Page 115 of Over the Edge

Trevor wedged his shoulder under Ken’s armpit and hoisted him to his feet. Horror flowed through her. Kenny looked like pictures of concentration camp survivors.

She moved to the other side of the door and peered out into the tunnel. All quiet. She winced at the shuffling noise of Ken behind her. He’d been the quietest of them all a year ago.

Trevor went first with his left shoulder wedged under Ken’s right arm. She followed behind, relocking the door behind them. Walking backward, she covered their backs as they started the long trek back down the tunnel.

Without warning a faint rumble sounded, and dirt sprinkled down on them from the ceiling of the tunnel.

She swore to herself. The attack had started.

Trevor picked up the pace, striding rapidly down the tunnel and basically carrying Kenny. She continued moving backward, turning her hips to the side and half-jogging to keep up with the two men.

More rumbles, louder now. And bits of rock were starting to fall from the ceiling.

It was a hell of a dance trying to move backward, keep up with the guys, and not bump into the various piles of ammunition, weapons, and whatever else was stacked in the tunnel. But she managed.

And then she saw movement at the far range of her night vision. A bearded man moving toward her with several more men just behind. She was perplexed by what he was doing—it looked like he was searching for something in the wall. A hidden door or some sort of lever, perhaps?

It dawned on her that the guy had no night vision gear and was operating in the dark, feeling his way along the tunnel. Must have bolted down here when the bombing started, without grabbing even a flashlight.

She spun and grabbed Trevor’s shoulder to let him know they had company incoming. He sped up a little more, but Ken didn’t have the strength for any more speed and his feet began to tangle as his legs gave out.

Trevor bent and hefted Ken over his shoulder.

She recognized the pile of ammunition boxes from before and got an idea. She jumped in front of Trevor and pointed at the side of the tunnel that had the storeroom in it. The door was just ahead. She mimicked opening a door.

Trevor nodded quickly.

She raced ahead a dozen feet and opened the door. Trevor ducked inside with Kenny, and she closed it fast and silent. She rolled the nearest barrel in front of the door. Another barrel. She hefted a huge bag of flour that had to weigh a hundred pounds, and wedged it against the door as well.

Trevor eased Kenny down onto a crate and she watched as Trevor pressed a pistol into Kenny’s fingers. Kenny smiled, and she started at how macabre and gaunt his face looked.

But, she understood the sentiment. She would feel better if she were armed, too. In a lull in the rumbling above, she heard footsteps approaching, and she waved at Trevor. He crouched in a firing position, his weapon pointed at the door panel, while she plastered herself beside the door.

A male voice shouted in Zagari outside, and she jumped, startled by the loud noise right beside her ear. The guy was urging someone to go faster.

Many footsteps passed by, and silence settled around them once more.

Yikes. Now they had to get out of here, knowing there were hostiles in front of them, and possibly more hostiles coming up behind them.

While she considered their options, she was startled to see Trevor press a bottle of water and a quick energy gel pack into Ken’s free hand. Kenny immediately slugged the water and started sucking down the gelatin. Good idea. Any burst of vitality he could summon might make the difference between them all getting out of here alive or not.

A tremendous explosion shook the room, and the sounds of rocks falling outside in the tunnel rattled loudly. And then an alarming scent reached her nostrils. Smoke. Something nearby was burning.

They had to get out of here before they got trapped. Smoke inhalation would kill them as quickly as a cave-in or Haddad and his men.

Trevor gestured her over and waved her down beside him and Ken. She crouched on Ken’s other side and leaned in as Trevor put his mouth practically on Ken’s cheek.

“Anna’s with me, Ken. We need to get to the surface, go over a wall, and bug out, but our people are attacking the compound. Air bombardment and Spec Ops guys. Not here for you. Could kill us. Are you strong enough to climb a rope?”

“I’ll try,” Kenny breathed. His once-beautiful voice was hoarse as if he hadn’t used it much in a long time.

Trevor continued. “This tunnel has an exit in about a hundred feet. We’ll go above ground there. Haddad and his men should stay in the tunnel and try to get beyond the compound wall before they come up. It’ll be a shit show that we emerge into, but Anna and I will cover you and carry you as needed. You know the drill. Follow our instructions and let us do the work.”

“Roger that,” Kenny whispered.

He sounded a little stronger than even a few seconds ago. The calories from that energy pack must be hitting his system. She pressed the energy gel from her utility belt into his hand as well, and he sucked it down as Trevor moved to the door to check the tunnel.

“Ready to roll?” she breathed to Ken.

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