“One of them has turned,” Terrier shouted, and his cries out were followed by others. Luckily the kids and Natalie were safely in the kids’ room. Terrier could use force to stop the infected without scaring them.
“General Murray, shoot it,” Mama Lou ordered.
Before Murray could shoot, the eyes disappeared. Were they getting smarter? Terrier feared for their chances if that was true. Screams came from the direction of where they’d seen the glowing eyes. The infected had just bitten its first victim.
Chaos erupted in the darkness as people tried to flee the danger.
The red eyes flashed again.
“Now!” Mama Lou shouted.
Murray pointed the gun in the direction of the eyes and fired. The glowing red eyes disappeared again, this time because the infected was dead. They knew this because of the thud of the dead body on the floor.
“All bitten, into the rooms now! If you don’t move, you will be shot!” Mama Lou spoke sternly. The injured hugged the wall to guide them to the rooms. They weren’t going to risk that Mama Lou was bluffing.
Chapter Eighteen
It took a few moments for everyone’s eyes to adjust to the darkness. “Well, that was unexpected,” Ryder said.
“Graham, have you got any night-vision glasses?” Massimo asked
The silence between the men made it clear that no one else had a clue what Massimo was talking about. “Night what?”
“It was a shot in the dark,” Massimo admitted, laughing. Then he began to sing quietly. “Night fever, night feverrrrr…”
Ryder grinned. He had a song for everything, and he was one talented singer.
“And I’m glowing in the dark, Willy Wonka… That’s not right.” Massimo huffed. “I really need to get the vinyl.” He kept singing under his breath, then stopping himself. Massimo couldn’t get the words right.
There must be a way to get him the vinyl. It’s the least I can do. Ryder made a note to herself. “Once we take care of Afana and free everyone, we’ll find you the Bee Gees record,” she told Massimo.
“You really are a sweetheart,” Massimo told her.
“Look down there,” Koda interrupted.
Everyone looked down at Level Four, although it was darker than night. Level Four was where the hunters lived. There were two glowing red eyes, then two more, and even more. The level was riddled with the Mad.
They were just slowly moving around, not going after anyone. “Those wrinkled ass-lickers. We can’t see Afana anymore.” Ryder was more than a bit annoyed.
Massimo laid a hand on her shoulder. “But he can’t see us, either. We’ll lead. Stick to the plan.”
Massimo was right; they could use the darkness in their favor. “Okay,” she conceded.
Massimo pushed open the door, and Leandro followed him down the stairs. The others followed them, and Ryder’s heart pounded as their boots thudded on the steps. They were going deeper into the heart of Hell, and soon they would be facing the devil himself. She gripped her knives. She would be ready for anything that came at her.
The only good thing with the darkness was that she could aim for the glowing red eyes of the Mad as if they were a bulls-eye.
Massimo and Leandro peeled off and disappeared into the darkness as they passed Level Four. They looked back just once, then left the stairs as the others made their way down to Level Five.
The glowing red eyes were moving slowly. They weren’t in any hurry to get anywhere. They hadn’t noticed the intrusion. It was like they were just hanging around waiting for their next kill, which sure wasn’t going to be any of them. They were a badass killing group. A few Mad were no challenge for them.
It was the real monster they needed to fear and find. They needed to fear him so they could defeat him.
The smart and strong would win, and the overgrown jerkoffs were going to die!
Massimo’s heart was racing quickly as he and Leandro entered the main section of Level Four where they’d spotted Afana. Ryder had said Afana looked like a giant cockroach, but Massimo thought he looked more like the Incredible Hulk, just not green. There was a red filter over the other vampire because of the glass-spattered layers they had to look through to see him. Massimo hoped that the in-person version of Afana would be small like an insect. With that thought and the Bee Gees singing in his mind to give him courage, he moved gingerly forward.
Leandro was by his side. He was glad his son was with him and that they would fight the beast together, father and son. He was also a little scared, since it was his job to keep his son safe. Massimo knew that if he’d refused to let Leandro help he would have come anyway, so he didn’t argue. Massimo brushed his hand over Leandro’s back, and the wolf looked up at his Pops.
They were both ready for the fight.
They came upon their first Mad. He looked into the darkness, swaying a little as he awkwardly lurched forward, then he turned randomly and shuffled off in a different direction. The Mad didn’t know where he was going, or why.
Massimo noticed that the other Mad were the same. The pair moved silently through the level to find Afana. How on earth could such a monster be hiding in the shadows? Maybe he really was the size of an ant? Massimo spotted the lights ahead.
The red lights.
Oh no, he wasn’t.
Bright red beams appeared out of one of the tunnels, and they were much higher than the Mad’s. This was Afana, and he was massive.
Massimo realized his eyes would be glowing red as well since he was in his vampire form. This was a good thing, because he could pass himself off as a Mad. Leandro’s eyes were orange, and he was much shorter than the other Mad. Massimo stood in front of Leandro to hide his eyes.
Afana turned and
