Deadman's Switch & Sunder the Hollow Ones by Saul Tanpepper Read Free Book Online Page A

going upstairs. If it turns out we have to stay here for a couple days, that’ll be the best place. At least there’s power.”
    â€œStill got the cardkey?” Kelly asks. I lift it up to show him. He nods.
    â€œReggie?” I spot him standing over to one side, talking with Ash. “Can you get Micah? Kelly, keep an eye on Stephen. Ashley and Jake, help Tanya.” I grab the four backpacks and somehow manage to shoulder them, even with my sore wrist. It’s swollen and starting to bruise, but at least it doesn’t hurt as much anymore. “Let’s go.”
    We go slowly, cautiously, so it takes us nearly twenty minutes to get back up to the rooms where we’d been held. When we do, we stand outside the TSA security door for several minutes, watching and listening. The door is closed, just as we’d left it. It’s eerily quiet.
    Too quiet.
    Kelly snaps his fingers. “The gennie’s off.”
    â€œMight’ve run out of fuel,” Reggie suggests.
    Kelly shakes his head. There was plenty. “I think they might’ve turned it off so they could get inside here. No power, no power door locks.”
    â€œWait. All the doors?”
    Kelly nods. His eyes widen. We all know what this means. “ Mabel ,” he whispers.
    The silence inside now troubles me even more. I check the time on my Link. It’s now been almost six hours since we ran into the man and the woman downstairs and we escaped on the tram, more than enough time for them to free themselves and get up here.
    â€œCould be a trap,” Reggie suggests. “Why wouldn’t they restart the generator?”
    â€œMaybe Mabel got them.”
    Kelly shakes his head. “Or they could’ve come and gone already.”
    â€œAnd taken Mabel with them?”
    â€œWishful thinking. But there’s only one way to find out for sure.”
    â€œI’ll do it,” I tell them.
    â€œNo, Jess. I’ll—”
    â€œKelly, please. I’m already…”
    He purses his lips and shuts up.
    â€œAlready what?” Reggie asks.
    â€œNothing. Just watch my back. I’m just going to see if I can hear anything. Sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
    I get up and slip over to the security door and place my ear against it. I don’t hear a thing, but that doesn’t mean very much. The doors are thick. This one’s metal and plastic, unlike the wooden one we broke through inside.
    I close my eyes and concentrate. After a moment I think I can hear the faintest sound, a whisper. It could be Zombie Mabel pawing on her door inside the room I’d locked her in. It might just be the distant sound of the waves of the East River on the shore coming through the ground. Or it could be something else.
    Like my own heart trying to scratch its way out of my chest.
    â€œHey,” Kelly whispers, startling me as he kneels down.
    â€œI told you to stay put.”
    He frowns. “I checked the gennie. It’s got fuel, just as I thought. It was turned off.”
    â€œSo they were here.”
    â€œAnd left.”
    â€œEver the optimist.”
    He pulls me up by the arm. “The door should be unlocked, though. Like I said, it needs power to stay latched. Did you hear anything?”
    I shake my head.
    He places both hands on the handle and slowly begins to pull it open. There’s a puff of air. Carried on it is a thick, coppery smell, stinking of saltwater and rotting meat.
    â€œShit!” he says, gagging. Letting go of the door. It bumps closed.
    I hurl myself against it just as something heavy bangs against the other side.
    â€œDon’t just stand there! Help me!”
    Kelly pushes. The door shudders beneath Mabel’s weight as she throws herself against it.
    â€œReggie! Jake!” I scream.
    They come running over.
    â€œHold the door! Quick. Kelly, you need to go back and restart that generator. We need to lock this thing! Now!”
    Jake