A Shade of Vampire 28: A Touch of Truth Read Online Free PDF Page B

fit two people walking side by side.
    I couldn’t help but wonder what this building was, but I had too many other mysteries to wonder about to dwell on this one long.
    We stopped about halfway along the hallway, where Maura and Orlando’s eyes rose to the ceiling. Paranoid, I feared for a moment that they had spotted a snoozing Bloodless… but no, thank God. They were gazing up at a trapdoor.
    Orlando removed the hook from his belt and, with perfect aim, threw it up to the ceiling where it connected with a metal loop that was attached to the trapdoor. He pulled downward hard, and the door dropped open. Then Orlando dropped to his knees and Maura climbed onto his shoulders before he stood again on slightly unsteady feet. She reached up into the hole in the ceiling and grabbed hold of something. A sliding ladder. She drew it down to the ground as Orlando lowered to his knees with her. Removing herself from his shoulders, Maura steadied the ladder on the floor and then began climbing up.
    Once she was halfway up the ladder, Orlando gestured for me to follow, which I did eagerly. The thought of escaping to somewhere safe—however dark or damp or cramped it might be—was incredibly appealing to me. As long as it was dry and Bloodless-free, I would find relief there.
    Indeed, the loft I entered as I reached the top of the ladder was both of these things. It was also a much nicer-looking loft than the one I had woken up in some hours ago. Well, nice might be too strong a word for it, but it was certainly more comfortable-looking. More homely. There were twin mattresses on either side of the room. Both of them looked thicker, with warmer blankets and fluffier pillows. And there was a greater array of paraphernalia here in general. Everything was also neater, cleaner and more organized. A large chest of drawers was nestled in one corner, and there was a table with two chairs. There was also a skylight here, with a rickety ladder leading up to it. Beneath the table were stacks of canned food, along with large bottles of water. I counted in total six gas lamps, positioned around the large room. On the wall opposite of the table was a narrow door that I guessed may have led to a bathroom. I realized only now how full my bladder was—but I was too distracted to pay attention to my need to pee just now. Too many questions were boiling up within me, and as Orlando closed the trap door and bolted it firmly shut, now was the time for me to get some answers.
    “Who are you?” I asked.
    Maura and Orlando took their time in answering. Orlando set the blade-wheel down in one corner. They both removed their masks again and placed them on the table. Then they removed their jackets and headed to the narrow door. As they stepped inside it, the lamp light revealed that it was indeed a bathroom. It held a toilet, a small sink, and a shower. Is there running water in this place? If there was no electricity, I didn’t understand why there would be running water.
    Orlando and Maura pulled off their soiled pants, stripping to their underwear and dumping the pants in the bathtub. They did the same with their jackets, socks and tops, until they wore nothing but their underwear. With such an extensive view of their bodies, I could see just how emaciated they looked. It really was a wonder they were able to pull off the stunts they did.
    Finally, they removed their gloves. My eyes bulged as I caught sight of their hands. Of their fingers. They… they had no fingernails.
    “Guys,” I said, my breathing quickening. “Please, give me some answers. Who are you? Are you the ones who saved me from the river and put me up in that old loft? Please, answer me.”
    Maura scowled as she glanced at her pale self in the slightly discolored bathroom mirror. “Just put her out of her misery, will you, Orlando?” she muttered.
    Orlando exited the bathroom and first headed to the cabinet, which he drew open. He pulled out some fresh clothes—clean navy blue