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“Over there,” said Max, pointing to an inner corridor. Moving through the arched doorway, they turned left and heard the sound louder. As they made the corner, the men stopped, staring at the sight up ahead.
“Holy shit,” whispered Antoine. “Code? Do you read?”
“I read.”
“Get Dex, Lucy, Sniff, and the animal team to our location. ASAP.”
“The animal team? Brother, are you fucking drunk?”
“I wish I were,” said Antoine. “It seems the Shaws weren’t just experimenting on kids. They were experimenting on animals as well. We’ve got dozens of cages being held by cables above the water inside the old fort. Dogs, cats, goats, pigs. We’ve got it all.”
“Jesus, what have we found?” whispered the other man.
“I don’t know, but we have to get these animals out of here.”
“Roger that.”
“What do we do?” asked Max, turning to Trak and the others.
“If we lower them, they will be submerged in water,” said Trak. “We cannot fit all the cages on the kayaks. We’ll need to bring in rafts and secure them to the rafts, then get them to land, and load them on the trucks. It will take a while to get done.”
“Yeah, but it must be done,” said Antoine. “Those poor things are terrified. What was he doing?”
“Well, the cats, goats, and pigs might be afraid of drowning,” said Luc. “The dogs could swim, but maybe they were afraid of the alligators and snakes.”
“No,” said Trak, shaking his head. He pointed to a switch on a wall, and they followed his hand as he pointed, making his way up the wall, to the ceiling, and then back down. It was connected to a large-volt generator. “He was electrocuting them if they didn’t follow his command.”
“I’ll fucking kill him,” said Luc.
“We need to get the animals to safety, then let the feds know what we see. Take pictures. As many as you can,” said Trak.
“What do you think Cao knew about this? Do you think he cared?” asked Max. Trak shook his head.
“Doubtful. Animal or human. He doesn’t care as long as he gets his way.”
Almost two hours later, the animal team showed up, with everyone in tow. Lucy, Sniff, Dex, Marie, Parker, Claire, King, and Dani. After explaining what they found, the team had packed inflatable rafts that would allow them to place four cages at a time on them, tie them off, and get them to solid land.
The massive truck held the cages, allowing the animals to see daylight for the first time in perhaps weeks. Maybe months. Dani immediately began giving them fresh water and small amounts of food.
“Not too much, Dani. It might make them sick,” said Lucy. “Poor things. They’re terrified.”
They stood as the last cage was strapped into the truck, staring at the frightened animals that were already sensing that they were headed to a better place. The dogs were various sizes and breeds but appeared to all be purebred. Dobermans, Shepherds, Mastiffs, Terriers, and more. The cats were big and small, long-haired and short-haired. Every variety they no doubt stole.
“Will they be alright?” asked Luc.
“I think so, Uncle Luc,” said Lucy. “I think we got them just in time. I count seventeen dogs, fifteen cats, fifteen pigs, twelve goats, and there are two coyotes. I don’t know if they thought they were dogs or if they were collecting those as well.”
“Let us know how we can help, honey.” Lucy hugged her uncle, squeezing him extra hard.
“You already have.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“Cao is on his way,” said Code. “The feds were able to identify the car service that was arranged for him, and they have two agents inside the car. He thinks they’re here to protect him.”
“Is he alone?” asked Ghost.
“No. He has two men with him as well. Out of uniform, of course.”
