The Broken

what I was doing."

  Link felt a sudden lurch as the elevator slowed on the eighth floor. Everywhere he looked, he saw the irritated stares of his companions. Thanks to the mirrors, there were thousands of them. He found himself suddenly grateful he had never been yelled at by his dad in one of these. Talk about scary. One angry father was bad enough. Link shuddered to think what a thousand of them must be like.

  "So it didn't work," Link said. "No harm done."

  The doors slid open to reveal a small pathway that led to some sort of check-in station. The woman behind the desk looked up with a slight look of disdain. "Wow," Link said. He turned away from the floor to face the others. "Considering how many stations this place has to help you, you'd think they'd be more helpful."

  He forced a chuckle at what he knew was a lame joke. From the mirror, Link watched as the face of the red-haired receptionist slowly twisted into grotesque proportions. "Not good." Panicked, he spun around only to find everything looked completely normal.

  Roland seemed to sense Link's concern and turned to examine the reflection. "Close the doors, Tom," he said. "Now."

  "I'm trying," Tom said.

  Roland nearly ran Tom over in his frantic attempt to stab the button.

  "What's your problem?" Tom said, slowly backing into the corner.

  "Why won't these things close?" Roland pressed the button again and again. "Come on."

  Max calmly reached into his bag and removed his blade.

  Angry voices erupted outside the elevator as the doors started to shut. But everything appeared normal. One nurse smiled and chatted briefly to a passing orderly. A nurse sat behind a desk, typing something into a computer. It was only when Link looked back into the mirrors of the elevator that he saw it. The hallway's halogen lights flicked out one by one as a menacing shadow slithered toward the closing elevator doors.

  Link's heart raced. All he could do was wait; there was nowhere for them to go. Each second stretched painfully into the next as he watched the shadow grow larger. The doors began to shut, but they were taking forever. Link fingered the switch to his camera and debated whether or not he should turn it on. He heard an ungodly squeal. The shadow howled in fury and sped up, closing the gap at impossible speeds. The doors weren't going to close in time.

  Max stiffened and looked ready to charge, but Roland touched his arm and said, "No, father. This is my fight. We have a score to settle. Just save the kid and get them to safety."

  Roland raised a handful of Stenden Dust into the air and shut his eyes. Then he stepped out of the elevator into the onslaught of oncoming darkness.

  "No! What are you doing?" Link cried. He clutched at the air in a useless attempt to pull him back, but Max held him fast. Again, Link marveled at the old man's strength. The last thing he saw before the doors slid closed was a brilliant flash of red and blue flames that spewed forth from Roland's outstretched hands. There was a loud explosion. Then everything went dark.

  Within seconds, the building's emergency power kicked on. The elevator started ascending but slowed as it approached the tenth floor. This time, before the doors could open, Max pulled the elevator's red emergency stop button.

  "Why are we stopping?" Tom said.

  Max didn't answer. He hoisted himself onto the handrails in the corner and balanced against the back wall of the cab. Then he reached up to the ceiling. Once he had a firm hold on the edge of the illuminated plastic paneling, he said, "I'd move to the side if I were you." As soon as Link had stepped out of the way, he leaped off the railing. The force of his momentum ripped the thin panel free from its brackets, causing a hailstorm of sparks to erupt from the light fixture. One of the busted lights nearly hit Tom as it crashed to the floor.

  "Are you nuts?" Tom said, still looking at the mess that Max was making.

  Link watched Max pause for a second as he appeared to consider what he should do with Tom. It was only for a second, but Link knew that Max's patience was gone. He made a mental note to keep his head down and do as he was told.

  Max used his knife to remove the small thumbscrews that held the hatch to the ceiling. Once the panel was open, he lifted himself onto the top of the cab. All Link could do was watch in awe at the old man's agility. His nursing home must have one heck of a physical fitness program.

  The elevator lurched again. Then it started to climb with Max still on top. This was hardly a time to go elevator surfing. If they reached the top floor Max would be squashed. "Max," Link called, "we're moving again."

  "Of course we're moving, nimrod," Max replied. "Who do you think is doing it?" The elevator came to a stop as Max poked his head back through the elevator's emergency hatch. "I'm bringing her up to the twelfth floor. Just hang tight and don't get in the way."

