Gibbon was far enough ahead of them that by the time they reached the spoke he had disappeared down, Cadence wasn’t sure if he had stayed on the first level or went up to the top. There should be no exit at the end of the hall either way, so theoretically, he should be trapped. Of course, he had just been surrounded a few minutes ago, too, and what good had that done them? Still, she thought the silver had to be weakening him, and maybe if they could keep him in the building long enough, shoot him enough times, she could get close enough to him to decapitate him.
Somehow, she managed to reach what she thought was cell block eight ahead of Aaron, and she absently thought he must have hit the wall harder than he was letting on; she shouldn’t be able to outrun him. “I’ll take high,” she shouted out as she flew up the stairs, not waiting for a response.
“Going low then,” Aaron replied, and Cadence came to a stop at the top of the stairs. She didn’t see Gibbon anywhere, but the design was not what she was expecting. There was a narrow catwalk down each side of the cell row, with a large opening in the middle that dropped down a story to where she could see Aaron had also slowed below her. Gibbon could be in any one of a hundred or so cells, waiting for them to pass so he could run out behind them and disappear either out of the building or down another row. This could go on forever.
“Got anything?” Aaron asked.
“Bunch of old dilapidated cells,” she replied. “Nothing else.”
“I’m gonna start repositioning some people,” Elliott said, and for a second the sound of his voice was alarming to Cadence. She’d forgotten he was there. “Don’t mind me.”
“Good call,” Aaron replied, and Cadence tuned him out as she realized Elliott was pulling people out of the spokes that were not being utilized. A flash in her IAC let her know that Cale, Scarlet, and Jamie were all busy fixing broken team members, and she was happy to see Meagan’s IAC back on.
She looked into each cell as she went by, and though the ones across the void of darkness were difficult to see from here, she could tell they were also empty. Unless Gibbon had somehow found a way to fold himself up enough to hide behind a rusty bed frame, she hadn’t passed him.
It was all she could do to keep her march steady and slow. Part of her wanted to rush into the black in front of her in an attempt to ferret him out. But she knew better. Perhaps, if she allowed her to, Cassidy could find him. As tempting as it was, she couldn’t take a chance on turning Cassidy into a magnet that might pull Gibbon right to her. No, for now, she needed to do this the way they would have if Cassidy wasn’t even there—slow and methodical. He’d have to come out eventually.
Just as the thought entered her head, she heard a commotion below her, and focusing in on Aaron’s IAC, she saw the monster plow through him again as he fired several shots, hitting Gibbon in the chest and shoulders. He kept running, but this time Aaron kept his footing and swiveled around, firing at Gibbon as he continued down the hallway.
“Hold your fire!” Cadence shouted, and realizing Aaron was ahead of her in the hallway, she took off running back the way she came. She had to time it perfectly—using Aaron’s IAC and her own peripheral vision, and just as she saw the Vampire passing beneath her in the void between the two catwalks, Cadence stepped onto the railing that discouraged inmates from leaping to their deaths, and dove into the darkness.
Crashing into Gibbon was as close to diving into a swimming pool with no water as she could imagine, and her breath was extinguished immediately. But she had him, and she wasn’t letting go. Digging her nails into his shoulders, she wrapped her legs around his midsection and began to squeeze. She could hear Aaron coming up behind her, and if she could just get the monster to slow down a bit, it was possible the Guardian could help her decapitate him.
Gibbon had other plans, and before Cadence completely caught her breath again, the Vampire turned and slammed her into the concrete wall. Cadence winced as she felt her ribs cracking. Her hands were beginning to slip as she attempted to cling to his shoulders, which were covered with ashes from where the bullets had broken through his skin. Despite the fact that Aaron was firing at him, and hit him in the head and in the shoulder right next to Cadence’s hand, Gibbon raced forward several steps and then crashed into the wall again. This time, Cadence couldn’t hold on, the pain in her side overwhelming. Her grip slid off, and before she knew what was happening, she was sitting on the floor watching Gibbon take off into the darkness again.
“Are you okay?” Aaron asked, dropping to his knees in front of her.
Cadence couldn’t speak aloud, and she realized that her lung was likely punctured by her own rib. “Go. Get him!” she ordered, trying to hide the excruciating pain in her face, knowing he wouldn’t budge if she didn’t convince him she was all right.
“Someone else can get him. Are you all right?” he repeated, feeling for broken bones. When his hand touched her side, Cadence screamed. “Stay still. I’ll get Jamie.”
“No, go get Gibbon. I’m fine for a few more minutes. Just go!”
She could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn’t want to leave her, but whether he was still chasing the Vampire or going after the doctor, Aaron kissed her on the forehead and took off down the hall.
