Chapter 8 – The Escape: Part One

Shane's POV

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" I demanded. "We looked everywhere and there is no exit!"

"That's because you can't see it. Look, over there." Amelie pointed toward the roof of the Crypt, a few feet along from where she stood. "Concentrate of that exact spot. Keep focused and you will see it."

I stared at the small stone that practically dangled from the stone roof. "I can't see anything," I told Amelie, looking toward her.

"Keep looking. If you continue to turn away, you will never see the exit – which means that you will never get out of here."

"I see it!" Eve chanted, and pointed to the spot where Amelie indicated. "How come we didn't see that before? It's like a huge hole!"

"Wow! That is not what I expected," Michael said.

"Why is this Crypt so hidden? And how?" It was Oliver. He had clearly seen the exit, unlike me who was still trying to focus on the spot on the roof that Amelie had pointed out.

"That will be part of the explanation, I assure you Oliver. Now Shane, can you see it?" I stared at the spot for another five seconds before answering her.

"No. What you can all see is beyond me."

Amelie walked toward me and circled around until she was standing behind me. Placing her hands on my back, she pushed me forward about several feet and then stopped. "Look straight above you and do not move your eyes from that point."

I did as she said, not moving my eyes... And then a massive hole appeared, bigger than any hole I had ever seen. "Wow..." I breathed. Looking up into darkness, I couldn't believe that I hadn't seen it before.

"Perfect. Now let's get moving." She was away to continue, but I cut her off.

"And how are we supposed to get up there?" I asked. "You and Oliver may be vampires but the other four of us aren't. And Claire's unconscious, so how's that supposed to work? This is ridiculous." I stared at Amelie who wore an amused expression on her face.

"If you had let me continue, I would have told you that there is a ladder on the side that you all cannot see. If you walk forward and turn around, a ladder with appear... as if by magic." I glared at Amelie but she just continued to smile. "I am sorry, but your stupidity could never fail to amuse me, nor anybody else's for that matter."

"So we're going to go up the ladder." Michael agreed. "But what about Claire? She can't sit up, let alone climb up a ladder."

"I will carry Claire to the top, and you will all follow."

"And after that? Myrnin," Eve heaved a dramatic sigh. "Morley will be up there somewhere waiting for you."

"You ask so many questions, children." Amelie shook her head, exasperated. "Very well; once we are all safely at the passage, I will leave you behind and go through the passage, find Myrnin – as he may be possessed by Morley, however that does not make him any less Myrnin – and I will put the poison into his system. After this, Myrnin and I will return for you with plenty poison to keep us going until we can rid ourselves of the parasites that control us."

"Parasites? I thought that Sam guy used to be your lover."

"That man has always been the most narcissistic, egotistical, self-absorbed man that I have ever met. We, well, we were lovers to some extent, but many centuries ago." Amelie turned to face Oliver and even I could see the jealousy behind his expression. "I had gotten rid of him a long time past but it seems that the past cannot be put behind us quite as easily as we would like to believe."

"Awkward." Eve whispered, and I did my best to bark down the laugh that had begun to rise.

"Anyway," Amelie declared, turning to face her audience. "We leave now."

Amelie's POV

The faces of the three children as they looked up into the terrifying darkness wore expressions of worry, hope, and misery. Well, I say three but really I mean four; Oliver looked simply afraid as he too looked up into the shadows. Michael, Shane, and Oliver were attempting to guard their expressions, but they each failed miserably. I hadn't realised how much I had missed them all until I had seen them again; Eve, the contagious hope that travelled off of her in waves. Michael, and the way he looked so much like his grandfather it broke my heart. Oliver, his inner soldier; the thing that brought him his compassion and strength, his bravery and love. Shane and all of his clever stupidity – the love he carried for one girl, one girl that is loved by many.

Claire.

Even I had grown to love the dear girl as a daughter. She had been my critic; expressing her opinions on the way I run Morganville, what I do wrong she states so clearly – even when discarded on the floor with poison running through her veins and blood bordering her head.

Not only had she expressed to me her opinion, but she had helped me to be a better person (or should I say a better vampire.) And she had volunteered to help – or, at least, helped – when I needed it. Some of the time she hadn't had a choice, for example, Myrnin. When she became a part of my community and agreed to have me as her patron, she agreed to do any tasks that I asked of her. She had found the cure for vampires; sixteen years old at the time and she had been the person to do it.

And her latest achievement was bringing me back to myself. Seeing her lying there and knowing that I had done it – not me, but still me nonetheless – had triggered that wanted emotion. And the poison inside of her, it has allowed me to disconnect Sam from taking control of my body. Even when she suffers, without her knowing, she helps the people that she loves.

"Why can't you guys just carry us up?" Eve wondered aloud, and it was clear afterward that she hadn't meant to.

"As much as we would love to carry all of you up to the very top of this channel, it is a far journey. As Claire would not be able to make the journey up herself, I can make an exception." Shane looked back over to Claire, and thinking that nobody was paying attention to him, he silently scrambled across to where she lay on the cold stone.

"Claire?" I heard him whisper. "Claire? Look, I know you're unconscious and all but I just wanted to tell you that there is an exit after all. We're getting out of here Claire; me, you, Eve, Michael, and Oliver. Amelie's going to carry you up, and it is Amelie, just in case you wake up in her arms." He lent forward and planted a kiss on her cheek, and then moved over to her lips. I turned away as he finished off his speech, and listened to his light footsteps as he strode back toward us.

"Is everybody ready?" I asked, and they all stared at me as if I were crazy; all excluding Oliver, who took a step forward so that he stood directly beneath the channel, bent his knees and took off so that he shot up out of sight. Twenty seconds later he was back down and wore an expression filled with wonder.

"That is a far journey." This earned quite a few groans from the children that stood there.

Children; I'd called them that since the day I had officially met them, not so long after Claire had arrived and began to stay in the Glass House. Now, it didn't suit them. They had all grown and become their own person, every one of them. They weren't children anymore. They had all matured.

"It is indeed. Shane, you go after me. Eve, you go after Shane. Michael, you go after Eve. Oliver, you wait down here until we all reach the top. Be ready to catch someone just in case... Well, just in case." I walked over to Claire swiftly, and smoothly hoisted her off of the ground. When I reached the other four again, I glanced around the circle. "Everybody knows when to go and what to do?" There were nods from everyone. "Perfect. Don't complain about the filthiness of the ladder, there is such a thing called hot soapy water and I guarantee that you will be allowed that special privilege when this part is over."

I stepped forward, holding Claire in my arms, and leaped off of the ground. Once I reached a certain level, I had to grab hold of the ladder to allow myself to, yet again, soar into the air. I could hear the others beginning to join me. Another pounce and I was halfway up the channel. Three more to go and I would be there, both me and Claire. She would be to safety, and the others would be on their way.

Fourth jump and I could feel the gravitation full trying to force me back down as I became slightly faint – never once had I carried another person up the channel before, and it turned out it was harder than it seemed. Just as I got into the position that would allow me to take the fifth jump, I heard the passage open.

"Sam? Is everything okay?"

I inhaled a deep breath and hoped everything would still go to plan.