door.
Gladius didn’t like the idea of cleaning up Emmett’s blood. Who knows what kind of diseases a freak like him carried? She yanked the paper towels off the roll and grabbed a cleaning spray from under the cabinet. Tossing the roll to Minter, she looked at her clock. “Six minutes. We need to be in the car in four if we want to make it out of here unnoticed.”
She ran with the spray bottle and doused it over the blood on the tile floors. It smeared around as they wiped at first, but after a few goes, it cleaned up. Thankfully, the rest of the house held the dark carpet and they’d just have to take a chance. No way to get a carpet cleaner in the next two minutes anyway.
They stuffed the towels into the trashcan and spent a second to look over their work. Clean enough.
“Crap, we’ve got two minutes before she comes back online,” Gladius said and ran to Emmett.
Minter and Hank took most of the load, but they all carried Emmett into the family room.
“Who closed the door?” Hank asked.
“What?” Gladius looked up at the closed front door. But she’d wedged it open with a chair . . . it couldn’t be closed.
“I shut it and it won’t open,” a woman from behind them said.
Gladius dropped Emmett’s leg and grabbed her knife. “Hank, get the door.” She walked sideways, closer to the woman who proclaimed she closed the door. Gladius didn’t recognize her but she was a small woman holding a clipboard and looking at the ground.
Hank pounded on the door but it wouldn’t move. “Open it, Emmett.” But he lay limp in Minter’s arms.
“Open it.” Gladius pointed her knife at the petite woman and she flinched.
“I can’t, even if I wanted to. It’s on lockdown.”
Gladius pulled out her Panavice and scoured it for anything that might help her get the door open, but it appeared the whole building had been shut down. With little more than one minute left, Gladius looked to Hank and Minter for help.
“Rick,” Minter called into the radio.
“Yeah?”
“Get out of here, now.”
“But what about—”
“Now!”
“Roger.”
“Break the cameras,” Minter said to Gladius. “Maybe we can buy some time.”
She took out her throwing knives and spotted the camera in the corner. She threw the knife and struck the lens, knocking bits to the ground. Scanning the rest of the room, she searched for any more.
“The medical room. I saw a few,” Hank said and broke the leg off the chair and ran into the room.
Gladius looked at the timer, one minute. “You, what’s your name?” she asked.
“Gingy.”
“Alice will be back up in a few seconds and she will expect you here, correct? I’m going to give you one warning. If you give her any clue that we are here, I will end you. I don’t care if it’s with my dying breath, I will stab this knife through your face. Understand?”
Gingy nodded as the clatter of Hank busting up the medical room’s camera made her flinch.
“I need you to say the words.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Now take a seat on the couch.”
Minter dragged Emmett toward the medical room.
Hank, breathing hard and holding the chair leg said, “I think—”
“Shh,” Gladius whispered. “We can’t talk in a few seconds. She’ll hear us. And guys, do a master shut off on your Panavices. She’ll detect them.”
Hank thumbed his Panavice as he darted to Minter and helped pull Emmett into the medical room. Gladius wanted to help, but she wasn’t about to leave Gingy alone for one second. Taking a seat right next to her, she pointed her knife at her gut.
Gingy clutched her notebook tightly against her chest. “Is Emmett going to be okay?” she whispered.
Gladius put one finger over her mouth. “Make her believe you broke the cameras.” She looked at her Panavice and with a few seconds left, did a master turn off on it. The first few seconds would determine everything. Either they were going to die, or they were going to be living in a nightmare of
Gladius didn’t like the idea of cleaning up Emmett’s blood. Who knows what kind of diseases a freak like him carried? She yanked the paper towels off the roll and grabbed a cleaning spray from under the cabinet. Tossing the roll to Minter, she looked at her clock. “Six minutes. We need to be in the car in four if we want to make it out of here unnoticed.”
She ran with the spray bottle and doused it over the blood on the tile floors. It smeared around as they wiped at first, but after a few goes, it cleaned up. Thankfully, the rest of the house held the dark carpet and they’d just have to take a chance. No way to get a carpet cleaner in the next two minutes anyway.
They stuffed the towels into the trashcan and spent a second to look over their work. Clean enough.
“Crap, we’ve got two minutes before she comes back online,” Gladius said and ran to Emmett.
Minter and Hank took most of the load, but they all carried Emmett into the family room.
“Who closed the door?” Hank asked.
“What?” Gladius looked up at the closed front door. But she’d wedged it open with a chair . . . it couldn’t be closed.
“I shut it and it won’t open,” a woman from behind them said.
Gladius dropped Emmett’s leg and grabbed her knife. “Hank, get the door.” She walked sideways, closer to the woman who proclaimed she closed the door. Gladius didn’t recognize her but she was a small woman holding a clipboard and looking at the ground.
Hank pounded on the door but it wouldn’t move. “Open it, Emmett.” But he lay limp in Minter’s arms.
“Open it.” Gladius pointed her knife at the petite woman and she flinched.
“I can’t, even if I wanted to. It’s on lockdown.”
Gladius pulled out her Panavice and scoured it for anything that might help her get the door open, but it appeared the whole building had been shut down. With little more than one minute left, Gladius looked to Hank and Minter for help.
“Rick,” Minter called into the radio.
“Yeah?”
“Get out of here, now.”
“But what about—”
“Now!”
“Roger.”
“Break the cameras,” Minter said to Gladius. “Maybe we can buy some time.”
She took out her throwing knives and spotted the camera in the corner. She threw the knife and struck the lens, knocking bits to the ground. Scanning the rest of the room, she searched for any more.
“The medical room. I saw a few,” Hank said and broke the leg off the chair and ran into the room.
Gladius looked at the timer, one minute. “You, what’s your name?” she asked.
“Gingy.”
“Alice will be back up in a few seconds and she will expect you here, correct? I’m going to give you one warning. If you give her any clue that we are here, I will end you. I don’t care if it’s with my dying breath, I will stab this knife through your face. Understand?”
Gingy nodded as the clatter of Hank busting up the medical room’s camera made her flinch.
“I need you to say the words.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Now take a seat on the couch.”
Minter dragged Emmett toward the medical room.
Hank, breathing hard and holding the chair leg said, “I think—”
“Shh,” Gladius whispered. “We can’t talk in a few seconds. She’ll hear us. And guys, do a master shut off on your Panavices. She’ll detect them.”
Hank thumbed his Panavice as he darted to Minter and helped pull Emmett into the medical room. Gladius wanted to help, but she wasn’t about to leave Gingy alone for one second. Taking a seat right next to her, she pointed her knife at her gut.
Gingy clutched her notebook tightly against her chest. “Is Emmett going to be okay?” she whispered.
Gladius put one finger over her mouth. “Make her believe you broke the cameras.” She looked at her Panavice and with a few seconds left, did a master turn off on it. The first few seconds would determine everything. Either they were going to die, or they were going to be living in a nightmare of
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