Don't Read After Dark: Keep the lights on while reading these! (A McCray Horror Collection) (15 page)

“Shove him this way!” Back yelled.

Door did as instructed, and Back put his arm out of the bars and encircled it around Igor’s neck. “Sorry, dude.” Using his other hand, Back applied pressure until he was rewarded with a loud crack. Suddenly, Igor went limp. Back let go and the dead man slumped to the floor.

“Holy shit!” Door announced. “We did it!”

“Yeah!” Back shouted, pumping his arm up and down. “Take that, fuck-for-brains!” But it was down to business again. “Door, can you reach the C-4?”

“Sure, but we don’t have anything to ignite it.”

Back snorted. “Like I’d really give ass-wipe all my matches.”

“You mean you still have some?” Door asked.

Back pulled out a handful of matches from his pocket.

“Oh, I am so on it,” Door said, gouging C-4 out of the blocks.

A sound came from the doorway. Darion stood in the arch leading to the hallway out of there, a flaming arrow cocked in his bow.

“Like I’d ever leave your destruction to chance,” Darion said, waggling his finger.

The fucker let the flaming arrow fly. Back dove for the rear of his cell as the arrow flew true and stuck Igor in the chest.

The resulting
boom
threatened to deafen him if it didn’t kill him first.

* * *

Evie watched as Darion coughed, running up to join them. She and the rest were around the base of a staircase. It sounded like the dungeon was collapsing on itself behind him. So he hadn’t let Back and Door out, after all. Maybe she should trust him just a bit more.

Darion turned to Andrew. “What do you think?”

The teen shook his head. “There’s no way it was this close.”

Before Evie could ask what the two men were talking about, Darion pointed up. “Okay, let’s head out.”

Evie tried to position herself behind Papa, given their last interaction—however, the portly man waved his arm in front of him.

“Ladies first.”

Evie tried to maneuver behind him, but Darion yelled from a few steps up, “Come on! Hurry!”

“There’s no chance that the ‘Zard didn’t hear that!” Andrew announced.

Evie took Darion’s hand and headed up, but not without keeping a close eye on Papa behind her.

They reached the top of the stairs. Darion indicated to Papa. “You first.”

“But—”

“
Now
,” Darion insisted.

The older man edged past Evie and, for the first time since her capture, Papa’s back was to her. She was not going to waste this opportunity. Who knew how long Darion would stay alive?

She reared back and brought her metal fragment down, stabbing Papa in the back.

“Whoa!” Andrew shouted. “Scorned woman alert!”

“No!” Darion yelled, but Evie stabbed Papa again. She was never going to be captured by him again.

“I promised him safe passage!” Darion said.

“I didn’t!” Evie explained, but he grabbed her wrist, preventing her from stabbing him again. “Let me go!”

Darion didn’t, though. Instead, he gripped her arm tightly. “I only kept him alive to
help
us.”

“Oh,” she said as Papa crumpled to the ground. Andrew made a quasi-run at Papa, but the older man was still strong enough to take a swipe at the teen. Andrew jumped back.

Darion turned her chin to him. “There’re booby traps ahead. We needed Papa to take the first round…a sacrificial lamb.”

“Sorry,” Evie said with flinch. Again, if she’d trusted Darion just a bit more, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“Now someone else will have to take point.”

They both looked to Andrew, who was dancing around Papa, occasionally trying to stab him with his pocket knife. However, Papa was still able to defend himself.

“Yeah, okay,” Andrew said, flying back. I think I’m going to let you lose a little more blood there, Papa.” The teen must have felt their eyes upon him, as he turned to Darion and Evie. “What?”

* * *

Jake parked outside the ice factory again. He got out of the car and headed for the front door of the building. “This was our last, best clue,” he mumbled to the night air. “And I just drove away…Not very detail-oriented, nor annoyingly thorough.”

Something caught his attention. The window next to the door was cracked. “That wasn’t damaged before…” Jake studied the damage. It was pretty significant. “It could be vandalism…or evidence of foul play.”

Jake got his phone out. His finger hovered over Brad’s speed dial. “Okay, what exactly am I going to say? Phantom damsel in distress?”

He shut his phone again. “Screw it.”

This was a solo mission. Jake got out his lockpicking equipment.

