by Jo Schneider
“Maybe.” Kev looked at Wendy.
“What is it that urges everyone to pick on you?” Kev asked.
“It’s natural for men to want to display their dominance by terrorizing the weak, and then the strong.”
Kev opened his mouth to retort, but Jeff laughed.
“She’s not right,” Kev said to Jeff.
“Yes she is,” Cal said.
“It’s smarter to go after the biggest guy,” Kev said.
“But if you pick on the little one, then you get to see whether the others will jump to protect them. It’s an easy way to find a weakness,” Wendy said.
“Sounds like you’ve learned this from experience,” Kev said.
“No. Pelton.”
Silence fell. Wendy looked down, wondering if she would ever get to fulfill her vow to kill Pelton.
“Hey, so—” Kev started.
The transport lurched to the side. Wendy’s stomach lagged behind as they lost more feet than she wanted to think about.
“What’s going on?” Dennis shouted toward the cockpit.
Janice’s voice came over the intercom. “Hold on everyone, I have to take us down. It might not be gentle.”
Chapter 15
Wendy clenched her teeth and hunkered down in her seat. At some point she closed her eyes. The dark world shuddered, lurched, dropped, lurched again and then came to a sudden and hard stop.
Momentum tossed Wendy to her right, crashing into Kev. A few of the bags overhead slipped out and hit the floor with a metallic twang and a clatter of weapons and netting.
Wendy’s stomach didn’t catch up for a good five seconds, during which no one spoke.
Riggs unbuckled and stood, “Everyone okay?”
Wendy opened her eyes.
Each of them grumbled an affirmative. Wendy concentrated on loosening her fingers from their death grip on the restraints. Her head had pulled her neck one way then back again. That would hurt tomorrow.
“Where are we?” Kev asked as he rubbed his own neck.
“About two klicks from our destination,” Riggs said.
Wendy unbuckled and stood. Her knee was stiff, but not bad yet. She grabbed her pack and strapped it on. A few seconds later, the back door lowered, and Kev and Dennis went down, weapons at the ready.
Jeff drew his gun. Wendy followed suit, even though the cold metal in her hand still felt foreign.
Kev waved Cal and Hound out. Riggs grabbed his pack and jumped out as well.
“Set up a perimeter. Go out a hundred yards for the first wave, fifty for the second. Make sure you can see at least one other person.”
Wendy adjusted her pack straps and followed Matt out. He went after Jeff while she followed Kev’s figure into the woods.
Wendy had expected to see smoke rising from the transport, but only a small dust cloud from landing was visible.
Sunlight filtered through the branches of the thick canopy above. No birds twittered, but Wendy wouldn’t expect that after a transport had crash-landed in the clearing behind her. Kev went out all the way, while Wendy ended up as the middleman. She glanced around and saw Cal not far away.
The soft whine of the engine slowed then stopped. The ground beneath Wendy’s feet shuddered.
The silence that followed caused Wendy to shiver. A cloud moved over the sun. The shadows deepened. Wendy kept her eyes moving. She saw nothing strange, but something didn’t feel right.
Kev kept his eyes outward from the transport. Wendy took a few steps so she could see through the trees better. No clicking on the radio.
They stood there for a good fifteen minutes before they heard Riggs’ voice over the radio.
“Wendy, we need you at the transport.”
The forest around them remained silent as she made her way back. A slight breeze rustled the leaves above, and enough sunshine broke through the clouds to cast shadows on the ground.
Janice lay under the transport, only her feet sticking out. Dennis knelt next to her. Grease and dirt covered his face and hands. Riggs stood over them both.
Dennis’ cold eyes met Wendy’s. His voice remained steady. His hand twitched. “We need your small hands.” He pointed at Janice.
Wendy’s eyes swiveled to Riggs, who nodded.
Every muscle in her body tensed as she moved toward Dennis. Janice wiggled out from under the transport. She handed Dennis a flashlight.
