“Yes.” He replied, looking into her eyes maybe because it was the only thing visible. Their gazes met and for a second the sounds of the hospital went silent. “You’ll be able to hear us and we’ll be able to hear you.”
“Okay.” Riley said.
He took in a deep breath. His hesitation became obvious. He didn’t know her. However, I know you. Somehow. The words lingered in her mind. He stepped back, keeping his eyes on her. Riley checked her weapons handling each one as if they were an extension of her. When she looked over to Shay, she saw her struggling to get pieces of her hair back into a braid. Riley escaped Jack’s stare and moved in to help Shay.
“I can fix that.”
“Shave it off.” Blake said.
“Good advice,” Shay said. “Have you ever seen an onion with ears, eyes and a nose? That’s how I’d look if I shaved my head.”
Riley let out a soft chuckle. She did a quick reverse braid tucking the unruly strands under before banding it off. “Thanks,” she said, pulling her beanie over her head.
“Be ready to go” Jack said to Sherry.
Riley kissed Megan and Utah one last time.
It was five-thirty in the morning. The sun would be beginning its ascent into the December sky. A rush of cold air outside the studio was breath taking and Riley became immediately grateful for the full facemask covering skin. A slight amount of light filtered through the corridor, promising nothing more than a shade lighter than darkness. When they reached the reception area, the blackness was like night.
The snow had pushed the bookshelf forward, letting a huge mound of snow pile inward. Blake and Riley split away from Jack and Shay moving to towards the east wing. Mimicking Blake’s steps was near impossible, but she stayed close without tripping him up. With the coming of morning, the animals were unusually quiet. Clearing room after room, they saw nothing. Shadows bounced on the windows of the examining rooms making illusions and tricking the eye.
They backtracked and headed toward the maze of corridors passing the room where the dead woman laid. Like a bad rendition of a wax figure in a horror museum, she joined the smell of death permeating the air. The stench of feline urine filtered outward. Riley covered her nose. The sound of the dead woman’s bones breaking still fresh in her mind. Blake stepped up the pace almost to the back of the hospital. He stopped. The sound of metal pressing metal sliced through the quiet. Jack and Shay appeared through the darkness.
“Bermuda’s in her run. I couldn’t find Elmo.” He whispered. “All the animals are loose but the smaller ones.”
“Who’s Elmo?” Riley whispered.
“Rare white Siberian Tiger.” Jack answered.
“Elmo” Riley repeated. “No wonder he’s pissed off.”
“Any sign of them?” Blake asked.
“No.” Jack’s words disappeared into the cold
With a fevered pitch, Ringo’s voice infiltrated their conversation. “Awe! You put one of the kitties away.”
“That pretty much answers my question.” Blake said, hoisting his gun a little closer to him. “Asshole’s like a snake.”
“Don’t you want to know what I want?” Ringo called out, but this time his voice had gotten closer.
Jack took out a piece of gum and casually slid it into his mouth. He took several slow chews of the gum and then said loud enough for all to hear, “I don’t give a fuck what you want.”
“You killed my brother.” There was a long pause and then, “I want you, the women and all your guns. Repayment.”
“Repayment.” Blake mocked Ringo’s voice.
“Asshole has a sense of humor.” Jack chuckled. “Time for some payback.”
“Oh hell. I’d take just you and the blonde.” Ringo’s voice was traveling, one sentence coming from one direction, the next coming from another. “She’s a fine little pussy cat.”
“Gee. Thank you.” Riley responded sarcastically. “Take drugs much?”
“You name it, he takes it.” Shay finally spoke. “If he wants her; he’ll have her in the worst ways possible.”
“I feel better.” Riley said. “This is a bad rendition of Bird on a Wire.”
A burst of gunfire sent them scrambling toward one of the examining rooms. They dodged the spraying bullets as they thudded into cement walls all around them. Down on the floor, Riley was crawling through the double doors into the jungle. A deep darkness fell around her clearing the path with fingers. Bullets popped overhead. Riley moved in between boxes and shelving, trying to keep up with the others. When they stopped, she was pressing against cold steel bars. For a minute, she thought she was in a cage, but instead she was leaning against one. She heard Blake’s voice in the mike.
