Page 74 of Deadly Strain

She stumbled and Smoke put his hand under her arm to help her up. “Doc?”

It was amazing to her how much the man could ask with one word. “I’m okay, just really,reallytired.”

Ahead of her, Hernandez and Clark had stopped moving and were looking at her with concern on their faces.

“Doc,” Smoke said. “You can sleep soon.”

“Sounds good.” She smiled at Smoke and patted him on the hand holding her up. When Hernandez and Clark advanced down the tunnel again, she followed, putting her hands on the walls to help keep herself from tripping.

After another five minutes or so, light filtered its way into the tunnel from somewhere up ahead. The men in front of her suddenly stopped and crouched down on the floor, with Clark holding up a closed fist.

She knelt before anyone had to tell her to and waited while the men traded more hand signals back and forth. After a moment, a decision seemed to have been made, as Smoke slipped past her and Clark.

Sharp came up behind her and whispered in that oddly dead tone that didn’t carry more than a couple of inches in her ear. “The tunnel ends not far ahead. They’re checking to make sure it’s clear.”

She nodded.

And waited.

Finally, Clark got out of his crouch and waved at her, March, Runnel, and Sharp. They walked slowly into an open room that had probably started as a cave, but had been enlarged and shaped by man. Some of the walls had stones laid in them, forming benches and shelves, along with alcoves for storage. Near the far end of the room was a well. The light came from past it, filtered as if it had to travel through an obstacle course.

Hernandez came toward them from beyond the well. “The exit is camouflaged, but useable.”

“Camouflaged as what?” Sharp asked.

“A garbage dump.”

Grace’s tired mind could hardly string two thoughts together, but hiding in a dump seemed oddly appropriate. “Sounds like home to me,” she said, plunking herself down on one of the stone benches.

“Anyone around?” Sharp asked.

“Nope. We’re outside of the compound and the exit opens out onto a gorge with a very steep slope. It’s covered by lots of old timber, rusted metal car parts, scrub brush, and debris the wind has deposited. Nothing usable.”

“Does it look like it’s been disturbed recently?”

“No. I’d say we’re good in here, for now at least.”

“Did you find a bathroom out there?” Grace asked.

Hernandez grinned at her. “Yep, it’s a little old-fashioned, ah...I don’t think there’s any toilet paper, but—” he angled his thumb over his shoulder “—head left before the exit.”

“The doc and I need to rest,” Sharp said, his voice tired. “You guys set up rotating watches, one for each entrance.”

“You got it, boss.” The men broke up into two groups, Smoke, Runnel, and Clark hunkered down while Hernandez went back down the dark tunnel toward the compound and March moved to keep watch on the garbage dump exit.

Sharp knelt down next to her and she had to refrain from asking to use him as a warm blanket. “Time to crash, Doc. Keep all your gear on in case we have to leave in a hurry.”

“I need to use the little girl’s room.”

“Okay, just be careful and quiet.”

Like she didn’t know that.

Grace got to her feet, leaving the sample container where it was resting on the stone bench, and walked past the well, looking for this rustic bathroom.

It was a hole in the dirt floor.

She stared at the urine and fecal stains all around the hole and swallowed a mouthful of bile.

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