“So,” he said, pinning her with a look. “I’m serious. Which way?”
Reggie peered off in both directions, pointing as she spoke. “Joshua went that way into town. Coop headed toward the nearest gas station.”
Had rubbed at his head for a moment, then started walking north toward Centralia. As he passed by a fissure in the ground, the smoked swirled around his legs, creating an effect that gave Reggie the chills.
Apparently, it was time for them to head into hell.
CHAPTER 15
The town reeked of smoke, and wisps of the stuff seemed to want to cling to Joshua no matter where or how he moved. He passed plots of land where houses had been razed to the ground, here and there were structures that were still standing, and others that were in various stages in between. He traveled through a bizarre landscape of decaying suburban America that was yielding to the ravages of time and neglect.
Up ahead was the municipal building for what had once been the town of Centralia. The rectangular edifice was built of brick, with wood siding running in a strip along the top. The wood appeared to have once been tan, but was now various shades bleeding toward black with what looked like mold. With half-closed eyes, however, it looked just like any other boxy governmental structure for small-town USA.
The front door was hanging open, the boards that had been used to close up the office building scattered about the entryway or still hanging loosely from the doorframe. It spoke of a clear invitation. Joshua was meant to go inside.
As he entered, the day went from early evening to night in an instant. There was very little of the remaining ambient light to guide his path. The air stank of mildew and disuse, there was a layer of dirt covering the floor, and there were animal droppings scattered about in his path.
But amongst the grime were boot prints that almost seemed illuminated when compared to their surroundings. They pointed his way, like glow tape on a darkened theatre set, allowing him to navigate the oppressive gloom of the dead office space.
His every sense was heightened. The whispering of his own feet moving through the built-up dust sounded in his ears, the smallest change in lighting drew his eye like a magnet. The scent of decay was magnified to an uncomfortable level in his nostrils.
And then he heard it.
A soft whimper, almost a sob. Muffled.
He moved toward the sound, pushing his way through a rotten door. On the other side there was a metal chair planted in the center of the room. Bound to the chair was a female form.
She lifted her head at the sound of his entry, and Joshua caught sight of her face. It was Agent Lobo. The left side of her face was black with crusted blood, and there was a bandage over where her ear had once been. Her wide eyes glistened in the low light, the fear radiating out of them. She made an inarticulate groan through the blackened cloth that was tied around her mouth.
Joshua darted over to the chair, pulling at the bonds that held the agent down. The cords around her feet were taut, but it was clear that she had been working at the ones attached to her hands, as they were much looser. She moaned again, her tone insistent, and Joshua realized he should have pulled her gag off first.
Almost before he could free her from the cloth, Lobo gulped out one word.
“Bomb.”
Joshua shot his gaze to where she was indicating with her chin. There, sitting atop a dilapidated desk, was a homemade explosive with a timer attached to it.
The numbers on the face of the clock counted down. 6… 5… 4…
* * *
Had ran to catch up with Reggie, who seemed to be competing for the champion speed walker of the universe. Never in his life had he seen someone move as fast as this woman without it turning into a full-on run. It was like some kind of freaky talent or weird quirk of her nature. But what it meant in practical terms was that Had was having to jog to keep up with her.
She put on another burst of speed and Had groaned. Jog? Sprint was more like it.
“Can… can… you… slow down… for just a second?” Had panted.
“Oh, sorry,” she replied, seemingly not a bit winded. Turning on her heel, she came to a stop. “I’m just really worried about Joshua.”
Had put his hands between his knees. “Me… too. But I’m still… a little weak… from the crash.” That might or might not be true, but he wasn’t about to admit that he was getting smoked by someone who wasn’t even bending her legs. There was no way walking could be this fast.
“Are you okay?” she asked, coming nearer. Reaching out a hand, Reggie tested the area around Had’s bump. What she was looking for, Had wasn’t even sure how to guess. Bleeding? Additional swelling? A bit of skull poking out from the wound?
To be honest, he was feeling a little woozy, but that could have just been the fast pace they’d been maintaining. “I’m not going to pass out, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Reggie gave him a slight smirk. “You start wanting to lie down to take a nap, you let me know.”
Turning back to the path ahead of them, Had caught sight of a figure scuttling through the heavily wooded area to their right. Glancing at Reggie, he saw that she had seen the movement as well.
“What was that? Could that have been…?” he whispered.
“I’m not sure.”
“Should we check it out?”
Reggie nodded. “I think so.” She paused. “Why are we whispering?”
Had thought about that for a second. “Because this is one creepy, creepy town.”
Another nod, and Reggie answered. “Yes. Yes it is.”
Moving as one, they strode off toward the ghost-like figure that had disappeared into the trees. As they walked, Had found himself wondering whether or not he really wanted to find what was up ahead.
He was pretty sure the answer was no.
* * *
Sariah alternated between running and walking as fast as she could. The distance was too far for her to keep up the speed she wanted, but it was vital she get to Centralia soon. And by soon, she meant right now.
