Endurance - Jack Kilborn [73]
Maria glanced at her cattle prod, knowing it would be ineffective.
I can’t fight him. I have to run.
Millard lifted up his arm, and a hundred and twenty pounds of dog hung from his padded wrist, refusing to let go. The giant punched the Shepherd in the ribs, once, and again. But JD hung on like a champion.
Maria ran at them, holding the cattle prod in front of her like a fencing sword. She thrust it up high, connecting with Millard’s faceplate.
Sparks flew. Millard yanked the prod from her but stumbled to the side, allowing an open path to the doorway.
“JD! Come!”
On command JD released the giant’s arm. He shot through the door just as she was slamming it on Millard. Incredibly, the key was on a key ring and still in the lock—Millard must not have had any pockets in the Ronald suit. Maria turned the key, locking him in, and then backed away from the door.
It shook, but didn’t open. Millard was trapped.
“Nice job, JD. JD?”
Maria looked around. The dog had taken off.
“JD!” she called. “Come!”
Frantic thoughts invaded her mind.
Did I leave him in there with Millard?
No. He got out. I know he got out.
So where is he?
“JD!”
Maria had never seen the hallways down here; they always put a hood on her when she was out of her cell. The corridor walls were stone and concrete, crumbling with age. The floors were dirt. Light came from bare bulbs, hanging from the ceiling by extension cords. The hallway itself was actually more like a tunnel, curving left and right with no logical direction.
“JD!” Maria yelled again. She knew she was due for a complete mental breakdown. A physical one as well—having that freak blood in her always made her woozy afterward. But she had to stay strong, had to keep going. Had to capitalize on the opportunity.
“JD!” she implored, begging the universe for the dog to respond.
“Who’s calling for my dog?”
It was a woman’s voice, coming from farther down the hall. Maria moved slowly, listening for noises and constantly checking behind her. When she rounded a bend, she saw JD, scratching away at a cell door.
“JD! Good boy!” She patted him on the head.
“Who’s there?”
“I’m Maria,” she told the woman in the cell. “Is JD your dog?”
“Yeah. Who are you?”
“I’m a prisoner here. Like you. Hold on, let me find the right key.”
Maria fussed with Millard’s key ring, finding the one for the cell on the third try. Upon opening the door, the dog rushed in, licking at the woman’s legs.
She was tall, muscular. A bit dirty, but not a long-time guest.
“I owe your dog several steaks. He saved my—”
“Are those keys?”
Maria nodded. The woman pulled them from Maria’s hands and rushed past.
“Hold on,” Maria said, hurrying after her. “We need to talk.”
“I need to find my daughter. She’s locked up in one of these rooms.”
“We’ll find her,” Maria said. “But you need to know what we’re dealing with here.”
“I know what we’re dealing with. Some real sicko freaks. Kelly! Can you hear me?”
“Mom!”
Kelly’s mother rushed to the next cell door, fussing with the lock.
“Which key is it? Which goddamn key?”
Maria put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Lady, you need to calm down a bit.”
“Calm down? Do you know what these people have done to us?”
Maria rested her hand on the keys. “Look at me. I’ve been here a year. I know what these people can do. And if you don’t listen to me, we aren’t going to get out of here alive.”
The woman looked like she was about ready to throw a punch, and Maria wondered if she just should get the hell out of there, leave them behind.
But the punch didn’t come. Instead, the woman managed to calm herself down. “I’m Letti. Thank you for opening my door. Can you help me with this one?”
Maria nodded, finding the right key. When she unlocked it, there was an intense mother/daughter/dog