Part 20 (1/2)

”Yes. I think it might be-”

A sound to her right interrupted her. It was a scream...a high-pitched scream that was greatly m.u.f.fled. She couldn't be absolutely sure, but she thought it had come from the direction of the bas.e.m.e.nt steps.

”You still there?” Ramirez asked.

”Yeah. I think I just heard a scream from inside. Get over here as quick as you can. Maybe bring some backup.”

”I'm on it. Please be safe.”

”You know me,” she said, and killed the call.

She drew her sidearm and slowly started for the bas.e.m.e.nt stairs.

That's when she heard the noise again, louder this time and more panicked.

Avery's slow stride turned into a run as she reached the bas.e.m.e.nt stairs and headed own toward the bas.e.m.e.nt doors where the screaming continued, growing more urgent with every second.

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.

The bas.e.m.e.nt door was locked, which was not much of a surprise. Avery didn't even bother throwing a shoulder into it or trying to kick it in; if she failed, she'd be alerting the killer to her presence and she knew that the element of surprise might be the only advantage she had here. She hurried back up the concrete steps and into the backyard. She then made her way to the back porch, making sure to step carefully but quickly.

That door was also locked but a square of paned gla.s.s sat along the top of it so those inside could look out into the backyard. Avery drew her arm back, made a V-shape out of her elbow, and shoved it hard into the gla.s.s. The shattering gla.s.s and subsequent tinkling as shards fell to the floor inside wasn't too loud; hopefully they had gone unheard by anyone in the bas.e.m.e.nt.

Avery reached her hand carefully into the broken window. She had to get up on her tiptoes to get hand low enough inside to find the doork.n.o.b. Her fingers found it and she turned the lock counterclockwise, careful not to cut herself on the fragments of gla.s.s that remained in the pane. With the door unlocked, she opened it and stepped inside and withdrew her sidearm, a Glock 0.9mm that was starting to feel like an extension of herself.

She found herself inside a small kitchen. A few dirty dishes were in the sink and the small kitchen table was littered with mail and random papers. Avery ignored this, moving further into the house. As she stepped out of the kitchen and into the adjoining living room, she heard another scream to her right, unmistakably below her.

Off of the living room, there was a small hallway that made up the rest of the house. She checked each room as she pa.s.sed, as the doors were all standing open. There were two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a linen closet. That left one door remaining at the far end of the hall. This door was closed. As she approached it, she heard m.u.f.fled whimpers from behind it, faint and almost non-existent.

If this door was locked, she'd have to try breaking it down. She may even need to blow the k.n.o.b and lock off with her Glock, giving herself away if there was someone down below. She reached out and turned the k.n.o.b. She relaxed instantly when it turned under her hand.

She pushed the door open and a set of wooden stairs was revealed. She took the first step down, testing the strength of it to see of it would creak under her weight. Confident that it was st.u.r.dy and would not give her away, she took a second stair down.

Beneath her, another of those whimpering noises sounded out. This time, Avery was able to hear another voice with it. It was a male voice, but soft and somber.

”The pain is momentary, I think,” he was saying. ”It will be much better if you just accept it. It will be over before you know it.”

”Why?” the woman asked, her voice nothing more than a tremor.

”I don't think you'd understand,” the man said.

This was followed by the sound of a loud clunking noise that was almost hydraulic in nature. The woman cried out loudly in a brief yelp.

Avery took two more steps down-there were ten more to go. She saw that near the bottom, there was open s.p.a.ce between each stair, revealing the bas.e.m.e.nt area below. If the killer saw her feet before she could gauge the situation, she could lose her advantage.

She took a deep breath and bounded down the stairs as quickly as she could. As she did, the woman let out a scream and there were the sounds of a struggle. The woman was crying out now, letting out loud wails of horror.

Avery reached the bottom of the stairs and when her feet hit the concrete, everything seemed to happen in a sped-up sort frenzy, like someone had pressed a fast-forward b.u.t.ton.

Avery took a single moment to take in the scene. The sheer absurdity of it made her hesitate for just a moment.