The information the crime scene investigator had given her buzzed about in her brain like an angry wasp. She wasn’t even positive she knew what it all meant, only that it was significant, that it would affect the outcome of this case, and that it might destroy Joshua in the process.
Up ahead, she saw the faint outline of what she was pretty sure was the municipal building. It wasn’t like there were a whole lot of structures to choose from in this ghost town. At points, it almost seemed like the town of Centralia had never existed.
Hurrying forward, Sariah stepped onto a darker patch of the road which disintegrated underneath her foot. A hole opened up, not a crater this time, but a much smaller crack in the earth. It was just enough to suck in her foot and cause her to sprawl flat to the pavement, her body resembling a starfish. The earth underneath her face was hot to the touch, and the ground smelled of burnt eggs.
As she went to stand, an excruciating pain lanced through her ankle. The sensation was that of a hot poker thrust into the joint, which throbbed in anger, rebelling against the command to move.
Gritting her teeth, Sariah dragged her injured foot back underneath her and attempted to rise. The moment there was pressure on the joint, her leg buckled out from under her. Twice more she attempted the feat, groaning in pain, sobs escaping from her lips like the smoky exhalations from the mines below.
She had to get to the building. Joshua was in trouble and needed her help. But she couldn’t walk.
Pulling herself to her knees, Sariah began crawling forward, the hot dirt and pavement below her scorching her knees. She might not be able to walk, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to get there.
* * *
Reggie rounded a tree, her gun out and pointing at the path she trod. Pushing a branch aside, she peered up to see the figure dart ahead of them once more. She couldn’t tell for sure, but it seemed as if the person was unaware that they were following behind. Which meant th
at there was something of immediate import that was driving this will-o’-the wisp at such a frenetic pace.
It wouldn’t be too difficult for her to catch up, but if she wanted to remain hidden, she couldn’t go much faster than she was going right now. At the current moment, she was pushing the envelope in terms of the noise she was making.
A twig snapped off to her right. Apparently, Had wasn’t doing much better than she was in that department.
As she glanced in his direction, he used her attention to wave his non-gun-carrying hand at her, making a curved motion with his arm. He seemed to be telling her to go out and around to cut their prey off while he continued to pursue as he was doing.
It was a solid enough plan. If she could move far enough out that it would dampen the sounds of pursuit, she wouldn’t have to sacrifice speed for being discovered. She moved off, implementing Had’s plan.
She was just trying to find her way through a particularly dense part of the forest when the figure they’d been chasing stepped out from behind a tree. The shock of seeing the person they’d been trying to follow suddenly in front of her almost kept her from taking in what was before her.
It was Salazar, but a Salazar like none she had seen before. His face was scratched and bloody, and his eyes were crazed. His gun was pointed directly at her head, and his lips were pulled back in a snarl.
“I wondered which one of you would be the one to show up,” he growled, and squeezed the trigger. The retort of the gun and the angry buzz of the bullet passing by her ear seemed simultaneous, and she threw herself to the ground, hoping against hope that Had was somehow right on Salazar’s tail.
It didn’t seem likely.
She scrambled away from the bloody BAU agent, scanning for places that could provide cover. A large tree gave her what she needed, as she darted behind it just as another report sounded.
Panting for breath, Reggie felt her heart sink. She was engaged in a gunfight with a highly trained BAU agent. And she’d never fired a gun at a live person before.
She closed her eyes, straining to hear Salazar’s movements. With no sight for her to rely on, she was forced to rely on her other senses.
His footsteps came closer and closer, and there was still no sign of Had. She couldn’t trust the backwoods cop to come in and save the day. She was one herself, and she knew what it was worth.
There was a madman stalking her in a forest outside an abandoned city that seemed to have been spawned in hell. And Reggie had no escape plan.
She pulled her gun out of its holster and stepped out from behind the tree.
* * *
There was no time to think, just to react.
Joshua dove at the bomb, grabbing all the wires he could find in his grip and ripping them out of the device. The impact he was expecting to feel deep in his gut never came, and he finally opened his eyes and stared at the dismantled explosive in front of him. The timer had gone down to zero, but there had been no explosion.
All odds to the contrary, Joshua had just defused a bomb.
Letting out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding, Joshua turned back to the still captive Agent Lobo. Taking a closer look at her now that the immediate danger was past, he could see that her heavy makeup was streaked, her clothes were dirty and her expression was grim.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice coming out with a rasp.
She grunted. “I’m missing an ear, asshole. What do you think?” Then she grinned, her dimple showing up. Joshua took the emotional punch in the gut that seeing her smile always was, but it was a relief to see that she was okay.
Realizing something, Joshua looked around the office space. “Where’s Salazar?”
“I don’t know, Joshua.”
“Isn’t he here in the building somewhere?”
She shook her head, her face grim. “He left. I have no idea where he went.”
He was about to ask the agent where Bella was, when he heard a whine and a bark from the far side of another door set in the wall facing him. Lobo saw his look and gave a sad kind of half-smile.
“He didn’t hurt her. Not even a little bit.” The agent made no move to show the bloody bandage where her ear had once been, but her words illuminated the injury as if they had been a spotlight pointed on the wound. “Go get her. Untie me when you’re done.”
