Darkest Misery Read Online Free Page B

done something stupid, I tried the door, but it was definitely locked, and I had nothing on me to try picking the mechanism with. I put my ear to it next but heard nothing.
    Until Mitch called my name.
    I spun around because his voice hadn’t come from the other side of the door. Rather it sounded like he was on the other side of the wall with the shelves. I shoved a bag of onions aside and searched in vain for another door that I didn’t honestly believe would be there.
    I was right—there wasn’t one. “Mitch, are you okay?”
    â€œFor the moment. You?”
    I breathed a sigh of relief. “For the moment too. Do you know where you are?”
    A clunking noise came from behind the wall. “Some kind of closet, I think. The door’s locked, and there’s no light.”
    Shit. Well, that wasn’t helpful.
    My gaze landed on the giant boxes, and hope sprang to life in my chest. Lowering my voice just in case the addicts were nearby, I rested my forehead against the wall. “I have a window. I’m going to see if I can open it.”
    The boxes were sealed, and the first one I tried moving was ridiculously heavy. The second was no less so, and I resorted to pushing it with my back. I was certain I was banged up from the accident, but adrenaline prevented me from feeling much pain. If I got out of here though, I suspected I was going to be in a world of hurt soon.
    At last, I positioned the box beneath the window and crossed my fingers that whatever was inside could support my weight. Pushing aside the heavy black fabric, I discovered the window opened onto an alley. A Dumpster sat across the street with several bags of trash next to it.
    The window had an easy latch, the kind that popped the glass out, but the box didn’t provide me with quite enough height. Somehow, I’d have to pull myself up at an awkward angle with not much to use for grip.
    But first things first. Could I even open the window? My fingers trembled with anticipation as I went to work on the metal latches. They were sticky, but the glass came out easily once I defeated them.
    Setting the glass on the floor, I tensed. Assuming I could get through the window and run, I hated leaving Mitch. Of course, odds were I wouldn’t get far. I had nothing on me. Not my cell, not my ID, not even change for a pay phone, assuming such things existed around here.
    I patted my jeans pockets to affirm my hopelessness and discovered a small bulge. Thinking it was a hair tie, I reached in and discovered two curse grenades. Peachy. That was much better than a hair tie. The two weren’t the most useful items right now, but they were something. Vaguely, I wondered how airport security hadn’t caught them.
    â€œJess? You still there?”
    I leaned up against the wall again. Curse grenade or not, Mitch still should have been the one with the window. This was his city, and although I’d wanted to go sightseeing, this was not what I’d had in mind. “Still here, but I got the window open. I think I can get out. If I can, I’ll get the Gryphons and be back soon.”
    â€œOkay. Good luck. Be careful.”
    â€œThanks.” I started to add something else, but voices outside the door stopped me cold. People were coming. I had to move faster.
    Legs shaking, I climbed onto the box and pulled myself halfway into the alley. Hot grit dug into my hands, and I had to be careful to avoid broken glass. Across the street, a dragon poked its red nose out from between a couple trash bags and stared at me. I rested on my forearms and tried to will it away. Behind me, the voices grew louder.
    The window frame and the concrete scratched my stomach and thighs as I pushed through the rest of the way, and I scrambled to my feet. The dragon snorted smoke at me then scampered. Good idea.
    The building I’d crawled out of was a simple two-story, done up in the same muted color scheme as much of the city. But where