“I can’t get my arm in.” She looked up at Wendy. “You should be able to.”
Wendy moved to the transport and put her gun and pack down. She took off her jacket and her overshirt, leaving only her black tank top. “Where?” she asked, her hands on her hips.
“I’ll show you,” Dennis said. He rolled over on his back and wiggled under.
Wendy’s mind screamed at her to stop as she first knelt then lay on the ground. She rolled over to where her shoulder was within an inch of Dennis. She was sure that the whole world could see the black tension between them. She scooted back until their shoulders were even.
“Right here,” Dennis said. He scooted farther under and shined his flashlight at a small black opening surrounded by pipes and hoses.
Wendy squinted. “You want me to put my hand up there?”
“There’s space.” Dennis pointed.
Wendy eyed the opening. “Not much.”
“That’s why you’re here.”
Wendy tried to ignore the fact that the transport began to slowly but surely press her into the ground. “What am I looking for?”
“A hose.”
“The end of a hose,” Janice clarified from near Wendy’s feet.
Wendy took a breath and reached up.
She expected the metal to be hot, but cold engulfed her hand. There was no way Dennis could get his hand up here. She twisted it and got through a tight spot.
“Where am I looking?” Wendy asked. Her voice began to shake. The air pushed in on her.
“To your left,” Dennis said. “We think there’s a broken hose.”
“Rubber?”
“Yes.”
Wendy had to scoot closer to Dennis. Their arms brushed. The monster in her head growled.
Dennis moved away without a word.
The maze of metal and grease and rubber made Wendy’s skin crawl. “How far up?” Her arm was buried up to her elbow.
“Another few inches, maybe,” Dennis said.
Wendy turned on her side so she could get more out of her short reach.
A flow of liquid greeted her fingers. She followed it back to the source—the ragged edge of a thick rubber pipe. “Found it,” Wendy said.
“Is it torn?”
“Yes. It’s leaking everywhere.”
“Damn it,” Dennis said. “Can you pull it out?”
Breathing had started to become hard. Wendy swallowed and shoved her arm deeper into the belly of the beast. “Maybe.”
“Try.”
The hose remained elusive until she reached farther. Wendy had to contort in order to wrap her fingers around it. She tugged.
“It’s pretty stuck.”
“Hold on,” Dennis said. He moved a few feet and started fiddling with something. “Am I moving it?”
“Yes.”
The monster stirred. It growled again and licked its lips. Dennis was close. Wendy had her knives.
But the people in Shelter were in danger. The kids who she’d saved from the Skinnies could die from this. She could help them. She had to help them.
“Try now,” Dennis said.
Wendy tugged. The hose moved. She wiggled in farther, now pushing her shoulder into the hole. Her heart beat faster and her hands shook. A convulsion went through her body.
Which helped for once. Her arm twitched and her mind screamed at her to get out. The hose came free under her twitch.
The all-too-familiar roar of the tunnels started in her head.
“Did you get it?” Dennis asked.
Wendy withdrew her hand. The hose came with it.
The tra
nsport bore down on her like ten large men. Her lungs refused to let air in and blotches of her vision started to become Skinnies.
A stifled cry escaped as Wendy wiggled out faster than she thought possible. She kept going until she was a few feet away from the transport. The hose was still in her hands.
Janice eyed the hose. “Good job.”
Dennis shimmied out and crawled over to Wendy. His lips bent into a twisted smile. “Problem?” he asked as he held his hand out.
“Go to hell,” Wendy said as she threw the hose at his head. Before she did something more, she stood on shaking legs and walked out into the sunlight.
The roar in her ears continued, and Wendy had to wrap her arms around herself to keep from shaking apart.
Riggs walked over. Wendy could feel him looking at her, but she kept her eyes focused on the woods.
She took a deep breath, then another. Oxygen finally felt like it was reaching her body.
“You need a minute?”
Wendy shook her head. “Just put me on watch.”
Riggs stepped in front of her. He had her gear. “Go join Jeff.”