“What the hell?” he said.
Blake grabbed her sleeve pulling her towards him. The last rounds nearly missing her head. To add to the commotion the emergency lights pulsated on than off. With the generator on, the vents began to push warm air outward, but Ringo wasn’t done playing games. He’d just begun.
FORTY-FOUR
The room glowed with light. Lined up neatly in the center of the room were stainless steel tables and large monitors. Behind, medium sized cages. In front, larger cages, cages that reached just as wide as they did high.
“Holy shit.” Riley cursed, leaning harder into the cage.
She was taking it all in, the lighting, the cages, and medical equipment when a low angry hissing sound came from behind. Riley froze and then pushed forward to her hands and knees away from the sound. The badger, his hair on end, hissed at her. Gleaming blood stained teeth threatened at the same time his eyes caught the light and turned a wicked red.
“Can anything look more wicked?” She whispered.
“Ringo.” Blake chuckled.
With barely time to breath, there was another short burst of gunfire. They scrambled away from the cages looking for shelter from stray bullets and falling debris. Off to the side, large steel containers. Riley and Blake nestled themselves in between one of them and the wall.
“How does he move like that?” She asked.
“No fear. He doesn’t care if he dies.” Blake replied.
“Sorry I asked then.” She peeked around the container.
“We’re just outside the door.” Jack’s voice came across the mikes. Blake nodded.
“Copy.”
Riley heard the occasional scratching of animals, a growl, a hiss, but the one that caught her attention was Bermuda. Having already met, Riley could barely make out the giant cage and her shadow pacing back and forth.
“Let’s talk.” Ringo laughed. “I have coffee.”
“I’d love a cup of coffee.” Riley said.
Blake looked at her. “I’ll ask him if he wouldn’t mind bringing us over a cup or two.” He started to rise and Riley grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back down. She smiled. He returned it with a smile of his own.
They waited for the next round of gunfire, but none came. Ringo was in the mood for talking, but this time there was agitation in his voice. “I’ve got a little surprise for you.” He paused long and then emphasized, “Boom!”
“He’s bluffing, right?” Riley felt a wave of nausea.
“Explosions are your field Jack.” Blake said into his mike. “Go get em.”
“Too late.” Jack said. “Brace yourself.”
“What does he mea……..” With words lost, Blake pulled her to the floor. The cold cement drove numbness through her body. Blake leaned over her pulling his gun close to his body. With lightning speed, he nestled close to her wrapping one arm around her back. They covered their heads with hands just as the entry exploded.
The blast was deafening. The door, wall, and surrounding objects became projectiles, launching into midair with such force they traveled across the hollow room like missiles. Particles blasted through empty spaces blasting above their heads. Chunks of ceiling and building material rained down onto the floor, debris hitting their backs.
Riley lay with her face pr
essed to the floor. A shower of debris and snow dropped overhead. Something popped. She waited for impact keeping her hands wrapped behind her head, covering her ears. Seconds later, the roar softened to a ringing. Blake tapped her on the shoulder. A cloud of fine dust filled the room. Wires and pipe hung broken and ripped apart overhead. Water flowed through the pipes onto the floor. Riley looked over at the big cage. The cougar was gone. A large mass of bars pulled apart in a tangled mess.
“Are you listening?” Ringo yelled out. “That was the precursor to bigger one.”
Riley scrambled to her feet and whispered, “Megan and Utah!”
“Down,” Blake demanded.
He reached out to grab her, but someone else took her to the ground. The impact of his body forced her forward, throwing her face first to the ground. Riley hit the cement hard, the wind taken from her. The mask on her face bit into the fresh stitches creating tiny bolts of pain. The distinct hiss of a bullet grazed by them midair, missing and lodging into the wall. Her friend, the badger, hissed.
