They were doing it again. They were following people and they didn't have a clue what they were doing. Well, Ren at least didn't know what the hell he was doing. Maybe Ashton had some plan made up in his mind—he seemed to be always coming up with a solution to their problems like he'd seen the future or something.
They'd fallen behind Regan and Darrien considerably because of their—
He wasn't sure what he would call it. It didn't feel like an argument. But now that he thought about it, their arguments had never really felt like fighting. He always got worked up though they never raised their voices.
Then he remembered the first time they met.
That had been a fight. He'd bit Ashton. That had been the first time he'd tasted blood. Vampire blood at that.
As they walked the path Regan and Darrien had taken, Ren thought heavily about what the two of them could possibly be up to. He was sure it was something bad.
The brush was wet. He hadn't noticed that everything was covered in a light dew. It must have rained that morning.
Ren was well aware of Ashton. Too much so. His body was locked up as he swore he felt Ashton's eyes wandering over him. He fought the crawling feeling spreading across his back and over his shoulders. The feeling felt like Ashton was running his fingers across his naked skin. Chills went down his spine, but he refused to shiver.
The forest was quiet. The crunching of leaves and brush beneath their feet was loud in his ears.
A burning started in his chest. He was floored by it and stumbled over his feet as it struck him in the sternum. His eyes widened as his hand flew to his chest. The heat bloomed until he felt it rising in his neck and that's where it stopped. His gut felt some of it. The thing thrashed. It was going crazy, but it wasn't hurt. This heat didn't hurt. It was just there, burning, and it was uncomfortable.
"Ren?"
Ashton grabbed him by the shoulder. The touch flamed the fire within him and he choked. He gasped for air as the heat rose higher, turning his head into goo.
He shook his head. "I'm fine. Just..."
He didn't get to finish what he was going to say because that's when he felt the most intense onslaught of dark emotion he'd ever felt. It was more intense than the mob at school. Though he felt there were less people present than there had been at the mob, their hatred was so strong it felt like a thousand people were crowding around him.
He was surprised when Ashton wrapped his arm around him. He would have pushed him away if his touch didn't actually relieve some of the pressure building in his head. He didn't know if the heat was because of all the swelling emotions he was picking up or if it had to do with something else. It had never happened before and he didn't know why it would be happening now.
He waded through all the cloudiness. The emotions hitting him like a bag of rocks let up for just a second. He took the opportunity, before it was too late, and pushed through to feel out what was going on.
He couldn't tell much since he didn't know how to use his power all that well. What he could sense was the big crowd of people in the area. They weren't necessarily angry right now. It was more so they hated something so much it had seeped into their everyday feelings.
The place it was coming from was nearby.
He pushed forward.
"What's going on?" He heard Ashton's voice, but he couldn't find the words to explain.
There was a lump lodged in his throat and it was so much easier to just show Ashton once they were there. Ren was sure he would understand. He didn't know how he already kinda knew what he was going to find, but he also didn't know how he could feel so many people's emotions at once without losing his mind.
He felt Ashton's hand slip away from his arm as he continued to walk. It was long before the swelling of emotions built once more inside of him. He was on the verge of combusting. He didn't know what that would look like, but it felt like it was going to make his brain burst out of his ears.
The heat wasn't as unbearable. It was a constant heat pulsing like a heartbeat. The thing was riled up, ready to attack if anything so much as moved in their direction.
Before he knew it, he was at the cusp of this overwhelming surge. Like a dam had been broken, Ren was thrust into the depths of the hatred and disgust in the air. His eyes went cross for a moment as his body seized up. The thing snapped its jaws, looking for a fight with the attacker though there was nothing. Just like the thing, the emotions had no physical form, therefore, no way to fight it.
And then they were there. Standing at the edge of all this emotion, fitted under a dome that when Ren got closer to it, he was assaulted by all of it. For a second, he was able to think and to pull himself together. It wasn't a long enough second, just a stolen moment that took a lot more effort from him than he was used to.
Ashton was right there beside him. Ren didn't want him there. He had this prickling sensation at the back of his neck. Danger. He felt it like someone had pulled a blanket over him. He didn't want Ashton to be here because of it. He didn't know when he'd become protective over Ashton, when he wished the Mantel wouldn't die—it didn't make sense because Ren hated him. Hated him even more after he let his parents belittle him like he was nothing more than a stray dog that had stolen their food.
