Misfits, Inc. (20 page)

“Kill everyone?  How?” Logan asked.

“She intends to bring the building down on them,”
Hailey announced.  “Now that we know her plan, I’m sure they’ll be ready and
waiting for us in the banquet hall.  We have to hurry.”

“We need a plan,” Vance informed them while
shifting looks at his comrades.

“We’ll make it up as we go,” Rafe announced bluntly
and stormed from the chamber.

Logan glared at Hailey and shook his head.  “Your
Guardian doesn’t play well with others, does he?”

“No, not really,” she muttered.

Hailey didn’t have time to worry about her warriors
not playing well together at the moment.  She ran from the chamber after Rafe. 
Logan and Vance exchanged looks, released deep sighs, and hurried after her.

T
he elegant banquet hall was
large enough to host wedding receptions and other venues up to five hundred
guests and still maintain enough room for a decent dance floor.  Its current
function, for the moment, was an emergency storm shelter for the hotel guests
and employees riding out the massive storm slamming the island.  One side of
the banquet hall contained large windows, which were reinforced.  The windows
faced the garden area before the pool rather than the ocean itself.  Only a
small alcove faced the beach, but it contained a storm door, which could be
closed in the event of an emergency.  The worst storms usually skimmed the
ocean side of the hotel and struck the lobby the hardest.  Nearly two hundred
hotel guests and almost one hundred employees socialized within the otherwise
unused banquet hall.  For marketing purposes, the room remained lightly
decorated and contained several round tables set up for an elegant, imaginary
function, so it could be shown with little advance warning to potential
customers.

The bar, which
was usually left empty, had been hastily set up for the ‘storm gala event’.  A
silver, multi-tiered mimosa fountain flowed cocktails and an elegant brunch was
served buffet style.  Despite the rush on the banquet hall, the staff did an
amazing job at keeping the guests occupied and entertained while they waited
out the approaching storm.  While the resort guests socialized and seemed
unconcerned about the severe storm just outside, staff planned for the worst
and secretly scurried about the banquet hall.  They gathered supplies in the
event of a power outage.  The backup generator could take a lot of strain, but
it too could be knocked out in extreme situations.  Mel kneeled alongside a
sofa on the far end of the hall, where Skyler remained unconscious.

Hailey, Rafe,
Logan, and Vance entered the ballroom with their weapons raised and ready,
prepared for battle.  All four stopped and stared at the elegant social event
playing out before them.  They exchanged stunned looks.  

“Where’s the ambush?” Vance asked as two women
passed him carrying champagne glasses.

They eyed him and the bloodstained baseball bat he
held.  He immediately hid it behind his back and smiled innocently.  Despite
what they had seen, both women eagerly smiled back and swept lustful gazes over
his body.  Logan and Rafe casually hid their swords behind their backs as
well.  Hailey studied the room, including the ceiling and shook her head. 

“Something’s definitely not right,” Hailey muttered
then looked around the room for Skyler.

“There’s another exit across the room to the
garden,” Rafe announced while glancing at Logan.  “You check it out.  I’ll keep
watch here.”

Logan placed his sword under his arm to conceal it
and headed across the room.  He paused before the garden side door, opened it,
and looked around outside.  He looked back at them from across the room with
confusion on his face and shrugged.  Hailey continued to scan the room then saw
Mel tending to Skyler on the sofa.  She hurried toward them with Vance only
steps behind.  Hailey kneeled before the sofa where Skyler remained unconscious
and placed her hand on his forehead.  Mel was surprised to see Hailey and
stared at her. 

“Are you okay?” Mel asked her softly then looked
around.  “What happened to Lucinda and Marcus?”

“They got away,” Hailey replied in a soft tone, so
as not to alarm the other guests.  She nervously glanced around.  “Anything
strange happening around here?”

“Surprisingly, no,” Mel remarked while attempting
to mask her concern.  “Everyone’s in a great mood.  I think most are drunk.” 
She stared at Hailey with a demanding look.  “Are you going to tell me what
happened?”

“Later,” she replied.

Skyler finally woke and looked at Hailey with
disorientation.  She was thankful she was able to pull him out of his
unconscious state.  He groaned softly with relief to see her, sat up on the
sofa, and hugged her.

