Swing Shift: Book 2 Page 20

  Ugh. She’s not wrong. And it’s not like I’d be that trusting either.

  Taking the risk, Gus let his camouflage fail. He also made sure he looked human.

  “There, see? It’s me,” Gus said as Janelle’s eyes snapped to his face. “I’m not human, though. No human could have broken into this prison to find you.”

  “Couldn’t tell you.” Janelle’s eyes crinkled at the edges. “I had a bag on my head the entire time. They were very deliberate with not wanting me to see anything at all. It’s good to see you, Hunter. Even if you’re the Elven Boogieman we use to scare children to bed.”

  “You don’t even know how right you are,” Gus said, then pulled his camouflage back up and let his human features fade away. “So? What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Janelle said. “I asked very basic questions. Nothing at all, really. They offered to give me a tour, and I didn’t sense anything strange about it, so I said yes. They gave me that tour and then took me to an office. After that, I woke up in a car with a bag on my head. I met no one and saw nothing worthwhile.”

  “In other words… just the fact that you entered the building was enough for them to shut it down,” Gus said.

  “Yeah,” Janelle said. “So, Hunter, how am I getting out of here? As interesting a trip as this is, I’d really rather not be here. And the uniform leaves a lot to be desired. I mean… you’re not going to leave me here, right?”

  Your opinion on your uniform is very wrong. Pretty sure I have a strong desire for your uniform.

  “No. I’m not. And I’m working on it,” Gus said. “We’ll see what else we need as we go, but this could just be a giant waiting game.”

  “Okay,” Janelle said, pressing her brow to the door. She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “Never thought I’d be so happy to see the Hunter.”

  Snorting at that, Gus reached into the cell with one arm and laid his hand on the back of Janelle’s head, making sure to remove his claws before he did so.

  He could identify with her right now. He’d spent many nights cramped in terrible positions or hiding from ambushes and patrols.

  There was something about being alone behind enemy lines that could crack any mind.

  “You’re not alone,” he said, patting her gently.

  “Thank you, Hunter,” she murmured, and her left hand came up to hold his arm.

  Chapter 18 - Doubles

  Sitting with his back to Janelle’s door, Gus wasn’t sure he wanted to wait around for a plan to take shape. He also had an idea he wanted to try out with his personal camouflage but he wouldn’t be able to try it without Janelle within touching distance.

  Beyond that, the area was unearthly quiet. Gus could hear the hum of the lights and little else. Fear was also constantly oozing from everywhere.

  The walls, the cells, the ceiling—everywhere.

  Just about the only place that wasn’t a fear meal was Janelle’s cell.

  She was sitting on the other side of the door from Gus. Content with her situation for the time being, she seemed to have turned her thoughts inward.

  Gus didn’t force conversation on her, just sat in silence with her.

  To be fair, they really hadn’t talked much at all. Barely more than a few sentences. It was just somewhat awkward, and not the best place for talking.

  I suppose the difference is it isn’t imposed silence; it’s comfortable. We can break it whenever we want, which makes the punishment pointless.

  “What time do you think it is?” Janelle whispered.

  “No idea,” Gus replied, turning his head to the slot. “Why?”

  “No reason, I guess. I’m just… wondering,” Janelle said. “Time deprivation can be its own form of torture.”

  “Mm. I imagine it could be, yeah,” Gus said. “Technically they’ve only fed you once, and that didn’t look like enough food for a single day. Which means it’s either lunch or later, but not the next morning. Just a guess, but that’s what I got.”

  “That’s a fair assessment,” Janelle said.

  “Hey, you wanna break out on the next meal run?” Gus asked.

  “That mean you have a plan?” Janelle asked.

  “Not really. I just don’t think we should hang around. Besides, I’ve always worked best in environments like this,” Gus said, and he meant it. His power base was himself. He was always well off no matter where he was. “A plan on the move really seems rather good to me.”