“Okay.” She took her stuff, the pack feeling twice as heavy as it had before.
Wendy heard Riggs warn Jeff over the radio that she was coming. She trudged through the forest, shaking off phantom Skinnies and gritting her teeth against the monster’s wailing, until she got to Jeff.
He sat on a rock, canteen in hand, looking out over a gentle slope that led to a valley below. When she got close, he turned his eyes on her.
Judging by his slight but noticeable flinch, Wendy knew she must look bad.
Jeff rose and pointed at the rock. “Sit.”
Wendy stopped ten feet away.
“You’re shaking from head to foot. Sit down before you fall down.”
“I’m not going to fall,” Wendy said through gritted teeth. She tried to ignore the fact that the world was slowly tilting to one side.
Jeff kept pointing. “Just listen to me for once and sit.”
When had her shoes turned to lead? Only sheer will-power and the need to keep from looking weak in front of Jeff kept her from stumbling. Wendy made her way to the rock and sat. When she did, an invisible weight on her shoulders pressed her down even farther.
“Here,” Jeff offered her his canteen.
She accepted and took a sip of water. It burned going down.
“Did you get the hose?”
“Yeah.”
“Rough?”
“You have no idea.”
Jeff kept watch over the valley below. “Transport is down.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“Riggs will have us walk in from here.” He paused. “Do you think we’ll find what we need?”
“Better to be looking than sitting around rotting.”
“True.” He took a swig of water, then his eyes settled on her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
Jeff shrugged. “Okay.” He turned to survey the forest around them. He didn’t say anything more. He didn’t steal worried glances over his shoulder at her. Jeff gave her time and space. But she knew he was there if she needed him.
Slowly but surely, the tremors in Wendy’s hands began to soften. Breathing became easier, and the roar in her ears died down. She could hear the breeze in the trees, and no blotches of darkness hovered at the edges of her vision when she blinked. The growling quieted, and then faded.
After a few minutes, Wendy stood. Her legs only wobbled for a moment, then her muscles engaged, and she took a few steps to Jeff.
He turned his head to look at her and raised his eyebrows. “Better?”
“Better.” And it was. Not perfect, but her mind was her own again.
“Good.” Jeff pointed. “Check it out, I think there are deer coming our way.”
Wendy stepped up next to him and looked where he gestured. Sure enough, she spotted a pair of four point antlers between the bushes. A few feet away, a smaller doe appeared. Then a fawn. Four others emerged as they made their way across the valley below.
“We’re down wind, so they can’t smell us,” Jeff said.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a deer,” Wendy said. “They move so smoothly.”
“Their ears always turning back and forth, listening for danger. Sometimes I wish my instincts were that good.”
“They have to be alert. Predators lurk everywhere.”
“Yeah.” Jeff scratched his chin. “I guess that wouldn’t be the greatest.”
“No.”
“Then again, we both know something about being hunted, don’t we?”
Wendy nodded. “Yeah.”
The radio in Wendy’s ear crackled to life.
“Get back to the transport. It needs repairs. We head out for the complex in five minutes.”
Jeff grinned down at Wendy. “Told you.”
“You’re a genius.”
“Glad you finally noticed.”
They turned around and made their way back. Everyone converged at the same time. Riggs stood on the ramp. Dennis and Janice now had tools strewn all over the ground.
“Hank is going to stay here with the transport. We’ve got another one coming from Shelter to pick us up in a few hours. Until then, we need to get to the complex and find what we came for.”
Riggs waved his hand. “Fall in. Take your normal order. We’ll move fast, but not too fast. We can’t afford to let anyone know where we are or where we’re going. So stay alert and if you see anything, call it in.”
The line moved out immediately. Wendy was able to pass Dennis without slitting his throat. She took her spot behind Matt.
“Kev, you’re up,” Riggs said.
“Me?” A grin split Kev’s face and he moved to the front. Wendy saw his shoulders straighten, and he rolled his head back and forth once before moving off.
