He grabbed the bottle from Sean. “I’m not that bad yet.” He took a long pull, then turned to Clay, who looked exhausted with his head hanging over his chest.
He smiled and said, “I know how you feel. When those bullets hit me, I got my breath knocked out, then I guess I just passed out from exhaustion or blood loss, or both. I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t stay...” Michael coughed dusty phlegm from deep in his throat. He spat and tried to continue. “But I—”
Clay cut him off. “Evan stayed with me much longer this time. I... I mean we actually beat ABCs. Then I got hit from behind.”
“We can do this later,” Sean implored them. “What are we gonna do now? You guys look like you’re done.” Suddenly, Sean heard rustling from the direction of the courtyard. He reached for his rifle and took aim, scanning for movement, seeing nothing.
Martha spoke up, “Clay.”
He didn’t respond.
“Clay,” she repeated.
He looked up this time.
“Evan is here.”
Clay shook his head. “No more. I don’t think I can go on.”
“Evan says you have to. Jackie has been taken too.”
Clay looked away. A single tear streamed down his cheek.
Michael pulled his legs under him, reaching out for Martha to help him stand. Looking at Sean, he said, “Stay here and keep an eye on the courtyard. If you see anything coming at us, fall back and let us know.”
Sean nodded, stayed close to the wall, raised his rifle, and scanned the inside of the courtyard.
Michael stepped over to Clay and reached out a hand. Martha went to his other side. They heaved him up and got under his arms, helping him walk back out of the gap and to the Suburban. Michael opened the side door and Clay sat down in the frame, head hanging.
Martha looked to Michael and inclined her head to the side, indicating he should go. Michael took the cue and headed back into the gap without a word. Martha knelt and pulled the Zippo from her pocket. She flipped it open and spun the flint wheel with her thumb. The flame burst to life and she appeared to fall into a meditative state. She spoke to Clay as glints of orange circulated rhythmically around the edges of her irises. “Clay, the bonding of you and Evan means so much more than you realize. Beyond that of saving the girl and destroying the madman.”
Clay looked up, astonished but somehow calmed by her voice. Martha seemed to speak with deep wisdom when the orange flecks were present in her eyes. The flame of the Zippo danced as she spoke.
“A message needs to be sent to those who think they can get away with heinous acts such as the enslavement of innocent children, vulnerable women, and easily manipulated men.” The intensity of her voice increased. “A declaration from The Beyond, through this realm, and into the fallen souls and wicked energies—like a spear of light traveling through dimensions and into the heartless heart of evil. And today, Clay, you are the conduit for that message. You are the spear.”
Clay turned his head and looked out into the wide-open landscape. Something stirred deep inside him. Something primordial. In a way, he always knew it resided there, waiting. The time had arrived for him to unlock that part of his being.
“Clay,” Martha said gently as she rested a hand on his arm. “You must prepare yourself.”
Clay sat in silence as he continued to stare into the moonless night. The untamed landscape, teeming with life under a starry sky, was beautiful in its own way. He felt the strength of his natural connection with the Earth. Will this be my last glimpse of her splendor? He lowered his head and looked at the ground, filled with doubt. Then Clay remembered Jackie’s kind words. Elena nestled in the crook of his arm. The grip of Michael’s handshake. The joy in Sean’s eyes when he learned something new.
In an instant, his doubt transformed into resolve. These people were worth helping, worth saving. Good souls worth sacrificing for. They were part of his world. Once again, determination took hold. Any remaining questions were now settled in his mind and the answers gave him strength. Clay turned and lifted his hand. “Help me up.” Martha clacked the Zippo closed and reached for Clay’s outstretched arm.
Soft flecks of white light rotated in his eyes like the many moons orbiting Jupiter. Standing on his own now, Clay steadied himself. “I feel better, thanks. Let’s go see what Michael and Sean have in mind.” They walked together back into the gap.
“Everyone went into the compound on the left side,” Sean explained to Michael as Martha and Clay came around the corner.
“Elena is down the hall on the left side,” Clay stated. “I saw her through a window before a woman pulled her back out of sight.”
“We need to figure out a way to get in there,” Michael said. “There are weapons on the ground in the courtyard we could use, but I don’t think we should open fire down the hall with an AR15 if Elena or Jackie are over there with them.”
