Don't Read After Dark: Keep the lights on while reading these! (A McCray Horror Collection) (12 page)

Silence lingered as Back closed his eyes. He seemed to be living through the events again in his mind. “Then it went down just like Darion said… The gas. The collars. Two died that night, and the Sarasota Strangler was never right in the head after that.”

Door picked up the story. “Darion made mincemeat out of the Strangler during his first free-for-all, or so the legend goes.” Door looked to Back, who nodded solemnly.

Despair hung in the air. If Back was afraid to try to escape, what hope did any of them have? Then Papa’s door clicked open. The older man’s face transformed from hopeless to hopeful.

“Child, I agree with
you
,” he said. “These others have been in here too long to remember what freedom tastes like.” Papa indicated to himself, then to Evie. “Like you, I’d rather die trying to return to my world than surrender to this life of purgatory.
Together
we can do this.”

“Yeah, that’s your specialty.
Teamwork
,” Door snorted.

Evie glanced to Darion, but he seemed intent on his wounds and didn’t lift his eyes to meet hers.

“I tried so hard to remove my collar,” Papa said, “when I first got here, but that was by myself. With you…I will withstand as much pain as it takes to remove it.”

Could that really work? Could she trust Papa to do as he said?

“Yes!” Back announced. “Tubby over there, and Xena, are breaking out of here!”

Andrew jumped up and down clapping. “Oh, I wish I could sell tickets. This is going to be
so
good!”

Darion finally looked up and locked his gaze with the older man. “Papa, before she hitches her star to your wagon, how about you tell Evie why you’re in here?’

“Don’t listen to him,” Papa scoffed. “He just wants you for his carnal pleasure. He’s trying to keep you to himself.”

“Actually,” Andrew chimed in, “Papa is Starv—”

Back interrupted the teen. “Shut up. Let her fucking figure it out for herself.”

Evie took a step toward Darion. She had to get through to him how important this was. “I can’t stay here,” she explained.

Darion shrugged. “Your life.”

“It was,” Evie said, finding it hard to find the words to convince him. “It
was
my life.” She wiped away a stray tear. “Yeah, maybe from the outside it looked boring. Like I was a complete and utter loser. I can’t even keep a hamster alive for long.”

That got a grin out of Darion. Evie went on. “But I thought this was the town where I could settle down. I was through running from my past. This is where I could—”

Evie couldn’t stop the tears or the fact that her throat was swelling shut. She had to shove all that aside, though. “I could get everything I wanted. You know?”

Darion looked her up and down. His features seemed to soften, but then that wall went up again. “I don’t even remember my life before this…” He indicated to the dungeon around them. “I’m sorry, but there’s just nothing out there that I’m willing to die for.”

Anger surged through Evie, drying the tears, clearing her throat. “You’re right, because you are thinking like a man. I’m… I’m…” There were those damned hot tears again.

“If he,” Evie said nodding to Back, then to Door. “If either one of them gets to me, or whoever comes through that door next…” Evie had to shut her eyelids hard, squeezing out the terrible images of what could and probably would happen to her. “Once they’re done with me, even if I make it out of here, it won’t be the same.
I
will never be the same.” She looked into his eyes. He’d protected her once, would he do it again? “You
know
that. If I don’t try this now, there’ll be no point in ever trying.”

* * *

Darion searched her face. Evie was so brave, yet so vulnerable. His heart ached for her—it truly ached, and here he thought his heart had died years ago. In the end, though, he had to look out for himself.

“I wish I could help,” he said, meaning it.

Tears streaked down her face. “If you won’t help, then I’ll just wait until our door opens then go with Papa.”

Darion shrugged. “You won’t have to wait.” He indicated to the base of the door. “It unlocked half an hour ago. The cloth got stuck and didn’t let it spring open.”

Evie walked over and, seeming both relieved and upset, tested the door. Sure enough, it opened once she pushed on it.

“Before you go,” Darion said, “know that he’s the worst.” He indicated to Papa. “Spend ten
minutes
with him and you won’t be the same.”

Evie’s eyes narrowed. “Your concern is touching…” She picked up several of the cloth strips. “But I’ve learned a thing or two.”

Without a look back ,she left the cell and crossed the aisle and went into Papa’s cell. What could he do? He’d tried to warn her. In the end it was her life. If she wanted to try the folly of escaping, and doing so with Starvin’ Marvin, who was Darion to stop her?

