Cold Sanctuary (John Decker Series Book 2) (17 page)

42

Mina hurried across the divide between the two towers, keeping a keen eye out for Sheriff Wilder. Even though she suspected he was down at the docks embroiled in whatever was happening there, she still felt it prudent to exercise a measure of caution. A night in the Shackleton town jail did not hold any appeal.

She was torn. This was the perfect opportunity to retrieve the hidden bag, and she wanted to surprise Decker and show him that she could take matters into her own hands. But at the same time she was itching to know what had happened at the bait and tackle store to draw such a crowd and necessitate the arrival of not one, but two, State Trooper helicopters, no doubt dispatched from Anchorage. It must be something huge, and she was missing it, a potential great story. She made up her mind. Getting the bag from its hiding place shouldn’t take very long. She could go down to the docks afterward.

The north tower loomed above her now, blocking out the sun. She hurried past the chained and padlocked front doors and made her way to the same window she and Decker had used the night before. As she approached she wondered if Wilder had secured it, nailed it in place or had it boarded up, but as she drew close she saw that it was just as they had left it. The window slid up with barely a protest and before long she was inside the building.

She wasted no time in hurrying to the lobby and slid down next to the rotting curved reception desk. She had no idea where Decker had placed the bag when he pushed it back under the desk, but she figured it must be tucked up between the drawers and the desk’s front panel, high enough that it was out of sight.

She pulled the flashlight from her coat pocket and turned it on, shining the beam around the cavity under the desk, but could see no sign of the bag. Was it possible that Wilder had come in here after they left to check on the place and found it? But no, that was unlikely. He didn’t know about the bag and would have no reason to search for it.

She scooted forward, ducking her head so that she was wedged into the space where the chair would go, and tried again. This time she saw a fabric strap hanging down behind the drawer unit.

That must be what she was looking for.

She reached her hand up inside the desk, stifling a squeal as her fingers brushed something light and sticky. A moment later she felt movement against the back of her hand, a light scurry that almost tickled. She jerked her hand away in disgust. A large black spider flopped to the floor, righted itself, and sped away into the dark recesses of the desk.

She suppressed a shudder and reached under the desk again, trying not to think about the spider, and if there might be any more of them. This time, to her relief, she found the strap of the bag. She closed her hand around it and pulled. There was a moment of resistance, and then the bag tumbled from the cavity in which it was hidden and landed between her legs. She grinned and pulled it close, then turned to clamber out of the tight space. She gripped the top of the desk and started to pull herself up, then stopped, her ears straining.

From somewhere close by s
s s
he heard a light footstep.

Mina shrank back down under the desk. She held her breath. Had Wilder found her? Or maybe Decker had decided to use the commotion at the docks to retrieve the bag himself. If that was the case she had nothing to worry about. Except that the footstep didn’t sound like Wilder or Decker.

She waited and listened, her heart pounding so loud there was no way anyone within fifty feet could miss it.

For the longest time there was nothing, but then, just when she started to think it was her imagination, she heard another shuffling step, then another, closer now.

She peered out from under the desk, her eyes flitting from one side of the room to the other, searching for the source of the footsteps, but she could see nothing.

Another minute passed.

Mina stayed under the desk, thankful that she was out of sight. She wondered how long she should stay hidden. It was obvious that someone was skulking around the old building, but she had no idea where they were, or even if they were still in the same area as she. For all she knew the interloper had wandered off by now. Regardless, she had no intention of moving until she was absolutely sure that it was safe. The decision proved to be correct, because a moment later the sound of footfalls came again, much closer now.

Mina shrank as far back under the desk as she could, her chest tightening with fear. She listened as the intruder drew nearer, the footsteps oddly muffled. Moments later, a shape crossed the lobby. She could only see the bottom half, the rest of the figure being obscured by the desktop that jutted out over her, but what she did see filled her with terror. Two sinewy, scaly legs, pale and white, entered her field of view. The creature was barefoot, which accounted for the muffled quality of the footfalls. Its toes were arched up, and she could see small protrusions, sharp and dagger like, poking from each one. With a start she realized she was looking at claws.

The creature moved away, off toward the corridor near the elevator, the same passageway that she and Decker had traversed the previous night.

