Sirens (Theo Raeken) [1]

Amplification

I dislike Eichen House a lot.

And when I say a lot, I mean I'd rather be stabbed with a fork multiple times than have to set foot in that place again.

Even so, I find it in me to go with Theo's pack, despite how dastardly the looming building was. The plan was to let Tracy do her thing and paralyse any guards in our way before waiting for the signal to proceed.

It's a long an anxious wait with an extremely tense Theo — a stark contrast from this morning. He's jittery and readjusts himself several times. "Theo," I murmur. "Calm down."

When Theo's phone buzzes, he jolts upright and checks it. "She's in," he muses. He alerts the rest of the pack and we trudge down to the gates. A lifeless body is at the foot of the stairs behind the gate, and behind it is the menacing figure of Tracy.

She smiles. "Come on, guys."

I hesitate before stepping through, again letting that little voice inside me tell me that it's wrong and that anyone so excited to throw an entire building into chaos probably isn't trustworthy.

I take a step, gnawing on my lip. I feel that hopelessly regretful feeling in the pit of my stomach that I haven't felt in a while. Since the crash, it's been as if my strength had plummeted to the ground. I didn't really notice it at first, but it was still there, slowly ebbing at what fire I had in me: that feeling of vulnerability and unsureness.

The state of the foyer was silent. It looks as though whoever would've even visited this place was long gone by this hour. The guy behind the desk looks up, quirking an eyebrow. "Visiting hours are well past over," he says bluntly.

Theo takes a step forward, smirking. "We're not here to visit. We're here for Lydia Martin." So quickly that I barely get a chance to comprehend it, Theo lunges at the man behind the desk. He yanks him up by the shirt as if he weighs no more than a feather and throws him to the ground, his body landing with a thud.

He huffs out a breath. "Come on."

He leads the way through a door and we find ourselves in a network of confusing halls. Theo seems to know the way perfectly, weaving effortlessly through the corridors. There are voices coming from down the hall, the stale air carrying them to my ears.

"Is that her?" I whisper to Theo.

I get a curt nod and a small shh. The voice becomes clearer, a clinical, calculating voice.

The voice of Gabriel Valack.

Lydia. Lydia is in there with him. I hurry my steps, shouldering past Theo and all but sprinting to the room.

The room is dark and derelict. It's like a small box, and when I step inside I feel almost suffocated. I'm not thinking things through. I don't even care about Gabriel Valack when I see him. Nothing else matters except Lydia.

My eyes flit up to Valack, but for a second, all I can do is pause as we stare wide-eyed and gaping at each other. I snap out of the surprise and, when I hear Theo stop behind me, I shove past Valack and go to Lydia.

My breath hitches in my throat as I gaze upon her. Her eyes are vacant, her skin is pale and her hair is matted to her scalp with blood. I make a small noise between a squeak and a sob and before I know it, my knees are giving way and I'm shaking her shoulders but nothing is happening.

She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve any of this. With a trembling hand, I gently caress her face, tracing my fingers over the hollows of her cheekbones. Theo looms over me, furrowing his eyebrows. He's focussed on something at her head. "I can't believe they call this a medical establishment," he spits.