Helm over his shoulder and urged Kaid and Tharon ahead of him.
Tharon blinked until her eyes adjusted to the dim light which filtered through gaps in the rough wood planks boarding up the two broken windows. Cold air blew in through the gaps plunging the temperature in the large auto shop.
The shop smelled of dirty grease, paint fumes, and cat litter in dire need of changing. The odor triggered Tharon’s gag reflex and she tried to hold her breath to keep from smelling it, but still sneezed twice against the duct tape, making her ears feel like they would explode.
Carl picked up a large flashlight from the bench by the door at the other end of the shop. He stopped by the closed door and juggled Helm as he held the flashlight under his multiple chins to maneuver the door open. He gently nudged Tharon and Kaid through and let the door slam shut behind them. “Just keep moving to the last door on the right before the lobby area. See that little bit of light down there? That’s the lobby.”
Kaid and Tharon kept their arms touching each other as they walked side-by-side down the long, dim hallway. Something large scurried past Kaid and brushed his leg in the darkness. He jumped, almost knocking Tharon over. She and Kaid trembled as they huddled up next to Carl.
“Don’t worry. That’s just Cat and her grown babies. They keeps the mice and rats out of here. Come on now, I needs to get you in a room before Burt or Marty comes lookin’ for me. See I’m gonna hide you from Marty as long as I can. I’s the only one with the key to this room. It’s cleaner ’cause it used to be a doctor office.”
With a gentle nudge from Carl, Kaid and Tharon started forward again. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she made out the dim light from the lobby.
“Stop here.” Carl panned the flashlight beam along the empty hallway behind them. Again he fumbled with the flashlight under his chin as he palmed a key from his pocket and let the children into a waiting room.
The skeletons of metal chairs, minus some seats and backs, were piled in the corner. The strong stench of cat urine and ammonia assaulted Tharon’s nose and burned her eyes. A pair of green eyes shown in the glint of the flashlight and a threatening hiss sounded from beneath the pile of chairs.
Soft mewing sounds protested when the mother cat stood up. Carl swept the beam of light around the room until it rested on a cat hunched over her kittens. “Cat, how’d you get shut in here? Did Marty lock you in here? That son of a—” he looked sideways at Tharon, “gun.”
As Carl fumbled to unlock the inner door, the light from his flashlight reflected on a half open sliding window to the left of the door. Carl wedged the door open with his foot and caught the flashlight as it fell from his chin. “Go in the first room on the right. It should be clean and not too cold cause there ain’t no windows.”
Tharon pressed close to Kaid’s side as they entered the room.
Carl prodded them forward to the center of the room. The flashlight beam was too weak to reach the dark corners. He gently laid Helm on the floor in the middle of the room.
Tharon looked around quickly while they still had light from the flashlight. The rectangular room was completely empty as far as she could see. The walls were white and bare except for splotches of mold on the lower half of the outside wall. Crumbled drywall littered the floor from holes in the ceiling and walls. She huddled up to Kaid with her right foot touching Helm and her toes pointed toward the door.
She tried to talk to Carl with her taped mouth but her words came out in a muffled pleading sound. After Carl gently peeled the tape from her face, she asked, “What’s going to happen to us?”
The glow of the flashlight blinded her eyes but didn’t reach Carl’s face. She didn’t need to see his face. She heard the concern and sadness in his
Tharon blinked until her eyes adjusted to the dim light which filtered through gaps in the rough wood planks boarding up the two broken windows. Cold air blew in through the gaps plunging the temperature in the large auto shop.
The shop smelled of dirty grease, paint fumes, and cat litter in dire need of changing. The odor triggered Tharon’s gag reflex and she tried to hold her breath to keep from smelling it, but still sneezed twice against the duct tape, making her ears feel like they would explode.
Carl picked up a large flashlight from the bench by the door at the other end of the shop. He stopped by the closed door and juggled Helm as he held the flashlight under his multiple chins to maneuver the door open. He gently nudged Tharon and Kaid through and let the door slam shut behind them. “Just keep moving to the last door on the right before the lobby area. See that little bit of light down there? That’s the lobby.”
Kaid and Tharon kept their arms touching each other as they walked side-by-side down the long, dim hallway. Something large scurried past Kaid and brushed his leg in the darkness. He jumped, almost knocking Tharon over. She and Kaid trembled as they huddled up next to Carl.
“Don’t worry. That’s just Cat and her grown babies. They keeps the mice and rats out of here. Come on now, I needs to get you in a room before Burt or Marty comes lookin’ for me. See I’m gonna hide you from Marty as long as I can. I’s the only one with the key to this room. It’s cleaner ’cause it used to be a doctor office.”
With a gentle nudge from Carl, Kaid and Tharon started forward again. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she made out the dim light from the lobby.
“Stop here.” Carl panned the flashlight beam along the empty hallway behind them. Again he fumbled with the flashlight under his chin as he palmed a key from his pocket and let the children into a waiting room.
The skeletons of metal chairs, minus some seats and backs, were piled in the corner. The strong stench of cat urine and ammonia assaulted Tharon’s nose and burned her eyes. A pair of green eyes shown in the glint of the flashlight and a threatening hiss sounded from beneath the pile of chairs.
Soft mewing sounds protested when the mother cat stood up. Carl swept the beam of light around the room until it rested on a cat hunched over her kittens. “Cat, how’d you get shut in here? Did Marty lock you in here? That son of a—” he looked sideways at Tharon, “gun.”
As Carl fumbled to unlock the inner door, the light from his flashlight reflected on a half open sliding window to the left of the door. Carl wedged the door open with his foot and caught the flashlight as it fell from his chin. “Go in the first room on the right. It should be clean and not too cold cause there ain’t no windows.”
Tharon pressed close to Kaid’s side as they entered the room.
Carl prodded them forward to the center of the room. The flashlight beam was too weak to reach the dark corners. He gently laid Helm on the floor in the middle of the room.
Tharon looked around quickly while they still had light from the flashlight. The rectangular room was completely empty as far as she could see. The walls were white and bare except for splotches of mold on the lower half of the outside wall. Crumbled drywall littered the floor from holes in the ceiling and walls. She huddled up to Kaid with her right foot touching Helm and her toes pointed toward the door.
She tried to talk to Carl with her taped mouth but her words came out in a muffled pleading sound. After Carl gently peeled the tape from her face, she asked, “What’s going to happen to us?”
The glow of the flashlight blinded her eyes but didn’t reach Carl’s face. She didn’t need to see his face. She heard the concern and sadness in his
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