Annihilate (Hive Trilogy #3)(51)

It could happen.

As Kyle maneuvered through the streets, which was easy with the huge lanes here, we all kept an eye out for University Medical Centre, which was the hospital in this region that handled blood for the Hives. The moment the distinctive building came into view, I shrugged on my Cellway vest and settled myself in near the back of our rig. No need to draw attention to the clown makeup goth girl. I’d let the boys handle any security.

Part one of our plan went off without a hitch. Sam had detailed maps explaining the back entrance and how we get to the loading docks. Besides two rent-a-cops on the entrance gate, we had no one stop us and soon we were pulling up to the large, industrial space. Kyle swung himself out of the rig and took some time to chat with whomever worked these docks. Ryder let him go, waiting for the signal to start unloading.

Kyle’s blond head popped in through the now open back door. “All set, let’s unload the bottles.” Ryder got out straight away, but I knew I was to remain hidden, although I might have snuck over to peer out the window. My eyes were immediately drawn to the five men standing on the edge of the dock. They were wearing white lab coats, and three of them had glasses. They looked very much like Becca in her science lab glory, but I recognized at least four of them as Sanctum people. Not that there was anything immediately obvious, but I knew some of their faces, and I also recognized the way they moved. Ash did not move in the same way as humans, they were more like jungle cats. Not to mention they were all gorgeous.

They prowled. Took control. Sat at the top of their jungle abode and disdainfully stared down at everything rushing past them. It was also how I knew at least one of those five was a human, an actual lab person who would probably, unknowingly, help to add this cure to all Hive blood.

I could hear them chatting through the window. “All the humans are here, in the back area,” a Sanctum male said. “We’ll give them the flu shot and then the bus ships them out in four hours.”

The humans were going to be injected with a version of the cure – under the pretense of a vaccine to keep them healthy – which would reproduce in their blood, and as long as they were fed on within the next month or so, the vampire would get a full dose. The bottled blood was going to be the time-consuming part. The donated blood was stored in bags in the refrigerators. Each of those bags was used to fill the UV bottles, which were then delivered to the Hives. Apparently it took a full day for them to distribute the blood into the bottles with special machinery. The bottles were then sealed, a process which mixed the cure and blood cells together, before going into the refrigerated containers and onto private jets which dispatched to all the Hives.

It was a huge job. But there was no other option.

Ryder and Kyle were offloading the wooden pallets from the back of the rig. There were hundreds of pallet crates, and within each was a thousand cure-laced bottles.

The human was right there in the midst, unknowingly helping us take down the vamps. Sanctum wore game faces, but they were excited, I could tell. They wanted us to take out the vampires.

A few hours later the last box was dropped onto the back dock area and we were done with our part of this plan. Ryder opened the door and got back into the captain’s chair.

“Everything is in place,” he said, starting the rig. “Sanctum have full control of the blood bank area. They’ve been here for a few days learning the ropes. They won’t make any mistakes. The cure will be reaching the Hives within the next day or two.”

I nodded, my breath catching in my chest. I was already sick of this cloak and dagger, hide Charlie in the back of the van bullshit. I wanted my life back.

Kyle got in and shut the door firmly. “They’re going to text when it’s all done. They have six more members in the labs, and will work through the night to get the blood into every single bottle.”

“Did the other guys run into any trouble?” I asked, wishing I had a phone to get updates and stuff on. Sort of felt naked without technology in my hands.

Ryder shook his head. “Nah, they’re all good. Few checkpoints, but each looking for you. Sanctum was in place, as promised, at the Californian hospital.”

The rig was on the road again, back in downtown Dallas. “So now we just lay low and wait for the shit to hit the fan, right?”

Somehow it all seemed too easy, like we should be fighting and stabbing vampires in the neck with cure-filled syringes.

Ryder laughed. “Yes, we now have to wait. We’ll head back to Portland and prepare ourselves for war.”

He dialed a number then and put it on speaker. It rang a few times before a familiar voice answered.

“Talk to me, Ryder,” Lincoln said, voice hard.

“Plan is in place. E.T.A forty-eight hours. You?”

“Files in action. Cities around the globe on standby, everything looking rosy on our end. Will inform you if anything new arises. Waiting on bottle delivery now.”

They weren’t exactly speaking in code. I understood exactly what was being said. The army was already heading to the Hive towns. They were going to be on standby for the possible fallout of the cure.

Lincoln continued: “All members have darts filled with liquid from a Dr. Leander. None will escape.”

The boys exchanged a few more words before ending the secure call.

Ryder looked pleased. “Everything is in place. Lincoln has used the files to ensure silence from men with power. They have multiple teams in all cities and are loaded down with cure. Becca made sure to send them all her extra. We are as ready as we’ll ever be.”