“Hello?” he said, knocking on the door. “Breaking and entering…”

* * *

Andrew tried to fight off Darion, but the guy was strong. Like Superman strong. Every second was another second he was closer to the doorway. “I’m too skinny,” Andrew insisted. “I won’t block anything!” he grabbed Darion’s strong biceps. “You’re bigger! You can take four or five hits before folding.”

It did no good, as Darion gave Andrew a hard shove forward.

“Come on, Darion, take one for the team.”

Darion however, held out the bayonet blade. “The next incentive will be a sharp pain to the kidney.”

Andrew gulped. Darion was serious. He was always serious when it came to the killing business. The only reason Andrew was still alive was because he was still of some use to Darion.

Taking a step forward, Andrew peered down the dark hallway. Was this really the way out? It looked pretty damned eerie. The ‘Zard was a freaking genius. There had to be some kind of booby trap here.

Tentatively, Andrew put a hand out. Nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief. Next he put a foot out, then jerked it back. Hah! Nothing. Maybe the passage was safe.

“Come on, guys,” Andrew said. “It looks clear.”

But Darion held up his bayonet blade, and even Evie had her metal fragment at the ready.

This time, Andrew put his foot down onto the wooden plank. He could feel something give underfoot. He threw himself backwards as darts flew. Luckily, he had felt the pressure sensor give—otherwise, he’d have several darts dripping with green poison in him.

Andrew turned to face Darion and Evie.

“Go ahead,” he said, pointing to his side. “My kidney is right there.” When neither responded, Andrew continued. “Stab it, beat it, take it. It can’t be worse than that!”

Darion and Evie looked to one another. Before they could get any ideas, Andrew piped up. “I think I have a solution!”

He guided them back down the stairs to the decimated dungeon. The place was a mess, but it had to have what he needed.

“I think I can find a way that Papa still helps us,” Andrew said as he dug through the rubble. To the side, Door lay with a piece of rebar sticking out of his chest. Poor guy. They’d gotten along pretty well. Guess he shouldn’t have threatened Evie, though. Good lesson.

Andrew waved the dust clogging the air. “This is asbestos, I just know it!”

Neither Darion nor Evie seemed very sympathetic, though, as they picked through the rubble.

“This is one call to OSHA away from being condemned!”

Finally, he found what he needed. “Help me,” Andrew said.

Darion lent his strength and they pulled some debris off the food cart. The action nearly brought the ceiling down. There wasn’t much holding it up.

Andrew pulled his prize to the door.

* * *

Evie cocked her head. “The food cart?” She really didn’t see how the food cart was going to help.

Andrew, though, was psyched as he helped Darion lift Papa to his feet.

“What are you doing?” Papa asked, slurring his words. She might have felt sorry for him if, you know, he hadn’t tried to starve her to death.

“I’m saving
my ass
,” Andrew said. “That’s what I’m doing!”

Darion stepped back from their jerry-rigged apparatus to keep Papa upright while still able to roll the cart.

“I’m telling you,” Andrew insisted. “It’s going to work! Just watch!”

Darion looked about as convinced as Evie. “Stay behind us.”

Andrew fell into line.

“No, Andrew,” Darion explained. “I was talking to Evie.”

“Oh, sorry,” the younger man said, getting out of her way. Evie fell into the rear position.

Darion leaned over, pushing the cart. One of the wheels was wonky, and Papa was clearly pretty heavy. “Help me,” he instructed Andrew. But really? How was Andrew going to help? Instead, Evie pushed past the teen and pulled up alongside Darion at the push bar of the cart.

The wheels squawked in protest, but they got the cart moving. As soon as they crossed the threshold, darts flew out, each of them hitting Papa. He moaned as each one dug into his flesh.

As they got moving, they picked up speed, but then a stray dart nearly hit Andrew.

“Slow it down, there!”

Evie eased off a little as they made their way down the hallway, inch by inch.

* * *

Back strained, groaning as he lifted a piece of ceiling off himself. He’d heard voices earlier—however, he’d been buried alive at the time. But now he finally broke out into the destroyed dungeon.

“That fucking bastard,” he announced as he found Door impaled on a rebar.

“He totally worked you,” Door chuckled, but then choked and gagged as blood streamed from his mouth.

