The Crimson Project

-4-

-What does that even mean?- I questioned and he shook his head slowly.
-We're in a getaway, sweetie, is not the right moment and we don't have enough time for further explanation...
He rushed by my side and on a second, he appeared at the end of the corridor, where a glass office was standing between him and another corridor.
I quickly catch up and look through the glass.
-See over there? The other white door? Is the elevator that takes us right to freedom... we have around twenty minutes until we reach the surface. We only have to open these doors and cross the corridor.
-Sounds pretty easy for me- I answered and he burst into laughter.
-You clearly are as naive as I imagined...
William took a security card out of his pocket, and let us in in the office, the computer's screens were mostly on and I could saw every other part of this white hell.
Many other cages, some of them empty and other ones with hundreds of men and women who were locked.
Most of them had the exact same golden strings piercing their skin and some other got my collar.
-What is this place?- I mumbled, I didn't expected an answer I was just trying to process all the things that were crossing my mind, like a river of new and terrifying information.
-This, Murray, Is Van Helsing's research centre. As you may see, and even, theorized, an heir of his awful legacy took her grand grand father project on her hands and decided to study and experiment on mythical creatures.
-Van Helsing, Dracula, all of this, is true or I am just high?-I asked, and glanced at the screens, when the lights went off and the siren's sound arise.

-So... Are there many places like this one? Like this laboratory?
-As long As I could research before they put me in here, yes, around the country are seven, one of them for each specialization.
-specialization? You mean...?-I felt confused, I wasn't able to keep on the track of the security guards out there and that made me feel nervous.
Afraid.
-Different kind of special persons. Vampires, werewolves, witches, mermaids, hybrids and angels. Each one of them have their own research place in this nation at least one. A laboratory specialised in their weakness and their strenghts, in the way they could be defeated and how they...we...-William looked at me again with a sorrowful look in his eyes and it broke my heart. - I only know the code name of a few of them. They call us projects, the Salem one, the ocean one, the feather one, the tusk one and ours is called the Crimson one.
-They have such an imaginative way to make the perverse incentives look naive, don't they?
He nodded as the guards came back.
-You know what Irina? This is your moment, you are powerful enough to get into their minds, is not a thing of practice for someone like you or me, if we concentrate together we can make them turn around and leave ou to escape. What do you say? I dare you- his words were hypnotizing I could tell he was using some of that kind of thought control on me as Well.
-Don't take me for granted, "sweetie"- I wanted to play it cool, just  like him, he seemed so confident and to escape that place I needed that same confidence.
-Then stand up, we need them to see us and believe we are surrendeing-William explained and I stared into his eyes confused.
-You are guiding me to a trap, aren't you?
-Irina...-he reached his hand and took mine, my first impulse was to punch him but there was something relaxing on his hand around mine. Something familiar.- Now that I know you, I would never let you down...
He winked in my direction before opening the bulletproof door and took a few steps towards the guards, who were already pointing their guns towards us.
-Say this with me-He mumbled into my mind and I froze. This was terrifying but exciting enought to keep me going.
-We only have to leave. Your command is to let us leave. -we both said, in one voice.
Seconds past before I could see any kind of reaction, I truly thought this was all a dream and now they will shoot us and I would woke up, in the motel room I fainted last night.
But no.
They lowered their guns, then, bend and left them on the floor, in a perfect line, I looked into their eyes to see how numb they seemed.
All of them turned around and left.
Just. Like. That.
-What on earth have we done?-I asked in a shriek.
Iwas ecstatic, I never felt so powerful in my life, even when I turned into fog minutes ago.
-What a day, huh?-he said and smirked- Let all of this sink in as we take our ticket to the surface, if we hurry up enough, we will be able to see the sky before the sunrise.
We both run towards the elevator, and breathed a sigh of relief as we entered and saw the white and silver automatic doors close in front of us.
-So... where are you from?-he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
I shrugged.
-I don't really know, I lived my,entire life in New York but my date of birth is unknown and so is my hometown. I am...or was a no one...
-Until...? -William tilted his head, he was reading my mind again but it became less annoying each time.
-Until I started singing. I sang in a bar in Hell's kitchen, where I was a waitress as well at my fifteen years old. Lucky for me, a producer of an important records company heard me and gave me everything I have now. - I explained and look into my hands, barely remembering what I was telling, I used to keep the past as buried as I could.
-So you're famous??
-You already knew, didn't you? Or is just my feeling?- I glanced at him.
-Yes, your mind is like a book full of pictures and is hard not to take a look or two... but go on, I prefer hearing it from your beautiful lips, darling.
I smiled, and looked down, NOW I was being naive.
-I am in a band, I'm the lead singer and the founder. It is called: Irina and the scarlet knights. Just a coincidence but I'm a great fan of the red in all of its variations so... -I shrugged, this life is always connected in a way or another.
What an anount of stupid thought I was carrying today.
-How you ended up in The Project?-He questioned as we were reaching finally the surface.
-I had a concert a few nights ago, I had drank a lot and meet this guy from the crowd, he just came straight to me when we were packing all of the instruments. He invited me a few drinks and I agreed.
I CAN'T REMEMBER anything else after we went to the motel where my band was staying.
-He drugged you, doesn't he?- William asked frowning, his expression showed how upset he felt. I couldn't understand why.
-Yes, I think so now. But also, there was something about him, I believe he may be a vampire as well, he... he just convinced me to go with him, I didn't even hesitate, as I hadn't...
-A will?-he finished and I nodded slowly. - yes, probably he is one of our kind and obviously he is part of this project, he might have discovered you were a vampire, but as long as I could learned, if you weren't, he would have converted you into one. This is the thing... they are, and by they I mean the government, with Halley Van Helsing, the woman I told you about, are working in collaboration to make a new army, one full of surprises.
The gates opened up as I stare into his eyes.
-It is about to dawn... we can teleport to a few miles away, probably a hotel, would you mind to stay the night with another vampire?-he asked smiling and I could saw his fangs for the first time.
-I am not afraid... what could go wrong now?