[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Typical Phoenix.Everything pristine, even in a place nobody was supposed to see.Calvin found the key and unbolted the entrance.‘In you go,’ he said.‘What are you doing to us?’ I said.Calvin reached for his gun again.‘In.’‘You can’t shoot us,’ said Luke shakily, walking through the door.‘Mr Shackleton said –’‘The situation has changed quite a bit since then, don’t you think?’The inside of the building was just the way I remembered it.An empty shell.Everything that wasn’t cemented down cleared out right after the last of us moved here.Calvin circled a dusty marble counter, crossing to a door labelled STAFF ONLY.He pushed it open, bringing us into what I guessed had been the employees’ staffroom.Small, windowless, and just as empty as the rest of the building.No Peter.‘Sit,’ said Calvin, closing the door behind us.We sat down against the wall.Calvin put his weapon back into its holster and stood over us, arms folded in front of him.‘A few of my security staff have developed an unfortunate curiosity about you,’ he said.‘I decided it would be more prudent have this discussion out here.’I had a feeling the discussion was going to be a short one.Calvin isn’t what you’d call a master conversationalist.‘Mr Shackleton,’ Calvin continued, ‘is very interested to know the whereabouts of your friend, Peter.’What?A weird smile crossed his face.Like maybe he knew more than he was letting on.Or maybe he was just thinking about hurting us.‘What are you talking about?’ said Luke.‘Why would we know –?’‘It’d be a terrible shame if the two of you decided to be uncooperative in this matter,’ said Calvin in voice that sounded like he didn’t think it would be terrible at all.‘It would be all the excuse I needed to finish what should’ve been done two weeks ago.’Calvin’s hand crept down towards his gun again, and a terrible thought crossed my mind.What if he’d been the one who’d taken Peter? What if he’d done it without Shackleton’s knowledge?We’d seen Calvin walking up to the medical centre yesterday afternoon.If anyone had the resources to sneak Peter out undetected, it was him.He’d made no secret about wanting us dead.Maybe this was his chance.‘So,’ said Calvin.‘Where is he?’‘We don’t know!’ said Luke.‘How would we?’‘Jordan? Any thoughts?’I froze, itchy with sweat, forcing myself to keep looking straight at him.‘Nothing?’ said Calvin.He pulled out his gun and aimed it at Luke’s head.‘How about now?’‘No!’ said Luke, cowering.‘No … please …’‘Put it down!’ I said, shifting forward.Calvin swung the gun across to me.‘I really don’t think that’s –’He broke off.In the silence, I heard a gentle buzzing.Calvin’s phone.He switched his gun to his left hand and reached down to fish it out of his pocket.‘Yes sir, what is it? … Yes, I’m out there already … Thank you, sir … Yes, I’ll question them now … Of course, sir.I’ll let you know.’ Calvin returned the phone to his pocket, looking frustrated.Shackleton’s seen that we’re out here, I realised.‘Why are you even bothering with all of this?’ Luke asked.‘Why can’t Shackleton just find Peter with his computer?’Calvin’s smile looked like it was about to return.‘Yes,’ he said.‘Why indeed?’He switched the gun back into his right hand.Luke flinched at the movement.Calvin crouched down, bringing himself level with us.‘Last chance,’ he said, the barrel of his gun drifting lazily back and forth between Luke and me.‘Where is he?’I felt myself starting to shake, almost crying again.Not fear, though.It was bigger than fear.Bigger than me getting shot.After all my visions, everything that had happened …It couldn’t end like this.It couldn’t.This wasn’t what I was here for.Calvin began to straighten up, pointing his gun at Luke’s shoe.‘Maybe just the toes to begin with,’ he said.‘Something to –’No.I threw myself at Calvin before he could stand all the way up again.He swore, staggering, gun slipping from his hand.He caught it again, but at least now his finger was off the trigger.Both of us still off-balance.I found the ground first and threw up my knee, catching him between the legs.He cried out, and we both went down.I had one hand clawing at his face and the other frantically trying to pin his wrist to the floor.Calvin’s head smacked into the carpet and my thumb slipped into his mouth.He bit down hard, and I screamed, hand shaking, thumbnail digging into the roof of his mouth, and then –Calvin stopped struggling.His hands dropped to his sides and he relaxed his jaw, letting my hand free.I tensed, waiting for him to spring up again.His fingers loosened around the gun and I snatched it up, throwing it away across the floor.‘Luke, quick!’ I said.‘Get his legs.Make sure –’I jumped as Calvin made a noise under me.A shallow, gasping breath.I glanced down at his face.He was crying.Sobbing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]