A putrid smell hit him again with a fierce punch of decomposing bodies. He coughed and gagged a bit. He flipped on the light. God damn Hollenbeck for keeping Ziggy in the dark, and damn him for keeping him in here with the dead. Cade listened, but didn’t hear anything. Could be good or bad. He took the stairs quickly, wanting this business over fast. He braced himself for what he’d encounter. He looked through each cell peephole as he passed. Ziggy wasn’t in the first two on either side. Shock held him still a minute. Other men were in the cells. One slept on his side on the cold floor. Another sat against the far wall, arms over his head.
Anger sideswiped Cade. He almost opened the cages—for that’s what they were—but he didn’t know why they were in here. If they were stark raving mad he’d have too much on his hands. He came to the next one on the left and looked through the peephole.
An eye looked back at him. He jerked back, throat locked up on a half gasp. “Ziggy?”
“That you Captain Hale?”
The man sounded sane, but what did Cade know anymore about sanity? He wasn’t sure anyone here could tell the difference any longer. “It’s me.”
“Jeezus, Captain, thank God you’re here. Get me out of here.” Ziggy’s eye stayed at the peephole.
“Depends on if you’re planning on keeping discipline. I heard Hollenbeck locked you up in here for going mad. Are you?”
Ziggy’s eye disappeared from the small peephole. “I’m angry, but I ain’t mad. Come on, sir. I’m sane as you are.”
Not much consolation. “I’ve got food. And I’ve come to take you out of here. I’ll have to lock you up in your room upstairs, though.”
“I understand. Just get me out of this hell hole.” His voice broke. “The smell ... and what I’ve seen down here. It’s so dark.”
“All right. Stand with your back against the other wall.”
Thankful for the rifle close at hand, Cade opened the door and kept at the ready. He wouldn’t underestimate surprise as an added advantage for Ziggy. The door swung open. Cade barely stepped inside.
Ziggy took a step away from the wall. He was dirtier than sin, rumbled and wide eyed. “Captain. Thanks be to Jesus and Mary.”
Cade held one hand up. “Stay back.” He tossed the water and bag of food to Ziggy. “Eat up. We’re moving upstairs in a minute. We want to avoid Hollenbeck.”
“That’s for damn sure.” Ziggy stayed put and opened the water. He took a huge gulp and some dripped down his chin. He wiped it away and smiled. “You’re a life saver, sir. Why are you letting me out?”
“Because I don’t think you’re quite as crazy as you or anyone else thinks you are.”
Ziggy’s eyes brightened as he laughed. “Thanks. Between you and me, sir, I think Hollenbeck is the madman around here. You should have heard the bullshit he was putting out.”
“About what?”
“Before he had two other guys hogtie me and carry me down here, he was goin’ on about saving everybody with the word of God or something. The nurses were looking at him a little strangely. I guess the doctor isn’t much for church or anything, normally. Anyway ...” Ziggy paused to unwrap the bread and chew a piece. He talked around his food. “He said the devil was in me.”
“That doesn’t fit with what I’ve heard about him. Others have said he doesn’t believe in supernatural.”
“Then you’ve been listening to the wrong people, sir. He may be good at hiding his crazy, but he’s definitely off in the head.”
Cade ran through the possibilities. “Either that, or you’re the one lying.”
Ziggy looked offended. “No, sir. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Crumbs fell out of his mouth. “I have problems. I know I do. And I shouldn’t have left you and Nurse Dorrenti at the cabin. I shouldn’t have shot Colleto. I know that, sir.” His eyes turned a little wilder, almost out of focus. “But it’s this damned place sir. It does things to me I can’t control. You know that. You saw what happened to me before.” He chewed slower, as if his appetite had slowed. “Do you think I brought the enza here Captain? Do you think I have the devil in me?”
Admitting to confusion wouldn’t help a damned thing. Cade made up his mind. “No. But whoever put these men down here is. How many more are in here with you?”
