Page 55 of Mountain Captive

Chris stared. She wanted to protest, but she saw the truth in his words. Jedediah wouldn’t want to deal with Harley either. If they were all going to get out of this alive, they had to figure out a way to escape before the helicopter arrived.

“We need to eliminate the guards one at a time,” Rand said. He looked toward the door. “It would help if we could see who was out there. I’m guessing the guards take shifts, with only one or two at a time here at the container.”

“There’s a gap around the door,” Serena said. She moved over to the door and pressed her eye to the gap. “From down here I can see out.” Pause. “I see two guys. One is sitting on a rock, huddled under a tarp. The other is pacing back and forth. He’s wearing a poncho. They both look pretty wet and miserable.”

Rand moved closer to Chris. One hand resting on her shoulder, he leaned over and spoke in her ear. “If you can create some kind of distraction, maybe we can get the guards inside and overpower them.”

“That will only work if they both come in here,” she said.

“They might welcome the chance to get out of the rain. Or, if you can create a big enough ruckus, they might believe they’ll need to work together to subdue you.”

She nodded. “I’m willing to try.”

He looked around. “I wish I had something I could use to hit them over the head. Even a big rock would do.”

There were no rocks in the shipping container, and the guards had taken their packs. “There’s the slop bucket,” she said. “But it’s empty.”

“It has sand or cat litter in it,” he said. “If we throw that in their faces, it will momentarily blind them. Maybe enough for me to get hold of one of their guns.”

“That’s a lot ofifs,” she said. “But I can’t think of a better idea.”

RANDWASN’TCONVINCEDhis plan would work, but he couldn’t see a viable alternative. “Serena,” he called. “We need your help.”

She joined them, and Rand explained their plan. “We need you to stay to one side and keep hold of Harley,” Rand said. “As soon as I give the word, you take off running, out of the container and away from the area. Chris and I will be right behind you.”

She nodded. “All right.” She took hold of the dog’s collar and coaxed him to the front corner of the container, just to the right of the door.

Rand looked at Chris. “Are you ready?”

She blew out a breath. “Ready.”

He moved to the left of the door and she faced it, then threw back her head and let out a shriek. Rand started. “Oh no, oh no, oh no!” she shouted. “Help! Someone please help!” The hair on the back of his neck rose. If he hadn’t known she was faking, he would have been totally convinced.

Someone pounded on the door. “Quiet down in there!” a man yelled.

Chris shrieked even louder. “No! No! Please help! Help!”

“What’s going on?” a second male voice demanded.

More shrieks and wails from Chris. Serena joined in. “Oh no! It’s horrible. Help! Help!”

The chain rattled, followed by the scrape of the bar. The door creaked open, and one man stuck his head inside. “What’s going on in here?”

Chris sank to the floor and thrashed around, moaning and groaning. The first guard moved inside. Chris thrashed harder and shrieked more. “You have to help her!” Serena pleaded.

Harley began barking, adding to the deafening echo within the container. The first guard knelt beside Chris and grabbed her arm. She rolled away from him, thrashing harder.

“You need to hold her down, or she’ll hurt herself,” Serena cried.

“Joel, get in here!” the first guard cried. “I need your help!”

The second guard stepped inside. “What’s going on?”

“Help me with her,” the first guard said.

Joel moved in and stood beside the first man.

Rand rushed forward. He hurled the contents of the pail into the face of first one man and then the other. They staggered, and he punched the first man, breaking his nose. Then he wrenched the rifle from the guard’s hands and used it as a club to hit the second man. He went down, and Harley immediately bit him.

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