Page 134 of Monsters within Men
“Feels like I swallowed a hot coal.” Her breathing was uneven as she sank back down.
He opened his mouth to reassure her they’d get her proper help as soon as possible, then shut it. Because that wasn’t part of the plan.
Against his chest, he felt Zeke’s eyes flutter open. “Don’t wake up yet.” He smoothed his hair. “You’ve still got half an hour. Rest.”
“I should probably see how Zaya’s doing.” Zeke glanced at his wristband, which he’d turned back on—briefly—hours ago to call her. They’d figured Murphy was too busy dealing with the whole ‘thousands of types about to break down the wall’ thing to worry about monitoring their devices. Habib had done the same, and now, theoretically, Zaya was driving Habib’s wife and child east to meet them at a gate they’d specified. Unless London was on full lockdown and the riot police barricaded them all in.
“She’ll find a way,” Zeke had said, determination in his eyes. “She always does.”
Zeke’s wristband vibrated with incoming messages.
“They’re on their way,” he said, incredulous, as if he couldn’t quite believe it. “She’s got them both, and they’re almost there. They’re likely to beat us.”
Habib caught Noah’s eye in the rear-view mirror. His face relaxed an infinitesimal amount.
Before long, everyone was awake, looking tired, frightened, but alive.
“Tell me we’re at least going to wait for the blizzard to stop before we jump into the row boat,” Habib called back to them.
“It’s not a row boat, it’s a yacht,” said Vitt. She’d fallen asleep pouring over the paperwork that came with the boat key in his uncle’s package. Vitt never came across a puzzle she couldn’t solve.
“Yippee fucking doo dah,” Habib sniped.
Noah bit his tongue. Habib was only being such an arse because he was nervous about picking up Zainab and Adeela.
The chatter dissipated the closer they got to the gate. This is where the plan got a bit murky. They didn’t need to get back in, but they did need whoever was posted there to let Zaya, Zainab, and Adeela out.
“Zaya’s gone silent,” Zeke hissed into his ear when they were a handful of minutes away.
“Don’t panic. They’re still going to wait in the car down the road until you ring them, right?”
Zeke nodded. He was terrified.
“This is almost all over,” Noah said, even though they were only at the very beginning of a very, very long journey.
Habib slowed the vehicle to a crawl. In the distance, the light coming from the watchtower that controlled the gate lit up like a beacon. “Are we driving right up, Noah?”
“May as well.”
Habib urged the vehicle forward before bringing it to a stop directly outside the metal shutters.
“Here goes nothing. Habib and I will go to talk to them. Everyone else, stay in the van. If it goes south, don’t hesitate to drive off. The address is plugged in.”
Zeke scoffed, and the others shook their heads.
“I mean it. That’s an order.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Vitt said. “Now go get them.”
He shared a long, meaningful look with Zeke before tearing himself away from him, sliding out of the van to meet Habib, tugging his helmet onto his head.
They were only two steps into their short journey when the shutters rose.
Well, that was easy,Noah almost joked.
A man stepped out of the dark tunnel, in full combat wear, his rifle trained on Noah.
“Identification,” the man snapped. “What are you doing?”