The forest had opened up once more like it had at the border of town. While the town was divided from the forest by the almost unused highway, there was no cutoff from the opening which a large building the size of the high school was built.
Ren recognized this place. It was an old plastic production plant. The company went under around ten years back. The building had been vacant since.
Ren stopped in his tracks. Ashton tugged his shirt, saying something, but it was just noise to him. He gaped at the building now. It looked almost nothing like it had before. The windows were patched up, replaced with dark tinted ones, and the once red brick was painted a dark gray that didn't make the building stick out so much like a sore thumb.
Ren almost didn't recognize it. If it wasn't for the basic structure, the layout, he would have thought they built an entirely new building right where the old one used to be.
"What is this place?" Ashton seemed just as shocked as Ren was.
Ren shook his head, mouth still gaping as he tried to process what he was looking at.
He was glad he wasn't able to move a muscle. They would have been screwed if he kept walking up to the building in the zombified state he was in.
He saw them. Darrien and Regan. They were a lot closer to the building than he and Ashton were. They were right at the front entrance. Ren wasn't for sure, but it looked like they were still arguing. Darrien was waving his hand as if he was trying to dismiss Regan, but Regan kept getting up in his face.
Ren knew that look on Regan's face. It usually meant Regan was on the verge of attempted murder. However, the looked was slightly off. Ren couldn't quite read what Regan was feeling. The air was too twisted with so many emotions that he couldn't focus on just one at a time. He was sure if he had more time to get used to the new sense he would be able to pick apart thousands of different strands of emotions coming off different people.
But he wasn't at that stage yet. Not at all.
Ashton walked out from the safety of the trees and toward the building.
Ren panicked and grabbed his arm, jerking him back.
"What the hell are you thinking?" He looked over at Regan and Darrien, making sure they hadn't noticed the two of them.
They hadn't. They still looked like they were fighting, but they were going inside. Ren couldn't get a good look at the entrance of the building though he thought he saw Darrien swipe a card.
Ashton shrugged out of his grip. "It's quite obvious isn't it?"
Ren scowled at him. "We don't know what this place is. You can't just stroll up there and expect things to go over well."
He took one more look at the entrance. Regan and Darrien weren't anywhere in sight. They were completely shielded by the building walls.
"We won't know if we stand here fucking around." Ashton didn't march off like Ren thought he would, but Ren should have known that. As much as Ashton was a dickhead, he wasn't irrational. He was coolheaded most of the time and he knew what he was doing.
Most of the time was the keyword.
The old factory building gave Ren high anxiety. He didn't know what about it made him on edge or why he was having such a strange reaction to the place. One thing for sure, he didn't want to get any closer to it.
But as Ashton slowly made his way around to the side of the building, avoiding most of the windows, Ren had to make another decision.
He'd already come this far. He'd given up already so many times so it really shouldn't have been hard to take one more step closer to death. Just about half an hour ago he was ready to end it himself.
He hated fear. He hated how it made his palms sweat and his heart race.
Yet, the thing gave him a confidence he wasn't used to feeling. He was able to push down his fear.
Promise was a promise and he was so tired of turning his back to everything.
He walked across the small grassy area and met up Ashton who was now creeping to the back of the building.
There was a heaviness in his lungs that wouldn't go away no matter how many times he took a deep breath. His stomach twisted and he didn't understand how Ashton could be so calm.
Ashton wasn't so much as pressed against the building as he was just standing next to it. He scanned the area, looking for something Ren couldn't quite guess, and then he looked back at Ren. His head tilted. Ren nodded back at him and followed him as he rounded the corner.
Ren got closer to Ashton so he could speak low. "I think I remember there being a loading dock in the back."
They were at the front side of the building now. There was a weird jutting out section they still had to get around before they were actually at the back of the building.
Ren's head wasn't so clouded anymore. All the emotions that had bombarded him were fainter now which didn't make sense. His lips pursed to the side as he tried to think of why that might be, but he didn't get far with his lack of knowledge.
They finally made it to the back of the building. And just as Ren remembered it, the loading dock had barely been changed except for the new set of doors. The ladder that used to be there was untouched. It was falling apart, but that didn't matter. They might have found their way in.
