Greykin Mountain

| 52 | Lupul Meu

⥐ ⋞ ☽ ⋟ ⥐

As Liam's silver blade cut into his skin, Jackson whined painfully. He kept trying to pull free, but the harder he tried, the more it hurt.

          He turned his head to the side when he saw the blood oozing from his wrist and trickling into the vial Liam held with his other hand. His heart was racing, and his stomach was churning—knowing Ridge was going to use his blood to create hybrids which he'd use to kill hundreds of people made Jackson feel like he was about to throw up.

          The creatures chained to the wall behind him started screeching, reacting to his blood the same way they'd reacted when Liam and that other guy chopped up a body. And when Jackson turned his head and tilted it back in an attempt to deal with the pain, he saw the monsters hanging up there staring down at him.

          "Don't stare at them too long," Liam muttered, starting to fill another vial as he handed the next filled one to the man beside him. "You'll piss them off."

          Jackson groaned and murmured as he grew weaker, trying to beg him to stop, but Liam didn't even look him in the eyes when Jackson stared up at him. He just kept filling vial after vial.

          Until rushing footsteps echoed down the passageway Ridge had gone down not too long ago.

          All three of them looked over there—

          Ridge burst into the cavern with a desperate expression on his face, huffing and puffing like he'd been running for miles.

          "Boss?" Liam asked, pulling the blade from Jackson's arm.

          Jackson grunted in relief, the blade's removal giving him a bit of relief.

          "What is it? Are...are we out of time?" the other guy asked.

          Ridge cleared his throat and tidied his hair as he calmly approached the table. "No. Mark, go watch the entrance," he ordered, looking at the other man. "I need to talk to our little blood bank here."

          Mark nodded as he put the filled blood vials on the table. Then, he headed towards the tunnel and disappeared.

          Then, Ridge picked up the blood vials and stuffed them in his trouser pockets.

          "Boss?" Liam questioned.

          "You're coming with me," Ridge said, shoving Liam aside to grip Jackson's wrist, but just as he was about to release his restraints, Mark's terrified scream echoed from the tunnel and into the cavern, followed by a flurry of savage snarls.

          "Mark?!" Liam yelled in worry.

          "Shit," Ridge uttered, letting go of Jackson. Then, he turned around and bolted towards the arched doorway.

          Jackson stared at the tunnel's entrance, watching as Liam, who had grabbed the silver dagger, hurried over there.

          Something was coming.

          His heart raced faster, his breaths became harder to take, and when he heard Liam scream, he flinched and tried to desperately break free.

          Liam screamed again.

          His racing footsteps grew nearer.

          Jackson sharply turned his head, setting his eyes on the tunnel—he saw Liam approaching the cavern's entrance, but with a horrified yell, the man suddenly fell forward, and whatever snarling beast was hiding in the shadows dragged Liam into the darkness, kicking and screaming.