  It didn't take long before the elevator slowed to a stop again. Like a nimble monkey, Max dropped through the ceiling and landed in a crouch. The elevator shook for a moment then steadied.

  Max reached into a pocket and withdrew a pistol. Link recognized it from a video game he liked to play. It was a Beretta 92 standard issue sidearm for law enforcement. Was Max an ex-cop? Whatever he was, it was clear that he expected more trouble.

  Link looked down at his own hands ? empty. The only weapon he had, if you could call it that, was the camera. Big help that would be against anything other than a Broken.

  Tom, who must have realized the same thing, said, "What about me? Don't I get a weapon?"

  "No," Max said.

  Link suddenly remembered the pepper spray his father had given him. He pulled it out and aimed at the door.

  "Good call," Tom said, quickly pulling out his own canister.

  Max looked at Link and shook his head. He took hold of the canister and spun the nozzle away from Link's face. "Still wonder why I'm the one with a gun?"

  Link blushed. "So what's the plan?"

  "The plan," Max said, "is I kill everything that stands in our way; you stay behind me and try not to blind yourselves with your little cans of breath freshener. We take the stairs up to the thirteenth floor. They should be to the right. When I say three, Link, release the emergency stop, open the doors, and we all walk slowly to the stairwell. If we're lucky, we won't attract attention. Any questions?"

  Link raised his hand as if he were in school. "How will we know whether or not the people are Broken? What if they're just ordinary doctors and nurses?"

  "You won't. If there's any doubt, spray first, question later. Pepper spray isn't permanent. Death is. On my count: One... Two... Three!"

  53

  Think Happy Thoughts

  The heavy, steel doors slid open to reveal an empty corridor that branched in three directions. Wary of what they might find, the small group cautiously exited the elevator. Instead of additional security, Link was surprised to discover that the floor appeared to be vacant. A sign on the wall informed them that this particular level was under construction.

  At first glance, everything appeared normal. But Link knew better than to trust appearances. He glanced over his shoulder into the elevator to examine the hallways in the mirror's reflection. Everything still looked normal. The long, carpeted hallway and key-lock entry doors, every one of which was closed, gave Link the impression of being inside an abandoned hotel. Aside from a maid's cart left outside one of the rooms, the halls were empty.

  It wasn't the emptiness that worried Link the most; it was the absolute silence. The only discernible noise was a low-pitched hum that came from the building's air conditioner. Where was everyone? If this area was being renovated, shouldn't there at least be construction workers around? Maybe they had the day off because it was Sunday, but even then, there should be tools.

  Max, who appeared to share Link's apprehension, held both his gun and knife at the ready. They started down the west corridor in search of the stairs. An icy draft blew from one of the ceiling vents, causing Link to shiver. Wonderful.

  Link looked at all the closed doors ahead and cringed. Several years of violent
video games had taught him to be wary of seemingly empty hallways, especially ones where all the doors were closed. Link began to second-guess his decision to come. Why was he even here? Because of the scribbled notes of his deceased mother and a message from someone on Facebook he'd never even met? Because of a camera? To save his brother? To save Panch? Would he really have to confront an enemy that he hadn't even known he had a month ago? Could things possibly get any more messed up?

  The ground rumbled beneath their feet. A massive explosion rocked the building from somewhere far below. The lights flickered briefly. Then they shut off completely, leaving the group in darkness.

  "Take hold of my pack," Max called.

  Link heard a snapping sound and saw the vibrant glow of light sticks being placed on either side of Max's bag. An ugly shade of fluorescent green now illuminated the hall. Max threw two more sticks onto the path ahead. The color reminded Link of the night vision setting on his video camera.

  "Why are we making ourselves targets?" Tom whispered. "Won't the light draw everything toward us?"

  Link could tell Tom's hands were shaking by the vibrating shadows on the wall.

  "They can't see shades of green, Mr. Know-It-All," Max said. "Besides, I think any chance we had of surprising them is over. Trust me, they know we're here."

  Link tried to force his mind to think happy thoughts, but it wasn't working. Thinking of fresh cookies only made him wonder what had happened to Mrs.