The man had heard her and wheeled around to face her. They were in a small bas.e.m.e.nt area occupied with only a small work desk along the right side of the room. But behind the man she saw a strange-looking door that almost resembled a heavy-duty door to an industrial icebox or cooler. A woman was inside of it, having been knocked down and getting to her feet. All around her, flames were licking upward and growing with unreal quickness.

Avery trained her gun on the man and took three huge strides forward. She took a good look at the man's face. She recalled the picture Agent Lewis had showed on the Skype call.

I'm right, this is Roosevelt Toms, she thought. Toms has been living under the alias of Jason Inge.

”Don't move,” Avery said. ”Drop to the ground and-”

Toms didn't let her finish before he wheeled around and slammed the industrial-type door shut. It made that same hydraulic-like sound Avery had heard. Inside, the woman screamed but the sound was cut off as the door was slammed closed. Toms then grabbed a large plank and worked quickly to work it through a set of handles that would barricade the door if the person inside did manage to escape.

Avery rushed forward and shoved Toms hard against the wall. He collided hard, the back of his head striking the concrete wall, and let out a cry as he sank to the floor. The plank he had tried to use to barricade the door clattered to the floor. Avery wasted no time, placing her hands on the U-shaped handle of the heavy door. With a grunt, she pulled it open.

An intense wave of heat rushed out at her. She took a step back away from it and as she did, the woman inside came barreling out. She was screaming and flailing wildly with a trail of flame behind her. Avery could smell burning clothes and hair.

The woman ran directly into Avery and they both went to the floor in a heap of arms and legs. Avery's right arm twisted beneath her and hit the floor hard, sending her gun sliding across the floor and a bolt of electric pain up toward her shoulder.

She rolled away from the burning woman, feeling the flames now licking at the leg of her pants. With a hard shove that was probably a little too forceful, Avery sent the woman careening hard to the right. She was still screaming, rolling around and trying to put the flames out. Avery, meanwhile, scrambled for her gun while keeping her eyes on Roosevelt Toms.

He was getting to his feet and taking in the sight before him. Beside him, the flames inside his torturous little room continued to grow. They were burning furiously, flas.h.i.+ng out of the door on occasion. The roaring noise the fire made as it grew and consumed whatever fuel he had in the room was monstrous.

Avery grabbed her gun and looked around the room for something that might help put out the flames that were still scorching the woman on the floor. She wondered then if this was Sophia Lesbrook who was burning-who was even now giving off the smell of charred flesh.

There's nothing here, Avery thought. Nothing to put these flames out.

Sophia continued to scream and roll, now in a spastic sort of way that reminded Avery of a broken remote-controlled toy. Thinking as quickly as she could, Avery tore off the b.u.t.ton-down s.h.i.+rt she was wearing, revealing the thin tank top beneath. The b.u.t.tons flew in all directions but the plinking noises they made as they hit the floor were drowned out by the roaring of the fire from inside the small room.

She went to Sophia Lesbrook and threw the s.h.i.+rt on her, trying her best to flatten it against the flames. She did this several times, almost in a fanning motion. It seemed to bring the flames down a bit but Avery felt her own hands burning as she fought the fire that was slowly dying out on Sophia's bare arms and her right leg.

She also continued to keep a check on Toms. He was on his feet now but clearly dazed from the whack he'd taken to the head.

”Don't you dare move,” Avery yelled at him. ”Stay where you are.”

He blinked rapidly, trying to clear the cobwebs from his head. As she watched him, her right arm grew hot and she realized that the one remaining flame on Sophia had licked upward and burned her arm. She drew back with a hiss and when she did, Roosevelt Toms came rus.h.i.+ng at her.

Avery drew her Glock up and fired a shot just as Toms threw his shoulder into her ribs. Toms roared out in pain and Avery was able to shove him off of her before finding herself on the floor again. She stalked over to him and saw that her shot had taken him high in the right shoulder. He was on the floor, trying to get up without using his right arm.

Avery kicked him in the ribs and then pushed him over with her foot. When he was on his back and facing her, she saw that he held something in his hands. She saw it a split second too late, though.

It was a yellow tin can of something. Before she could figure out what it was, he was spraying something into her face. The smell as it hit her face was intense and thick.

Lighter fluid...