Ziggy’s eyes widened and he took a step forward. “Captain, look out!”
Cade turned in time to see a pistol in Hollenbeck’s hand. Hollenbeck’s eyes told Cade all he needed to know. If anyone had the devil in them, it was the doctor.
“Well, Captain Hale, I see you’ve decided to mutiny. Every cell in here has a man in it. Live ones, that is.” He jerked his head to the side. “The dead ones are in the bigger room back there. Which one would you rather be? A dead one or a live one?”
Cade could lift his rifle, but he probably couldn’t get a shot off quickly enough.
Hollenbeck smiled, the curvature on his lips as cold as the grimace on a cadaver. “Never mind. I think I’ve made the decision for you.”
Hollenbeck pulled the trigger.
Chapter 19
Annabelle waited. As she stood at the cabin door, she wrestled with indecision. Her instincts had never betrayed her, and her feelings told her something had gone horribly wrong. Cade wouldn’t have left her for this long. She knew that with everything primitive inside her. Around noon she’d paced the floor, too wound up to eat. She’d forced herself to eat and drink, then set to pacing again. She felt strong. Very strong. She could have left with him.
Now she looked outside at the forest with all its perils. Late afternoon came and went. Soon it would be dark. He’d left her with a weapon, but she didn’t feel safe enough with it. Here, the woods didn’t whisper, didn’t talk in sibilant tones the way the trees around the asylum did. Yet wild things lived out here. If she headed out with darkness coming soon, she may put herself in peril. Part of her went soft, wanting his protection and his arms around her. The other remembered what she’d gone through in France and here at the asylum. She didn’t need Cade. Whatever came she could take care of herself. She knew that as a fact. It didn’t make her worry disappear, nor her need for him any less.
“Cade, I never should have let you go alone. Never.”
While she couldn’t pinpoint any reason Cade would need her help—he was strong, brave and competent—she knew he needed her.
She’d gathered her few belongings and stowed them in the backpack. She grabbed the weapon and tucked it into her coat pocket. Thanks to Hemmings for leaving them with extra protection. She closed the cabin door and hurried into the forest. Cade had also left her the compass. She used it to make sure she headed in the right direction, though she’d always been good with knowing where she was at and how to find her way back from anywhere. She walked as quickly as she could. By the time a quarter mile had gone by, her breath came fast. She slowed her pace and took a small break for water. Night encroached and she chastised herself for not leaving earlier. Her breath steadied and strength returned to her limbs. Though she didn’t want a relapse, she wouldn’t wait one minute longer to reach Cade. She hurried, keeping the pace high, listening to her breath and her heart pounding. At the same time, she felt strong. Stronger than perhaps before she’d become ill. She hoped her fortitude would last.
Annabelle shivered as the sun dipped below surrounding trees and mountains. She pressed onward, eager to make certain she reached the asylum before darkness fully engulfed her. She didn’t make it. The sun extinguished after she’d walked three quarter miles. Her breath puffed out in a cold stream as the temperature dropped sharply. Wind rattled the treetops, an eerie sound like the voices of the dead. She stopped, surrounded by the forest. Damn it. Damn it all. Only a mile to go at most. The horizon was light enough to give some direction and she decided. Run.
She crashed through the trees, running through a stand of pines that reached for her with skinny branches and scratchy needles. She zigged and zagged. Her breath came shorter, her lungs started to spasm. She coughed, stopping
to double over. She gagged, wretched and coughed some more. Finally it stopped. She’d pushed too hard, but what choice did she have? A body paid for overtaxing it.
Just a little more. Annabelle continued. The closer she got to the asylum, the shaker her legs became. Never mind. Time to move faster. As the asylum came into view in the dim light, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t be in the woods alone tonight. She stopped at the top of the cemetery as an overwhelming feeling slammed her from nowhere. Chills rippled over her arms and up her back. Trees swayed in a gruesome concert. She put her hand up and felt no wind. Perhaps it was wind high in the trees. She didn’t know and didn’t have time to care if the forest had come alive again. She hurried forward, dodging pines and aspens, gravestones and rocks. By the time she reached the back of the asylum, she noticed one thing that shouldn’t be. Not one light burned in the asylum. “Oh, God.”