Back dropped to his knees next to his dying friend. “Yeah, he did, didn’t he?”

“Man, I wanted to go out on top… If you know what I mean?”

Back was probably one of the few people who really could. “I do.”

Coughing blood, Door struggled to speak. “Well, now you’re the undisputed Back Door Rapist.”

“Maybe,” Back said. “But
you
were the first.
You
were the original.”

A smile came to Door’s pained face. “Really?”

Back grabbed Door’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Hell, yes. I was just the grab ‘em by the hair in the park and put a knife to their throat guy. You are the one who perfected going in though the laundry door and tying them over the kitchen table with their own hair scrunchies. I just copied you…
You
are the Back Door Rapist.”

“Thanks man. Thanks,” Door said, squeezing Back’s hand. “So when you get out, you’re going to let the press know?”

“Hell, no,” Back said. There were limits to friendship. “But I swear that I will live up to your legacy.”

That seemed to satisfy Door, as he rested his head on Back’s arm. That’s when Back realized that Door was the closest thing to family that he’d ever had. Too bad he was going to die.

Back gently moved Door’s head over, then grabbed the rebar with both hands.

“Sorry, dude, but I’m going to be needing this.”

“No!” Door shouted. “If you pull it out, it will—”

Yeah, Back knew exactly what it would do. But he did it anyway. Again, the limits of friendship—or even family.

With a heave, he pulled the rebar out of Door’s chest. The man collapsed onto the ground, gushing blood, twitching as his brain function shut down.

Back surveyed the rest of the dungeon. “Alright, now where’s that fucking cannibal?”

* * *

Evie looked to Papa, who didn’t look too good. His face was a blotchy red, and froth was at his lips. He’d taken at least a dozen darts, yet still wasn’t dead. It must have been the weight-to-poison ratio.

They had made it through the hallway, but now stood at another doorway. What horrors were beyond the door?

“Let’s get this door rigged to blow,” Darion said.

Andrew, though, nodded to Papa. “Can I? Can I please finish him off? That would make five, total.” Darion shook his head, but Andrew wouldn’t let it go. “Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

Finally, Darion sighed. “Fine.”

With way more glee than any one person should have, Andrew pulled out his pocket knife and tried to stab Papa.

“I don’t even think I’m getting through the fat!”

Again, Darion sighed next to Evie. “Just choke him, then.”

Andrew’s face transformed from excited to horrified.

“Fine,” Darion said. “Then take cover.”

Evie didn’t have to be told twice. She set up on the other side of Papa. His girth should protect her from any shrapnel.

CHAPTER 16

Jake walked through the supposed ice factory. For a building using that much power, there wasn’t a whole lot of ice to show for it. Sure, there were plenty of freezer lockers, but no refrigeration.

Then Jake was knocked on his ass by an explosion deep within the building. A loud crack announced that he had fallen on his cell phone. Gingerly, Jake removed the phone to find it smashed beyond repair.

“Crap,” Jake said. “Just when I finally got some evidence!”

Jake looked back to the front door. He could go and get in his car, but how far would he have to go to find a pay phone in this day and age?

And that explosion was no coincidence. He didn’t know what it meant exactly, but he certainly couldn’t ignore it.

Making sure that his gun was unharmed on his belt, Jake strode forward.

Evie might be somewhere in the building.

* * *

Evie watched as Andrew tried to strangle Papa, but his hands couldn’t get around the large man’s neck. Just give her a try, and she was sure that she could get the job done.

Andrew turned and put his hand out. “Evie, give me your blade.”

Evie pulled her metal fragment behind her. “Get your own.”

Andrew focused on Darion next. “Come on. Give me the bayonet—or even the clippers.”

Darion shook his head, walking up to Andrew. “At some point, Andrew, you must cross the threshold from boy to man.” He nodded to Papa. “Think of this as a rite of passage.”

“Darn it,” Andrew exclaimed, then sighed. “Okay.”

“If you can’t reach around the neck, you’ve got to find a different way to skin the cat, so to speak.” Darion reached over and put his hands on Papa’s face.

“You’ve got to hold off his nose and mouth as the same time. Do you think you could do that?” Darion asked, like a father teaching his son how to ride a bike.

It seemed crazy, but Evie thought that Darion would make an excellent parent.