Hybrid Aria by Jessica Hall

Chapter 50

Aria’s POV

I move with precision and speed, my hands reaching straight for them, knocking the gun from their

hands, as I bite into the flesh of their neck, blood spurting all over me, as I rip his throat from his body.

Red dots filled the room, and I kept moving, reaching and grabbing for any part of them, as I ripped

them towards me, tearing them apart. I could feel their blood dripping off me, could hear my Pack

fighting behind me. Hear the screams of the kids, which only fuels my anger more. Another explosion

goes off, as a second grenade is let off. I choke on the fumes, my lungs feeling like they are on fire, my

eyes burning, my skin burning as if it had been doused in acid. I could hear the agonised screams of

everyone behind me. I force myself to my feet staggering. I grab the first man I see in the cloud of dust

and smoke. He has some sort of black armour on. The only skin showing is their faces and neck as I

bite his face tearing the flesh of his cheek off. I spit it out, my teeth going for his jugular. His blood

flooding my mouth as I drain him before dropping him at my feet, I step over his body, moving toward

my next target. Only they kept coming, and the room was already Packed with dead bodies and people

fighting.

I feel the sting of being shot in the leg. I look down and see a green dart in my thigh, I pull the dart out

and lunge at the woman holding the gun that was pointed in my direction. Her scream dying in her

throat as I tore it from her body. Everyone is running around in a panic, trying to escape the cloud and

rain of Wolfsbane falling onto everyone, suffocating us all. I watch as few escape when I am completely

surrounded. Red dots appearing through the smoke all aimed directly on me at different locations on

my body. I feel their sting as each one fires, the darts penetrating my flesh, making me woozy. I lunge

grabbing the closest person, using him as a shield while I rip his spine from his body. Sinking my teeth

into him, needing blood to regain some strength. I shouldn’t be standing, I can feel whatever they shot

me with moving through my bloodstream, hear the heartbeat of the life inside me thumping loudly.

Anger courses through me. I keep fighting, but they keep shooting, dart after dart into me, making me

weaker. I fall to my knees before I fall to my side, my eyes growing heavy, I fight the fog consuming me.

Forcing my eyes open when a man walks in. The room has gone silent. Deathly silent.

The man walks over to me and crouches beside me. He has a white lab coat on and round glasses, his

gaunt face looking down on me.

“Keep fighting, and we will kill everyone in this room.” I growl because that’s all I can do; my body is

completely numb and limp. I couldn’t fight even if I wanted to.

I hear Lily and Amber’s screams resonate through the room. My head slowly rolling to my side, my

eyes searching, until they find them through the thick smoke and people crowding around me. Their

flesh is red, raw, and bleeding. They can’t even stand only scream. I growl louder and try to lift my arm,

but it doesn’t move. Tears escaping my eyes running down my cheeks.

“Aria, please get up.” Her voice breaks as she screams for me. My heart splintering off sharp edges,

piercing my soul, knowing I can’t get to her.

“Like I said Aria, don’t fight and I will let those who remain alive go, which isn’t many I must admit,” My

claws extend, I try and throw it at his face, but miss and my hand falls to the ground.

“Ah, Ah, Ah, Aria don’t be foolish, we have your sister and her little friend. One wrong move and I will

force you to watch as they die painfully” My eyes get heavy, and I try to fight the cold feeling consuming

me as darkness takes over. I mindlink trying to seek help.

“Reid, Please Reid, you have to save them.” I am out before he answers that’s if he even heard me.

***

The dripping of water pulls me from my blacked-out state. I try to move my arms, but they don’t budge.

My head hanging forward heavily, my neck stiff, having not moved it for however long. I lift it, and I see

I am braced to a wall. Metal holding me to the walls around my wrists, elbows, and shins, another

around my chest. I look around my eyes lazily falling on Lily and Amber, who are cuffed to a metal table

in front of me. Both laying with their heads on the steel surface.