Papa, of course, kept up his grandfather act, greeting her at the door, all warm and cuddly. “Oh, thank goodness,” Papa gushed. “Finally. I was so worried about you.”

He spread his arms wide for a hug.

Darion had to give it to Evie, though, she didn’t take the bait.

“You’re kidding, right?” Evie said, then held up the strips.

“Turn around.”

“What?” Papa said, seeming truly surprised. Did he expect Evie to offer herself up on a silver platter? “I don’t understand.”

Andrew, though, seemed to understand quite well. “Bondage! Yippee!”

Evie’s gaze remained fixed on Papa, though. “If you really want out,” Evie said, “you’ll let me tie you up while I work on your collar.”

Papa took a step back. “I don’t see how—”

Evie pulled out her metal fragment. “Those are the terms,” she explained.

“Do it, man,” Door encouraged.

Papa finally sighed. “If I must.”

The rotund man turned around, putting his wrists behind his back. It was a tight stretch. However, he gave the oddest wink to Darion. Evie was no more safe with Papa tied up than if he was loose, but Darion guessed Evie would just have to figure that out for herself.

As Evie tied Papa’s hands, Andrew clapped. “Oh, I wish I had some popcorn!”

* * *

Jake strode through the storage area’s parking lot, looking for unit number seventeen. It was at the end of the row. And large. It must have been at least ten feet by ten feet. That was a lot of storage. Exactly what did Mr. Woldham have in there?

He pulled out his lockpick kit and made short work out of the padlock.

People thought the thicker the bolt, the safer the lock was, when really it was the complexity of the locking mechanism. Jake was rewarded with a soft click as he unlocked the padlock. He pulled the padlock out of the metal eyelets. He grabbed the storage unit’s handle and jerked upward.

The metal rattled as it rose. He swung his flashlight forward, illuminating the inside of the storage unit. The
empty
storage unit. Not just empty, but completely cleaned out. There wasn’t even a speck of dust or grime on the floor.

“No!” Jake yelled out. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t have found Starvin’ Marvin’s secret lair only to come up empty-handed. This is how his life was going. For years, now. Just when he thought he might actually move forward, boom, he’d hit another roadblock. He could just imagine what his lieutenant would make of this. “I told you so,” would not even cover it. Could everyone else be right? Was Jake tilting at serial killer windmills?

“No,” he moaned, knowing that no matter how much he complained, this storage unit wasn’t going to fill with evidence, or even a single clue.

Well, maybe one clue. There were distinct tire tracks leading up to and away from the unit. He snapped several pictures of them, then sent them to Brad. He followed that up with a phone call.

“It’s empty here,” Jake informed the tech.

“Oh, dude, so sorry,” Brad answered.

“Yeah, but I do have another set of tire tracks,” Jake explained. “Call me if anything pops.”

“Where are you going now?”

“For a consultation,” Jake answered.

“Huh?” Brad said.

Jake really didn’t have time to explain. “Just call me when you get something.

He snapped his phone off and headed back to his car.

The night was still young.

CHAPTER 14

Evie used her fragment to try and dislodge Papa’s collar. The metal jangled under the cloth strips, triggering another shock of voltage. They had wrapped the collar in cloth strips, but even so, Papa was still getting zapped.

“I’m sorry,” Evie said as Papa’s jaws clenched in pain. “I’m so sorry.”

Once the zapping stopped, Papa leaned into Evie.

“We can stop,” she suggested, worried that Papa’s dedication might be fading with each passing zap.

“No, no,” Papa said, panting a bit. “If we’re going to do this, we must do so quickly, before the ‘Zard can formulate a response.”

Evie tried again, but again, the collar discharged, causing Papa’s body to arch with electricity.

“Darion told you it wouldn’t be easy,” Andrew commented, as he was wont to do.

“Yeah, well,” Evie countered, glaring at her old cellmate, Darion. “It’s been hours, and I’m still feeling pretty clean.”

It felt good to say, but how much further on her quest for to escape was she, really? Darion seemed unfazed by Papa or her plight.

“Let me try to cut it,” Evie said. Until now, she’d just held the insulated handle she had made to her metal fragment. To cut it meant she would need to hold the collar as well while she cut.