  Then again, it was very likely Gus was a little drunk on the fear that had been constantly washing over him and through him. He’d never been fed like this before in his life.

  “I trust you, Hunter, and I’ll lay my life in your hands, but I don’t like it. I prefer to have a plan,” Janelle said with a sigh.

  “That’s not too surprising for a royal one, is it?” Gus asked with a soft chuckle.

  “Have you met others of my kind?” the Elf asked, her tone curious.

  “No. You’re the first. But I’ve been around Elves enough to know how they view you,” Gus said. “Alright. Time to get going.”

  Getting up to his feet, he looked at the door.

  From the outside, it seemed insanely overbuilt. The entire thing was locked into place with a crank wheel that was also locked into place. Like some type of hatch in a sub that needed to hold in water.

  From the interior, he imagined it was a smooth surface that locked into the wall. There’d be no way to get any leverage at all from inside the cell.

  Outside is a different matter altogether.

  I wonder.

  Grabbing hold of the crank wheel, Gus jerked on it with his full strength.

  There was an odd high-pitched whine, but the door didn’t budge.

  Grimacing, he bent down and looked into the keyhole. It seemed rather complex, well beyond picking. Except he wasn’t intending to pick it.

  It’s completely mechanical. I could probably force it. Overstress it outright.

  I don’t really think I could go steal the key without getting caught.

  With a nod, Gus stood up again and grabbed the crank wheel.

  Then he pulled at it, heaving with everything he had.

  There was a high-pitched ping as something internally sheared off.

  “One second,” Gus said into the food slot, then slid the block into place even as Janelle questioned him.

  Frowning, Gus stopped and walked over to the railing. Sure enough, two of the guards had come over immediately.

  They did a visual inspection of everything, then slowly went back to where they’d come from.

  Gus went straight back to Janelle and pulled the block out of the food slot.

  “Sorry, I think I tore a bolt loose. Was rather loud,” Gus whispered, looking inside. He found Janelle’s face there.

  “What… what are you?” Janelle asked, her eyes gazing at him from the other side.

  Yeah… going to have to explain that, aren’t I?

  “I’m a Boogieman,” Gus said. “And now you know the secret of the Hunter.”

  “You’re… you’re a shadow beast?” Janelle asked.

  “Is that the Elvish name for it? Dunno. I get called a lot of things,” Gus said. “That a problem?”

  “I… no. No, it isn’t. Because you’re here for me. Shadow beast or not, you’re here for me, because you value me,” Janelle said. “So no, it isn’t a problem in the least. Get me out of here, Hunter.”

  “Yeah, working on it. If you want to help, think scary thoughts,” Gus said. “Like me eating you or something.”

  There was an immediate fear response from Janelle before her shoulders hunched partially and her fear diminished for several seconds. Then it exploded into an overwhelming wave.

  “Yeah, just like that, thanks. Your flavor is rather pleasant, by the way. Reminds me of fresh-cut grass and open fields,” Gus said.

  Standing up, he grabbed the crank wheel and jerked on it as hard and as fast as he could.

  With a clang
that shook the wall, it spun free.

  Shit. Shit, shit.

  Hauling the door open, Gus was surprised when the very naked Janelle darted out.

  He grabbed her by an elbow and pushed her up against the wall. Then he shut her cell door, spun the wheel, shoved the meal slot block into place, and locked it there.

  Lying himself bodily against Janelle, he pushed his horror-magic around her.

  Then into her directly.

  Janelle squeaked very softly, but she didn’t move. Gus felt absolute, unmitigated terror coming from her. The kind that sent men and women running for their lives.

  She stood absolutely still, her eyes wide open, and shivered uncontrollably in his grasp.

  The sound of booted feet pounding their way made Gus think maybe he’d fucked up. If he couldn’t get his camouflage to accept Janelle and incorporate her into its spell working, they were done.

  Janelle clamped her hands on Gus’s back, pressing herself into him.

  Then her fear vanished as his horror-magic accepted her and moved beyond her. Pulling her into the protective bubble around him.