“Right. If I recall, they are out of ammo. ABCs got that .38 off me but used all the rounds,” Clay said.
“We don’t really know what they have,” Michael said. “My Glock is lying on the ground in there with plenty of rounds. Sean and I will set up on the inner corners with our rifles looking into the courtyard and try to see what we can with the night scopes. Clay, be ready. Martha, hang back and stay out of sight, okay?”
“Okay,” Martha replied, then turned to Clay. “Evan says he’s ready when you are.”
𓂓
After unlocking the hatch, Dewey had made it down into the tunnel easily. The smell of the earth had struck him as he moved away from the opening. A string of bare light bulbs hung from the wall and led the way. It had started as just one tunnel and he moved quickly through. Suddenly, he came up on a fork. He stopped, not knowing what to do. The women were probably right, easy to get lost. He had considered turning around but knew he didn’t want to go back up into that hell storm. He would take his chances down here.
He paused, knelt, and tried to gather his senses while he caught his breath. After a bit, he tested both tunnels. Went down the right side first, only to find another fork. Same on the left. He retraced his steps back to the first fork. Unsure what to do, he sank down to find the cigarette pack in his hand. The lighter slid smoothly out of his pocket and he lit up, savoring the initial rush.
𓂓
Jackie lifted her head, shards of glass sticking to her face. Her skull pounded deep inside from the blow she’d received from ABCs. She pulled at her hands and realized she was bound. Staying as motionless as possible, she scanned the room as best she could. The lights from the SUV outside were dimmer now they’d been on for a while. Jackie saw no one. She looked out into the courtyard but couldn’t make out anything in the dark. Thinking quickly, she rolled over onto her back, pulled her legs up into a crunch position, and pinned her shoulders back. Bits of glass cutting into her hands and arms, Jackie pushed against the curve of her lower back, squeezing her abs as she slid her bound hands underneath and behind her legs. Then she pulled them over her feet, rolled on her side, and up on all fours, grimacing with pain. She pushed herself up to a crouched position then reached down and touched the wound on her leg, letting out a soft gasp at the sight of it. She saw a small room in the corner behind her, and shuffled in.
The small kitchen was the same as any other. She quietly pulled drawers out until she found the utensils. She picked out a serrated knife, turned it backwards in her hand, and sawed on the thick zip tie. It took an excruciatingly long time to cut, but finally gave way. Deciding to hang on to the knife, she pressed herself on the inside wall and looked out into the main room.
She saw only motionless dark on her left. On her right, a door led to a hallway where she saw the dim glow of a light at the end. She moved to the door and looked through the small glass pane. She didn’t see anyone but heard hushed voices coming from the far end. Some instinct in the back of her mind told her they had Elena down there. Jackie grabbed the handle and tested the door. It was unlocked and she pulled it toward her as she watched through the window. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement at the far end of the courtyard in the gap they had come through earlier. She recognized Sean’s lithe form take up position on the far inner corner. More movement at the near corner. A rifle barrel appeared around the edge of the wall in her direction. It had to be Michael.
Jackie considered how to get their attention. Remembering they had night scopes, she stood up behind the narrow column between the door and the shattered window frame and stepped out into view with her hands raised to shoulder level.
Michael’s gun settled on her first. He motioned to Sean, who also found her through his scope. She signaled them both, pointing down the hallway. Then she turned and crouched low, ducking back under the small window. She grabbed the door handle and slowly pulled it open. Suddenly, she saw a dark figure appear at the end of the hallway, followed closely by another. They emerged from the dimly lit room in the right-hand back corner and passed across the hallway to the other side, disappearing into another room. She pivoted herself back around the column and waved at Michael and Sean. When they found her in the scope, she signaled that she had seen two men at the end of the hall. She turned back around and thought about what to do. Then she heard muffled cries coming from the end of the hall. No doubt that was Elena, but her voice was mixed in with the cries of a woman. Without thinking, Jackie flung open the door and limped down the hallway.
𓂓
ABCs and the guard had gone to the spare bathroom at the end of the hall and found that the lights still worked. They used the basic first aid supplies in the cabinet and checked their wounds, working hastily to clean and dress them in the dim light. The guard inspected the handguns he had retrieved from the embattled Excursion while they discussed their next move. “How are the two of us going to move all these women and a girl through the tunnels? Tie them hand to hand as usual?” he asked ABCs.
