The Facility
Chapter 24

Cass looked around, hoping to see one of her friends, close by. The thought of having to figure out how to make it several hundred more miles on her own was a little daunting.

She knew they had driven through South Carolina and now were in Georgia, somewhere outside of Atlanta. Although she lived in Georgia most of her life, she did not know the state well. What typical twelve-year-old did? She knew her geography well enough, but that consisted mostly of states and their capitols or other countries. No one expected her to know all the cities in her home state.

She knew enough to know that she had to head towards Augusta, and then south towards Millen. She lived almost directly south of Millen. Her house was along the river, northwest of Scarboro about two miles.

Cass wasn’t sure how far she had to go, but she guessed it had to be around two hundred miles or so.

Too far for her alone.

She had gone maybe ten feet, just past the side of the restaurant, when she heard a voice in her head calling her name.

“Cassidy,” she heard, and stopped. Harley stopped with her and looked up at her, cocking his head and letting out a little whine that she interpreted as him asking what was going on.

She put a hand on his head and looked around. It was Rudi she heard, she knew, but it sounded different, strained.

“Rudi?” she projected back. “Are you okay? Where are you?”

“Not sure, but close if you can hear me,” he replied. “There are plants all around and it smells like flowers. I am inside a building and it is hot.”

“What about the others?” Cass asked.

“Lyle is here, and I am not sure but I think Gemma and Maggie are here also, but Gemma is not answering me. I have not seen them, but I am pretty sure the others are here, even if they do not answer.

“Men from the lab are here also. Hugo…”

“I will replace you. Try to keep me update with whatever you can, and I will do my best to replace you as soon as I can Rudi,” Cass told him.

“Okay,” Rudi replied.

“It’s up to us now Harley. We have to replace everyone and rescue them,” Cass said rubbing the dog’s head.

He snorted in reply, as if saying it was not the first time.

Cass was not sure where to go, or what to do. It was after midnight; traffic was light and people even lighter. She picked a random direction and started walking.

With no real destination in mind, the two of them walked down the street between the illumination of the streetlights and the darkness between them.

Cass thought about how that reflected her life as of late. The bright spots of light: happiness, friendship, and her mom. The dark spots: losing her mom, being held captive and now being hunted.

A bright light in the distance brought her out of her silent contemplation. It was still far enough away that she could not make out the car, but because of the bright spotlight, she knew it had to be a police car.

It was shining its light on random closed businesses along the street as if it were looking for something – or someone.

Cass ducked into an alley between two businesses, looking for someplace to get out of the open. Going all the way through and out the back might look suspicious as well, so she opted to stay in the alley next to a dumpster.

She tried holding her breath after her first breath wanted to make her gag, the smell was so bad. Harley, next to her, looked at her not knowing why she was not enjoying it.

She could have sworn that he was smiling at her. Cass stuck her tongue out at him and immediately regretted it, now not only smelling the dumpster, but getting a taste as well.

She tried to get a look down the alley, but the dumpster was too big and she did not want to move, knowing the police car would be close. As if she had timed it, a bright light lit up the alleyway and she pressed herself back against the wall.

The light swept past and then was gone, leaving Cass blind except for an after image of the alley, seemingly burned into her eyes.

The pile of cardboard next to her moved and she almost let out a squeal before suppressing it. Harley was not growling and instead had his head up, sniffing a shape emerged from the pile and a voice said, “The light is more to scare off thieves. Unless they are looking for a child. A runway perhaps?”

Cass’s vision had mostly returned to normal and she could make out long, unkempt hair and a body covered by a ratty jacket. “I am not a runaway,” she said defensively.

“Nor do you seem to be frightened by me. You are not one of the street kids, your dog is too healthy.”

“Should I be frightened of you?” she asked, and the man laughed. The laughter changed quickly to a cough which lasted far longer than Cass thought was healthy.

He shook his head after and said, “No, not of me.” Something squirmed under the man’s jacket, whimpering quietly. A small head pushed its way up and out of the man’s jacket. It was a very small dog with shaggy hair.

Cass was not sure what kind it was, but it reminded her of those purse sized dogs that celebrities own. It let out a small bark, probably in greeting or as a challenge to Harley, who started to belly crawl towards the two.

“He will not attack, will he?” the man asked.

Cass did not think so, but she had not known him for long, so she could not honestly answer the question. Instead of answering she said, “Harley, behave yourself.”

The dog stopped for a moment to look back at her before continuing towards the man and his dog. When he reached the man, he let out a woof and laid with his snout on his paws.

The little dog squirmed in the man’s coat before wiggling out and jumped down, landing next to Harley. The tiny dog let out an equally tiny yip, getting closer to the much bigger dog.

Harley simply looked at the smaller dog, and then chuffed.

The little dog did not back away. Instead, it got closer.

Cass watched both dogs, wondering which would be the first to act up.

The little dog got closer and the man said, “Don’t you go getting eaten, Pocket.”

The dogs came nose to nose and without looking away from the dogs, Cass said, “Pocket? Really?”

The man chuckled and replied, “I thought it fit. He will fit in my pocket and he likes it there.”

For the first time in what seemed like a thousand years, Cassidy laughed. She laughed so hard her belly ached, but soon the laughing turned to sobs.

The man and the two dogs let her cry herself out and when she finally looked up, they were all looking at her.

“What?” she said defensively.

“I might be homeless young lady, but I am not heartless. If you did run away, trust me when I say whatever it is, it is not that bad. And if it is, do not go home, but at least tell someone who will stick up for you. Like the police.”

Cass snorted a laugh. “If it were only that easy. And no, I am not a runaway. At least not in the way you mean.”

Cassidy thought that while this man was homeless, he was not a bad man. After all, he had his dog, who looked happy and healthy enough. The little dog’s tail wagged so much his whole back end swayed.

She was not about to tell the man everything, but she did need help. “Some men, working for, or with the government, killed my mom and kidnapped me and some other kids. Three of us escaped and they are chasing us. After the shooting at the mall yesterday – that was their doing by the way – I think they captured the other two kids, and possibly the other two adults who were helping us. I have got to hind them, but I cannot go to the police. They will just turn me over to the bad guys.”

“Humm, that leaves you in quite a pickle doesn’t it? So what are you going to do then?”

Cassidy sighed. “I do not know. All I know is that my friends are somewhere close where there are a lot of plants and flowers.”

“Well that one is easy then. The botanical garden is close by. That is probably where they are. It is like four blocks away.”

“Really?” Cass asked.

The man nodded. “I can show you if you want.”

Cass shook her head. “These men do not care who they hurt. They are unpredictable and I do not want you to get hurt. Pocket would not want that either,” she told him while looking down at the little dog who had some of Harley’s fur in his mouth, tugging on it, growling.

Harley used his nose and nudged Pocket, causing the little dog to butt his head into Harley before tugging again. Finally he let go and jumped up, climbing on top of Harley, and laying down on top of the bigger dog.

Cass looked back up at the man and said, “I appreciate the offer to help, but I can take care of myself even though it might not look like it. Just point me in the right direction.”

The man told her how to get to the botanical gardens and she thanked him. Before she left she gave him the little bit of money she had not spent at the burger joint and told Harley to say goodbye to his new friend.

The little dog whined and left back into the man’s lap after Harley gave him a lick and then walked back to Cass’s side.

“I wish you well young lady,” the man said as she walked back down the alley to the street.