Chapter Seventeen: The Warehouse

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    Corbin lay in the cage, the dark emptiness around him was calm and quiet, offering him nothing more than utter despair as his sleepless mind raced with schemes of escape, which he knew were hopeless. He was starting to succumb to the misery of losing his life after just truly discovering it when that familiar presence of his little sister entered his mind again and pushed his tormenting thoughts aside with a message. 

    Lydia urged him to contact them at the manor, to let them know that he was okay because they were all terribly worried about him since no one could reach him. She told him that Shade and Gideon were looking for him in Torrell, and as her voice in his mind began to drift away, she reminded him of how much she loved him, and needed him.

    Corbin's fists clenched at the thought of losing her and his family again, forever. He vowed deep within himself to never yield to Jarell, to never give up on the hope of escape, and to never lose the belief that he and his family would be reunited. He would settle for nothing less, so he forged a resolve within himself stronger than any chains or cage, or madman's desire ever could be, but for the time being all he could do was hold onto that resolve.

    Back at the Lynch mansion, Devon greeted Shade and Gideon with a strange look when he opened the door and saw Gideon wearing a blanket from the trunk of Shade's car like a hooded cloak in order to conceal his vampire flesh from the daylight. The unusual sight made the old butler stumble for a proper greeting and Shade seized his moment of distraction by zooming in behind him with her incredible speed. She grabbed him from behind, then quickly slid a small dagger out of her boot and held it's blade under his throat. The old man barely had time to gasp.

    "My friend here is the real polite type, so he won't come in without an invitation. It would be in your best interests to give him one, and make it sincere," Shade ordered Devon, pressing the point of the dagger into the soft flesh under his jaw to emphasize the consequence of his refusal.

    Devon swallowed carefully, then said even more carefully with the knife at his throat,"Please sir...do come in."

    Gideon stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind him. The windows of the mansion were covered with drapes that allowed only the faint glow of the sun's rays to penetrate so Gideon let the blanket fall down at his feet, then he approached Devon as Shade continued to hold him.

    Leaning forward a bit to look down at Devon's perplexed and fearful expression, Gideon demanded in a tone that meant business,"Now, where is your master?"

    "He...He's in...his upstairs chambers," Devon revealed, being mindful still of the knife under his jaw.

    Gideon signaled Shade with a quick look and she released Devon, lowering the dagger to her side as she stepped away from him. He rubbed his throat gingerly, then watched as Gideon raised an arm to direct him beyond the front door.

    "Lead the way," Gideon ordered.

    Devon began a hastened shuffle to the stairs where he took Gideon and Shade, who were both examining the mansion carefully as they went, up to the second floor. As the aged butler led the way, Gideon offered him a reason for their actions.

    "I do apologize for our rather extreme behavior sir, but we have an urgent need to meet with your master. We mean you no harm, but a life may very well be at stake," Gideon said. Devon never broke stride or acknowledged Gideon's words, he simply continued up the stairs.

    Samuel was adjusting his tie as he came from the exorbitant bathroom joined to his cavernous bedroom when Devon caught his attention at the door by clearing his throat. The slightly annoyed look from Samuel at Devon told of his displeasure in the interruption of his morning routine, but the presence of strangers standing behind his butler quickly put Samuel on alert. The shiny blade of Shade's dagger hanging in plain sight at her side raised Samuel's apprehension about the strangers at his bedroom door, as did the menacing look in her dark eyes when Samuel's went from the knife in her hand to hers'.

    "What's the meaning of this? Who are you people?" Samuel demanded as his befuddled glare left Shade to give Gideon a good once over.

    Gideon stepped past Devon into the room and Samuel, sensing the gravity of his situation, squared up to him when he approached but stopped a little out of arms reach away. Shade remained at Devon's side.

    "Right now who we are is not important. What is important is finding your adopted son," Gideon urged with a tone meant to alarm.

    "Christopher? What do you want with him?" Samuel asked defensively.

    "We have good reason to believe he may be in grave danger," Gideon explained.

    "What sort of danger?" Samuel questioned, trying to uncover the motives of his intruders.

    "We do not have the luxury of time to explain, do you or do you not know where he may be?" Gideon asked without patience.

    Samuel hesitated for a moment, studied Gideon then Shade with a sharp glance, then thought instantly about Bardolph's arrival and the implications that might have for his foster son. He was caught between a man he feared and a stranger he had no reason to trust, but his concern was more for his own skin than anyone else's.

    "I have no idea where Christopher is," Samuel said, hoping his thin lie would deter his unwelcome visitors from pressing him further.

    "He's lying," Shade firmly announced, eyeing him coldly.

    Samuel threw her  an irritated scowl accompanied by a haughty huff at the gall of her accusation.

    "Yes, I believe you are right my dear," Gideon agreed as he moved slowly toward Samuel, who began taking cautious steps backward.

    "If I did know, what reason would I have to tell strangers who have barged into my home and..."

    Samuel's argument was cut short when Gideon rushed him and grabbed him in a blur of movement, hoisting him as high as his outstretched arm would go. As Samuel struggled against the hand around his throat, he watched with fear growing in his eyes as Gideon's face transformed into that of an agitated vampire.  Devon nudged forward, as if he were going to help his master, but Shade's hand on his shoulder made him think twice.

    "If anything happens to that boy I will make sure you pay for it until your dying breath," Gideon vowed, tightening his grip around Samuel's throat.

    Samuel's feet kicked the air as he gasped for breath and pulled hopelessly at Gideon's iron grip. Finally, Samuel used what breath he had to say,"...okay...okay..."

    Gideon lowered Samuel to the floor, releasing him but hovering near with his vampiric features still glaring down at him as he recovered his breath and rubbed his throat.

    "I...may...know where he is," Samuel confessed between quick breaths.

    "We're listening," Shade prodded from the doorway.

    Samuel collected himself, then began to tell them about Bardolph and his assumption that they would find him and perhaps Christopher at an old abandoned warehouse he owned on the outskirts of town, near the railroad. With a final warning to Samuel and Devon to keep everything they had seen and heard to themselves, Gideon and Shade departed in haste to follow Samuel's directions to the warehouse.  

    The large, decaying building was found exactly where Samuel had revealed; far outside of the little town of Torrell, near a commercial railroad stop. Shade snuck her coupe up close to the seemingly vacant, weed infested parking lot that flanked one side of the long, ghostly structure.

    "What do you think Gideon," she asked, observing the building keenly.

    "I think there could be all manner of surprises inside, so be vigilant when you enter," he advised as he too studied the building.

    Shade responded with an assuring nod, then parked the car close to the building for Gideon's sake, to keep his time in the sun as brief as possible. He took the blanket from the back seat and covered himself again. They left the car, walking quickly to a nearby locked door which Gideon forced open with ease. Once inside, Gideon discarded the blanket then instructed Shade.

    "Normally in a situation like this I would not recommend splitting up, but in the interest of time I think we should cover as much ground as we can. If this is a dead end, we need to get on with our search."

    Gideon pointed off into the dark recesses of the building behind Shade. "See what you can find in that direction and I will search this way. If you see anything suspicious, come find me, do not put yourself at risk," he asserted, reminding her of his concern for her wellbeing, and hoping it would keep her from any rash decision making.

    Shade left him with a cocky wink, and Gideon waited until she was completely out of his sight before beginning his own search.

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