Read Online King's Blood: Vampire Descent (A Serial Novel, Part 4) by P.J. Day - Free Book Online Page B

you’re in on it.”
    I turned around and began walking briskly toward the far right tunnel, Milton stopped me with a few last words, “Does she believe in vampires?”
    I looked at him with a quizzical stare, “No, why?”
    “Good luck, my friend,” he said, giving me a wink and a nod.
    The tunnel curved right. I jogged past two rooms, one of them smelling like rotting flesh. I didn’t want to even begin to think what could be in them. I noticed another brightly lit room. It was an armory. Spears, daggers, bows, and guns were all hanging on the walls like violent pageantry. The Jiang-Shi seemed to be well-versed in weaponry, which gave me a mixed feeling of reassurance and a little bit of fear.
    As I neared the end of the tunnel, I began to hear sobbing behind a wooden door adorned with a chain and a small padlock.
    “ Holly?” I asked.
    The sobbing turned into a light sniffle. “Jack?”
    “Here, let me get you out of here,” I said, as I put the key into the padlock. I wiggled the key in the keyhole, furiously. There was not a click or clank; the key that Milton gave me failed to work.
    “ Jack, what’s going on?” Holly asked, still whimpering in the room.
    I placed my forehead on the door and closed my eyes, “I’m sorry, there is an explanation for all of this, I swear.” I grabbed the chain and tried breaking it by pulling it in opposite directions with my hands. “Dammit.”
    “Wha...what’s wrong?” she asked.
    “ Nothing, are you all right?”
    “ Yeah, I’m fine, but I’m scared. Some men kidnapped me, tied my hands and took me here on motorcycles. They blindfolded me and put a helmet over my head...I was terrified,” she said, in between sobs. “Where am I? What is this place?”
    “ We’re in Guilin.”
    “ China?”
    “ Yes, China,” I said, in a withdrawn tone. “Just hang in there, I’ll go get some help.”
    I turned around and began running back toward where Milton and the rest of the group were. Within twenty feet of my retreat Milton, Kai, Jenny, Ted, and a couple of other menacing Jiang-Shi approached me in the tunnel. Milton pushed Ted toward me, making him stumble as he landed in my arms.
    “Hey man, what the fuck?” said Ted, as he pulled himself up using my arms.
    “ What the hell are you doing?” I asked.
    “ I want all the answers. You need to give them to me now, before we proceed or if you want to see Holly and Ted again,” said Milton, sternly.
    “ See me? I’m right here, right?” Ted quickly added.
    “ Kai, can you please put him in with Holly?” Milton requested.
    “ No...no...I just wanted a shower,” Ted said. He turned to me, “Please tell them that I need a bath. I don’t want to be locked up. I stink real bad.”
    “ It’s okay, Holly needs company. I got this, don’t worry,” I said to Ted, as his face went from general bewilderment to outright fear as his brow and eyes sagged with panic.
    Kai dragged Ted toward the wooden door that contained Holly. He unlocked the chain and padlock. I caught a glimpse of Holly as she attempted to bolt through the door. Kai held up his right arm and showed Holly the palm of his hand. She yielded and made eye contact with me and I gave her a slight nod of reassurance. She put her hand over her mouth and began sobbing. Kai grabbed Ted by his left arm and escorted him into the room.
    “Come with me, Jack,” urged Milton, with a cunning smirk.
    “ Will you assure their release if I do?” I asked.
    Milton came over to where I was standing and gently put his arm over my shoulder. “I never, ever go back on my promises, do I?”
    Jenny stuck her finger in the air about to respond to Milton’s rhetorical question. Milton cut her off as soon as she opened her mouth, “ Ah...ah...ah,” he said, gesturing a zipping motion over his mouth.
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     
     
    I sat in an old wooden chair, looking up at Milton as he paced around the room. His room, well-lit with hanging gas lamps and candles made