“You know what?” Vail said. “I shouldn’t have asked.” She placed her hand on my lap and squeezed my leg.
Connor changed the subject. “So, what’s the plan?” he asked Vail.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come with us,” she said.
“Why not? If you think Sam is up to something, I need to see it for myself … especially if you suspect he’s practising witchcraft.”
“Fine. My plan is to break into his house, explore, and see what we can find. Although we need to be careful not to disturb anything too much,” Vail said. “He might have protective wards, but I can cast a search spell as we go to check for any hidden enchantments.”
We pulled up to Sam’s house, and I hesitated for a moment, uncertainty gnawing at me. Was this really a good idea? But when I caught a glimpse of the determination in Vail’s and Connor’s eyes, I pushed my unease aside and followed them toward the front door. Connor strode confidently ahead.
“What are you doing?” Vail asked, a hint of apprehension in her voice.
“Well, it’s a good thing I came,” Connor replied, pulling a key from his pocket and dangling it in front of us. “Because I have a key.” With that, he unlocked the front door, and Iglanced at Vail, noticing her disappointment at not being able to use her magic to get us in.
Connor stepped inside, and a faint beep from an alarm system echoed in the silence. He quickly punched in the code and pushed the door wide open, gesturing for us to enter.
Sam’s house felt different without him; every creak of the floorboard under my feet heightened my awareness, and I couldn’t help but feel like we were being watched. I rifled through cupboards and drawers, searching for any clue that might shed light on Sam’s true intentions.
Vail cast spells as we searched each area of the house. A momentary glimmer of hope flickered when Vail’s purple butterfly detected a charm on a trunk in the living room. But upon closer inspection, we found expensive audio equipment, nothing incriminating.
The layout of the house struck me as bizarre. Despite walking up stairs in the front of the house to get to this level, I hadn’t seen a staircase that led to a basement.
“Connor, does this house have a basement?” I asked him, scanning the area for any hidden doors or entrances.
“I dunno, I’ve never seen one,” Connor replied, distracted as he rifled through a junk drawer in the kitchen.
I looked past him to a door next to the kitchen at the back of the house. I went over to it and tried opening it, but it was locked. “What’s in here?” I gestured to the door.
“That’s Sam’s bedroom,” Connor replied, joining me.
I found the placement of the bedroom at the back of the house rather odd. Connor attempted to jiggle the lock, but it remained shut. I shot him a look that said,I already tried that.
Vail approached the doorknob, murmuring incantations under her breath. As she turned the knob, the door swung open, revealing Sam’s bedroom in disarray, clothes scattered everywhere. Vail cast a spell on the floor, and bright green footprints emerged, crisscrossing the room. Most formed atrail leading to the closet, but there were a few pairs of footprints that didn’t match Sam’s. They clearly belonged to someone else.
I pushed the clothes aside and uncovered a door at the back of the closet. Vail unlocked it, and the door swung open. Beyond it lay a dark hallway that descended into a flight of stairs.
“Guess this place does have a basement,” I said, peering into the shadows below. Unease settled in my stomach as we walked down, Vail casting a witch’s light above us to pierce the darkness.
As we descended, the air grew noticeably colder. The walls were bare concrete, devoid of any windows. Connor pulled a chain hanging from the ceiling, and harsh fluorescent lights flickered to life, illuminating the space. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but when they did, I took in the scene before me.
Metal equipment gleamed on cluttered tables, and tubes and vials were scattered across the surfaces, their murky contents casting eerie shadows. The air was thick with the acrid scents of chemicals and something more metallic. Blood bags and tubes lined the walls, and dark stains marred the concrete floor.
The sight in the corner made my blood run cold. A corpse, desiccated and shriveled, was chained to the wall, resembling a mummy. A stained trail of blood led from him to the drain in the centre of the room. Vail gasped. Horror washed over me as I realized he was a Vampire. He was alive but had been deprived of blood for who knows how long.
“Oh my god,” I whispered, the words catching in my throat. The sight was horrifying, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away. Vail ran over to him. The corpse turned his head, his pale eyes staring at me, a silent plea. He opened his mouth,but no sound came out. “He’s alive,” she confirmed, her voice filled with both relief and distress.
“This is so horrible. What has Sam been doing to him?”
I looked over at Connor, who was pale, and his jaw was tight.
“I think they are using him to experiment the drug on. I’m surprised that he’s still alive,” Vail said.
“I’m sure he’s not the first one.” I felt rage burn inside me as I watched him and imagined the horrors that he faced.
“We need to help him. Get him out of here,” Vail said.
“Agreed,” I said.
