The lounge was almost overflowing with bodies. The combined Moroi and dhampires were pressed shoulder to shoulder, and still more kept trying to force their way in the overcrowded room. Realizing their instances were in vain, the unfortunate students began rushing to the lounges located on the lower levels. They were like a herd of gazelles fleeing from a pride of lions, each one trying to hide in the midst of the crowd, praying they would remain invisible to the predators that lurked nearby.
It was stuffy, the air filled with a plethora of mingling scents. The boy's cologne warred with the overbearing odor of the girl's perfume—someone had obviously taken a fucking bath in Chanel No. 5. Overpowering all of the chemically manufactured scents was the aroma of panic and dread, slowly leaking out of everyone's pores. The sharp smell of so many sweaty, overheated bodies was nauseating, to say the least.
He had no idea how much time had passed, it felt like hours. The waiting in and of itself was pure, unmitigated hell. He could feel the aura of every individual in the room pressing down on him, the fear and anxiety contained in each flashing like strobe lights, filling the room with their flickering yellowish orange glow. It was affecting him in ways he'd never before considered, the emotions slamming into him like heat seeking missiles. It had triggered something inside him, breaking down his carefully constructed walls and allowing spirit to flow into his body, filling him to the point his skin tingled with it.
Never before had the element come unbidden. He'd tried to stop it—to dam the river that rushed through him, but it had been futile. All he could do was hang on, hoping he survived the ride with all his brain cells intact. Unbeknownst to him, he'd begun rocking from one foot to the other, the pace becoming faster and faster, while his head twitched to the side in time with each shift of his body. His mind was drifting, his eyes not focused on the room around him, but inside himself. He'd been sucked into Belikov's mind again, watching as the man worked his way across the campus, killing every enemy that crossed his path. He could feel the Russian's panic as if it were his own—he heard the thoughts as they raced through the other man's mind as he searched, determined to find and protect his Roza. His love. The other half of his soul. He must find her. God, please let her have made it to safety. Let her be—
A large, warm hand pulled him back into the lounge, stilling his frenzied movements.
"You okay?" Eddie whispered. His eyes were filled with worry, making Adrian wonder if he'd been babbling aloud.
"Was I talking?" He asked, raking his fingers though his hair, ignoring the protests of the Moroi he'd elbowed when raising his arm.
"You kept saying 'Roza'." Lissa said. "Over and over. 'I must protect Roza'. Who's… What did you see?"
"Nothing. I don't know." He worried his lower lip with his fangs, squeezing his eyes closed. It blocked out the flashing, but the pressure… the goddamned weight of their auras… it was killing him. "I need a drink."
Lissa stared at him, her expression incredulous. "Are you kidding me? Rose and Christian are out there somewhere—where people are dying— and you want a drink?"
"I'm trapped in a room with fifty terrified students, Vasilisa, surrounded by a veritable laser light show of emotions. Excuse me for wanting to dull the effects."
Even to his own ears, he sounded cold and distant. The tone was somehow strangely familiar, reminding him of something he'd heard in a vision. It was soulless and unfeeling, giving him chills. As Lissa looked away, unable to meet his eye, he tried to contemplate the voice. Who had it been? What the fuck had he seen in those godforsaken dreams?
Sighing, he pulled out a cigarette, glaring around him defiantly as he lit it. A few of the nearby Moroi began to sputter in protest—he silenced them as soon as they voiced their objections with a sullen 'fuck off'. One voice continued on, and he recognized it instantly. It filled him with anger, making him wish he had room to throttle its owner.
"Some of us don't want to inhale your second hand smoke, Ivashkov." Ralf Sarcozy called out.
"Some of us don't want to deal with your face, Sarcozy," Eddie shot back. "but we don't have a choice in the matter."
Ralf opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of glass shattering in the distance immediately silenced him.
"Oh God!" The red haired Moroi next to Adrian grabbed onto his arm, almost burning herself on his cigarette in the process. "What was that?"
He rolled his eyes, forcing himself to hold in his initial response. What the fuck did the little idiot think it was, Santa Claus? Lissa grabbed his other hand, squeezing so tightly he couldn't feel his fingers. He was about to tell he to ease up when screams from the lower levels filled the air.
The screams confirmed what the shattering glass had hinted at.
Strigoi had reached the dorms.
Seconds later, Castile attempted to plow his way through the mass of bodies, ignoring Lissa's tear filled protests. Adrian hung on his arm, trying his damndest to hold the novice back. Other dhampires in the room seemed to have had the same idea as Eddie, each one rushing for the door, pushing everyone aside in their hurry.
"Eddie! You're supposed to stay with me!" Lisa shouted. "You can't do this!"
Castile spun, his face set in an intense look that said his choice was made. The determination on his face aged him, while at the same time giving him the look of a seasoned warrior. "I have to do this Lissa. We can save them. Without us they don't stand a chance."
"No you can't! Eddie you're not thinking straight! If you go out there they'll kill you!" She threw her arms around his neck, sobbing into his broad chest. A pained look crossed his face as he gazed down at her. Detaching himself, he forced her to meet his eye.
"They come first Lissa. You come first. It's the first lesson dhampires are taught here—the first lesson we learn from our parents. I have to do this." Looking over her shoulder, his hazel eyes met emerald green ones, his unspoken request evident.
Stepping forward Adrian encircled the distraught blonde with his arms, holding her back. "Good luck man. Come back safe."
With a nod, Eddie broke for the door, his only weapon the practice stake he'd been using for field training. Adrian rocked Lissa gently, sending up a silent prayer for the brave young dhampires that were rushing into danger. He had a feeling they'd need it.
After that, things moved rapidly. One minute the motley group was listening to the sound of fighting, with a few blood curdling screams peppering the air. The lights went out, and then the noises slowly faded away, leaving them with a silence that was infinitely more frightening. They heard no crying or scuffling feet—there nothing to indicate what was happening beyond the closed door. The building had fallen as quiet as a tomb.
The quiet brought to mind unwanted memories of childhood. Half remembered images of huddling under the covers in the stillness of one's bedroom, terrified of what might be lurking nearby. The silence itself had been the problem, it was filled with unknown possibilities. The only sounds heard being the frantic beating of the heart echoing in your ears, or the shallow, rushed inhale and exhale of breath as you tried to stay quite. For a moment, he reflected on the surrounding room. Taking in the sight of everyone huddling together and smelling their terror, he knew that from this day forward, he would always equate the smell of fear with the gut wrenching horror of absolute silence.
As suddenly as it had descended, the quiet was gone, replaced with the sound of a multitude of footfalls. Adrian pushed Lissa behind him as he backed them towards the corner. He might not be a fighter, but he'd do his best to protect her. He'd shove as much spirit as possible into the first undead asshole that came through the door. It was still racing through him like a current, so much inside him that he could see a bright golden white halo from the corners of his peripheral vision—it was his own aura, blazing like a falling star.
The door swung open, causing the majority of the students in the room to scream out. He felt Lissa's hands clenching the back of his shirt, her thin body trembling as she pressed herself against him. He focused on the figure coming through the door from the darkness of the hallway and instantly sagged with relief.
It was Guardian Dick.
The cavalry had finally arrived.