  As she panted softly in his ear, he could feel Janelle calming down quickly. Her fingers dug into his lower back.

  “They’re coming,” she whispered in his ear.

  Nodding his head at that, Gus settled into the wall completely. He tried to cover Janelle and push himself through her into the wall at the same time.

  Without a noise or any type of resistance, Janelle pulled at him as if trying to will him into her.

  “Nothing on one,” someone said.

  There was a clank below them.

  “Clear on two,” said someone else.

  “Three’s clear,” said a third person off to Gus’s left.

  “Four’s clear,” said another. “Mark it for maintenance when they pull everyone out for showers next week.”

  Slowly, the clank and trod of boots on the stairs diminished and then faded away entirely.

  “They’re gone,” Janelle said.

  “Great. Let’s see about getting out of here then,” Gus said, stepping away from the wall. Wrapping his arms around Janelle’s hips, he pulled her along with him. So long as she was practically in his pocket, he imagined his camouflage would cover her.

  “Could we not be so close?” Janelle asked softly.

  “Unless you want to be spotted, we get to play the ‘brand-new couple’ game,” Gus said.

  “Damn,” Janelle hissed. “I… okay. Okay. How do we… do this then?”

  “No idea. Kinda new to this whole thing,” Gus said. “Never tried it before. Just need to figure out a way to move around so we can get going.”

  “Ugh. Ugh, ugh—this is intolerable,” Janelle said. “I’m an actual Elven maiden, Gustavus Hellström. An actual Royal Elven maiden. A princess. This is undig—ugh. Thank you for saving me. I have an idea. Don’t think less of me.”

  Janelle wrapped her arms tightly around Gus’s shoulders and then hopped up.

  Her legs wrapped around his hips, and she clung to him. Her chest was mashed against his and her crotch was wedged up to his stomach.

  Uh.

  “This… should work. Yes?” Janelle asked in his ear. “You should be able to move, I’m well within that spell bubble of terror of yours, and we can see both directions.”

  I mean… she’s not wrong.

  Frowning, and not really liking this very much, Gus set his arms around Janelle’s waist and held her to him. His hands pressed against her bare skin.

  “Seems fine,” Gus said after several seconds.

  “Let’s get going then,” Janelle said. “It’s a bit drafty, and I’d really rather not be down here any longer.”

  Gus wasn’t about to tell her it was probably much colder outside.

  Walking slowly and carefully, Gus made his way over to the stairs. It was an awkward walk. Both for having to hold on to a full-grown Elf in front of him, and for the fact that they were likely to be killed if caught.

  Making far more noise than he wanted, Gus got down the stairs without incident. When he walked into the security area, he realized this would be the real test.

  He scooted through the small area, feeling like he was dancing in a weird way with Janelle, and made it to the other side of the checkpoint. To the elevators.

  Turning his head, Gus looked at the guards. They seemed rather bored, but also alert. Like soldiers too long at their post.

  Realizing Janelle was starting to slip, Gus made a choice he doubted she would like.

  He put his hands under her rear end and locked his fingers together. Holding her against him by her bottom.

  As she lifted her rear out of his hands for a few seconds, it was obvious the Elf didn’t much like what was happening. Then she slowly set her butt back down in his hands. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere to go, and he wasn’t trying to do this on purpose.

  He felt a soft sigh against his neck but heard nothing.

  Standing there, they waited for the elevator.

  Hit the food worker, make him think Janelle is being a bitch. He doesn’t want to feed her this time. Leave with them when they come back out.

  Then it’s just a waiting game till we can get outside.

  Gus tried to keep his mind blank after that.

  Her skin is as soft as Trish’s.

  Wincing at that thought, Gus realized he was only a man.

  And his thoughts were his own. He could indulge them a little.

  Even if the whole thing felt like a badly written romance plot.

  Then again, truth is stranger than fiction.