She waited until it entered the corridor, gave it a few extra seconds just for good luck, and then, as gently as she could, eased herself from the cramped space.

Her legs had gone to sleep, and she gritted her teeth against the strange sensation of pins and needles as she put her weight on her feet.

She bent and picked up the bag, slinging it over her shoulder, and then turned to make her escape.

It was then that a thought occurred to her.

If she followed the creature, found out where it was going, it might lead her to its lair, and then she could bring Wilder and Decker back with her. They could put a stop to the killings once and for all.

The only problem was, she didn’t want to get anywhere near the thing. It had already killed at least two people, and she did not want to end up as its next victim.

Deep down she knew she had no choice though. If she let it get away the next death would be on her shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, Mina made her way to the corridor, and then, with her back flat against the wall, peeked around the corner in time to see the beast enter the stairwell.

She pushed off and followed, reaching the stairwell door just as it was about to close. She shot a hand out and caught it, pulling it open far enough to slip through before allowing it to swing back closed.

The stairwell was empty.

There was no sign of the creature.

She stopped, confused, wondering where it could have gone. She held her breath and listened, expecting to hear its footfalls somewhere on the stairs, but only silence met her ears.

Where could it have gone so fast?

She looked over the rail, down toward the basement, but there was nothing there. It wasn’t until she looked up that she realized how stupid she had been.

The beast was crouched, silent and still, on the next landing up, its pale eyes fixed upon her with angry menace.

A prickle of fear raced down her spine.

She opened her mouth, a scream welling in her throat.

In that very moment, even before the scream could fill the stale air, the creature pounced.

43

Adam Hunt was not a happy man.

He stood silent and stiff toward the back of a large crowd gathered on the docks and watched as the body of Sheriff Don Wilder was wheeled out on a gurney. Even though the corpse was enclosed in a body bag, he knew exactly who the paramedics were loading into the back of their ambulance. It was hard to keep the murder of the town sheriff a secret, especially in a town that loved to gossip.

The owner of the bait store had also shuffled off this mortal coil, at least if the murmured conversations among the crowd were to be believed, but that was inconsequential. The sheriff was a different matter though. He was a vital part of Hunt’s game plan. With Wilder gone, there was no one to interfere with John Decker, keep him from snooping around. The last thing Hunt needed was the nosey ex-cop stumbling upon the secret he was here to protect. He would have to keep a closer eye on him from now on.

He stared out across the bay, toward the open waters of the Pacific Ocean, and for a moment he was somewhere else, somewhere warm and inviting, rather than this frozen chunk of barren land. The quicker he could finish his assignment here the better. It would have been so much easier if those two idiots had not broken into the labs he’d spent the last few years protecting. Another month and the road through the mountain would be finished. The road that was being put in not because anyone wanted to help the people of Shackleton, but so that the old labs, and all the sensitive research material they contained, could be moved elsewhere with ease.

He was so close too.

Just a few more weeks and he would have been reassigned. Only things had went pear shaped and he had handled the situation with less than his usual finesse. Now he was in this mess up to his eyeballs, and his superiors, not men a person wanted to trifle with, were displeased. All he could do for now was to contain the situation, make the best of a bad lot, and hope that he could turn this thing to his advantage.

With a sigh he glanced back toward the bait and tackle store just in time to see John Decker exit along with the town administrator. He watched them make their way, heads bowed in conversation, toward a truck parked near the store and climb in.

He turned his attention back toward the bait and tackle store for a while longer, but there was little left to hold his attention. He stepped forward and threaded his way through the hushed crowd toward the small access road that ran away from the store, where he’d left his truck parked up on the grass verge. When he got there he pulled his keys out and slipped behind the wheel before starting the engine and doing a U-turn in the road. He pointed the nose of the vehicle in the direction of the two towers, almost a mile away, and accelerated away from the docks.

When he glanced in his rear view mirror the paramedics were wheeling a second gurney into the building, no doubt to collect the deceased proprietor.

He shook his head.

It had been a crappy day, and he didn’t think it would get much better.

44

Mina screamed.

The creature launched from the landing above her, bounding down the stairs two at a time, its eyes fixed upon her.

