The Odds - Jeff Strand Page 0,65

this was going to work out in the end.”

“For the players. Not the staff.”

Ethan couldn’t see The Claw Man’s face, but from his body language Ethan assumed that his eyes narrowed. He took a step toward Christine. “Did you just give a spoiler?”

“No. That didn’t spoil anything. What are you talking about?”

“My mistake. I don’t like the grim mood that’s happening here. We’re supposed to be having fun. I guess Rick won’t be turning any more cranks, but I need somebody to get in there and lower Ethan to his death. Kenny, do you want to do the honors?”

Kenny shook his head. “No.”

“You sure?”

“I don’t want to do it.”

“All right. Nobody’s going to make you. Any other volunteers? Should we send somebody inside to see if Lisa wants to do it?”

Ethan noticed that Christine was reaching behind her back. Was she going for a gun?

Holy shit! Yes! She took out a gun and pointed it at The Claw Man.

A gunshot rang out and part of Christine’s scalp came off.

As Christine dropped, everybody except The Claw Man started looking around to see where the shot had come from.

The man whose name Ethan didn’t know, but who he assumed was Lisa’s equivalent of Rick or Christine, hurried into the shed as he took out a gun of his own. He spun around and fired at The Claw Man. A spray of blood shot from The Claw Man’s side and he fell to his knees.

Ethan didn’t know how much longer he could keep his legs out of the boiling oil.

Kenny put his hands in the air. “Don’t shoot!” he shouted. “Don’t shoot!”

The Claw Man took out his own gun as the man who’d shot at him moved out of Ethan’s line of sight. Ethan thought he was trying to hide behind the barrel.

Both of them fired off a few shots.

At least one of The Claw Man’s shots struck the barrel. Oil started to pour out, but it was a thin trickle. Ethan’s legs would give out long before enough drained from the barrel to make a difference.

Ethan could hear movement behind him, and no grunts of pain, so as far as he knew the other man was still alive and well.

Kenny remained paralyzed, face contorted with fear as if he expected to get shot in the head at any moment.

The man behind Ethan squeezed off another shot. Got The Claw Man in the other side. The Claw Man placed each of his hands over a wound, not dropping the gun as he did so. He looked dizzy and disoriented.

Ethan couldn’t hold up his legs anymore. They swung down and the soles of his shoes dipped into the oil. He immediately bent them at the knees again. He was in absolute agony, and it felt like his hands might simply tear off at the wrists and send him plunging into the oil, but there was a chance that if this gunfight worked out in his favor, somebody would set him free.

The man came out of his hiding spot. Instead of shooting The Claw Man again, he ran over and kicked him in the chest, knocking him onto his back. He grabbed The Claw Man’s gun then hurried to edge of the shed and opened fire.

Somebody screamed. It sounded like they might be on the roof.

Their scream got closer.

Ethan heard a thump, which he was pretty sure was a sniper falling off the roof.

Kenny lowered his hands. He began to walk toward Ethan.

“What are you doing?” asked the man.

“Getting him down.”

“Nah. Let him die. He’s no good to me. And neither are you.”

The man shot Kenny in the face.

Four dead bodies, plus The Claw Man. Jesus Christ.

The man walked out of the shed. Then he immediately stopped. “Aw, shit,” he muttered.

Yet another gunshot. Blood spurted from the man’s chest and he fell to the ground.

He lay there, writhing, gasping for breath. Lisa, holding the gun she’d won for completing the maze in first place, walked over to him. She pointed the gun at him, then shook her head. “I’d be stupid if I wasted a bullet,” she informed him.

“Please get me down!” said Ethan.

Lisa hurried over to him. She turned the crank until Ethan was no longer positioned over the barrel, then turned the other crank to lower him. As his feet touched the ground, it was clear that his legs weren’t going to be able to come close to supporting his weight, so he just let her lower him until he was sitting.

She removed