She pointed with her chin at the door. Joshua grimaced, well aware that he had been far more concerned about Bella than he had about this woman in front of him. For whatever reason, she not only seemed to be aware of that fact, but forgave him for it.
Pushing the door open, Joshua was confronted with seventy-five pounds of canine enthusiasm in the form of a near-tackle and multiple sloppy kisses. Bella danced around his feet, a whining bark sounding in the small space. Joshua tried to shush her.
“Quiet, Bella,” he coaxed, and she seemed to understand.
Joshua led her out into the space where Lobo was waiting to be untied. Bella moved in front of him, going to the agent and placing her muzzle in Lobo’s lap. Her face softening, she murmured to the dog.
“Hey, good girl. I’m sorry Bella. Sorry I couldn’t do any better than this. I’m so sorry.”
Bella whined, a sad, forlorn sound that seemed ripped from the Boxador’s body. Joshua’s dog continued to stay by Lobo’s side, although her tail was down, almost tucked under her legs. No wagging at all. Joshua felt his face go hard. Whatever they had experienced together at Salazar’s hands, it had been horrific.
Joshua knelt to untie Lobo’s bands, and noticed that her hands were bruised and bloody. It looked like they had taken a beating while she was trying to get free on her own.
“We need to hurry,” she urged, squirming against the cords. “Salazar could be back any second. If we want to get the jump on him, we’re going to need to set something up.”
The bonds were off, and Lobo stood from where she had been confined. She turned around and picked up the chair in her arms. And before Joshua could even think to react, the chair was speeding toward his head, swung in a wide, hard arc.
As the hard metal connected with the side of his head, flashes of light appeared before his eyes and pain blossomed, sharp and hard. And alongside the distress he was feeling, the realization.
Salazar wasn’t the killer.
Lobo was.
It was his last conscious thought before the blackness took him.
* * *
Had charged through the woods, trying to make his way to where he had heard the shots fired. As he ran, he tripped over a root in the ground and fell to his knees.
That hurt.
Without even intending it, the word flew out of his mouth. “Son of a biscuit eater, cheese and rise, mother freaker!”
He jumped back up to his feet, sprinting around the nearest tree… and pulled up short. Right in front of him was Salazar, holding a very elaborate looking gun.
A shot rang out and Had flinched, waiting to feel the impact of the bullet. Nothing came. He opened his eyes a tiny bit, glancing down at his body to make sure there were no bloody bullet holes.
And there at his feet was Salazar.
The bloody hole that Had sought on his own body was there on Salazar’s shoulder. He’d pitched forward and must have struck his head on the rock that was jutting out of the ground, as he appeared completely unconscious.
When he looked back up, he was face to face with Reggie.
She was shaking and holding a gun in her hand, staring down at the crumpled form in front of her. Words spilled out of her mouth.
“I’ve never shot anyone before. I don’t know… I can’t… Is he…?”
Had pointed to Salazar’s chest, trying to reassure her. “No, look. He’s still breathing.”
She nodded, tears starting in her eyes. “You’re sure?”
“Pretty sure,” he answered, and went to give her a hug. She clung to him, her body shaking.
“That was… not fun.”
Had nodded, and then pulled back
from the embrace. “We’ve got to get to the municipal building. Let Joshua know that Salazar’s been taken care of.”
That was something, at least. The former agent would be so surprised when he found out that it was all over.
* * *
Joshua came to and then regretted it. His head was a hammer that was poised atop his body, pounding on some huge cast-iron anvil. With each throbbing pound, new pain shot through him. Trying to lift his hand to his head to try to soothe away some of the discomfort, he found he was tied down. To the same chair where Lobo had been.
He felt movement at his side. Bella. She was pressed in against his body, whining deep in her throat. Reaching out with her muzzle, she gave his bound hand a lick.
It felt like an apology.
Lobo spoke from behind him. “Tough isn’t it? She really likes me. And I like her. Didn’t plan on that part.” She moved around into his field of vision, lashing out with a fist to catch him on the side of the face. His head snapped to the side.
Desperate, Joshua felt along the back of the chair with his fingers, discovering the ends of the rope that had been used to tie him up. He pulled those ends into his hands. Maybe he could find a way to undo the knot. Even as he probed at it, he could feel that it had been hastily… and poorly… tied.
“Did you like me cutting off my ear? That was a nice touch, wasn’t it?” Lobo asked, kicking out with a foot to catch Joshua on the other side of his face, where the chair had struck him earlier. The pain in his head pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this,” she crooned, slapping at his cheek with an open palm. The hit was taunting, a mockery. “So long for this very moment. D… D… D…”
As she stuttered, she moved her hands, waving them back and forth, the fingers flicking. It seemed a part of the fight, part of taunting dance in which she was engaged. Until Joshua recognized something.
It was sign language.
The words weren’t fully realized, the indicators truncated. But they were there. He recognized the spread of the fingers. There was even an aborted movement toward her forehead. A sign made by tapping the thumb there twice.
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