Cassie planted her foot on the next step and braced her arm against the wall. Alice’s dead weight threatened to send them both tumbling down the steep concrete stairs. If Cassie didn’t die on the way down, she’d be critically injured with nothing to do but wait for Novak to wake from his slumber.
The feeling that it was a mistake leaving him alive nagged at her. Every step she took she heard the voices telling her to finish the man. But it wasn’t her place to decide his fate. She would be as bad as him if she took his life.
Cassie butted her thigh and knee against the back of Alice’s leg and drove the woman up and forward. “Come on, Alice. Five more just like that.”
Freedom existed beyond the splintered door at the top of the stairs. She had to believe it did or she wouldn’t have the strength to move them any further.
Two more steps took close to two minutes of work. She wondered if she’d have the strength to make it to a road once they escaped the place. Out there, she could conceal Alice. At least she hoped so.
The wonder over what came next ate at her until she finally sat Alice down on a step, resting her head and torso against the wall and crossing her legs in a way to help prevent her from falling. Cassie climbed to the top and rested there with her ear against the door. She watched the bar of light that seeped from underneath. A minute passed. Then another. Was she frozen with fear, or being extra cautious? She could no longer tell the difference between the two feelings.
Alice moaned as she lifted her hand to her head. Cassie stepped down to her.
“It’s okay. We’re getting out of here. I need you to find every ounce of fight you have in you for the next step. You got it?”
Alice nodded, said, “Yeah, I can do this.”
A good sign. The most Cassie had gotten out of the woman yet.
Emboldened by Alice’s newfound strength, Cassie rediscovered her own. She marched up the steps and grabbed the door handle. It felt like ice on her hot skin. She twisted the knob and cracked the door. Daylight poured in through a dirty window. She shielded her eyes, allowing them to adjust. How long had it been since she’d seen sunlight? Days? Weeks? She had no idea if her sleep had lasted minutes or hours.
Cassie returned to help Alice the rest of the way up the stairs. The younger woman managed to climb them on all fours with Cassie’s help. She plastered both hands on Alice’s rear end and pushed. At the top, Alice managed to stand on her own. They emerged from the cellar into a dusty kitchen. Cobwebs hovered in the corners. The sink was piled high with pans. Dirty dishes lined the counters. She scanned the room and found two points of egress.
“Come with me.” She grabbed Alice’s hand and led her toward the hallway with more light. Turning a corner, a wide door with a large stained-glass window appeared. They were almost free.
A figure blocked out the vibrant reds and yellows and blues, turning them dull.
Cassie froze in place as the knob turned. Instincts took over. She spun on her heel and located a hall closet. With her hand on Alice’s back, she shoved the girl toward the closet.
“Get in and don’t come out no matter what you hear.”
The front door creaked open.
Cassie felt a puff of wind as Alice pulled the closet door closed.
A breeze whipped down the hallway.
She spun around. Her knees went weak when she saw him. For a moment, she thought she was safe. But that illusion faded quickly.
“Hello, Detective.”
Pennington’s smile spread as he raised his pistol and aimed it at her.
“Hello, my dear Cassie.”