Riley covered her head drowning out the sound of the gunfire. Casings fell and then rolled on the floor. Through the chaos, Riley made out a set of black boots and four paws. The dog pressed its nose to her mask and then it disappeared. Her pistol was within reach. Hearing the sound of retreating footsteps, she stayed down for several more seconds. Before crawling behind the crate, Riley tested all limbs. When she sat up Blake was gone. Riley was alone.
Shaky, Riley moved over a pile of snow that had fallen through the broken roof. Brick and twisted metal blocked her from getting to the center of the hospital. Smoke was beginning to fill the air and the glow from a small fire intermixed with the blinking orange backup lights made for eeriness. Then through the flickering glow, she saw an opening.
Nearly panicked, she climbed with clumsy steps over debris. On the other side, Blake was helping Shay to her feet.
“You okay?” Riley asked them.
They looked at her on the mound and nodded. Without forethought, she started to move on. Blake reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her.
“Let Jack do this. He’s trained for it. We stay together.” Blake’s voice was firm. “Ringo brought more men.”
“Megan, Utah.” Riley whispered.
“Jack knows what he’s doing.” Blake said, giving her arm a little reassuring squeeze. “You’re no good to anyone if you’re dead.”
“Where’s the man, the dog?” She asked, looking around.
“He went to help Jack.” Blake said. “We go to the trucks.”
“How are we going to do that?” She asked. “If he has more men, the exits are covered.”
“Jack’s brother, Ryan is here. He brought help.” Blake looked at her. “Let’s go get the others.”
“Okay.”
Ready?” He asked them both.
“Ready.” Shay and Riley whispered at the same time. It was do or die time.
They slid through the door in a line, slipping into the dim orange glow of yet another corridor. The lights above flickered and then fizzled out into distinct darkness once more.
Every kid who’s played Hide and Seek in the dark understands the feeling of fear, of things lurking in the dark. They were playing it now with Ringo, but his version was twisted and deadly. He was here somewhere. Riley felt him everywhere. Waiting. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Shay and Blake stepped up their pace slipping through the maze blind. Bringing up the rear, Riley searched for a hint of light.
Hide, Riley kept to the dark. Seek, Ringo pulled her into a black hole. In the darkness, he yanked her to him, pinning her pistol against her chest. The tip of the barrel pointed upward under her chin. He clamped one hand across her mouth, pulling the stitches on her cheek ripping away the facemask. Riley couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. He held her close to him. She could feel every indent on his body. He was taking no chances and restraining her tight. Riley closed her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing. I’ve been here before and I survived. Then his fingers parted allowing her a breath. With his mouth, he took her earpiece and spit it out. Repulsed by his touch, she shuddered but sucked in a stream of air into her lungs. He wants me alive.
Silently, he pulled her farther away from the corridor slipping through doors and hallways taking her with him. His fingers pressed down on her lips. Riley struggled to find air.
“You see, it is my lucky day.” He whispered into her ear. His words were hot, his mouth pressed to her facemask. Stopping only occasionally to allow her to breath, he pulled her deeper into the darkness. Every movement was deliberate and precise then he turned dragging her backwards. “What’s behind door number two? The little girl is behind door number two. Boom! Do you understand?” He whispered.
Riley nodded, tears forming in her eyes.
If she fell unconscious, she would never know where it was he was taking her. A fog was beginning to form in her head and it was getting harder to stay awake. In the end, he’d set off the explosives. Riley needed to buy some time for Jack and the others. Don’t let him take you. Utah’s voice sounded in her head.
“Good.” He said. “Awe, I think we’re going to get along just fine.”
Terror surged through her. The kind she’d never felt before. Riley wanted to throw up, but his hand made that impossible. She had her fingers wrapped around his, pulling and prying desperately taking pieces of flesh with fingernails. The barrel of her gun pressed hard under her chin and she struggled to keep pressure off the trigger. The fog and the darkness started to take her. She feared her muscles would accidently pull the trigger. As much as she tried to pull, her body away from his, he only held her tighter. If he took her from the building, she’d be lost forever. Riley’s knees buckled as dark and light flashed in her head like tiny strobes. Under Ringo’s hold, her trigger finger was beginning to slip. Then suddenly her world went black.
