She bounced on a pile of half-rotten bats and came to a halt. With a deep breath, she calmed herself and began to retch at the smell. Looking above her, the abattoir was in full swing. Here and there, when a bat was found too skinny for processing, the body would be kicked off the conveyor by a mechanical arm. All around her she heard the gentle plops of falling bats. No humans worked the line; just robots. Another robot with red laser eyes began scraping up the bodies towards the pile she had fallen on.

Well then. Where could she go now? She slid down the pile, evaded the robot, and brushed a lock of oil-soaked hair out of her eyes. Ugh, there’s no telling where the exit is now…

The sound of boots echoed in the distance. It has the same rhythm as the fat man’s gait, and she followed it as quietly as she could. She came upon a ladder and wiped her hands off on a fallen bat.

Sorry, fella. But my hands aren’t getting any cleaner if I rub them on these shorts! And I need to be able to grip this thing.

Stifled and near suffocated by the stench, she needed to get out of this floor. A ladder stretched both up and down, through a hole in the ceiling and floor. Voices came from below. Old man Snaggletooth was down there, along with what sounded like… children?

No. It couldn’t be. Had her whole class been captured? Even Bowker and Tristan? She had to investigate, but the exit was up and the voices came from below. In a split second of bravery, she decided to go down the ladder. Just a few moments, and we’ll all be free. I’m sure it’s a huge misunderstanding. No one would kidnap an entire class, right? Maybe the bus broke down, or…

The man was right. She was lying to herself, just like everyone did. A tear cut through the grease on her face as she descended. She couldn’t just leave them there! Who knows what was happening to them? And was Snaggletooth in on it as well? Heck! She trusted him!

As she climbed down the ladder, the voices came into focus. Snaggletooth sounded like he was pleading, then arguing. She came to a landing and pressed her ear against the wall. The metal captured the sound, and with her super-hearing, she could make out most words.

“Leave them alone,” Snaggletooth said. “You’ve had enough, Sangre.”

Someone gasped. It sounded like the bad man. “You dare use my name? You…” the voice lowered, and then came back into hearing range. “Can’t leave. If you want to free them, then I’ll lock you in there just the same. Choose your next words carefully.”

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“…suppose there’s no choice. Have you seen Kid?”

“Kid? How endearing! You don’t even know her name, do you. She’s already been fed to the abattoir. When our first export goes out… be rich!”

“You’ve finally lost it. I warned you of this. We used to be best friends, and now—”

“Always the accusing tone. Why do you think so? Forty years, and not a single export. Finally we dig up enough fungus to feed them, and you turn against me?”

“You can’t harvest children!” Snaggletooth roared. “I—”

There was a rustling sound, panting, and then silence. The weeping of her classmates picked up. Kid’s hand slipped on the ladder and she stopped climbing for a moment. Her limbs shook too much to work right.

“I’ll give you one chance to turn back. Join me, work with me again, and I won’t kill you.”

Then everything fell completely quiet, except for the sniffling and sobbing sound that got louder the further down she went.

So her whole class was trapped there. And what of her ally, Snaggletooth? Did he give in? Footsteps pounded below and through the wall. How deep did this slaughterhouse run?

She followed the footsteps, being careful not to make any sound. What choice did she have? She could flee—even if she didn’t know the way out, she might be able to find it—or she could stay and do what she could to save her whole class… even Lin, the bully; but only if she promised to change her ways.

She wished she had drunk more of the processed lard, instead of spilling it. Who knows what other powers she could have gained? And she would need them.

Kid got off the ladder. This seemed to be the right floor.

Steeling herself, she followed the noise to an open vent in the wall. Perfect. It sounded like it led directly to her classmates. Luckily it was big enough to hold her, and someone had already pried the cover off. It was only a matter of stepping inside…

But a red light shone behind her. A clanging sound made her freeze in place. Slowly turning around, she came face to face with a robot.

“EGRESS,” the robot said. “EXIT. SALIDA. AUSGANG… FOLLOW.”

The robot waved a mechanical arm and began rolling towards the other wall, away from the vent. So it knew the way out. She swallowed. Now was her chance. But to leave her friends?

It’s not time to play hero, she told herself. I can find the police and get them here. If I get out.

The thought worried her. Even if she escaped, what if the exit was in the middle of nowhere? She would be fried by the desert heat, especially drenched in all this oil.

Well, if the exit was in a bad place, she didn’t have to leave. She could come back. However, time seemed of the essence, and she didn’t know the man’s plans for her classmates. No sense in dawdling!

With her mind made up, she followed the robot. It led her to a green sign, which pointed to an elevator door in the side of the wall. She punched the button and waited for a ding!

The doors slid open. Inside the elevator stood the old man, Snaggletooth.