Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4) novel Chapter 26

Moralis led them through a door into a tunnel. At the end was a staircase. Natalia was surprised to find herself in a garage. She had to scoot around a car, then out a side door. The yard had no lights. They all had to jump a fence and cross over a neighbors yard that was also dark.

Two blocks away were two cars. Natalia wasn’t surprised to see they were black. They split up with four in each car. Moralis drove the car she was in. Tia sat up front.

There was no talking during the drive. She expected to have them pull up to the gates of Hell, but they didn’t. They pulled alongside a wall and parked. The other car parked behind them. There were no street lights along this stretch of road. Mina led the way along the wall until she reached a point where she looked like she walked sideways up the wall.

Natalia looked closely when Grazie followed Mina. There were bricks sticking out ever so slightly creating invisible steps. Uri went next and she followed. At the top of the wall, she had to jump down. Uri caught her.

She was immediately aware of the underlying scent of kite. The smell turned her stomach, and she was glad they hadn’t eaten before they came.

Once everyone was over, Sophie led the way with Grazie next. He made everyone else stay behind him, keeping a good gap between them and Sophie. They went in a few blocks before Grazie signaled for Natalia to move up. The smell of kite was getting strong, however, as soon as she advanced, she caught the other smell. It was stronger than what she had smelled on the Abbess.

She figured they had to be near the source, and she took a good look around. The street was totally void of light. All the street lights were out, which, she figured, was another good sign that something was up and they were in the right spot.

Grazie had her pause while Sophie jogged ahead to make sure the coast was clear. Even though Natalia could see in the dark, Sophie was difficult to see.

An arm wave indicated that she could move. Natalia trotted up the street. She reached the end, but… both smells were getting weaker, so she turned around and started walking back. Everyone shifted based on her movement. She found her nose zeroing in on the stoop of a building. There was the decaying carcass of a dog. She pointed at it and indicated the whole building. The rotting smell of the dog and kite were exactly what she had smelled on the Abbess. Considering how the dog was positioned on the stoop, she figured the Abbess had walked through it, getting the scent on her shoes and hem of her habit. She could only guess that the kite smell was from within the building.

Sophie and Tia circled the building, then there was the signal to move away. Uri grabbed her arm and pulled her beside an adjacent building behind some full trash bins. The smell was horrible.

The door to the building became framed with light when it opened.

“Someone move this crap. Oh, my god. It reeks.”

Natalia knew the voice before she even saw the person. It was the Abbess speaking. A moment later, she stepped into view.

There were three robed priests with her. They all carried staffs and flashlights. The last person out shut the door.

Natalia couldn’t believe her eyes. It was Anna.

The group moved together down the street.

“Oh, for gods sake, quit running into me, you fool.”

All of the priests looked scared.

“We shoulda used a building that’s closer,” one said in a quiet voice while he looked around.

All the priests held their staffs as if ready to strike.

To hold back the druggies and the Hollows, Natalia thought, finding it amusing.

“This place is filthy. Why doesn’t the city run the cleaner through here? Yuck,” the Abbess said, almost spitting out the words.

Natalia noted that Anna trailed behind. She didn’t look too happy. Nor did she look around. She seemed confident that no one would be around. Or maybe, Natalia thought, she didn’t care.

“You fools. No one is out walking after dark,” the Abbess said.

She pushed one of the priests away before she tripped over him.

Yeah, who the hell would be wandering around Hell after dark, Natalia thought, feeling smug.

As soon as the group was a block and a half away, Sophie approached the door. She was there sometime before Natalia realized the door was locked and she was trying to pick the lock.

The door opened. There was no light. Sophie raised an arm, and three figures dashed over and into the building with her. Natalia couldn’t tell who they were from where she and Uri sat.

She waved her hand across her nose, but it did little in wafting away the stink. Uri sat without moving while his arms were wrapped around her. They waited for twenty minutes, before everyone exited the building.

Sophie gave the signal, and they continued down the street. Natalia found Moralis kept her and Uri toward the back. Every once in a while, they paused while certain buildings were searched, usually by Mina and Mirren. At times she felt that Uri and she were the only ones in the street.

