Page 120 of Spooked

Kelli Haupt.

Emma McDonald.

Would the list ever end?

* * *

The moon was high in the sky when he came for me. Not Cass himself, but another guard, a younger one than the phone-obsessed ogre in the barn. This guy was big too, not fat, but muscular. I considered trying to run, to escape into the surrounding forest, but he’d handcuffed me again, and he kept a firm grip on my arm as he forced me in front of him along the dimly lit path to the house.

I might not have been able to run, but I could talk. Did he speak any English?

“How can you work for this man? Do you know what he’s going to do to me?”

No response.

“He’s going to rape me. He’s a monster, and if you stand by and let it happen, that makes you a monster too. Do you have a wife? A sister? A daughter?”

Probably not. He didn’t answer, and what kind of man would do this to a woman? A freaking psycho. I tried a different tack.

“How much is he paying you? I’ll pay you double if you walk me to the gate instead of the house. If you had even a fragment of a conscience, you’d let me go.”

That got a dry laugh. So he did understand; he simply didn’t care.

“Don’t you have a mind of your own? Or do you just blindly follow orders?” Seeing as he was still pushing me along, I had to assume his answers were “no” and “yes” respectively. “What about a god? Aren’t you worried how you’ll be judged after you die?”

This time, I got a grunt and a miracle.

His grip released.

A second later, the handcuffs clicked as they were removed.

Holy hell—a reminder of his religion, that was what had finally gotten through to him? He still didn’t speak, and I almost didn’t dare to turn around. What if he changed his mind? Should I run? Which way was the gate? And what about Meera?

“Th-th-thank you.”

“Despite what people might say, I’m not a monster.”

Wait… That was a woman’s voice.

I turned to find Jerry standing there with a syringe in her hand. At least, I was almost certain it was Jerry. The voice was familiar, but her face was covered by a ski mask and she was wearing goggles over her eyes. She poked at the lifeless form of the guard with a booted foot.

“Team from Jez.” Her voice was quiet and oh-so calm. “I’ve taken out a guy between the barn and the house. Indi’s with me, over.”

“Is he dead?” I asked.

I’d seen plenty of bodies before, inside and out, but I’d never seen anyone die outside of a hospital setting. Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

“Just sleeping. Were you serious about the rape?”

“The girl in the next cell says Cass—he’s the boss—likes to sample the merchandise. She fought back, and he injured her leg.”

“How many girls are left in the barn? We’re estimating seven.”

“Eight, I think. Plus one guard, sometimes two. The guard in there at the moment spends most of the time watching videos on his phone. Can you get the girls out? Please say you can get them out.”

“I need to move this asshole.”

Jerry took the guy by his armpits and began dragging him toward the trees. I grabbed the feet and helped. He weighed a ton.

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