For a moment Mina froze, time moving in slow motion, but then she came to her senses and turned. She fled back through the door, slamming it shut as she went. A moment later there was a mighty crash as the creature reached the bottom of the stairs and hit the door, all but splintering it off its hinges. It barreled through, emitting a hair raising high-pitched screech, and gave chase.

Mina’s heart fell. She had hoped the door would slow it, but the weak hinges were no match for the brute force of the thing.

She ran as fast as she could toward the lobby, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. She knew she should be afraid, but she was not. It could be the adrenalin pumping through her system, or maybe she just didn’t have time to feel fear. Either way, if she didn’t put some distance between herself and her pursuer the fear would be back soon enough, at least until she was ripped apart.

The lobby was in sight now. She saw the desk where she had hidden as the creature passed by a few moments before. Had it known that she was there? How else could it have possessed the foresight to wait in silence on the landing? That was ridiculous though. The creature would have no way of knowing that she would decide to follow it. She could just as easily have hurried in the other direction and made her escape back through the window. Besides, if it knew she was there, why didn’t it attack when she was vulnerable and trapped? It must have heard her climb from the desk and follow behind, trailing it. That was the only thing that made sense.

Mina entered the lobby at a clip and propelled herself toward the opposite corridor. If only she could get to the window and climb out into the open she might stand a chance.

The creature was still in pursuit, and it was fast. She risked a glance over her shoulder and was shocked to see that it was closer than she expected. She redoubled her efforts and put on a spurt of speed to reach the corridor. A few moments later she was out of the lobby, her chest heaving, lungs burning with the effort. Up ahead she could see the door to the first room, and beyond that the window.

She just might make it.

Suddenly her shoe caught on a piece of debris, a ceiling tile that had fallen, and she pitched forward. She let out a horrified wail as the floor rushed toward her, and she reached out, frantic for any kind of handhold to arrest her tumble. Her hand found a doorknob and she grasped it, struggling to regain her balance. Her left leg shot forward and found enough ground to keep her upright as she stumbled and fell t
hrough the doorway into the room through which she had entered the tower.

Ahead of her the window beckoned like a redeeming savior. She dodged an upturned chair, weaved around a disintegrating desk, and then she was there, pulling on the window, lifting it and climbing through. She got one leg through and braced herself to lift the other leg up and out, but before she could clear the sill she felt a hand grip her ankle and pull.

She cried out in despair and kicked back, hoping to dislodge her attacker, but she could feel herself losing the battle. Her fingers curled around the window frame, knuckles white with tension.

A second hand landed on her shoulder, gripping her much too tight.

She yelped in pain as sharp claws pierced her coat, her shirt, and punctured the skin below her collarbone. The creature ripped her from the window, with a gleeful shriek, and spun her around with so much force that she feared she might pass out.

And then it let her go.

She flew through the air for a moment before impacting the wall opposite the window, the back of her head bouncing off the drywall as if it were a badly thrown basketball.

A spear of agony shot down her spine.

She crumpled to the floor, gasping, dazed.

The creature stood several feet away and watched her.

Mina raised her head and saw her attacker clearly for the first time. A stab of fear clenched in her stomach.

The creature opened its mouth in what appeared to be a mocking grin, baring rows of needlelike pointed teeth. It hunkered down, like a sprinter at the starting line, just for a moment.

And then it shot forward with incredible speed.

There was no time to think.

Mina looked around, saw the upturned chair she had weaved around a few moments before.

It was within reach.

She grasped it and lifted, her muscles protesting the work, and swung just as the creature reached her.

The chair hit its mark and disintegrated into kindling, leaving her holding leg shaped sticks.

The creature’s head snapped to the side and it stumbled away, confused.

That was all that Mina needed.

She sprang to her feet and leapt for the window, discarding the chair legs as she went. This time she didn’t even attempt to climb out, but instead launched herself headfirst toward the open window.

Her aim was perfect.

She sailed through the opening and hit the grass beyond, lifting her arms and tucking her head, rolling as she landed. For the first time in her life she was thankful for the two years of gymnastics her mother had forced her to endure.

Without hesitation she sprang to her feet, hitched the bag high on her shoulder, and kept on running across the open space toward the other tower, and safety.

From somewhere far behind her, in the room she had just escaped, rose a howl of frustration.