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“Split up?” Foster suggested.
“Dugger and I will go this way,” Parker said, grabbing Keene’s arm and jerking him to the left.
Foster and I went right. I checked the first door; it led into a dingy supply closet. Foster checked the next; something full of computers and motherboard systems.
The third was locked. So I knocked on it.
Next to me, Foster leaned close to the wood. “Dr. Zweifel? Are you in there?” he called.
There was a pause, making me think no one was inside, and then a muffled voice answered, “I…I’m busy right now, sorry.”
Foster and I blinked at each other in shock.
Then Foster leaned close again. “I was just wondering if I could sign up as one of your test subjects.”
“Oh, sure, sure. But I’ll need you to come back later. I’m in the middle of an experiment right now.”
“But this is really important, Professor. I—”
“I said come backlater!” the voice snapped impatiently.
I shook my head and met Foster’s worried gaze. “Fuck this.” And I rammed my shoulder into the door with all my might.
I probably dislocated it in the process. But I didn’t much care.
“Hey, hey!” the professor’s frantic voice shouted from within. “What are you doing? Stop that.”
I was fixin’ to rush the door again when Foster grabbed my good arm. “No, wait,” he said, examining the frame. “I reckon we can kick it in if we go together. On three.”
I nodded, and he did the countdown.
At three, we roared as one and karate kicked the door in.
When the frame splintered under the pressure, we went tumbling inside, piling through the entrance and onto a heap on the floor.
“Oh dear,” I heard the professor say just before I jerked my head up.
And there, across the room, was Oaklynn, stripped down to her bra and panties with thick Velcro strapped across her chest and legs to trap her to what looked like an ancient operating table. Her head was flailing, her face was bright red, and her eyes were wide with terror as tears streamed down her cheeks. Muffled protests shrieked through the gag around her mouth as her gaze met mine. But worst of all was the line of blood forming down the center of her chest as if someone had sliced into her flesh along her sternum.
My attention shot to the man still clutching a bloody surgical scalpel in his hand.
“You’re dead,” I snarled.
He shook his head and started to back away as if he thought he might actually escape me. But I charged with a furious roar.
As I struck, shoving him back with both hands, he lashed out, jabbing at me with his blade. I was too incensed to feel any actual pain, but I’m pretty sure he caught me in the gut. All I experienced was white-hot fury that boiled in my abdomen as we tumbled to the ground.
Landing on top, I watched the back of his head crack against the concrete floor, and I started to swing almost immediately, smashing my fist into his jaw once, twice…I lost track of the amount of times I hit him.
I knew he jabbed at me again, sticking me with his knife in the hopes of fending me off. But I was so hyped up on emotion, it only registered vaguely as an irritating nuisance.
This guy had killed my sister. He’d mutilated her, cutting her in places that no one should ever be cut, invaded her body, taken away all her beautiful plans for a full, long life, and from the looks of it, he’d been intent on doing the same thing to Oaklynn.
I could tell the moment that he passed out; his head lobbed to the side and his arms slumped limply to the floor as he stopped resisting.
But I punched him again, once for every nightmare I’d had after watching my sister die, once for every tear I’d wept, missing her and wishing she’d come back, once for every new tenant I had watched flee in terror because Thalia had been taken from this earth so horrendously that her spirit had never found peace.
He’dcaused all of that. He’d taken more from me than anyone else ever had. And the fact that he’d dared to take Oaklynn too was the final nail in his coffin.
