Read 03 Saints for Free Online Page B

scream was cut short. I peeked down and saw the Nightstalkers finish Master Limp, dragging parts of him in different directions.
    “Very,” I replied.
    “Thank, God,” the man said. “I was about to lose my mind.”
    “I’m sure,” I said not interested in his excuses.” Where are the levers for the doors down there?”
    “Here.” He pointed to some levers along the wall.
    “I would start the running away part now,” I told him.
    I went to the levers and pushed them all down, trusting that one of them would open the doors I needed. I was at the last lever when I sensed the man pull a knife out from his boot. It was more a shift in the air, rather than any supernatural moment. I turned at the feeling. The knife was long and silver, gleaming in the light from above. The man smiled at me, as if he thought he had won something from me.
    “Thanks for getting rid of him,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for a promotion. Unfortunately, I don’t want you to take my spot, either.”
    “I don’t have time for you,” I told him.
    Without waiting for him to attack, I kicked him in the gut. It wasn’t a hard kick, but it was enough to offset his balance. He stumbled back and fell into the pit. His screams and the sounds of him trying to fend of the Nightstalkers filled the air. His screams didn’t last long.
    A part of me flinched away from the idea I had caused his death, but another part was more interested in doing whatever it took to escape. I took a deep breath, and very carefully put away the emotions tying me down. I would look at them later, when I had the luxury to do so. Right now, I had Nightstalkers waiting for me to lead them to freedom. I climbed back down and paused long enough at the second man’s body to grab his silver knife.
    The knife in hand, I followed the lead Nightstalker out of the pit and in to the darkness beyond. The Nightstalkers surrounded me as we left our prison behind. They provided a buffer against the several brief, but deadly, encounters we had in the hall. When the hall opened up to the large room they had tattooed my foot in, the Nightstalkers paused as one. The Nightstalker in front sniffed the air, and its ears pricked up. A low growl started from the others. I put a hand on its snout to find out what the problem was.
    What’s wrong? I asked.
    Do you not hear it?
    I strained to hear what he heard. I heard the normal sounds of screams, which wasn’t unusual down here, the sound of water dripping constantly, the sound of people moving and shifting in their cells, and then…
    BOOM!!!
    I jumped as the explosion sent dirt cascading down onto my head.
    There is a fight. We must hurry.
    The Nightstalker started forward; its toes took huge chunks out of the dirt floor as it started forward. As we ran, I saw others in the free-standing jails, their eyes terrified at seeing the Nightstalkers free. From the way I could hear their thoughts, I knew they were human. From their terror, I knew they assumed the Nightstalkers had come for them. There was too much terror to bear. I couldn’t just leave them to the fate I was trying to escape. It was wrong. To not help them was hypocritical. I left the safety of the Nightstalkers and went to the first cell.
    The rest of the Nightstalkers pulled ahead, not seeing the people around them as worthy enough to save. They were more concerned with freedom. I didn’t blame them; most of their humanity had been lost with the change. Too, self-preservation would have been on any other human’s mind had they not been as stupid as I was.
    The first Nightstalker noticed me leave the pack, however, and turned around, letting the rest run ahead. It approached me as I tried to use the knife I had taken to pick the lock. It whined once in a question. I sensed it hearing more than I did from the fight. It was obvious we were running out of time.
    “I can’t just leave these people here. They have the right to choose if they want freedom or if they want to