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“Maybe the other way in is supposed to be a trap. That could be why the bird warned you,” Grayson mused.
Phineas knelt down with her. “Press on them. Like in the movies. Maybe there’s a hidden compartment.”
They methodologically took turns pressing on tiles. Grayson was about to give up when the one under Phineas’ tiny hands clicked and an edge popped up slightly. “Can you pry it up with your fingers?”
Phineas did as he was instructed. The tile swung up to reveal a control panel similar to the one in the other vestibule.
“Okay, Cass. Which one takes us down?”
“Make sure you’re all far enough away from the walls before I press this.” Cass looked up at them. Grayson edged in from the door behind him. Cass seemed satisfied, pressing the round red button in the center. With a loud thud, gears were set into motion, lowering the floor. After a few minutes, the platform ground to a halt.
“The other one has the controls on the wall to open the door,” Cass said as she slid her hand along the wall next to her, searching for another hidden panel. One flipped open, and she pressed the only button inside. The walls behind them whooshed open.
Grayson stepped onto the damp concrete. Dim lights recessed in the walls lit the way. Thudding sounded in the distance. It didn’t sound mechanical. The rhythm was organic, like someone pounding.
“Look…” Cass pointed. “There’s a series of doors up ahead.”
“Did the other side look like this?” Grayson asked, keeping his eyes ahead for any possible threats, his senses alert.
“No. There was only the door that led to the forest room.” She looked around, inspecting the new surroundings.
The banging grew louder as they neared the doors. Grayson peered inside the tiny window at the top of the nearest door. A giant ostrich with a human head peered back. Grayson’s heart hammered in his chest at the image. Was Sandy trying to get her test subjects stuck in various moments of the shift cycle?
“Please tell me you called for backup while you were outside?” Cass asked, peering over his shoulder into the cell. Her voice was barely a whisper, as if her air had been sucked out. She looked back to Grayson with wide eyes.
The captive inside the room opened his mouth. Instead of words, a shrill chirp came out. It would have been comical if it wasn’t so horrifying.
“Yes.” It took Grayson a moment to find his voice. It had nearly dried up in his throat thinking about the horrors Sandy inflicted upon her victims. “Cass, you and Phineas work on freeing these shifters and get as many of them as you can up in the elevator. Instruct them to wait in the parking lot until FUC and ASS arrive.”
“How do we know if they can understand us?” Cass looked back to the mutated person in the locked room, her brow wrinkled in concern.
“Turn into a bird and cluck at them until they do what you need them to. Just get them out of here.”
Despite the circumstance, Cass rolled her eyes. “I don’t cluck.”
“Whatever. Just get them to safety.”
Before Grayson disappeared around the corner, Cass called after him. “Be careful. I don’t want to see your hound head on a bird body!”
* * *
Cass took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Seeing the unnatural mutations was always the hardest part of her job. It was stepping into a horror flick.
She turned to Phineas, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulders and looked into his brilliant blue eyes. “I’m going to release as many people from these cells as I can. I need you to lead them to the elevator and use the controls to send them up to the surface. Some of them might be difficult to look at and may have trouble understanding us. Please be patient with them.”
Phineas stood on his tiptoes, trying to see in the door. Being unable to reach the window, he asked, “Is it that bad?”
“This one is. He can’t talk, so I’m not sure if he can understand us.”
He bit his lip. “I don’t think they’ll have a hard time understanding we’re here to rescue them.” Phineas didn’t look or sound convinced of his own words. He shuffled on his feet.
“What do you shift into?”
“A mouse,” Phineas squeaked. He put his shaking hands in his pockets.
“If you think one of them might hurt you, turn into a mouse and run. Are you still sure you want to help? There’s no shame in waiting back at the car.” The poor kid seemed to have been through a lot. Cass would hate for this to traumatize him further.
Phineas narrowed his eyes. “I want to help. I’m just a little scared.”