“Hailey, thank God,” he gasped.

She barely had time to return the embrace when he
suddenly pulled away and stared blankly, as if sensing something.  She felt
alarm rushing through her.  She was starting to know that look all too well. 
Talbert approached them and was about to speak when Skyler’s expression
dropped.  He looked at Hailey with alarm clearly on his face.

“They’re swarming,” Skyler gasped almost loud
enough for other guests to hear.  “It’s a trap.”

Hailey stared at him and searched for a response.

Talbert became irritated and pointed accusingly at
Skyler.  “You need to stop with that--”

Skyler abruptly stood, shoved Talbert out of his
path, and looked around the banquet hall.  Hailey joined him and scanned for
any signs of trouble, but everything seemed unusually peaceful.  Rafe looked at
them in silent question from the main doorway.  Hailey signaled to him.  He
gave a general nod to Logan across the room, indicating for him to keep alert. 
When Logan turned back toward his door, several beasts suddenly charged into
the banquet hall, nearly trampling him.  He fell to the floor and the sword
flew from his hand.  Rafe charged across the room for the first rampaging beast
as it jumped on one of the guests, tearing its sharp teeth into the man’s arm. 
Rafe swung his samurai sword while sliding toward the beast on top of the man. 
The sharp blade connected with the creature’s neck, decapitating its head.  As
the beast’s head toppled across the floor, blood sprayed across the room.  Rafe
pulled the injured man to his feet, giving him a chance to escape.

Men and women screamed and ran from the large,
snarling creatures that charged after them.  Mel joined in the chaos with her
own panic riddled screams while clinging to Skyler’s arm.  Logan sprang to his
feet and slammed the door shut before more creatures could enter.  Several
creatures slammed against the sturdy glass doors.  Logan reclaimed his sword
then hurried deeper into the room to help Rafe and Vance stop the rampaging
beasts.  There were at least five creatures already within the room attempting
to kill frightened guests and employees.

Hailey stared at the glass doors and windows with
horror on her face.  The beasts were swarming the glass attempting to break
into the room.  All she saw was a sea of black creatures slamming against the
glass.

“What the hell--?” Talbert cried out in panic.

“There must be over a hundred outside,” Hailey
gasped and looked at Skyler, who shared her horror.  “She wasn’t going to
destroy the hotel, she organized a slaughter.”

One of the creatures tackled a woman to the floor,
knocking the air from her body and leaving her defenseless.  Vance swung his
baseball bat for the creature’s head and knocked it off her, although it didn’t
go down.  The creature shook its large head, snarled at Vance, and charged
him.  Vance coiled back and swung the bat at the creature’s head.  The large
creature was thrown backwards and struck the floor with tremendous force.  It
moved slightly.  Guests and employees immediately pummeled the writhing creature
with chairs and trays until it stopped moving.  Rafe and Logan slashed at
creatures with their swords, needing more than one blow to take them down. 
Guests and employees trapped behind the bar attempted to keep two more
creatures from getting across the bar to reach them.

Mel yanked harshly on Skyler’s arm, attempting to
pull him toward the interior door with the heard of stampeding guests running
for the exit.  The first man to the door opened it to reveal another snarling
beast waiting to get inside.  As it attempted to plow through the doorway,
several guests helped the man close the door on the creature.  Everyone
screamed until they had the door closed and locked, keeping the creature
outside.

“We’re trapped,” Mel cried out while frantically
looking around the room.

Several guests fended off a third creature that had
followed the crowd to the main door.  They were only succeeding in holding it
back and quickly losing ground.

“They’re going to get in,” Skyler warned Hailey and
immediately fidgeted, but his movements were constricted by Mel’s arm tightly
wrapped around his.

Hailey turned toward Talbert, who appeared to be in
shock as he watched the three men at the bar fighting the beasts, which were
now focused on them rather than the screaming guests.

“Is everyone here?” she asked Talbert.

Talbert didn’t respond but, instead, just stared
helplessly at the deteriorating situation within the banquet hall.  Hailey
grabbed him by the arm and gave him a firm jolt back to reality.

“Is everyone here?” she demanded.

He finally snapped out of his shock and met her
gaze, fumbling for his words.  “You were the last of the guests, but more than
thirty employees never reported.”