“No,” Papa said, shaking his head. “No, dear. You’ll get hurt.”

“Not if I finish quickly enough.”

Besides, if Papa was willing to get zapped for their escape, should she be any less brave? She certainly had busted the men’s chops for not having the fortitude to see an escape all the way through.

Finally, Papa nodded. “We might as well try.”

Evie braced herself for the shock as he grabbed the metal collar. She tried as quickly as she could to saw through the wires, but the collar crackled with electricity. Her hand flew back as the metal fragment went flying across the cell.

* * *

Jake followed the woman down the hallway. She knocked twice at a door that announced “Keep out, or else.”

“Enter,” the answer came.

The woman opened the door on the teen’s bedroom. He was set up in a rocking gamer chair, playing his game on his sixty inch screen.

“Tom, it’s the fuzz.”

“It’s okay, Mom,” Tom answered.

Tom waved Jake in as the woman lingered at the door as if worried about leaving Jake alone with her son.

“He doesn’t answer to the man,” Tom reassured her.

As Jake sat down in a gamer chair next to Tom, the woman closed the door.

“Dawg, grab a controller and jump in.”

Jake picked up a steering wheel controller and jumped into the game. They were racing at over two hundred miles per hour. The speakers, right at ear level, transmitted every scream of the transmission in Tom’s immersive gaming system.

“Well, you were right on,” Jake informed the teen. “I figured out that the game is Master level serial killer.”

“So kind of like a cross between Max Payne and Manhunt?” Tom asked.

Jake nodded as he avoided a head-on collision with another car. He played, but his heart and mind certainly weren’t in it. He fell back into sixth position.

“I’ve seen that look before,” Tom commented. “Thinking that the game isn’t worth finishing?”

Jake shrugged. “Yeah, I am starting to feel like poor Herbie on his wheel. It’s just that… well… if it wasn’t for…”

Tom nodded. “Ah, the princess.”

“Yeah, the princess,” Jake admitted. He hated to admit that Evie had become the reason he was moving forward. Not to avenge Starvin’ Marvin’s other victims.

“Show me a picture,” Tom asked.

Jake got out his phone and brought up the photo of Evie with a bulldog puppy. It was perhaps her cutest.

“A little to the left,” Tom said, still zigging and zagging to stay in first place. Jake made the adjustment. “Oh yeah,” Tom said appreciatively. “You are going to have to slay a few dragons for that.”

Yes, he would.

Jake’s phone rang, but he could barely hear it over the game’s noise. He turned his chair’s speakers off as he answered the phone.

“Sorry, I’ve got to take this.”

Tom nodded as Jake answered. “Detective Braut.”

“Are you at the river?” Brad asked.

“No, why would I be—”

“Dude, haven’t you heard?” Brad demanded. “They found a floater. Twenties. Female.
Brunette
.”

Jake felt his heart drop into his belly. It couldn’t be.

“Where?
Exactly
?”

“Texting you a map right now,” Brad said.

Jake waited until it came through. He hit “get directions” as he rose.

“Sorry, Tom. I’ve got to jet.”

“Bad news?” Tom asked.

“Possibly game over.”

* * *

Andrew watched as Evie shook her hand out.

“How’s that grand fucking escape going for ya?” Back asked.

Evie walked over and picked up the fragment. “Damn it,” she mumbled, then looked up. “When’s lunch?”

“Oh, we don’t get lunch. But dinner shouldn’t be too long.”

“Great, just great,” Evie grumbled.

“Guess you should have taken that bacon when you had the chance,” Door commented, accurately.

“Andrew?” Evie asked. “Got any more of those cupcakes?”

“Sorry,” Andrew said, showing his empty hands.

“You had like ten of them,” Evie said.

“Hey,” Andrew protested. “I’ve got a fast metabolism.” Besides, he didn’t see anyone else out there during the free-for-all risking their lives to salvage the cupcakes. In the dungeon, it definitely was finders keepers.

“God, I’m starving,” Evie said.

Oh, Papa got that glint in his eye. “Bad choice of words!” Andrew shouted, but it was too late. Evie turned toward Papa, but the big man was already on the move. He leapt from his chair, then slammed into Evie, crushing her up against the bars. He outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. Her metal fragment flew from her hand, landing on the floor.