She reached in her coat pocket and drew out the pistol. She might need this. God, she hoped she didn’t. If she walked in with a gun visible she’d scare everyone. Still, it made sense to play it safe and keep the gun at hand. Around the side of the building, she looked up and saw a shadow at a window on the third floor. White. Stark. A face screaming for help. Startled, she kicked her walk into a trot. To get away from the face in the window, or to rescue someone who needed help? She didn’t know. When she reached the front doors, they hung open.
Caution made her creep forward. She’d never felt this apprehensive before, short of entering the basement and finding the dark shadow. Just the thought of that darkness sent renewed chills along her body. She would find Cade. That’s all the mattered. Gun held at the ready, she trotted up the stairs and rushed into the rotunda. She almost called out. The sound of screaming stopped her.
From all around her, the voices colluded—men crying in pain and women’s voices whispering. A miasma surrounded her, thick and sickening. It smelled like something ... something she didn’t wish to acknowledge, but she had no choice. Death had come here. Tears filled her eyes. She stepped forward into the semi-darkness, hoping the sun would hold out a little longer. Just a little longer.
As I walk through the valley of death ... I will fear no evil ...
Her hand trembled, and she knew if she shot the weapon now the bullet wouldn’t hit the target. Voices continued to lament, and as she turned in a circle, the evil surrounded her. Was her mind playing tricks? Did she see shadows coming from every direction, daring her to take a shot and waste bullets? She drew in one deep breath and then another. She had to get control. She must find Cade no matter what. Where did she look first?
The screaming stopped. Panting, her heart pounding, she tried to get control. Immobilized for too long, she decided to make a move. She edged into the administration area. It was darker than anywhere.
“Nurse Summit?” She kept her voice low. “Anyone?”
Nothing. Her hand trembled again, and she took another breath. “Hello?”
Silence. Where had all the voices gone? By all that was saintly, what had happened here? Fear threatened to overtake her, but she refused to give it traction. She couldn’t fail Cade. Whatever evil manifested in this place, she must not show it fear. She must not give it the power to overtake her.
She left the administration offices and headed down the ward. Her boots made little noise. Shadows seemed to stare in at her from the windows. She turned her gaze to the hallway. By the time she reached the games room, she wasn’t calm but she wasn’t gripped by the same crippling fear anymore. The game room door stood open, and the windows gave her just enough light to see shapes. Pool table. Desk. Chairs. Bookshelves.
One shape moved and she gasped. She kept her gun positioned in front of her. “Who’s there?”
The shape didn’t answer, and she realized it had no specific form. It didn’t belong to a human. Before it could get closer, the shape disappeared. She didn’t know whether to be scared out of her mind or grateful. She closed the door hard and the slam sent echoes down the hall. No more eerie voices or shapes assaulted her. She had to find someone who could help. Where on earth had everyone gone? She walked faster down the hall. She opened the kitchen area and discovered the cook sitting at a bench in the semi-darkness illuminated by one oil lamp. Her eyes stared vacantly at the table in front of her. She didn’t blink.
For a second Annabelle believed the woman dead, but the cook looked up at her with a caricature of a smile. Threw her head back and cackled. The cook laughed. And laughed. And laughed.
Backing out of the room, Annabelle went on to the next place she might find people: the patient’s rooms. She barely made out their shapes in their beds. They lay very still, or they moaned and tossed about. They mumbled. They muttered until the sound rose around her as the screams had moments before. God, oh, God. What was happening? She searched onward, relentless. She reached Cade’s room and opened the door. Empty. Disappointment and fear rose so high she almost choked on it. No. That was what it wanted. Whatever it was. Giving into terror would only supply it strength.
