The Crucivire

Chapter Twenty One: Bad Situations

Gordon took Jaiden away from the vampire as quickly as possible. He didn't want Jaiden to see Phoenix punish that vampire. However, as he was taken away, Jaiden's enhanced hearing picked up the vampire's shrieks of pain. The further away he got, the quieter those shrieks became until they became little more than whimpers.

And still, the voices whispered to Jaiden, "He's going to do that to you." Despite his best attempts to shut them out, those voices were loud and clear in his mind.

After a brief truck ride, Jaiden and the others were taken back to the Night Hunter Saint Vivia location. Jaiden was placed in a special room on the bottom floor of the facility, a seven sided room with a seven sided glass cage inside. Within the cage stood a chair, a bed, a table, a bookshelf lined with books, a computer, and a television. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling were pure silver and reflected off each other, making a kaleidoscope of images everywhere one looked.

Hunters rolled out a black carpet that let Jaiden walk across the silver floor. Before long, the poor newborn vampire sat hunched over, looking at the glass floor. His glamour had kicked in, and now he looked like an idealized version of himself: a young, handsome, red haired man with flawless skin. The only thing that ruined this flawless image was the absolutely dejected look on his face.

Gordon Brand stood outside the cage, looking in with as much sympathy as he could muster.

"This room should keep the voices out," said Gordon. "It's designed to contain a supernatural creature's power."

Jaiden did note that the voices stopped when he entered.

"I assume the Night Hunters aren't letting me use it out of the kindness of their hearts," said Jaiden.

Gordon sighed, "No. Do you remember when Jasmine asked us where we got our information from? Well, we have a vampire informant at this facility. She can navigate the vampire's psychic network and spy on them without being detected. The architect of these rooms transferred ownership of them to Director Farrow, and he gave her permission to use her power in ways that benefit the Night Hunters. That way, she can spy on them, but her room protects her from them, as this room will protect you. According to her, she made some powerful vampire enemies and sought refuge from us.

"She's proven useful, but we don't really trust her. There's always the potential for a hidden agenda we haven't figured out yet. The Night Hunter council hopes you might learn to do her job. That way, we can get our information from someone we trust."

Jaiden frowned, "I'm not the first dhampir this has happened to. Won't this have been tried before?"

Gordon's face looked grim, "I didn't say it would be easy."

Jaiden looked down, the weight of this situation breaking down on him. Gordon struggled to find an encouraging word to say.

"Well," said Gordon. "We have volunteers who can donate blood. They're those who failed the training but still want to contribute, so you don't need to worry about sustenance for now. I'm...I'm so sorry, Jaiden."

Gordon turned and left, opening the one reflective door in this room as the hinges groaned. The impact echoed through the room when he closed the door, making Jaiden wince.

They had left the black carpet, which Jaiden figured they wouldn't do if he were a prisoner there. Suddenly, the gravity of the situation overwhelmed him, and Jaiden buried his head in his hands. He wept, blood dripping from his eyes instead of tears.

Outside the room, Gordon shut the door behind him as he stepped into a series of hallways that crisscrossed at awkward angles to accommodate the seven sided rooms. The seven sides were necessary for vampires, as the number seven was biblically significant, but it still made navigating this area awkward.