Chapter 22 #3
She once more pulled out the plastic bag with the pillowcase from one of her cargo pockets and opened it.
Fred stuck his snout into the bag for a brief second to get another sniff of who he was looking for, then lifted his head and scented the air before taking off down a dark hallway to their left.
The Night Stalkers followed close behind Jennifer. Obi-Wan was grinding his teeth so hard he had the beginnings of a migraine, but he ignored it. The only thing that mattered was finding Zita.
Everyone hoped to find her quickly, but they were prepared to search the entire ship if things didn’t work out with the dog. Obi-Wan had high hopes, given the way Fred immediately seemed to lock on to a scent.
Fred had a long lead attached to his harness, and Jennifer walked quickly behind him, telling him to “find” and occasionally praising him as he searched. Everyone stayed right on her six, their flashlights pointed at the floor or the ceiling, lighting the area immediately around them as they moved.
The ship was massive. Fred doubled back now and then, as if he’d lost the scent, then picking it up again.
“This is normal,” Jennifer explained calmly.
Hearing her voice echo through the empty metal halls was so strange, especially since Obi-Wan had spent more than his fair share of time on aircraft carriers that were full of life.
They went down a few levels, and with every step, Obi-Wan’s hatred for Carmen and Silas increased. He couldn’t imagine what Zita had been thinking when she’d been forced this far into the ship. She had to be scared to death…if she wasn’t already dead.
Obi-Wan forced that thought out of his head immediately.
Updates were coming in from the other search team that they hadn’t found anything yet.
Nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.
Zita had to be here. She simply had to be. Anything else was unacceptable. Because if she wasn’t here, they didn’t have anything else to go on. They’d have to go back to the drawing board, try to get Silas himself to give them intel.
And if she wasn’t here, it meant Tex was wrong.
Tex Keegan was never wrong.
She was here. Obi-Wan felt it in his bones. He just had to find her.
Jennifer stopped Fred briefly, giving him water from a specialized bottle she’d taken out of another cargo pocket.
It had a small tray attached to the nozzle so the dog could drink easily.
The Lab had been backtracking for the last five minutes, covering ground he’d already been over, as if the scent in the air was confusing, diluted, something.
Obi-Wan wasn’t sure how it worked, but it was possible Zita was somewhere near and with all the metal and doors, the dog was having trouble pinpointing which one she was behind.
“I’d like to try something,” he blurted.
Everyone looked at him. Even the dog stopped slurping the water and tilted his head, as if he could understand every word he said.
“This ship is completely empty. It’s nothing but metal.
Our steps are echoing as we walk. Hell, even our voices are reverberating back at us.
I want to call out Zita’s name.” He swallowed hard before saying the next thing on his mind.
“If she’s conscious, she might hear us, even through the doors.
I’m not saying Fred has missed her, but I’m not willing to take the chance.
If we call her name, then pause to see if we hear any response, that could speed this up. ”
Jennifer looked skeptical, and his friends looked…sympathetic. But Obi-Wan didn’t care if they thought he was wrong. He’d do anything to find Zita, even if everyone else thought it was a waste of time and energy.
Eventually, Jennifer shrugged. “Might as well try.”
“Let’s do it,” Buck agreed.
“Right. On the count of three, we’ll all yell her name as loud as we can. Then wait to see if we hear a response,” he said.
After his search partners nodded, he took a deep breath. “One, two, three… ZIIIIIITAAAAA!”
The sound of all of them yelling was loud, Zita’s name seeming to bounce off the walls, ceiling, and floor to echo around them, even after they went silent.
Obi-Wan’s heart beat out of his chest as he closed his eyes, hoping against hope to hear Zita’s voice calling back.
But after their shouts faded, the ship was just as silent as before.
Shit.
“We’ll keep doing it,” Casper said firmly. “On each level that Fred spent the most time on. It’s a good idea.”
Obi-Wan had no idea if his friend was being patronizing or not, but he didn’t care.
“Fred…find,” Jennifer said, giving her dog the command to resume his search.
Once again, the dog was off like a shot.
His enthusiastic response kept Obi-Wan from feeling as if this search was completely hopeless.
He didn’t know the dog, but he assumed he wouldn’t be quite so eager if he had no scent of Zita.
So on they went. Occasionally Fred stopped at a door, which they’d open.
Always finding nothing but metal slats sticking out of the walls, platforms for mattresses for the thousands of men and women who’d lived and worked on this carrier.
At any other time, Obi-Wan would’ve been fascinated by the history of the place.
But all he could think of was the fact that Zita was in one of these rooms. That Silas had left her here to die… if she wasn’t already.
No. He refused to believe that. Refused to believe all Tex’s hard work, all their efforts were in vain.
As they continued down hallway after hallway, Fred continuing to occasionally double back as if confused as to where the scent was going, Obi-Wan did his best to ignore the eerie creaking of the massive ship. As if it was complaining that they were there, invading the space.
He felt an urge to reassure the ship. To let it know, and any spirits who might still reside within, that they’d be gone soon.
Once they got what they came for. Before too long, the ghosts would be left alone in peace, once this ship was resting on the bottom of the ocean it had glided across so many times.
He felt an even stronger urge to beg for their help. To ask for their assistance in locating Zita. To help him find the one person in the world he was afraid he couldn’t live without.
Taking a deep breath to try to clear his mind, Obi-Wan quickened his steps to catch up to Fred and Jennifer, who weren’t slowing down in the least.
It seemed as if there were miles and miles of rooms to search, but Fred raced by most of them without a second glance.
Time had no meaning. How long they’d been inside the ship, Obi-Wan had no clue.
And he was completely turned around. It would be difficult to find their way out, but he’d deal with that once he was sure Fred had sniffed every inch of this ship.
Sweat dripped down his temples. He ignored it, other than using his shoulder to keep the salty fluid out of his eyes. It was hard enough to see with only the flashlights to illuminate their way.
Every now and then, they’d stop to yell Zita’s name, only to hear absolute silence in return.
It was maddening. Depressing. The worst thing Obi-Wan had ever experienced. He wanted this nightmare to be over.
Then Fred made a snuffling noise. Something he hadn’t done before.
He stopped in his tracks. When Jennifer caught up to him, she said, “Fred, find.”
In response, the dog barked. Once. Then took off down the hall as if he’d seen a squirrel or something and decided to give chase.
Except there were no squirrels down here. Nothing a dog would want to chase.
Praying the dog’s reaction was because he’d found Zita, Obi-Wan ran after Jennifer, with his team right on his six.
Please let this not be a false alarm, he silently begged as he ran.