Page 68 of Gabe

From the boat’s storage compartment under the seats, I pulled out a long pole. It was usually used for hooking things that had floated too far away in the water, or pulling someone to safety that was struggling to swim, but it would work for this purpose as well.

“Use this to push off the bottom. You don’t need to move fast, and the water current will help once you get started. Just try to stay as silent as possible.”

Once I’d removed all my weapons that could be damaged by water, as well as my outer jacket, I slipped into the water armed only with a serrated combat knife. The water was thick with floating vegetation and muck. Great for keeping me hidden, but terrible for visibility.

Not to mention the goosebump-inducing feeling of pond scum sliding against my skin and sticking to my hair.

I swam right up under the dock and clung to a moss-covered support pole. Above me, the footsteps of patrolling security echoed against the wooden boards. I waited until they passed, then climbed up the nearby ladder that dipped down into the water. Each move I made caused the wooden planks to creak, and I kept a cautious eye out for anyone who might spot me.

The first security person was surprisingly easy to take out. I slipped through the shadows until I stood right behind them, then slit their throat between one breath and the next. They collapsed with only a gurgling sound to mark their passing, and I caught them before they could hit the deck and make too much noise.

Once certain that I hadn’t alerted anyone, I gently lowered their body into the swamp water below. Their heavy tactical gear weighed them down, so they sank beneath the surface with little effort. Any evidence of their body was swallowed by the floating vegetation, leaving behind only a small spattering of blood on the dock to mark the fact that they once lived.

The process was repeated two more times without anyone noticing anything strange. It felt like the swamp itself was trying to help me cleanse the area, eagerly devouring every enemy I fed to it.

If the swamp was a living nightmare, then it was at least a nightmare that was on our side.

There were a few times where I couldn’t get into position to eliminate my target and had to hide instead by ducking back under the dock. This tactic kept me concealed for the moment, but it wouldn’t last forever. Someone was bound to realize what was happening sooner or later.

As much as I wanted to kill everyone within the building for their role in perpetuating this nightmare, I had to remind myself of our purpose. We were there to rescue those who had been kidnapped. Later, we could come back with a larger force and take everyone else out. Surely, now that I knew where they were located, it wouldn’t be that hard to rally others willing to help out.

When I’d managed to clear all the security in one section of the dock, I signaled for Tansie to bring the boat closer.

The sound of her moving the pole through the water could barely be heard over the natural ambiance of the swamp. She moved carefully, taking my warning to heart and never letting the pole splash in the water or knock against the side of the boat.

Once they were docked and the boat secured, Sebastian immediately handed me my guns back. With practiced ease, I reattached their holsters on my belt and my leg, then helped Sebastian clamber out of the boat onto the dock. I practically had to carry the man since there was no good way for him to maneuver his crutches without making noise, and even once he was on the dock, I kept one arm looped around him so he leaned more on me than on his crutch.

“Come on,” I hurried Tansie out of the boat. “We can’t afford to be caught in the open. This dock would be a terrible place for a shootout. There’s no cover.”

There was a door on the side of the building that looked like it was meant for loading and unloading supplies. The good thing about a secret building in the middle of the swamp was that there wasn’t much infrastructure. The whole place looked like it had probably been built by hand, and definitely wasn’t up to code. Because of that, the door was ridiculously easy to open. I didn’t even have to pick the lock. Ramming it with my shoulder was enough to break the lock and nearly took the door off its hinges.

This place definitely relied more on secrecy to keep it safe, rather than state-of-the-art security.

Sebastian was through the door first, which led to some sort of storage room. “Come on,” he said as he peered through another door that led into the heart of the building. “There’s no one around right now, and I can see the staircase. Now’s our chance.”

He started to slip out the door, but Tansie grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. “How do you know we need to go upstairs? This floor of the building is much bigger. Isn’t it more likely that they are down here?”

Careful not to move too quickly or come across as aggressive, Sebastian removed her hand from his arm. “It’s hard to build on unstable ground in a swamp like this. Adding a second story would be even harder. If they went through the trouble of creating a second story, then whatever is up there must be important. Probably private rooms, or some sort of center of command. Even if the people we’re looking for aren’t there, it’s the best place to start.”

He tried to charge ahead, but this time I stopped him. “I agree with checking the upper floor, but maybe you should stay here and keep an eye on things.”

Sebastian didn’t bother to hide his glare as he scowled at me. “I’m not staying behind. What kind of bullshit is that? Newt could be up there.”

“That staircase is the only way up,” I said, glancing pointedly at his leg. Unfortunately, he didn’t take the hint and I had to say it out loud. “You can barely walk. There’s no way you’re climbing a full set of stairs.”

Standing as straight as his crutch would allow, Sebastian shoved his way through the door. “Newt might be up there. I’m going. See if you can stop me.”

Sighing deeply and preparing for the worst, I followed after him with one hand poised near my gun at all times.

To Sebastian’s credit, he did manage to climb the stairs through a series of odd peg-leg limping and one-legged hopping. He would first brace his bad leg on the step above. Then he would get his crutch firmly planted and quickly hop up with his good leg so his injured one never had to bear his weight for long.

The process worked, but it wasn’t quiet.

It was already a miracle that he was getting around as well as he was, mostly due to sheer determination.

I helped him as much as I could, acting as a second crutch and keeping him on his feet when he nearly tumbled back down the stairs several times. Yet, I knew there was no way our journey up the stairs had gone unnoticed. Even the worst security guards, like the kind often portrayed in cartoons for the sake of comical slapstick, would have heard us coming. When we got to the top of the stairs, I expected to be met with weapons and violence.

Yet, we found nothing but an empty hallway and closed doors.

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