Kristi had no idea where she was going. The tunnel was long, narrow, and lit by thin, flickering lights on a track overhead. She’d made it to a corner when the door behind her opened and she heard a shout.

Dr. Preston!

Adrenaline spurred her on, but she was still weak, her hands bound, her brain not firing on all cylinders.

It doesn’t matter. Just run. Until you come up to a dead end, just run. You have to escape.

He was chasing her, his footsteps ringing on the cold stone floor, echoing through this narrow hallway, a tunnel of sorts. How did she get down here in the first place, she wondered, but just kept running.

“Stop, bitch!”

She didn’t bother to look over her shoulder, knew only that he was gaining on her.

Faster, Kristi, faster!

Her heart was beating wildly, her feet slapping the uneven floor, scraping on the stones. She was a runner…she could do this!

And still he pursued her.

Oh, God, she had to get away from him. Ahead was an opening, she saw it. Lights beyond. Maybe a way out!

With a final burst of speed she raced through the archway and found herself in a huge room…like a dark, underground spa. The dark cavern was filled with candles and mirrors and a stone tub filled to overflowing, water cascading over its sides.

A woman, a beautiful woman with dark hair and sharp features, was reclining in the water. She was taking a damned bath, for the love of God.

“You have to help me!” Kristi said in a rush, and again wondered if this was all some weird dream or if she were still hallucinating from the drugs she’d been given hours ago. Maybe this was all just a weird, horrible reaction.

“Of course I’ll help you,” the woman said, her eyes gleaming with a malevolence that made Kristi’s insides curdle.

Wait. This naked bather was no friend.

Kristi started to back up, but couldn’t; the doorway was now filled with Dr. Preston.

“So, Vlad, do you want to try something new?” the woman asked.

Vlad? She’d called Dr. Preston Vlad?

Kristi was damned sure, like Alice before her, she’d fallen into a nightmarish wonderland. “What is this?” she asked, afraid of the answer as she scanned the room wildly, looking for escape. There was only one doorway and it was firmly blocked by Dr. Preston or Vlad or whoever the hell he thought he was.

“Something new?”

“Let’s pump her directly into the tub,” the woman suggested. “Just contain her, slip her into the water with me, and slit her wrists. So much easier than pumping all the blood out and dripping it into the tub.”

Kristi’s mouth went dry as she backed away. Surely she’d heard wrong. No way were they going to pump the blood from her veins.