[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
and then. When it reached its destination, Toby removed
the gun from his holster.
"Open the doors," he ordered softly.
Evan obeyed, staying out of the way. They walked
into an open floor plan with wide windows, most of
them broken. There was a bed to one side, a trunk, and a
few personal items, but other than that, there was no
sign of Huxley.
"The place's clear," Toby said. "He's not here. It
would've been too easy."
Perfect Knowledge - 238
Evan hardly heard him, too busy gaping at the walls.
They were covered with photos of both Edwina and
Melvin. Edwina's seemed to have been taken over a long
period of time, her different haircuts giving testament to
that. She had been caught with friends, jogging,
shopping, laughing, crying& There was little of her life
this creep hadn't been able to capture.
But the photos of Melvin were even more disturbing.
Many of them had a red bull's-eye, others were torn in
two or had been shot at, and a few more had the word
"die" written on them.
"Talk about insane," Evan said, using his phone to
take a few photos of the walls and the few items in the
room for their report.
"Yeah," Toby agreed, grimacing. "Come on, let's go
back to the agency. I'm going to call Jackson on the
way. I think it's time for us to join forces."
They got back into the elevator, once again lowering
the steel door and closing the wooden frame. Evan
pressed the button for the first floor, feeling the cage
begin to go down, when abruptly the light wavered and
went out, leaving them in the dark. The cabin gave a
sharp jolt and then stopped.
"Oh, man," Toby said exasperatedly. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Evan replied. "Any suggestions?"
"Try pressing the floor button again," Toby said.
Evan complied, whooping when the light came back
and the elevator continued its descent. "All right!" he
gloated, giving Toby a high-five.
The elevator had just passed the third floor when it
happened again. They waited a few seconds, but this
time the light didn't kick back on.
"What is it with this damned contraption?" Toby
snapped, hitting the floor button repeatedly, this time
with little success.
Perfect Knowledge - 239
Something caught Evan's attention. "Toby, wait. I
think I hear something." They fell silent, and Evan heard
what sounded like crackling and electric wires short-
circuiting. "That can't be good."
"No, it can't," Toby agreed wholeheartedly.
Toby pushed the wooden door open, and they tried to
see through the small window in the outer steel door. All
Evan could see was the inside of the elevator shaft. He
decided to raise the steel door. The base of the elevator
was a few inches below the third floor ceiling, with only
a small opening allowing any light inside, and Evan felt
his panic rising. While he wasn't claustrophobic, the idea
of being stuck in there for who knew how long&
Crouching on the floor, he realized neither of them
would ever fit through the opening. There was barely
enough room for his arm, let alone his whole body.
"We're stuck here," Toby said, echoing Evan's
thoughts.
"Lovely," Evan muttered, slumping against the wall.
The sudden sound of running steps on the floor above
him made him tense. "You'll never catch me," a voice
shouted. "You hear me? Never. You're going to die just
like he did."
Toby and Evan looked at each other, before staring
through the opening. Huxley was running down the
stairs, risking life and limb, a manic smile on his face.
"Hey, you son of a bitch," Toby shouted, banging on
steel floor. "You can't leave us here. Come back!"
But there was no one left to hear him; the corridor
was deserted and eerily silent now. They were trapped
alone in the building.
"He's gone," Evan said, trying to ignore the unease he
was feeling.
Perfect Knowledge - 240
"I can't believe the little shit didn't have an accident
on those termite-infested stairs," Toby muttered
disgustedly.
Evan sighed. "We better call Chase and Kay, have
them get us out of here."
Toby groaned. "He's so going to kill me. Not only did
I let Huxley escape, but I also got you trapped in an
elevator."
Evan chuckled. "Hey, at least we're not in any
danger."
Toby snorted. "Like that's going to matter." He
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]