Kev set a good pace, and the group slipped through the woods with ease. Nothing bothered them. Wendy saw another small herd of deer and thought of Jeff. Not Skinnies or death, but Jeff. For so long, everything had pointed to the Den and what had happened there. Then Dennis. It felt...strange to have normal thoughts.
The hike cleared out the rest of Wendy’s head. By the time Kev slowed, she felt almost new. Refreshed. Light.
Kev stopped and held up his hand, indicating that everyone should stay put. He and Riggs walked another dozen yards. The trees thinned for that space, but then thickened again. Kev picked up a rock and chucked it forward. It flew for another twenty feet, but before it reached the apex if it’s arc, it stopped. The air sizzled, and the rock disintegrated.
Kev looked at Riggs.
Riggs waved the rest of them in. When they stood spread out before him he said, “We need to find the opening. Team up with the person you’re standing next to. Spread out. Be careful. Try not to get fried.”
Jeff, who had come to stand next to her, said, “Looks like it’s you and me.”
Wendy imagined the size of Shelter in her mind. “This could take a while.” She looked at Kev. “Have you ever found a gap before?”
“Nope.”
Wendy looked at Cal, who was standing next to Hound. “You?”
“No.”
“It may not have a gap, but we’re hoping it does. So spread out and look,” Riggs said.
“Look for natural barriers,” Kev said, “between trees or by a stream, like back home.”
“Got it,” Jeff said. He jerked his head and said to Wendy, “We go this way.”
Wendy followed Jeff along the edge of the shield.
“What if there are people in here?” Jeff asked.
“Then we’re going to get shot,” Wendy said.
“I’ve always admired your honesty.”
“Gee, thanks.”
They each grabbed a few dirt clods, and every five feet threw them at the shield. All of them disintegrated on contact.
The sun began to dip toward the mountain peaks behind them. Te
n steps, toss dirt, more steps, more dirt. Jeff followed behind her, testing the sections she missed. They watched for natural barriers, but found nothing more distinctive than trees.
“I wonder how far up it goes,” Jeff asked, craning his neck.
Wendy took another set of steps and stopped. “Farther than we can jump, I bet.”
“Too bad the transport broke down,” Jeff said.
“You think that was an accident?” Wendy asked.
“Not really, but I thought I was the only one that was that paranoid.”
“Better than being dead.”
“You’re morbid today.”
“But I’m alive.”
Jeff laughed. “Fine, you have me there.”
The radio crackled to life. “We might have found the entrance,” Riggs said. “Northeast corner of the complex.”
Wendy and Jeff shared a flat stare. They were on the southwest corner.
“On our way,” Wendy answered through the radio.
“I’d race you, but your legs are way too short to keep up,” Jeff said.
Wendy shot him a scowl. “You sound like Kev.”
“Maybe Kev is smarter than he looks.”
“Let me punch you first. Just one shot. Give me a head start.”
“Do I look like an idiot?”
“Do I have to answer that?”
Wendy’s lips spread into a grin as she and Jeff started to jog back around the complex. She liked it when she could let go of the pain inside. Even if only for a few minutes. And Jeff had a knack for helping her do just that.
Even moving fast, Jeff’s ears and eyes were alert. He swerved, grabbed Wendy and tossed them both to the ground before Wendy registered the rustle in the bushes by the shield. He rolled, putting himself between her and the danger. Wendy pulled her gun out and got ready.
A soft whine preceded a bright flash, which left a two-foot wide smoldering patch of the forest floor where they had been standing a moment before.
“Move,” Wendy said. She grabbed Jeff and hauled him to his feet. He took one look at the impact zone and followed Wendy.
“We have something firing at us,” Wendy said into the radio, as calmly as she could.
“What?”
“Not bullets. It’s hot, and leaving smoking craters behind.” Jeff and Wendy jerked to the right as another blast hit beside them.
“Is there a person behind it?” Riggs asked.