Ashton studied his face. "You've been here."
Ren didn't know why that embarrassed him. His face flushed, a heat spreading over his chest and neck.
He could have explained he used to come here all the time. He felt a connection here like the connection to the mountain. When he felt the most alone, he would come here.
All he could do was shrug.
Ashton kept staring at him. It was a heated gaze that felt like he was lifting layers of Ren and peeking into his mind. He could feel Ren just as Ren could feel Ashton, but Ren kept his emotions as stoic as possible.
If that was possible. It felt like he was, but he couldn't quite know if it was actually working.
"It doesn't matter." He finally turned to look Ashton in the eyes.
Ashton raised a brow. Slightly. It looked almost like a twitch. "It does. If you know your way around, that makes things a lot easier."
"That would be true if there was a guarantee they haven't changed things. This place was falling apart. I doubt they left anything untouched."
He furrowed his brows. "This isn't a good idea."
"We fought off Hounds for fucks sake. Who do you expect to be in there?"
Ren's face fell.
He hadn't thought…
Oh no...
Ren looked at the loading dock doors with wide-eyes. Dread fell over him, clutching his heart and squeezing hard.
"What is it?"
His mouth had gone dry. It felt like it'd been stuffed with cotton balls.
"Hunters..."
That was all he had to say.
They'd survived Hounds. Barely. And the Hunters had let them go.
Ren thought about Darrien and Regan, all of it suddenly making sense. But he didn't want to believe it. Even if he'd already written them off as people who wanted him dead.
Ashton stepped in front of him. His face was blurry, Ren's eyes were focused on the doors.
"You're serious." Ashton turned back around. He placed his hand on his forehead. "Shit."
Ren couldn't keep the glare off his face this time. He narrowed his eyes.
"Well, it's not that much of a stretch."
"I wasn't—" Ashton scoffed. He turned away like he was going to march away and never come back. He turned back around instead, looking right back at Ren. "I wasn't doubting you, okay? It's just..."
Ren understood. It wasn't what he wanted to believe either. But the signs were pointing in this direction. They would be complete idiots if they ignored the obvious.
"What now?" He asked it really just to fill the silent void. He already knew the answer. They were going to continue with this suicide plan. They didn't have much of a choice now.
He was all in. He didn't fucking care if he died. He shouldn't be scared but that wasn't something he could control.
What he could control was the outcome of all this. He hated the Hunter Society just as much as any other vampire. They destroyed everything because they believed something. It didn't matter if their truth was wrong or flawed. They did what they wanted, damning anyone else.
Darrien's face popped in his mind. For a moment, Ren had thought he found someone he could trust outside his mom. Now, he couldn't trust either of them.
He gritted his teeth as he remembered Regan's ugly face and all he'd done to Ren in the years they'd known each other.
Yes, he would get the outcome he wanted. He wanted Darrien and Regan to go down with the stupid ideals they thought were righteous.
Ashton's eyes softened for a moment. It was a fleeting moment Ren wasn't sure he was supposed to see at all. The way Ashton looked at him—no matter how short it was—eased the tension in his shoulders. He felt his knees grow weak and all he wanted to do was fall down with Ashton holding him.
He pushed the sweet day dream away. It was never going to happen. He didn't want it to. He was just fine being alone. Mother and everyone else be damned.
Ashton knew he was in. Ren saw the recognition.
So, Ren climbed the ladder to the loading dock doors.
And Ashton followed.
***
The space between the edge of the loading dock and the doors was about a foot wide. It was big enough for Ren to balance his right foot on the ledge and his left on the top of the ladder. Ashton was forced to stay on the ladder, his hands on the same bar as Ren's left foot. It was an awkward stance, but Ren had been in more awkward situations.
He rested his hand on the brick wall. He had thought about testing his weight against the doors, but decided not to in case the doors weren't reinforced.
He slowly leaned forward. He put all his weight on his right leg and poked his head above the bottom of the small window in the first door. While the door was new, they hadn't tinted the windows like all the others. It might have seemed like a small oversight, but it was just what Ren needed to be able to see into the back of the building.
Ashton had been right. They hadn't changed much of the layout. In the back anyways.