FORTY-FIVE
Dawn hadn’t quite broken, but the wind had stopped hours ago. Prescott to Flagstaff had received unprecedented record amounts of snowfall. Dan called in his uncle Randal, who was now cutting a path through the white powder with an ancient snowplow he called “Snow White”. With the plow in front of them, Dan and Ryan reached the hospital in little over an hour.
“There’s Blake’s truck.” Dan pointed, but all Ryan could see were mounds of white.
“And a few others.” Ryan said.
“There’s tracks everywhere.”
Dan’s uncle came across the handheld. “Hey boys, you got a pack of bad guys taking your path fast through the snow. Watch your backs.”
“Park in there.” Ryan pointed over at a building, which had three large bay doors. He glanced up toward the security camera that usually monitored the front, the driveway, and gate. For the most part the building was empty, save a few large cages and supplies, a tractor, and a smaller pickup.
Dan slipped out of the driver’s seat before Ryan could argue and lifted the bay door. Ryan slid over to the driver’s seat and backed the hummer up through the opening. When the door lowered, darkness encased them.
“You should’ve had one of those on at the ranch.” Dan said meaning the bulletproof vest Ryan was slowly pulling on. “You wouldn’t be limping around now.” Dan teased, tightening the Velcro on his vest.
“I was ripped from my sleep.” Ryan said. “You sleep with yours on?”
“No, but I’m bulletproof without it.” Dan said.
The sound of a diesel engine made them pause. “Bad guys?”
“Yep. Let’s give them a minute.” Dan said, setting the mike set over his head. He handed another fully charged one to Ryan.
“Big brother, what’s your position.” A voice crackled in between making it impossible to gather any words. “Big brother, I got little pup in tow. Do you copy?”
“Pup?” Ryan said. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means we all watch over you.”
The two men followed the eaves toward Blake’s truck. The open
spaces in between the buildings and vehicles were a dark blue grey, showering a luminescent glow of dark and light. The temperature hung in the mid-twenties, freezing their breath. Leaving the security of the building, a burst of gunfire forced them into a run. The snow obscured everything. Ryan trudged through; he lost his footing on something unseen. Dan came up from behind him and grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet. Together, they pushed forward finding shelter behind a snow-covered vehicle.
“Gunner getting positioned on the roof.” Dan said.
“Got him.” Ryan said spotting the shooter. Ryan’s finger squeezed down on the trigger, his bullet making contact with the man. There was an explosion of blood and flesh that sprayed like an instant puff from the man’s chest. Then he was falling backward.
“Good shot.” Dan said ducking down as a short burst of gunfire broke out. “Asshole never even got set up.”
The vehicle shielding them took on a showering of bullets. Windows exploded, sending tiny pieces of glass into the air. Ryan hugged the front tire, facing outward. He sent a warning to the replacement shooter hiding behind a large air conditioning unit. Tucked in tight, the man gave Ryan and Dan a chance to run to the next car. They stopped at Blake’s truck. The shooter fired sending glass exploding into the air and snow.
“Shit!” Dan ducked neat the door of the truck.
Ryan and Dan were twenty feet from the back door of the hospital. There was a thunk and then a hiss as a bullet made contact with the front tire. Several bullets connected with the fenders, sinking into the metal. Within seconds, all four tires were flat.
Ryan crouched down low popping off a few shots of his own. “Blake’s going to be pissed.” The man on the roof was holding his ground making it hard for Ryan to get a good shot.
“Can you get the one behind us?” Ryan asked.
“Move to your left. On three.”
All Ryan needed was one chance and he’d pluck the man to the ground. The front windshield shattered. The second shot sent the windshield into a cloud of fragments. Ryan covered his head.
The Fighter Series (Book 1): Not Alone (The Beginning) Page 19