonder was done with the bathroom, she headed over to the parking lot. Ever since she had caught Grud, she had made it a point to patrol the area several times a night, paying particular attention to the back alley.

  Human males were often almost as bad as the three immortals she’d caught. Not that she had encountered any with murderous intentions, but there were quite a few who had gotten too handsy with girls who were either not willing or too drunk to know what they were doing.

  She waved at Jerry who was on his way to the men’s room. “Hi, Jerry, I already took care of the ladies’ room.”

  “Thanks, but you shouldn�
��t have. Tony will think I’m not doing my job.”

  “Nah. The ladies’ room is nothing compared to the men’s room. No one will think you’re slacking if you keep that place clean.” What Wonder had wanted to say was pigsty instead of place, but she wasn’t sure it was the right phrase to use.

  Her command of the English language was good, and she had mastered the Californian accent to perfection, but some phrases and expressions still gave her trouble. They were called idioms. She’d looked it up on the used laptop she’d purchased.

  Mrs. Rashid was so happy when Wonder emailed her for the first time. Since then, they had been communicating almost daily.

  “Yeah.” Jerry sighed. “I think after enduring that, my place in heaven is secure. I already paid my penance.”

  She had no idea what he was talking about.

  It had something to do with a religion, but there were too many of them to remember what each one preached. They all believed in one god, though—an entity no one had ever seen.

  Obviously, that entity had nothing to do with the gods her imagination had concocted. Those were flesh and blood.

  Sometimes, she would have vivid dreams about a different world and a different reality, where humans, gods, and immortals coexisted and intermingled on a regular basis. The problem was that she remembered very little of it upon waking.

  Smiling, as she usually did when people told her things she didn’t know how to respond to, Wonder waved her hand. “See you later, Jerry. I’m going to check the parking lot.”

  “Be careful.”

  She patted her Taser gun. “I have protection.” Not that she needed it against humans, but it had proven useful with immortals.

  Those males were strong, and she didn’t know if she could subdue one with her bare hands like she did with humans.