Thomas Amo - An Apple for Zoë - Book One ~ The Forsaken

"What is it, Mike?"

"The attic, it's full of cases and crates of Zyklon B, and I'm standing in the middle of it all. There must be thousands of crates up here."

James froze as he stared into the radio. Looking at the empty tin James's body shook with fear as it all now made sense.

"That's what Kritzler was doing in the airshafts at night. Crawling around placing these cans near the open vents of the rooms. He's turned the hotel into a 27 floor gas chamber."

James clicked his radio. "Mike, don't move! I'm calling for help! Steve Vermillion, come in." Seconds later James's radio beeped an answer.

"This is Vermillion."

"Steve, it's Thomas James."

"Yeah Tom, what have you got?"

"It's Zyklon B, Steve! That's what we're dealing with!"

"Are you sure?"

"It's everywhere! It's in all the ventilation shafts. We need you up here right away. Detective Kirkland is trapped in the hotel attic surrounded by it!" said James.

"Oh Jesus. You better be careful handling that, it's not only lethal on contact, but it's explosive anywhere near fire! Jake and I are on our way up!" replied Steve.

Kirkland flicked his lighter again, but to no avail. It had already exhausted all the fuel. He would have to save what little he had left to get himself to another door or wall and out of this maze of crates. His radio beeped. Reaching for it in the darkness it fell from his holster. "Son of a bitch!"

"Mike, hang on I'm coming up!" said James. Kirkland could hear the sounds of James crawling up the ladder to make his way inside the airshaft. Kirkland put his hands out straight as he tried to find his way in the darkness. Suddenly he felt as if he was in open space. Throwing his hands back and forth he slowly staggered across the cavernous attic of The Aleris Hotel. Once more he tried his lighter. For a brief moment there was enough light for him to see a wall straight ahead of him with some writing on it. It looked like an exit. He couldn't make out the words as his light was now completely burned out. Reaching the wall, Kirkland gave a sigh of relief and rested his face against what felt like cold metal bars. He then could hear the rustling of another person.

"Mike!" called James from a distance.

"Over here!" shouted Kirkland as he anxiously waited to see his best friend and partner. A strong bright beam of light pierced the blackness of the attic. It crossed back and forth across the room like a prison searchlight.

"Here Tom, I'm here," he called as the light grew closer. "Mike just hang on!" said James. Kirkland turned to the sound of James's voice when suddenly the bright beam of light then reached his face startling him. "Oh thank God Tom, I thought I was never going to get out of here," he exclaimed.

James slowly moved closer, keeping his light on Kirkland. He looked so pale and ghost-like in the beam of the light. "It's okay now buddy," said James as his light illuminated Kirkland's euphoric expression. "Thanks a million Tom, I'm happy as hell to see you, but could you point that thing somewhere other than my eyes, I think I'm blind enough as it is," laughed Kirkland. James shared in his laugh for a moment and then aimed the flashlight directly at Kirkland's chest.

"Ready to get the hell out of here?" said Kirkland as he then saw James's expression change.

"What is it, Tom?"

James aimed the light at the wall behind him. "Step away from the wall, Mike," said James in a cautioned voice. Kirkland did as ordered and quickly moved to James's side, where he now could see what had changed the expression on his partners face so quickly. It was a tall black wrought iron gate with the words twisted into it. "Arbeit Macht Frei"

Kirkland turned and looked at the gate, which was now illuminated by the flashlight James was holding. Chills ran down his body.

"There's someone else in here with us, Tom," whispered Kirkland as he pulled his gun. James quietly passed the flashlight to Kirkland as he removed his own gun from its holster.

"Yeah, and the scary thing is Mike, they want us to know they're here," said James in a hushed tone.

The two men slowly looked around the room for any sign of the dangerous intruder who seemed to be silently moving among them. Kirkland shined the light back to the wrought iron gate that was blocking what appeared to be a doorway.

"Our Nazi has been busy."

"No kidding. I think there's more Zyklon B here than in all of Auschwitz. He must have been planning this for years."

"There's so much of it. I mean there's enough of this stuff here to kill the entire city of San Francisco."

"A masterful plan. Kill an entire city. You're either trying to exact some twisted form of revenge or you're like Herod trying to eliminate Jesus," said Kirkland.

"You actually think old Hermann is hunting for someone? Because this goes way beyond killing Jews, Mike."

A slight whisper of laughter danced across the room. James and Kirkland both froze at the sound of it.

"Better get home kid before the Zodiac gets you," snickered the voice. Kirkland looked at James who was frozen with fear.

"WHO'S THERE?" demanded Kirkland, aiming his gun towards the source of the voice.

Only this time the laughter was more pronounced and deep.

"You loved her didn't you Thomas James? You loved her with all your heart and she abandoned you. So much for Julie's claim of eternal love."

The disembodied voice and laughter echoed across the cavernous room. Kirkland raised the flashlight only to find it was dead. He tried to see in the darkness and pinpoint the source of the sound.

"But that's the trouble with women, isn't it? They seduce you, pull you in, make you want them. Make you their slaves. Then without any thought or warning their love turns to ice. But don't worry Tom, I showed her."

"Don't listen Tom, it's a trap," said Kirkland as he continued attempting to locate the intruder in the blackness of the room.

"Think so Michael? How many lovers did your mother have? Leaving you alone locked inside a closet while she plied her womanly trade. Did you listen, Michael, to her cries of paid pleasure?" snickered the voice.

"You shut the hell up!" screamed Kirkland as he blindly fired a shot into the darkness. The voice only mocked him in the style of a bratty child ."You shut the hell up!"

The room suddenly became cold. James and Kirkland began to shiver when their attention was turned to the strike of a match being lit. The figure on the other side of the room raised it and brought it up to his face to light a cigarette. In the brief moment of illumination, James recognized the face.

"Did you two really think I was going to let you come into my hotel and walk away with all of my dirty secrets?" said Grantham as he stepped forward slowly taking a drag from his cigarette.

James and Kirkland both now had their guns aimed directly on him. "Richard, don't take another step, I'm warning you," said Kirkland.

"Or what? You're going to kill me? I'm already dead!" he said as he dropped the cigarette to the floor. A flash of light suddenly began moving from the opposite side of the room. The light blazed across the floor of the hotel's attic with a twin flash. The two flashes were now keeping pace with one another as they raced across the room burning a pattern into the floor while they made their way around the mountain of crates of Zyklon B.

"What the hell is that?" whispered Kirkland. The strong odor of gunpowder filled the room. When it became clear to him it was the pattern burning into the floor was that of two lightning bolts. It was the very same pattern that adorned every Gestapo officer's uniform. And they were both burning their way directly at James and Kirkland.