  ***

  Stepping out of the prison and into the gloom of evening, Gus immediately felt cold in his thin stalker wear. He really hadn’t dressed for such a thing.

  At least I’m not Janelle, naked as the day I was born.

  Janelle began shivering uncontrollably against him. If possible, it felt like she pulled even tighter at him, as if to steal the warmth from him.

  “Cold,” she grumbled in his ear. “Been trained for cold, but damn it’s cold.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Gus said. Moving quickly, he started to lightly jog across the grass straight toward the gate. Any vehicle coming in or going out would have to go through that checkpoint. It was their best option for stealing a ride out of here.

  The question is, how do I keep Janelle from becoming an Elf-sicle before something shows up?

  Kinda glad she’s a bit of a commando. She’ll handle this better than most, I’d bet.

  As he moved down the road, Gus couldn’t remember it taking this long on his way in. Then again, last time he’d been moving at full speed and couldn’t feel it. Before that had been in a car.

  Breathing hard, Gus felt like his strength was rapidly fading. The fear that’d been sustaining him was moving further and further out of range.

  He was carrying a full-grown Elf in very cold weather at a jog, and he’d been up for longer than twenty-four hours straight. Probably closer to forty-eight, if he didn’t miss his guess.

  “Gonna need some rest,” Gus muttered even as he carried on.

  “I’ll… take care… of you… if we… survive while… you sleep,” Janelle said through chattering teeth.

  If we survive, we’re not going anywhere. We’re staying here to figure out what the hell is going on with that prison.

  Need to get a hold of Mark and Mel. Get everyone up here.

  Gus stumbled over his own feet and almost went tumbling.

  Giving his head a shake, he gripped Janelle a bit tighter and refocused his mind. He needed to get out of here. Before he planned for or attempted anything else, that was his current objective and the only one that mattered.

  No Mark to put me back together this time if I go down. Going to end up relying on Janelle.

  I hope… hope to whatever deities are up there… that she doesn’t slit my throat just because of what I am.

  Up ahead at the gate house, Gus could see a s
tep-truck with its doors wide open. The interior was completely empty.

  He couldn’t tell from here, but Gus would bet on it being a food delivery of some sort. With so many Paras of differing diets, there was probably a never-ending need for foodstuffs.

  The truck was being scoured by the guards while the driver was off to one side. Except it looked like they were just finishing up. Like they’d already been working the driver over and checking everything from front to back and top to bottom for a while.

  Damn. That’s our best option.

  Running out of gas here, though.

  I need… fuel.

  Now.

  “Janelle, I need you to be afraid,” Gus said in a gasp, trying to run as fast as he could. “As much fear as you can give me. Think of whatever that’d be.”

  “What?” Janelle’s voice quivered as her teeth knocked together. “Fear? I… can try… Gus.”

  “Think of what I’m going to do with you once I get you alone,” Gus said. “Of what I’ll take from you, and how lovely your ears are. I like Elf ears. I keep them.”

  A sudden, sharp spike of fear came from Janelle at his words. Her fingers dug into his back, and her hips tightened up on him. Like she was contemplating fighting him and kicking away from him.

  And it was exactly what he needed. Her fear empowered him.

  Like throwing a fuel bomb into a forest fire on its last legs, Gus was reinvigorated and ready to fight a Were with his bare hands.

  “Going to leave you as little more than a puddle of flesh when I’m done with you,” Gus growled in her ear. At the same time, he smoked his words with what horror-magic he could pull together, curling his clawed fingers into her rear-end. Almost enough to penetrate the skin, but not quite.

  Janelle wasn’t fighting her fear.

  She wasn’t trying to rationalize what he’d said, and she’d done nothing to halt her mind from running away with it.

  A woman made of terror and fright, locked in the arms of the Hunter, a Boogieman, was what she willed herself to be.

  And Gus ran as if he were powered by rockets. Straight to the step-truck. Even as the doors to the back of it were starting to close, he darted between the two of them.