The back was mostly a large area where shipments had been dropped off and sorted. There was a small cubby room to the left that once stored trash bins and sanitary items. To the right was a large elevator shaft that was now rebuilt. Before it had been nothing but a shaft, the elevator ripped apart to sell for parts.
That was as far as Ren could see from where he was. He pulled away.
"I don't see anyone." He decided to leave out the fact that Ashton had been right. He didn't need his ego boosted anymore.
Ren's hand hovered over the handle. He took a deep and steady breath.
Then, he pulled the door open.
The door was a lot heavier than the previous one. That might have been due to the fact the other ones had been deteriorating for over two decades. He used most of his strength to haul it open, thankful the hinges were new enough they didn't squeak to the high heavens.
That would be his fucking luck. Found out because some stupid hinges were rusty.
He didn't want to hang out there with the door open for too long. He looked back at Ashton and jerked his head toward the open door, signaling for him to follow him. Ashton gave a small nod back. As Ren heaved himself inside, holding the door firmly so it didn't slam shut, he focused on not making a single noise.
The inside felt very different than how it had before. The air was on, a blessing in some ways, because it hopefully would drown out any noises they made. On the other hand, Ren was freezing. His hands had gone cold and he tried to shake them a bit so they wouldn't go completely numb.
Ren stood for a moment, looking around. He jumped as Ashton pressed against his back. He turned his head to the side just slightly, meeting Ashton's eyes.
"They're further in."
He was talking about Regan and Darrien.
He ignored the heat of Ashton's body next to him and focused on trying to get his thoughts together. He blinked a couple of times, swallowing the lump in his throat. He felt Ashton looking at him which didn't make it easier to get his bearings once again.
"We can't go blindly in. Someone might be here too."
He only had to turn his head slightly to look at Ashton, he was that close.
Ashton didn't seem to be completely listening to him. He was looking around just as Ren had been doing, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Was is it?" Ren could see the gears turning in his head.
Ashton didn't answer for a moment. He stared at the empty hall for a few more seconds before he replied.
"Doesn't is seem odd they don't have an alarm system?"
Ren opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it.
He did think it was odd the doors weren't locked or that no one seemed to be around. This building had been restored so well it looked like it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Possibly close to a million and yet there were no fences, not extra locks, and like Ashton had said, no alarm systems. It seemed like they were so careless about keeping the place secure.
"It does seem…weird." There was really no other way to describe it. Now that it was pointed out, the hair on the back of Ren's neck stood up. He suddenly didn't think sticking around at the back entrance was such a good idea.
Without thinking, he grabbed Ashton's arm and started to pull him down the hallway.
"Where exactly are they? Can you hear them?"
It was only then Ren was glad Ashton had better hearing than him. His anxiety was through the roof. He didn't need to know what Regan and Darrien were saying on top of it all though he was pretty sure Ashton couldn't hear them that well.
"Well, you're taking us in their direction."
Ren would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't on the verge of a panic attack. Something wasn't right about this. The walls weren't just closing in on him. They were looking at him, watching both of their movements like they were documenting everything they were doing. How they were reacting. Storing it away like they had some other plan.
Ren didn't know how creditable this feeling was or if he was being unreasonable. It was probably the second option, but he didn't want to take a chance.
He took them down another hall to the right. This layout hadn't changed much either. They were walking down a long corridor without windows, only doors. He didn't remember rooms being in this direction. They almost resembled classroom doors. Maybe they were offices.
He let go of Ashton's arm. As he walked further along, he read the metal embossed signs next to the doors. They were names. So these were offices.
Ashton placed his arm on Ren's shoulder. "They're empty."
Ren knew. He couldn't feel anything. Well, he could. It was the same hatred and dread that surged upon him when they first came upon this place. It was on him like tar, weighing him down into the ground. He couldn't breathe with it all around him. It made his skin crawl and itch.
But it was coming from something else. It wasn't quite like when he felt this horrible feelings coming from people. This was something far darker.
Ashton went up to a random door and tried the handle.
"Don't—" Ren jumped forward, but it was too late.
The door open just a crack. Ashton looked back at him.
"What?"
Ren looked down the empty hallway. "It's just…we should leave."
He couldn't explain the feeling. Though Ashton was telling him there was no one here, he felt like this was all wrong. Even though it was just Regan and Darrien—it was still dangerous to be around here. They didn't even know what the hell this place was.
