straight up, looking wildly around. "Get out of here, Zoey! They're crazy. They'll kill you like they did Chris and Brad." And he started to struggle, trying desperately to break the tape, even though all that was happening was he was making his already raw wrists bleed. "Heath, stop! It's okay--I'm okay. I'm not here, not really." He stopped struggling and squinted around him like he was trying to see me. "But I can hear you."
"Inside your head. That's where you hear me, Heath. It's be cause we've Imprinted and now we're linked." Unexpectedly, Heath grinned. "That's cool, Zo." I gave a mental eye roll. "Okay, Heath, focus. Where are you?"
"You won't believe this, Zo, but I'm under Tulsa."
"What does that mean, Heath?"
"Remember in Shaddox's History class? He told us about the tunnels that were dug under Tulsa in the twenties because of the un-alcohol thing."
"Prohibition," I said. "Yeah, that. I'm in one of them." I didn't know what to say for a second. I vaguely remembered learning about the tunnels in History class, and was astounded that Heath--not exactly an excellent student--would remember at all. As if he understood my hesitation he grinned and said, "It was about sneaking booze. I thought it was cool." After another mental eye roll I said, "Just tell me how to get there, Heath." He shook his head and a way too familiar stubborn look set tled over his face. "No way. They'll kill you. Go tell the cops and have them send a SWAT team or something." That was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to get Detec tive Marx's card out of my pocket, call him, and have him save the day.
Unfortunately, I was afraid I couldn't. "Who is the `they'?" I asked. "Huh?"
"The people who took you? Who are they?"
"They're not people, and they're not vampyres even though they drink blood, but they're not like you, Zo. They're--" he broke off, shuddering. "They're something else. Something wrong."
"Have they been drinking your blood?" The thought made me furious with such an intensity that I was having a hard time con trolling my emotions. I wanted to rage at someone and shriek, He belongs to me! I forced myself to take several deep breaths while he answered me. "Yeah, they have." Heath grimaced. "But they complain a lot about it. They say my blood doesn't taste right. I think that's the main reason I'm still alive." Then he swallowed hard and his face got a shade paler. "It's not like when you drink my blood, Zo. That feels good. What they do is--is disgusting. They're disgusting."
"How many of them are there?" I said through gritted teeth. "I'm not really sure. It's so dark down here and they always come in weird groups, all smushed together like they're scared of being alone. Well, except for three of them. One's named Elliott, one's called Venus--how weird is that--and the other one is called Stevie Rae." My stomach knotted. "Does Stevie Rae have short, curly blond hair?"
"Yeah. She's the one that's in charge." Heath had just substantiated my fears. I couldn't call in the police. "Okay, Heath. I'm going to get you out of there. Tell me how to find your tunnel."
"Are you going to get the cops?"
"Yes," I lied. "Nope. You're lying."
"I am not!"
"Zo, I can tell you're lying. I can feel it. It's that link thing." He grinned. "Heath. I can't get the police."
"Then I'm not telling you where I am." Echoing from down one end of the tunnel came a skittering that reminded me of the sound the science experiment rats made as they scurried through the mazes we made in AP Bio. Heath's grin was gone, as was the color that had returned to his cheeks while we talked. "Heath, we don't have time for this." He started to shake his head no. "Listen to me! I have special powers. Those--" I hesi tated, not sure what to call the group of creatures that somehow included my dead best friend. "Those things aren't going to be able to hurt me." Heath didn't say anything, but he didn't look convinced and the ratlike sounds were getting louder. "You said you can tell I'm lying because of our link. It has to go both ways.
You've got to be able to tell when what I say is the truth." He looked like he was waffling, so I added, "Think hard. You said you remembered some of that night you found me at