In the Dark of Night: Book One of the Dark Series

Chapter 57

The goggles covered their eyes, the maps were memorized and carefully tucked away, and every hand held a weapon. The men were silent as two by two, they moved deeper below the earth's surface. The single thought running through all their minds was survival. Their survival, as well as the survival of those they had come to rescue.

As they reached the end of the long passageway, Jason raised his hand to signal for them to stop. Quietly, the men obeyed Jason's silent command. When Jason began to whisper into the mini-microphone, all their attention was focused on his softly spoken words.

"Remember, this is to be quick. Go to your section. Do what you have to do and get out. And don't under any circumstances separate yourselves from your partner. Good luck."

Nikolas glanced at Lucky. For the briefest moment, he wondered if he could trust him to be there if he needed him. When Lucky looked at him and gave a brief nod of his head, Nikolas had his answer. They had made a pact, and they would honor it.

"You ready, Cassadine?"

"As I'll ever be, Spencer," Nikolas replied back. As he and Lucky followed the trail which led to their section, Nikolas couldn't help but hear the voice of his beloved in his mind.

Because it's almost midnight and I feel like everything is about to change.

At the time he didn't know how prophetic her words were, but now he did. Now, his only hope was that the changes would be for the better.

Lucky glanced at his half-brother again. Never in a million years would he have pictured him and Nikolas working together as a team. If anyone had suggested the idea to him, he would have laughed. But here they were. Partners.

The passageway was desolate and dreary. From what they could gather, their section hadn't been inhabited in quite some time. Neither of them was willing to make assumptions though, so with Nikolas on one side and Lucky on the other, they each searched every room.

Lucky couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't believe Tommy had lived most of his life in this place. The living quarters weren't much bigger than his closet...when he had a closet. There were no beds or mattresses. Only a few dirty rags which had probably served as beds. Lucky shook his head as the respect he held for Tommy continued to grow.

Nikolas' thoughts were the same as Lucky's. How could anyone be subjected to this type of existence without anyone knowing about it? As he went through every room, he knew he would never forget this night as long as he lived.

Nikolas had just forced the door open of the last room on his side when he heard the screams. He quickly left the empty the room and went back into the passageway. "Lucky!" Nikolas fiercely whispered into his microphone.

"Yeah, man. I heard it. Let's go," Lucky replied as he joined Nikolas. Together, with weapons drawn, they went in search of the painful outcry.

~*~

Tommy felt his heart began to race as he neared the familiar passageway which led to where he and his mother had lived for the last few years. Soon. In a few minutes, his promise to her would be realized. They would be together again. He would get her out of this hell and finally they could have a real life again.

Jason could sense Tommy's excitement and it matched his own. Soon he would have Keesha back in his arms. Back in his life again. His feet couldn't move fast enough as he began to pick up speed.

Earlier, when he and Tommy had gone over the maps, they had decided that they would go to Simone first. According to Tommy, many of the newcomers were housed near his mother in the off chance they required her medical attention. Although Jason hoped no harm had been done to Keesha, he prayed that she was sent to Simone's section. If not, looking for her would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, and no matter what, Jason was not leaving without her. His gut told him she was down there somewhere. And, he intended to find her.