Ashton stepped into the office. Ren really had no choice. He wasn't going to stay out in the hallway where he could be spotted so easily.
His stomach was flipping as he walked into the office. The smell was of cleaner. It burned his nose. He wasn't the only one. Ashton wrinkled his nose as he walked around the small area. The room was small as Ren's bedroom, only big enough for a standard desk and chair, and four metal filing cabinets.
There was a computer on the desk. It looked expensive. New. Ren didn't understand why there were filing cabinets. He hadn't heard of many businesses not fully switched to digital.
Ashton looked over the desk. He wiggled the mouse to start up the sleeping computer.
"Close the door," he softly said.
Ren shut it quietly and walked over to where Ashton was.
The screen of the computer looked like any other setup he'd seen. It was a plain blue background with a login screen.
Ren looked away from it. He walked over to the metal file cabinets. He hovered his hand over the handle of the top drawer. He was afraid of touching it. But they wouldn't know they'd been here. It wasn't like they were going to dust for fingerprints. That would be crazy.
Still…the irrational side of him was screaming at that this was a horrible idea.
Ashton gave an irritated sigh. "I'm not even going to try and guess the password."
Ren felt Ashton at his side. "Is it locked?"
Ren hadn't noticed he'd put his hand on the handle. He blinked, getting his eyes to focus.
He gave the handle a tug. It budged, but it was locked.
Ashton wordlessly turned to the desk and started searching through the drawers. There were blank notepads and other typical office supplies. There wasn't a key. The whole thing was neatly organized and the only interesting thing to turn up was a book about mythical creatures.
Ashton furrowed his brows as he flipped through the pages. "Pages are marked. They're taking notes."
Ren's heart skipped.
They'd already thought about this. He knew it wasn't crazy to think the Hunter Society had their own building. They were officially back anyway. They weren't banned like before. And they were taking over the cases of the murdered teens.
But being faced with the reality of it. Actually knowing it was reality, that was different. This changed everything.
Ashton put the book back. He straightened everything so it looked like it hadn't been touched. As he closed the drawer he glanced back at Ren.
Ren didn't know if it was because of the look on his face or if Ashton was searching out Ren's feelings through the bond.
They hadn't ever talked about it of course. Why would they? They didn't like each other. They didn't want this bond. It was only because the contract they made that they were even connected like this. Ren didn't know for sure if Ashton ever tried to feel him out like Ren did. Ren didn't just have the bond through their contract to feel Ashton. He had the other power that came with being a witch.
It might be different for Ashton. He was disgusted by Ren so it made sense if he went out of his way to not feel anything from Ren.
But it was that look. It was almost like Ashton understood the anxiety going through Ren.
Compassion.
That's what it almost looked like. It was barely there for a second, but it was enough to make Ren feel better. The tension let up on his heart and he was able to lower his hunched shoulders that had been up to his ears.
However, the moment shared between them was forced to an end. A loud bang came from down the hall, severing the silence.
Ren didn't think. He ran to the door. Ashton was right behind him.
"They're not close yet. Go!"
Ren didn't need to be told twice. He threw open the door and walked out as fast as he could without making too much of a sound. He held his breath as they passed the other office doors. He didn't think to check them, but he wished he had when they came to the end of the hall and there was nowhere else to go.
He turned around, but he was too much in a panic to think straight.
Ashton turned to the last door. It was all by itself and the door was different. Higher quality.
Ashton's eyes flashed red. He slammed his hand into the handle and it sprung down, the lock shattering from the inside.
Ren gaped.
Ashton raised both brows as he looked back at Ren. "Praise me later."
Ren sent him a glare.
They both shuffled into the room and closed the door.
It was dark and it felt much more cramped in here than the last office had.
He was surrounded by that dark energy. It clamped down on his throat and he really did have trouble breathing this time. He shivered uncontrollably as hate, disgust, and vile emotions shot through him.
This was the place he'd felt so strongly. This was the center of the dark emotions that felt like hundreds of people.
As Ren turned around, he felt all his strength and fearlessness drain away.
Covering the walls of the large office were dozens of pictures. They were bloody, brutal, and vomit inducing photographs of dead and tortured vampires.