Chapter Thirty-Nine

The roots of the tree cried in protest with each strike. The wolves swiped and dug their claws, rendering the seasoned tree into worthless bits. After minutes, the tree teetered, wanting to tip over to one side. Richard wrapped his arms and legs around the trunk, desperate not to fall. He couldn’t hold on and hope for the best. The pillar was going timber any second. Fighting the inevitable, he crawled up higher, and that’s when he spotted the duct opening in the ceiling.

He was only a few feet underneath it.

Thank God.

Four screws prevented him from climbing into the ceiling and escaping. The majority of the ceiling was a movie screen projecting moonlight and dark sky. The grate was invisible from the wolves’ vantage point.

Don’t look down.

He used his fingers to unscrew the top left-hand screw. Lucky for him, they were loose. It came undone effortlessly, as did the next two, but the last one was painted over and stuck.

Shit.

Don’t look down!

He caught sight of three wolves jumping onto the tree and crawling up. Thirty seconds, if not less, he had remaining before he’d be mauled. The tree was jolted again, the concussion carrying up to him and resonating into his unsteady hands.

Five more wolves hopped on.

Richard gave up removing the final screw, trying to tear the gate back like the lid of a tin can. He bent the metal back, creating an opening large enough for him to crawl inside. The wolves were biting, clacking and snapping their maws to reach him, so dangerously close. Wiggling into the opening, he battled to force the metal back into place and create another barrier between them, but it wouldn’t move.

He struggled deeper into the shaft and prayed they didn’t come after him.

But they didn’t arrive.

The noises of attack ceased.

He waited.

Silence.

They were playing games with him.

Five minutes passed, and then he heard the pack race in the opposite direction. He maneuvered so he could peek through the opening. He caught them skulking toward the arena entrance. They waited at the gate, stirred by and fixated on something. He couldn’t tell what, but they were eager.

He couldn’t wait to find out why they hovered at the exit. It wasn’t feeding time yet, so why the interest?

Forget it. You have to locate a way off this island and quick.

He navigated his way down the duct system, crawling for ten minutes, scuffing up his elbows and knees in the process. Forcing himself to keep on moving, his body suddenly dipped downward, nothing beneath him but empty air. He lost control of himself, tipping forward and free falling. Plunging into the darkness, he crashed through a barrier as solid as wood, careening into a new section of the facility. When he recovered from the rough touchdown, he lay in a dark corridor.

Richard wasn’t alone.