“Psst Lily.” She doesn’t answer. “Lily.” She moves her fingers, and I know she is alive, I can hear the

slow beating of her heart. The room reeks of wolfsbane. Lily’s flesh burned and peeling off. She was

too weak to move, and Amber was in a worse condition. Slumped forward, nearly falling off the chair

she has been placed on, her mouth open and a steady stream of blood pouring onto the floor from her

mouth. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

I hear coughing and turn to look beside me. I gasp when I see Alpha David braced to the wall beside

me, I look on the other side and see Christine and Wendy braced as well. They are covered in bruises,

and Wendy has a gash that isn’t healing on her head. “You’re awake?” Alpha David’s voice sounds

strangled and pained. I turn my head to him, making eye contact.

“Where are we?”

“Some sort of lab.” He throws his head towards the front. I look up, and I can see clear glass. We are in

some sort of glassed room resembling a huge fish tank. I can see scientists in lab coats walking around

on the other side of the glass with computers and notebooks, all working, not paying attention to us

trapped in the room in front of them. I look over to Christine and Wendy.

“Girls?” I call out to them, but they don’t answer.

“They haven’t woken since they got here, the doctor injected them with something. They keep coming

back, testing their blood and injecting them.”

“What do they want?” I asked.

“I have no idea, but we need to find a way out of here.”

I nod, I try to mindlink but can feel some sort of barrier blocking me. I hear the lock to the glass door

open and the man from the bunker steps in, a smug smile on his face.

“Nice to have you back with us, Aria.”

I growl at him. “Let them go. You have me, leave them be.”

He walks over to me; he has some stick in his hand. It is long and has two prongs on the end. He

places it on my shoulder. Pressing the prongs into my flesh. I hiss at the sudden pain and struggle

against my restraints. “I don’t think so, see you aren’t in any position to do anything; therefore, I can do

as I please.” He turns and presses the stick onto Lily’s back. He presses a button near the handhold,

and she starts screaming and convulsing, the buzz of electricity in the air. It’s a cow prodder. I scream

and pull on my restraints, and so does David.

“Leave her, fucking leave her, you fucking coward,” David screams. The man turns toward David and

jams him in the ribs with the prodder, turning it on. David tenses, his muscles bulging and rippling under

the current. The man stops and turns toward me.

“That all you got, you fucking maggot,” David screams at him before spitting on him. The man wipes his

face and hits him again with the stick. I can smell his flesh burning, but he doesn’t scream. In fact, he

just glares pulling on his restraints. “I’m going to fucking rip you to shreds,” he spits out venomously

through gritted teeth. Lily stirs behind him, and her eyes go wide, realising her father is being

electrocuted. Her eyes meet mine, and I mouth to her to stay quiet. I watch tears run down her cheeks

before she freezes, holding back her sobs.

The man stops, and David fights against the restraints trying to break free. It is no use, though. The

man walks around and sits across from Lily.

“Well, hello young lady.” Lily moves back in her chair trying to get away from him.

“Well, now that I have your undivided attention, listen up. I am not sure if your father told you about the

experiments we wanted him for.” I stare shocked that he knows my father is still alive. “Oh yes, Aria, I

have known for years. A body just doesn’t disappear. Anyway, back to what I was saying. I need your

blood, and I need a lot quite frankly. The blood we took from your father years ago has run out, and I

need more and you, my dear will be, let’s see, what’s the word,” he says, tapping his chin.

“Oh yes, my personal blood bag.” His dark hair falls in his eyes, and he throws his head back, pushing

it out of the way.

“And why is it that you need my blood specifically?”

“You’re incredibly unique, and your blood holds the key to immortality, why else? Nothing more, nothing

less. Although over the years, we have had some developments. Your friends there are living proof our

science does work,” he says, pointing to Wendy and Christine. I look over to them, still slumped

forward, their faces hidden behind their hair that is acting as a veil. They do smell different.