up when someone shouted below her. A glance down showed someone climbing rapidly toward her while a second person shined a bright light upward.
Time to pick up the pace.
She threw caution to the wind and raced toward the surface. If she fell now, they’d kill or capture her, so she jammed her boots into the holes as deeply as she could.
Which, in hindsight, might have been a mistake. Her foot got stuck just shy of the surface.
Jess cursed and wiggled her foot. When she felt it give, she yanked hard. Her boot came loose, and so did the stone. It fell straight down and smashed into the man behind her. Much screaming ensued.
“Sorry,” she said as she pulled herself up to the surface. Hopefully it didn’t kill either of them.
She came out into the dim light filtering through the trees and jumped to her feet. It looked as though they’d rolled a rock out of the way to gain access to the passage.
“Well, well. It looks like I get a second chance after all. There must be a god.”
Jess whirled and stared at the man in camouflage leaning against a tree. He had a pistol held loosely in his hand. “Come along quietly and I won’t have to use this. Resist and my idiot brother can carry your corpse home in a body bag.”
* * * * *
Harry was still trying to widen the hole enough to wedge himself inside when shots rang out to the west. A lot of shots. He sprang to his feet and headed for the tree line at a jog.
“Shots fired,” Rex said. “Somewhere back toward the clearing.”
“Who’s engaged?” Harry asked.
A chorus of negatives came back.
He looked around the tree he’d chosen for cover. “Enough of this crap. Pop smoke and drive our visitors back. Rex, you and I will find the source of those shots.”
It had sounded like a pistol. Someone had let off at least a dozen shots in short order. He wondered what the hell they’d been shooting at.
A sound off to his right caught his attention as he eased into the undergrowth. Someone was hauling ass. He headed in that direction, stopping occasionally to listen.
He knew he’d focused on the movement a little too closely when the tree beside him took a bullet that sent splinters into his face. He dropped and rolled, looking for his attacker.
“You think you can sneak up on me, shithead? Wrong answer!” The voice was obviously a very stressed out Jess.
“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”
* * * * *
“Harry?” She stared toward to source of the voice, trying to ignore the ringing in her ears.
“I’m going to stand up,” he said. “Don’t shoot me.”
He rose cautiously out of the undergrowth. “You want to put that thing away?”
She stared at the pistol for a second and then lowered it to her side. “Sorry. It was your brother. He ambushed me.”
“It looks like that didn’t work out so well for him. Where the hell did you come from? I was about to dig my way in.”
She gestured behind her. “There’s a secret tunnel back there. There were two guys in the chamber and I dropped a rock on them.”
Harry shook his head in amused disbelief. “Aren’t you the resourceful one?” He took her pistol from her, checked it, and held out his hand. “You’re almost dry. Give me the other magazine.”
She handed it to him as Rex came through the trees at a run. He hefted his rifle and scanned the area, making her feel a whole lot better.
Harry swapped out the magazines and slid the pistol into her holster. “Are you hit? Turn around.”
“No. He missed me. He said he was your brother. He shot at me and I drove him off.”
“So you said. Where’s this hole down?”
Jess felt like she was in shock. Her vision was all weird and tight, and she couldn’t seem to think straight. She took a deep breath, focused, and led him into the trees.
He grabbed her arm when they spotted two men hobbling away. One was supporting the other. “No need to shoot at people who’re retreating. Just let them go.”
“I wouldn’t
Time to pick up the pace.
She threw caution to the wind and raced toward the surface. If she fell now, they’d kill or capture her, so she jammed her boots into the holes as deeply as she could.
Which, in hindsight, might have been a mistake. Her foot got stuck just shy of the surface.
Jess cursed and wiggled her foot. When she felt it give, she yanked hard. Her boot came loose, and so did the stone. It fell straight down and smashed into the man behind her. Much screaming ensued.
“Sorry,” she said as she pulled herself up to the surface. Hopefully it didn’t kill either of them.
She came out into the dim light filtering through the trees and jumped to her feet. It looked as though they’d rolled a rock out of the way to gain access to the passage.
“Well, well. It looks like I get a second chance after all. There must be a god.”
Jess whirled and stared at the man in camouflage leaning against a tree. He had a pistol held loosely in his hand. “Come along quietly and I won’t have to use this. Resist and my idiot brother can carry your corpse home in a body bag.”
* * * * *
Harry was still trying to widen the hole enough to wedge himself inside when shots rang out to the west. A lot of shots. He sprang to his feet and headed for the tree line at a jog.
“Shots fired,” Rex said. “Somewhere back toward the clearing.”
“Who’s engaged?” Harry asked.
A chorus of negatives came back.
He looked around the tree he’d chosen for cover. “Enough of this crap. Pop smoke and drive our visitors back. Rex, you and I will find the source of those shots.”
It had sounded like a pistol. Someone had let off at least a dozen shots in short order. He wondered what the hell they’d been shooting at.
A sound off to his right caught his attention as he eased into the undergrowth. Someone was hauling ass. He headed in that direction, stopping occasionally to listen.
He knew he’d focused on the movement a little too closely when the tree beside him took a bullet that sent splinters into his face. He dropped and rolled, looking for his attacker.
“You think you can sneak up on me, shithead? Wrong answer!” The voice was obviously a very stressed out Jess.
“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”
* * * * *
“Harry?” She stared toward to source of the voice, trying to ignore the ringing in her ears.
“I’m going to stand up,” he said. “Don’t shoot me.”
He rose cautiously out of the undergrowth. “You want to put that thing away?”
She stared at the pistol for a second and then lowered it to her side. “Sorry. It was your brother. He ambushed me.”
“It looks like that didn’t work out so well for him. Where the hell did you come from? I was about to dig my way in.”
She gestured behind her. “There’s a secret tunnel back there. There were two guys in the chamber and I dropped a rock on them.”
Harry shook his head in amused disbelief. “Aren’t you the resourceful one?” He took her pistol from her, checked it, and held out his hand. “You’re almost dry. Give me the other magazine.”
She handed it to him as Rex came through the trees at a run. He hefted his rifle and scanned the area, making her feel a whole lot better.
Harry swapped out the magazines and slid the pistol into her holster. “Are you hit? Turn around.”
“No. He missed me. He said he was your brother. He shot at me and I drove him off.”
“So you said. Where’s this hole down?”
Jess felt like she was in shock. Her vision was all weird and tight, and she couldn’t seem to think straight. She took a deep breath, focused, and led him into the trees.
He grabbed her arm when they spotted two men hobbling away. One was supporting the other. “No need to shoot at people who’re retreating. Just let them go.”
“I wouldn’t
Similar Books
