The Cage Read Online Free PDF Page B

again.
    Scott sighed. “We’re fucked.”
    “We’re not fucked,” Jeff said. “Don’t start thinking like that. We’ve got to stay positive.”
    Scott rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because that will keep us safe.”
    “Maybe he’s out there laughing at us,” Jared said, his gaze still focused on the camera. “Maybe this is how he gets his jollies. I hope Carlos is okay. I wonder what he’s doing with him?”
    “Don’t think about it,” Jeff advised. “I know that sounds cold, but that’s how it is. There’s nothing we can do for Carlos until we figure a way out of here.”
    If Jared heard him, he gave no indication. He continued staring straight ahead, and his voice was low, as if he was talking to himself. “I liked Carlos. He was nice. If a customer came in on my day off, and they’d been working with me before, and he rang up the sale, he always entered it in the computer under my name, so I’d get the commission. The rest of you never did that. You’d always ring it up as a split.”
    “Jared,” Scott said, “we need to focus on more important things right now.”
    Jared turned around. His shoulders were slumped and his expression was sullen.
    Clint moaned again. His face was pale, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He clenched his jaw so hard that Jeff could hear his teeth grinding against each other.
    “I’ve got an idea,” Roy said quietly. He bent over and rummaged through the junk box again until he found the matchbook. “These are probably mine. You guys remember when Sikes worked here?”
    Jeff and Scott nodded. Jared frowned and then shook his head.
    “You wouldn’t remember him, Jared. He was fired long before you got hired. Sikes was a real dirt bag. Bumble hired him during the Christmas rush one year. He dressed like a slob, came in drunk all the time or reeking of marijuana, had the manners and personality of a rock, and couldn’t sell shit to save his life. But that wasn’t why he got fired.”
    “He was a thief,” Jeff said. “Used to steal people’s lunches right out of the fridge.”
    Roy nodded. “And then we caught him trying to swipe a VCR out of the back. He’d put it in with the trash and hauled it outside, then hid it behind the dumpster. Clint happened to be sitting in his car at the time, hung over, and saw him do it.”
    “Piece of shit,” Clint said. Scott grinned. “I remember that. Bill went fucking nuclear, man. He really did look like the Bumble from Rudolph when he hollered at Sikes.”
    “I thought for sure he’d punch Sikes,” Jeff agreed. “Or have a heart attack restraining himself from punching him.”
    “Clint and I had been hiding our cigarettes back here,” Roy said. “Remember, Bumble didn’t like us having them in our shirt pockets while we talked to customers? He thought it looked unprofessional. But we couldn’t just leave them lying around either, because Sikes would fucking steal them. So we hid them back here in the cage.”
    Roy stared at the matchbook, and seemed lost in thought. A slight, sad smile crossed his face. Jeff put a hand on the older man’s shoulder and gently squeezed.
    “You said you had an idea?”
    Roy glanced up at him, and Jeff was surprised to see that his eyes glistened with tears. Sniffling, Roy smiled again and then stood up. His knees popped loud enough for the others to hear them.
    “Yeah.” He pointed beyond the wire mesh, towards the ceiling. “I’ve got an idea. You guys see the sprinklers? What if we start a fire? It doesn’t have to be a big fire. Just enough to get some smoke up there around the ceiling. Then the sensors will detect it and the sprinklers will kick on.”
    “Holy shit,” Scott gasped. “You’re right! The system will automatically alert the fire department when the sprinklers come on.”
    “Exactly,” Roy said, holding the matchbook up triumphantly.
    “It won’t work,” Clint said. He leaned against the shelves with his legs crossed. “Remember? Bumble told