I back away, pressing my back against the wall.  It sniffs the air like a dog and its lifeless eyes lock on me. Then it charges and I’m shocked. But my leg reacts mechanically, giving a quick blow to the vampire’s stomach. The vampire staggers back, but regains its balance swiftly and comes at me again. I duck to the side, but it catches the hem of my shirt. I twist around and throw my fist into its nose. It screams, not out of pain, but with fury. Its fangs nip, ready to kill me. I try to squirm free, but it throws me to the ground and my skull bangs against the floor. I try to get up, but everything’s spinning.

The vampire shrieks and then moves for me, about to sink its fangs into my neck.  But then it hesitates, a quick pause, its body freezing, almost looking human as it contemplates what to do next.

Then, just like the previous two times, it tilts back its head and shouts, “No!” It goes to the door and claws at the metal until its nails bleed raw. The people through the glass window gasp and I know I’m in trouble because obviously they’ve never seen this before.

The vampire continues to let out shriek after shriek as it scratches and bangs its head at the door. The room starts to flood with silver smoke and it collapses. I hack out my lungs but force myself to stay awake. I hear someone enter, a soft rustle, then a crash. I hunt for the door, but the smoke’s too thick and I end up running into the wall.

The door bangs shut, but I’m not alone. The pounding of a heart crams the room like a virus. I stifle my breath and scan the fog. Footsteps pad toward me and I lie down on the ground, flat on my stomach, and crawl across the floor.

The footsteps pause. I press the side of my face to the cold ground, where the smoke is thinner, and spot a set of clunky boots. They move to the left, then the right, before stopping again.

“Kayla.” The voice rings with familiarity, another lost person from The Colony.

I press my lips together, my gaze locked on the boots.

“Kayla.” The boots pace. “Either we can do this the hard way or the easy way.”

I keep still.

A breath of frustration. “Well, then.”

The boots disappear, but the door doesn’t shut. I start to crawl, but an army of boots rush in. A hand grabs my neck and a needle plunges into it, poison pumps through my veins like fire. My eyes roll into the back of my head as the world slips away.

Chapter 22

“Kayla, listen to me,” Monarch says, his voice a whisper, so far away. “This is important. Are you listening?”

“Yes,” I reply in a hollow tone as fog dances around me.