They did this for two hours, zigzagging up and down the streets of Hell. Not another individual or group was encountered.

Natalia recognized the wall, realizing they were done with their time in Hell. This time Grazie led the way up the invisible steps with Uri after him. She followed. Again, Uri caught her when she jumped down.

They were farther down the street from the cars, but no one was in sight to see them when they walked to their respective cars.

Moralis started the car.

“Status,” he said.

“Bonnie remains in the park.”

The car appeared to be talking, but Natalia knew it wasn’t. She didn’t recognize the voice.

“We’re on our way back,” he said.

He pulled out. She noted the other car didn’t move. But after a few blocks, she noted they were following, but at a greater distance.

Her stomach growled.

Tia chuckled.

A short time later, Moralis parked and they got out. They had to go over the same fence they had jumped when they left. They regrouped in the basement.

The house now smelled of food with a particular strong scent.

“Take off the outer clothing and into this bag,” Moralis said.

No one spoke while they complied.

One by one as individuals finished, they went upstairs.

Uri waited for her and they went up together.

“What’s that odor,” she said before they joined the others.

Because she knew she was in a house with Viperians, she spoke in a quieter voice than usual. She was almost mouthing the words.

“Fish sauce,” he mouthed back at her. “The only scent that kills our sense of smell and masks any other scent.”

They reached the top of the steps where the others were. Everyone was taking turns washing hands and faces either at the kitchen sink or the half bath off the kitchen. Once they were washed, everyone headed to the dining room.

Natalia saw that their coats were gone from the table which was now set.

“Sit,” Moralis said, coming in from behind. “It’s just a simple Italian chowder soup.”

“Ah, but the good chewy Italian bread,” Mirren said.

They all sat. There was no talking while they ate. Natalia was famished, eating two bowls full. She could taste the strong taste of the fish sauce, but it worked well with the other flavors of the dish.

“What a delightful dinner, Moralis,” Uri said.

There were a few chuckles.

“Actually, this is quite delicious,” she said.

Tia nodded in agreement.

“What the hell did we find in Hell,” Uri said.

“A lot of Hell,” Mina said.

“I’ve got the video,” Moralis said. “In the building that Nattie found, people were chained in the basement making kite. You won’t believe the set up. Above each person hung a chain. We could see that after they worked so much, the chain would lower a link. On some of the links, there was food tied to it, on others, a syringe of kite.”

“Their incentive. They were working pretty feverishly,” Mina said. “There was one dead body. If you don’t let them sleep, they go bonkers and die.”

“Yuck,” Natalia said.

“What I found really disturbing,” Tia said, “was seeing Anna.”

“That was a surprise,” Mirren said.

Everyone nodded.

“So is it her or her mother or both?” Natalia said.

Everyone shrugged.

“Did you find the other thing you were looking for?” Uri said to Moralis.

He nodded.

“What?” she said.

“That’s between Uri and me,” Moralis said.

No one else asked what.

“We now see the link that we suspected,” Mina said.

“It’s getting time to take out the Abbess and Abbott,” Mirren said.

“Are we ready for that?” Uri said.

Tia shook her head.

“Not yet. There are still a few preparatory things we need to do.”

“Anything else we need to discuss?” Moralis said.

“Who was here and who wasn’t,” Tia said.

“Only Uri and Nattie are tracked,” Moralis said.

“But they need to say who was here if asked,” Tia said.

“I would almost say it was a family gathering. There are five members of the same family here,” he said.

“Seven,” Mina said.

“Seven?” Moralis said, looking around.

“Mirren is father to Uri. Uri and Tia are brother and sister. I’m expecting a Uri baby,” Mina said. “Grazie and Tia have a child. Of course, Nattie as Uri’s wife and they are expecting.”

Sophie smiled.

“Mina is the only one who knew. I’m expecting a child by Mirren.”

“I’m the odd man out,” Moralis said.

“You provided the house that was a neutral place, so we could all get together and mend family ties,” Tia said.