Page 40 of Deadly Strain

A shout echoed, then another.

Her body dumped enough adrenaline into her system to mobilize a fossil, but she didn’t know which direction to go.

Sharp put a hand on the back of her neck and pushed her down just as she shifted her weight. Balance gone, she tried to catch herself with her hands. One landed on the edge of a rock while the other tangled with a bush. She fell through it and kept on falling into a narrow trench the plants had hidden.

Grace landed on her side with enough force to knock the wind out of her.

While she caught her breath, Sharp hissed, “Stay there.” The crunch of running feet on rock told her he’d gone.

Yelling, voices raised, speaking Dari. Several gunshots punctured the air. More than one person ran past her hiding spot.

Had they found him?

Her thoughts raced as she listened to the commotion slowly die down. It didn’t sound like they were celebrating, but they didn’t sound angry either.

What happened?

She was about to leave when two men, chattering away in Dari, walked past. They carried water canteens, ammunition, and rifles. Men on a mission. With that much water, a long one.

She waited a few minutes, while the area grew quiet and the sun rose in the sky. Finally, she crept silently out of her dark hole and listened. Voices were audible to the west.

Not very far away, but between her and them was a ridge of rock. She moved cautiously closer. What she’d thought to be a ridge was actually what remained of a man-made wall.

She looked around it.

Four men were visible. Three in traditional Afghan dress, one in an American military uniform. Sharp.

He was seated, his hands tied behind his back, his head bowed over knees drawn up to his chest. His feet were tied together. She could see his chest moving with every breath. Breathing heavy. Too heavy.

Damn it. He was hurt.

The Afghans were talking and cooking around a small fire inside a rock oven. They smiled at each other, their gestures large and excited.

They’d bagged an American soldier. They probably thought they’d really accomplished something. All three were armed with the same Soviet-made rifles as the two who had left were wearing. Loops of ammo were draped across their chests.

Wonderful. She was outnumbered and outgunned three to one, and she only had one thing on her side.

Surprise.

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