Page 67 of Chaos & Carnage

“No!” Now I could hear Stuart, but I’d never heard him sound like that ever. “No! Please. No! Not my hand. I need it. Please!” He shrieked, the noise rattling the animals in their cages.

From behind me, a dog barked.

“Is there anyone else here?” Someone closer to me asked, fear grabbing at my heart.

I needed to get out of here. Or ring the police.

“N…no. J…Just me. Was just a dog in the hospital wing.”

“Good. Grab his arm.”

“No!”

There was a commotion, the sudden movement of feet. Stuart screamed and garbled. Gibbering and begging. Bile rose in my throat. I wanted to scream, too. But I needed to get out of here. I staggered backwards, the heel of my shoe crashing into a cage behind me. A cat hissed; the dog barked again. Shit.

“There’s fucking someone here.”

“Go check it the fuck out, then.”

I pushed the door closed, scrabbling backwards, wheeling around, looking for somewhere to hide. The other door. The one that led me to reception. If I could make it out that way, I could slip through reception and then out into the street. I should call the police. Yanking at my phone, I pulled it from the breast pocket of my white overcoat.

He’d called again, his name on my display where I had ignored him. I pushed on the button, cradling the handset to my ear as I crept through to the other side of the room, carefully peeling the door open and slipping through it.

No answer.

I rang again, sliding quickly along the corridor, my back to the wall, my head reeling left and right.

No answer.

The door at the end of the corridor was just within reach. Edging it open, I peeked through the gap. The reception was dark, the only light filtering in from the lamp out in the street. I heard footsteps behind me. And footsteps to my right, they were coming from every side. Launching myself sideways, I dived towards the reception desk, scuttling around, almost on all fours. My fingers flew over the screen.

‘Cade. There’s someone here.’

‘Where are you, Al?’He typed back.

‘Vets. They came in with Stuart. They’re arguing. I’m frightened.’

‘Ok, Al. I’ll be right with you.’

Stuart screamed suddenly. A loud, long, blood-curdling scream.

‘Hurry. Please. Stuart’s screaming. OMG.’

‘Alice. I want you to hide. Do not come out till I tell you to. Understand?’

‘Yes.’

I tucked myself under the desk, sliding the chair in to cover the gap. The wheels squeaked loudly on the old floor, like nails down a blackboard but amplified by ten. Shit.

Chapter Twenty Five

I rushed for the stairs, the thunder of Caleb’s feet right behind me.

“Where the fuck are you two going?” Indie shouted, a few paces back.

I stopped at the top, turning to look at him.

“It’s Alice. Something going down at the vets. She’s trapped.”