Page 186 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

The tunnel was long and straight, with damp stone walls and floor, and a wood plank ceiling. Their boots made little sound as they hurried through the narrow passageway. After about fifteen minutes, they came to a rusted iron and wooden door. There was no visible keyhole or latch. Alex poked around the edge and found a hidden latch near the bottom, and pushed the door open. Fresh, cold air rushed into his face and he sucked deep gulps.

He grinned back at his friends. “Freedom.” They filed out into the empty field, closing the door behind them.

They were south of the castle. A few miles away was a small town. Several miles beyond that was another town that had a train station offering daily rides into St. Petersburg. Or, at least it had four years ago. From there, they could catch a train to Warsaw, and then on to Frankfurt and Alex’s home. With Vati’s help, they would decide what to do next. Maybe his father even knew where Anna was.

The five men headed southeast, silent and focused on reaching their destination. A few miles into their journey, they were huffing more than they ever had in the past. Confinement and beatings had taken its toll. Erich was in pain, and Seth was limping more than usual.

A grove of trees surrounded the town. The men walked a few steps inside and collapsed against the tall sentinels, gasping for breath. Even Tony and Greg’s past injuries were wearing on them.

Their plan was to “borrow” a car and drive it to the train station in the second town. Greg and Tony would find a suitable vehicle while Alex, Seth, and Erich waited on the edge of town. Two men walking around weren’t as noticeable as five.

The men lay on the ground, chests heaving for several minutes before Greg and Tony nodded to one another and stood.

Alex stood with them. “Are you sure you don’t need to rest? I can go.”

Tony shook his head. “You can’t hot wire a car. I can.”

Alex grimaced and looked at Greg, who was leaning over, his hands on his knees.

“We stick to the plan.” Greg straightened. “We always stick to the plan.” He nodded to Tony, and the two men disappeared into the shadows of the town.

Alex sat down next to Seth and Erich. Erich was rubbing his legs and Seth leaned against a tree, staring up into the starry sky. Alex reached for his backpack. “You want something to eat?”

“Sure,” Seth said. Erich nodded.

Alex unzipped his pack and tossed each man an apple and a sushki, a mildly sweet Russian bread ring he’d grown fond of. They ate in silence, waiting for Greg and Tony to return.

After what seemed like an eternity, a dark sedan pulled up nearby and Alex heard the signal whistle. He helped Erich to his feet, and they shoved their things into the trunk before squeezing into the tiny car.

“Think you could have picked a smaller car, Tony?” Alex asked in English. “I feel like a sardine.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers.” Tony shrugged. “They’re not exactly known for their large cars around here.”

Seth laughed.

Alex frowned. “What?”

“You better practice your English. Anna won’t be able to understand you.”

Alex growled. “She hasn’t had problems before.”

Seth rolled his eyes. “Maybe the dreams interpret better. Even I’m having a hard time understanding you.”

“Is it really that bad?” Alex asked Greg.

“You have an interesting mix of a Russian and German accent.” Greg shrugged. “She’ll figure it out, I’m sure.”

“Or you won’t need to speak at all.” Erich laughed. “Just kiss her.”

The drive to the other town wasn’t long. Tony parked the car in the back of the lot. Greg went to buy the tickets with the cash they’d brought with them four years earlier. Whenever they went on missions, they always brought both local currency and prepaid debit cards. But Alex wanted to be out of the country before he used the cards. Cash was always the better choice.

Greg returned a few minutes later. “The trains don’t start running until a few hours from now. It might be better to just drive into the city. The train to Warsaw doesn’t leave until almost midnight.”

Alex ran his hand through his hair. He’d wanted to get out of the city as soon as possible. “Does anything else leave earlier?”

“There’s a train to Helsinki, but we’d be trapped there. I think it’d be better to go to St. Petersburg and wait somewhere for the Warsaw train. Unless you want to go through Moscow.”

“Absolutely not. That would be walking right into the lion’s den.” Alex sighed. “Alright. Let’s drive into the city and find a place to stay, get rid of the car, and get the tickets to Warsaw.”

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