She finally looked at him, her eyes wide with terror.
“Bao, if we try to leave they’ll catch us. They know our cars.”
Bao nodded. This was the hardest part of the plan. They had to find a vehicle that wasn’t linked to either of them—preferably a truck. He described his plan. Fifteen minutes later they were on their way to Patton Larsen’s office building west of town. Bao had been given a key to the offices. Inside of the warehouse was a fleet of trucks. Bao knew where the keys were because he serviced a bank of vending machines that were right by the key box.
Ten minutes later they were in Lindsay’s car. He drove slowly, guided only by her daytime running lights. He knew the roads better than she did, and despite not having full headlights, they made decent time. Bao parked her car behind the warehouse, between a large dumpster and a loading dock. They exited the car and quickly made their way to a rear service door. Bao worked his key and unlocked the door. They both stepped in and closed the door behind them. He peered through the window, making sure no one had followed them. Bao found the key box and removed a random truck key. He hit the unlock button. A truck parked three bays down lit up.
“Let’s go!” Bao said, pushing Lindsay towards the truck.
She was annoyed with him but said nothing.
Bao drove up to the electric bay doors. He searched the truck and finally found the opener. Minutes later they were back on the highway, making their way towards town. The adrenaline of the moment was starting to fade. They looked at each other in wonder and simultaneously burst into laughter. They drove slowly along the highway, again guided only by the daytime running lights. They were nearly halfway to their turnoff when Bao glimpsed something in the rearview mirror.
“It’s headlights Bao!”
“I know!” Bao said, looking back nervously.
“What are we going to do?”
Bao let off the gas pedal and concentrated on the road ahead. The road was coming at any moment. He didn’t want to make the turn too hard and fast.
He looked at the rearview mirror again. The headlights weren’t visible but he could see their glow above a rise. They appeared again. Whoever it was appeared to be gaining speed.
Lindsay’s hand shot out and clenched down on Bao’s arm. He shook it away.
“Stop that! I’m trying to drive!”
The road curved to the left and then straightened out. Bao could see the reflectors that marked the road. Whoever it was behind him was too far back to see their turn. He just couldn’t afford to use the brake to slow down. Doing so would give their location away.
They reached the turn and Bao yanked the wheel to the right. The tires nearly gave out on the gravel. The back tires fishtailed slightly, but he was able straighten out. He pulled his foot off the accelerator and the truck slowed up the slight rise. Bao and Lindsay looked back to the highway and watched a nondescript sedan zoom by. They looked at one another and exhaled.
Bao accelerated again and crested a rise. They descended again and Bao finally used the truck’s brakes and brought them to a stop.
“Whoa,” Lindsay said, exhaling loudly.
They were now less than three miles from the city limits. There were posts that marked the boundary, but no wire yet, in this particular part of the border. They should be able to get through without a problem. Bao began driving again, still creeping along very slowly and with minimal light.
Just over ten minutes later, Bao could see the boundary posts reflecting the truck’s dim lights. He figured they were less than a hundred yards away from freedom. There were still probably some patrols between Blue Creek and the Interstate 84, but Bao felt the worst was behind them.
“Thank God!” Lindsay exclaimed, relieved. “I can’t believe we—”
They both lurched as one of the truck’s tires deflated. Bao then saw a flash and heard a pop. The other front tire went flat. Another flash and a neat hole appeared in the windshield.
“Bao!”
Another flash and pop and a spray of engine oil hit the windshield, obscuring Bao’s view. He had no choice but to bring the truck to a stop. He couldn’t see a thing. Once they were stopped, headlights from several vehicles filled the cab of the truck. Bao could see Lindsay’s frightened face. He felt himself trembling. There was a knock at Bao’s window and he rolled it down hesitantly. Although a bright flashlight was shining in his eyes, he could tell these were Blue Creek Security personnel.
“Mr. Hahn? Please step out of the vehicle.”
Bao looked at Lindsay, his hands raised.
“Sorry Lindsay. I’m so sorry.”
CHAPTER 28
Patton was cold. His muscles were so sore he felt like someone had injected his insides with concrete. The pack on his back was supposed to weigh eighty pounds, but with all the rain that had fallen in the last 24 hours, it probably weighed over a hundred pounds. Worst were his legs and feet. He’d sprained both ankles and was worried that he might have stress fractures in his legs. It was the most miserable he’d ever felt.
He would allow himself to stop, but not sit. If he sat he would probably never get up again. Instead, Patton did what his old platoon sergeants in the Rangers had taught him—lean back against a tree. It wasn’t as good as sitting, but it took most the weight off your shoulders and legs. Patton spotted two trees whose trunks were about a foot apart and leaned in the same direction. He walked over to the trees and turned around. He leaned slowly until his pack was resting on the tree trunks. The relief was instantaneous. He moaned audibly.
Patton woke with a start. Cold raindrops splashed on his cheeks, nose, and forehead. He pulled his baseball cap away from his eyes and saw that it was full dark now. He looked at his watch.
“Dammit!”
A surge of adrenaline hit Patton and he stood quickly. He pulled a clump of map pages from his cargo pocket and clicked on the flashlight that was clipped to his chest. Before he stopped to rest, Patton figured he was over four kilometers from his destination. With his wasted time, he would have to double his previous pace. When Patton started walking again, however, he felt strangely vigorous. There wasn’t as much pain in his legs and back. He set off at a fast clip and checked his watch again. In spite of him losing over four hours, he was more confident now that he was going to reach his destination on time.
He saw a flash of lightning in his peripheral vision. Thunder cracked and rumbled across the sky. The light sprinkling turned into a downpour. A cold breeze whipped into Patton’s face. He pulled his cap down further over his eyes and moved forward up the dirt and gravel trail.
Two hours later, Patton crested the rise that had loomed above him for hours and for many miles. A large valley, faintly lit by moonlight, stretched out before him. According to his maps and his constant calculations, Patton was right on pace to reach his final point. It would be tight, but figured he had ten to fifteen minutes to play with. He was either going to make it or he wasn’t, but he would succeed or fail on his feet. He pulled a package of M&Ms from his pocket and downed it in two mouthfuls.
Nearly two hours later, Patton rounded a curve in the trail. To the right was a large clump of trees. He stopped and removed his maps again. He checked his compass and then surveyed his surroundings. This was it, but he didn’t see what he was supposed to see. He checked his map and compass again.
“This is it, I swear,” he thought out loud.
Patton stopped. He thought he’d heard something. He stood there motionless and waited. There it was again. Human voices. It seemed to be coming from inside the clump of trees. Patton left the trail for the first time in hours. He pushed limbs away from his face as he made his way through the trees. He broke through a small stand of trees and then he saw it. There was an Army Humvee surrounded by soldiers. This was it. He’d made it.