Last Fae

Chapter 21 ~ Aimless

We got to the lab a few minutes later, Adeline had told Kellan she would check on the Witch Amulet and we were still waiting to hear back from her. The tall building looked the same as it always had, towering above its stunted neighbours and yet the thought of entering had bile rising in my throat. I could still taste her blood in my mouth. Smell the fear in the air as she'd watched me leap for her.

I wondered what it looked like down in the basement. Were the bodies still there? Or did it look like no one had ever even been down there? It hadn't even been a day since it happened, yet people were moving in and out of the front doors as if they didn't have a care in the world. And they probably didn't, even the ones that knew about the Mythics being held in the basement would have had their memories wiped by the Witches. They were probably more care free now than they ever were before.

I sighed and started to move forward once again.

"Should we check inside?" I asked him, my voice devoid of all emotion as I reigned in the nausea that was threatening to throw my stomach contents across the busy sidewalk. "Where did you see the Fae? Was it in the building?"

"No, I turned back around and pointed across the street. It was over there heading back down the street towards the centre of the city. But don't you think it's a bit strange that the only time I've seen one was right outside the building that was being used to house abducted Mythics."

"They could have been involved. But even if they were, there were no Fae in there last night, or when you were locked up in there. We'll see what we find down that way," He pointed in the same direction I had, "And if there's nothing we can circle back and check inside." I was too relieved to argue that we were already here, I did not want to enter that building ever again if I didn't have to.

We crossed the road and and followed the footpath further into town. I kept my eyes peeled wide, and walked slower than everyone else on the path desperate to catch a glimpse of the shimmering violet of an aura. We walked a few hundred metres further until we reached the edge of the river. The dark water swirling menacingly below as the tide flowed out.

I looked left an right, my head swinging back and forth, trying to decide which way to go. I hadn't spotted anything out of the ordinary and there had been no sign of Fae at all. I grabbed the metal rail of the low fence guarding the edge of the river and leaned down to rest my forehead against it.

"This is pointless," I grumbled, "We're looking for a needle in a haystack. And we aren't even sure that there even is a needle in the haystack."

"Let's head back and check again. Maybe we missed something. And if not, we'll try the lab."

"Yeah, okay." I mumbled, pulling myself up and started the walk back down the street. We moved even slower this time and out fellow pedestrians strode passed us grumbling and giving us fowl looks for our slow pace. But our attention was focused on what we were looking for. If they didn't have a purple aura, I had no interest in them. My eyes searched the nearby buildings, scanning the windows for anything out of place. Any flicker of difference that might have indicated a Fae was nearby.

Step by step we moved along the path and step by step I doubted more and more that I'd even seen a Fae aura out here at all. This was ridiculous. We reached the lab without seeing a single thing that could tie back to the Fae. Everything along that street was as human and mundane as it could possibly get.

"I guess we're going in," I mumbled to myself tugging at a lock of hair that had come loose from my ponytail.

"Looks that way," Kellan agreed, almost as unhappy with the fact as I was. We stepped through the door and got in the familiar elevator. I pressed the worn down button for the basement and held my breath as we started to descend. The images from last night flashed through my mind on repeat and I couldn't seem to shut them down.

My heart was racing. Hands shaking, lungs burning for air even as I took deep ragged gasps. I wiped my sweating palms on the loose trousers I was wearing. The elevator dinged. I squeezed my eyes tight shut as the doors slid open. It still smelt like chemicals. The scent of blood had almost been obliterated, but I could still smell the echo of it beneath the heavy chemicals in the air.

It smelled just as it had tasted. Bile rose in my throat as I realised I hadn't minded the taste. I'd liked it. I'd enjoyed the taste of my friends blood on my tongue. I gagged and turned to the wall retching. Kellan placed his hand on the small of my back and rubbed soothing circles. I tried to breathe through the spasms that were clenching my stomach.

"You're okay," He murmured over and over as I heaved again and again, well after my stomach was empty.Gradually the spasms slowed and I caught my breath. I wiped my face with the sleeve of my shirt the bitter taste heavy in my mouth and the burn of acid in the back of my throat. "I need some water," I croaked out, and headed for the nearby sink. The repetitive buzz of a cell phone vibrated through the room. I jumped at the sound but Kellan pulled the phone from the pocket of his jeans and lifted it to his ear.

"Kellan," His one word opener was followed by a moment of silence, "Hello? Can you hear me? Hello?" He started to pace back towards the elevator, his hand swiping down his face. He turned back to me as he stepped inside.

"I'll be back in a minute, I think that was Adeline." I turned back to the tap and rinsed my mouth out gargling the sweet tasting water around my throat to ease the burn. Once I was done, I started to explore, I walked through to the next room, there was no one down here and it looked like there never had been. The vials and implements that had been scattered across every visible surface were all gone. All that was left was the polished silver of the bench tops and a few scattered machines that had been covered over with dark sheets.

On the opposite wall was another door and through it was the hallway of cells. I reached the first one and hesitated at the open cell door. I stepped inside taking in the silver chains still attached to the wall. It wasn't the cell I had been in, but it was almost identical. I reached for the chains and felt the tingle of the silver on my skin. Sighing, I let the tingle of pain wash over me. The sound of footsteps behind me, snapped me out of the trance of memories.

"Is it safe?" I asked him, placing the chains back on the ground. The light footsteps moved closer and I froze. It wasn't Kellan.