Wild Hunt - Kali Argent Page 0,4

out of the compound, let alone getting far enough away to find help, were slim at best. Still, she had to try. There might never be another opportunity like this, and she’d rather die trying to escape than spend another second locked within those walls.

She needed a plan, and she needed it fast.

Inching closer to the gate, she pushed it open just far enough to squeeze through it, then closed it quietly behind her. Glancing at the camera in the corner over the main exit, she scrambled across the room to the surgical table where the cruelest of atrocities were committed.

She could only hope the Hunters were too preoccupied to be monitoring the footage closely.

Searching through the instruments on a nearby metal cart, she found what she was looking for almost instantly. Gripping the bloodstained scalpel, she ducked beneath the surgical table, pressing herself as far as she could into the shadows. She didn’t fear pain. She’d certainly endured worse, but that didn’t mean she looked forward to what had to be done.

Holding the scalpel to the side of her neck, she took a deep breath for courage, then drew the blade across her skin, scoring the flesh. Blood seeped from the wound, spilling from the cut and trickling down to pool in the hollow above her collarbone. In her weakened state, it would take much longer for the injury to heal, but really, it was just one more among dozens of others.

The pain was fleeting, barely more than a sting, but that had been the easy part. Now, came the real fun.

Pressing her opposite fist against her mouth to muffle the cries, she parted her skin and pressed her index finger into the open wound. The pain was electric, searing, and it set every nerve ending in her body on fire. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, rolling over her cheeks and down her neck to mingle with the fresh river of crimson.

Her temples pounded in time with her racing pulse, and every muscle in her body tightened. One canine pierced the back of her hand when she bit into the flesh, but even that wasn’t enough to distract her from the agony.

Finally, just when she feared she’d pass out from the self-inflicted torture, her pointed claw caught on something hard and smooth embedded within the muscle. Squeezing her eyes closed, she crooked her finger, gasping when the tracking chip slipped from the gash and fell into her palm.

Funny how the burden of something so small could be so substantial. The tracker was nothing more than a tiny glass capsule, no bigger than a grain of rice, but when it rolled off her palm and tumbled to the tiled floor, she swore the world trembled from the impact.

There was no time to celebrate. Removing the device wouldn’t mean anything if she couldn’t get free of the camp. If the Hunters caught her, it would have all been for nothing.

Now, she just had to find a way out of the room. The main door wasn’t an option. Even if it hadn’t been locked, it was too risky. Unlike in the movies, the vents in the ceiling were too small, and the three windows at the top of the back wall wouldn’t accommodate a human body.

That left only one option.

In her time at the compound, she’d watched many of her fellow Gemini enter the gleaming steel box in the corner of the room. While it had been sad, there had also been a sense of relief to know they would no longer have to endure this life. They were no longer in pain. By the time they entered the industrial incinerator, they were already free.

The fires weren’t burning now, but heat blasted her in the face when she opened the heavy door. It was stifling, and the smell that rushed out made her gag. Gritting her teeth, she stuck her head and shoulders into the cavernous belly of the machine and twisted to stare up at the ceiling.

Just as she’d suspected, a long, narrow stack extended up into the night, the moonlit sky clearly visible beyond the opening. It would be a tight fit, and the smooth sides wouldn’t make for an easy climb. The heat alone had the potential to kill her, but if she didn’t try, she might as well just go back to her cell and wait for the recruit to realize his mistake.

Cursing under her breath, she crawled into the furnace and pulled the door