“That’s because they’re involved,” Skyler remarked
and looked at Hailey for their next move.

“This room is expected to withstand a hurricane,
right?” Hailey asked Talbert.

“Yes, but those things--” Talbert began.

Hailey didn’t bother waiting for him to finish. 
She turned to Skyler with a serious look on her face.

“The guys are handling the creatures already in the
room and should have the situation under control shortly,” she informed him. 
“It’s important that no one leaves the safety of the banquet hall.”  She
quickly turned back to Talbert and commanded his attention.  “I need to get to
the roof.  Is there another way out of here other than the main doors?”

Talbert appeared surprised by her comment then
considered his answer.  His eyes suddenly lit up.

“There’s a crawl space in the bathroom,” he
announced.  “It’ll take you to the men’s bathroom just off the lobby.  They’re
connected.  It’s too dangerous though.  What if those things are in the lobby?”

“I’ll have to risk it,” Hailey replied.

As if reading her mind, Skyler stared at Hailey
with a look of alarm.  “Please, Hailey, don’t do this,” he pleaded.  “You don’t
have to risk your life.”

“Do what?” Mel gasped in terror as she gripped
Skyler’s arm even tighter.

Hailey’s mind was already made up as she backed
away from Skyler.  “I’ll keep in touch with you,” she announced.  “Just make sure
this room remains sealed.”

Hailey hurried into the nearby bathroom without
giving him further chance to protest.  Toward the center of the room, Rafe
slashed the throat of the beast he fought.  Trapped guests screamed and backed
up behind the bar while dodging spattering blood.  The second beast leaped for
Rafe.  Rafe somersaulted over the creature and speared it in mid flip.  The
creature struck the floor with a thud.  Rafe landed gracefully and pulled his
sword from the beast.  Several feet away, Vance struck another creature in the
head with his bat, tossing it toward Logan, who swung his sword and decapitated
the remaining creature.  As the last creature fell into a bloody heap, more
creatures attempted to get inside.

“We need to reinforce the doors,” Vance yelled to
the panicking guests.

With the last of the creatures in the room dead, a
group of men assisted Vance and helped move one of the heavier tables in front
of the garden door.  Rafe hurried toward Skyler, who finally managed to free
his arm from Mel’s clutches.  Rafe looked around with concern then met Skyler’s
gaze.

“Where’s Hailey?” he demanded.

“She said no one can leave and the room needs to
remain sealed,” Skyler announced, his concern clearly showing.

“What?  What’s she up to?”

Skyler shook his head.  “I don’t know what she’s
planning, but I can tell you it’s going to be bad.”

“How could you let her leave without protection?”
Rafe suddenly demanded then appeared preoccupied with his concerns.  “I have to
find her.”

He turned to walk away.  Skyler grabbed his arm and
stopped him.

“I’m concerned about her too,” Skyler announced
firmly.  “She’s the only friend I have, but we have to trust her.”

For a brief moment, there was no telling what
Rafe’s intentions were.  Skyler braced himself for whatever backlash was about
to come his way.  To Skyler’s surprise, Rafe relaxed, although maintaining his
disapproving look.

“Then I suppose I have no choice but trust her,”
Rafe muttered then turned and was about to help the others reinforce the
doors.  He hesitated then looked back at Skyler.  “And she’s
not
your
only friend.”

Rafe hurried across the banquet hall to join Logan
by the garden side windows.  Vance was already organizing the people within the
room to help clear away the dead beasts and secure the area.  Logan stood
before the large window and studied a beast on the outside as it clawed and
scratched at the thick shatterproof glass, attempting to get to him.  It barely
scratched the glass, which was encouraging.  Rafe looked from the raging,
frothing creature to Logan and raised a skeptical brow in response.

“That’s not exactly productive,” Rafe remarked.

Logan didn’t respond.  He appeared transfixed on
something within the garden.  Thick, thorny vines grew rapidly outside the
window, crawling up the glass and the building.  The creatures pricked
themselves on the thorns and eventually jumped away from the window.  The vines
continued to spread rapidly, chasing all the beasts away from the windows. 
Rafe stared with astonishment while casting several glances at Logan.