Max waited on the landing next to the door to the third floor. He groaned, but didn’t bark. He sat on his haunches and stared at them.
Cathy lugged her frame up the last two steps, then leaned against the door. Max popped up on all fours and wagged his tail. Her head dangled toward the ground for a second. She jerked the handle down and wrenched the door open.
Russell trained the light at the black hallway and grabbed the edge of the door, allowing Cathy to walk through.
Max sniffed the ground and waited for her command.
“Amber’s apartment is down here on the left, just around the first bend. 34B,” Cathy said, pushing on.
Her legs moved faster than ever. Max stayed at her side and didn’t venture ahead.
Russell shined his light in the direction they were headed while Clyde covered their backs. No sounds of distress or other such ominous noises tingled his ears.
Cathy used the wall and closed doors as a crutch. She took the blind corner ahead without slowing and advanced down the next hallway.
Max followed her gaze, staring at the doors they passed by. His excitement grew the closer they got. He whined and wagged his tail faster, trotting like a show pony.
“Here,” Cathy said, stopping in front of the dark-oak door. Her fist hammered the wood grain with two deep raps. “Amber. It’s Mom. Open up.”
Clyde and Russell flanked her, glancing at the dark, silent halls. The lack of any sound and standing in the murk clawed at Russell’s nerves as they waited for Cathy’s daughter to answer. He had grown accustomed to fighting and being on edge, making it hard to not be on pins and needles in those low moments.
Cathy assaulted the door again, louder and harder than before. “Sweetie, it’s your mom. Open the door and let us in.”
“Could she be sleeping or something?” Clyde asked, shrugging.
Cathy grabbed the door handle and turned. It didn’t budge. Her fist pounded the door a few more times. She sighed in frustration, then jerked on the doorknob. “Damn it.”
Russell touched her shoulder. “Here. Let me try.”
Max scratched at the door, then sniffed at the base.
Cathy turned away in a huff, scared and angry. She stood next to the jamb, watching and listening for any movement inside her daughter’s apartment.
Russell tested the doorknob, then knocked on the door. “Amber, if you’re in there, please, open the door. Your mother is out here with Max. She’s come a long way to see you.”
He trained his ear at the wood grain and listened for any subtle noises or faint footfalls inside the dwelling. None came.
“Why the hell isn’t she answering the door?” Cathy asked, incensed.
"She might not be in there,” Clyde answered, shrugging. “She might’ve left and went somewhere else.”
“Either way, I need to know.” Cathy pulled the pistol from her waistband and shoved her palm into Russell’s chest. “Get out of the way. I’m getting into that apartment by any means necessary.”
“Hold on there,” Russell replied, holding his hands up in front of her. “I don’t think we want to just start firing our guns like that. Just hold on for a second and let me think.”
Cathy pointed at the door, then looked him square in his eyes. “She could be hurt in there or worse. I need to get inside, now.”
Russell glanced over at Clyde, then waved his hand. “You wouldn’t happen to know how to pick a lock, would you?”
Clyde shrugged, then shook his head. “Nope. I’ve never needed to. We could always shoot out the lock and doorknob.”
“Let’s see if can shoulder the door open first before resorting to that. I think between the both of us, we can probably bust through this door.” Russell tugged on the doorknob, rattling the door inside the jamb.
Cathy moved out of the way with Max standing next to her.
Clyde stood close to Russell as both looked at the door. “Your daughter doesn’t have a gun, does she?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but I can’t be certain,” Cathy answered.
“Please don’t shoot us,” Clyde said at the door, then shrugged at Russell. “On three?”
“Yeah. One.” Both men took a step back, lowered, then counted to three. They rammed the door with their shoulders. The door gave, but didn’t open. “One more time.”
They took a step, glanced at each other, and rushed headlong at the door. It broke away from the jamb and flew inward. The splintering of wood filled the hallway. The door slammed the wall inside the dim apartment.
Russell massaged his shoulder, feeling the bite of ramming his body into the door.
Cathy pushed her way past both men with Max trailing her. “Amber, sweetie, it’s Mom. Are you in here?”
Clyde walked in after them with Russell hanging inside the doorway.
Light bled through the closed blinds on the far wall, offering a hint at the layout of the small dwelling. Cathy vanished around the corner to his right, calling out Amber’s name.
Max ventured into the living room, sniffing around the couch and other furniture.
Clyde walked past the canine to the blinds and twisted the pole, allowing more light to flood inside the apartment. He thumbed the switch to his flashlight, turned around, then looked over the disheveled mess before them.
Cathy bolted around the opening on the far side, storming past the fridge and down alongside the bar. Panted breaths fled her trembling lips as her hand ran through the matted strands of her blonde hair.
Russell kept his flashlight on and peered inside the kitchen. Dishes sat in the sink and boxes of food laid spread out on the counters. The trash overflowed and gathered around the base. Something didn’t feel right, but he didn’t want