“Annabelle?”
She almost jumped out of her skin as she swung around and pointed the gun.
* * *
Cade groaned as pain throbbed on the left side of his head and radiated across his skull with an annoying pounding. What the holy hell happened? For a minute he couldn’t remember. His brain refused to clear around the relentless pounding in his skull. He moaned.
“It’s all right Captain. Damn, I can’t believe he shot you.”
Rough hands worked at lacing something around and around his head. It hurt worse. What the—?
He reached for the hands tending to him. “Don’t! Leave it!”
“Hey, there Captain Hale.” The hands brushed away his attempt. “Just take it easy now. Don’t want you to move while I fix you up.”
Ziggy. The voice belonged to a sane Ziggy. How much longer would that last?
“Ziggy.” Cade’s voice sounded low and weak to his own ears.
“That’s me, sir. How are you feeling? No point in opening your eyes. Hollenbeck turned off the lights again. Said it keeps the demons down.”
Cade opened his eyes anyway and groaned. “Shit.”
“That about covers it.”
“There isn’t enough shit on the planet to cover this mess.” Cade sat up slowly, growling as his head protested. His entire body hated the hard cell floor. “I am in the cell with you, aren’t I?”
“Yep. You sure are.”
“Hollenbeck shot me in the head?” Cade’s words came out thick, but his mind had started to clear.
“He tried his best. Best I can tell you’ve got a gash alongside the left side of your head. Never saw anything like it. He had you to rights and he misses.”
Cade groaned and touched Ziggy’s makeshift bandage. Cade felt blood on his fingers and neck. “Maybe he’s a bad shot.”
“Captain, there’s more. He said he’s going to hurt your woman.”
Cade reached out, but in the complete and utter darkness he couldn’t see a damned thing. “Hurt my woman?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s what he said after he walked out. Took your rifle too. Said it would be too dangerous to allow a man like you a weapon. He means to kill us one day at a time.”
Cade could believe it. Panic tried to worm itself into him. Annabelle would come looking for him by tomorrow at the latest, regardless of what he’d told her to do. He couldn’t bear to think of her anywhere around this place, in danger just from stepping inside. If he was stuck in this damn place, he couldn’t protect her. He couldn’t afford to indulge in bad thoughts and keep Annabelle safe at the same time. He’d have to think his way out of this mess. That also meant keeping Ziggy under control.
“Listen, Ziggy. I don’t know what awful things happen in your mind sometimes, but I can imagine pretty easily. We can’t escape this situation if you turn into a raving dog.”
Ziggy laughed softly, and the sound made him realize that Ziggy had eased a considerable d
istance away. “I’ve been livin’ down her for days, Captain. If I ain’t insane now, I won’t be. I’ve been listening to the poor buggers in the cells next to me babble like brooks and call out to the heavens to take them away. They’re suffering from something. If it ain’t their own insanity, it’s something else.”
Cade wished to hell he had his rifle in case Ziggy decided to stop being so nice. “Are you suffering something else?”
“Sometimes, sir. But I don’t know where it comes from. I wonder if it’s this place, you know?”
“Did you tell everyone that we were all being punished for killing people in the war?”
“I did. Lost control. I was more wondering out loud, to tell the truth. But I was so mad when I saw what was happening here. People dying of enza.”
“So they were dying before you got here.”
“Yes and that’s no lie. I didn’t give them any disease.”
Cade didn’t know if that was true. He braced for the next question he had to ask. “They said you killed Dr. Prever.”
Cade made a disgusted sound. “No way I did that, sir. I would never have hurt him. He always treated me with respect, you know? He was a good man. Look, sir, I realize I have problems with my temper and other things. But I’m not a murderer. Leastwise I’m not anymore. Maybe when I was on the battlefield.”
“That was war, Ziggy.”
The man went silent.
Cade finally broke the quiet. “What about the other men in the cells? How long have they been there?”
Shadows Rise Page 24