Dino gasped. Karin turned to find him on his knees, head hanging low. At first she thought he’d been shot through the back and checked the hallway for enemies. Finding none she bent low and lifted his chin up.
“I am sorry, Dino. I guess now you can grieve.”
The sound of a large door being dragged open ground through the open window, clear now that all the sounds of entertainment had been stopped. Karin rushed over and stared down.
“The garage,” she said. “One. I guess he’s going for a car.”
“On my—” Wu began, but Karin put a hand out.
“No. This one is mine, you watch Dino and start the clear up.”
“Clear up?”
“Fuck, man, don’t you see? The three of us are already fugitives. We can stay here. Become subsistent. Form a base. Make plans…”
“Why would I see that? And what plans?”
“Just get on with it.”
Wu acquiesced without question, a good sign. Karin raced out of the room, checking her handgun and finding two bullets left in there. She scooped up a discarded M16, then turned, barreled down the stairs, and headed straight for the front door at breakneck speed. Once there, she came to an abrupt halt and checked the area.
An engine roared in the garage. Karin ran into the garden and then toward the garage, covering the ground in a matter of seconds. M16 raised, she followed the line of its barrel. The garage door juddered as a gust of wind struck it; kicking up a whirl of dust. Karin came boldly into the center of the opening just as the engine revved.
Smiled at the man behind the wheel, then sighted his skull along the top of her gun.
Pulled the trigger and saw the blood explode.
Ranch cleansed.
Time to talk to Dino and Wu and see what the future held.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Drake fell in the dirt, spinning too fast, and caught himself by slamming an arm onto the ground. When he looked up he found a man called Curtis and a woman called Desiree staring at him fixedly, hands on weapons.
Trying not to laugh.
Drake rose, shaking himself down. “Well, folks, that’s how not to do it. Lesson learned? Let’s continue.”
They gave him a wry grin, barely understanding but understanding enough. The few spare guns they had brought had been given to the limited number of villagers who’d used one before — two. Alicia and Mai were imparting basic rules of hand-to-hand fighting to some of the other villagers; Alicia somewhat stumped on the art of using garden tools for weapons. Mai overcame it though, cutting the longer ones down and making the clumsier ones lighter and sharper. All around the village, Hayden oversaw major preparations to fend off an offensive.
They were making traps to stop the mountain creatures before they even reached the streets.
A trench was being dug — not deep — just enough to turn or break a limb, and being loosely covered over. These cannibals loved to use the darkness for an ally — let it be used against them, Hayden had said. Drake had experienced a rush of hope for these people when they responded enthusiastically, eager to get to work. Boulders were being lifted to the top of roofs, ready to be thrown on top of attackers. Four villagers proclaimed a proficiency in archery. One bow was found along with four arrows, causing some despondency, but then the villagers again showed their mettle and their desire to overcome as they set about creating rough weapons of their own.
Torches were planted everywhere — a rudimentary system of lighting they’d agreed upon — so light would bathe the village even in the darkest watches of the night. Drake wondered if the spy was still among them or had fled the area. Those that remained certainly seemed motivated enough.
He paused now, allowing Curtis and Desiree time to take a running, twisting run at a wooden target; teaching them to stay focused and readjust — always readjust. Watch your spaces. Watch your way ahead. Never stop planning.
“Wipe the sweat from your hands before you start,” he told Desiree. “Any kind of slip could leave you lying on the ground.” He pointed at himself.
She gave him a gap-toothed half-smile. “Then… chow… time,” she said, haltingly.
Well, at least they still had strong spirit inside them. These villagers impressed him more by the hour, stepping up to the plate and fighting for it. The stress they’d been under these past few months would have cowed so many people, but not these. Hardy folk, hardy living — it bred toughness he’d rarely seen.
And humility too. Curtis showed him once more, right then, what he’d been experiencing all over the village.
They watched Desiree run the circuit.
“I… thank…” The young man paused, thinking. “Thank… you… for all—” he spread his hands toward the village “—this. For all this.”
“No worries,” Drake said gruffly. “Nobody could walk away from this.”
He knew otherwise, and Curtis’s gaze told him the young man knew so too. “You… save… you save our lives.”
Drake watched Desiree complete the circuit, getting better with every run. “We’re helping you save your own. Target practice next.”
A deep voice came from behind. “Ah, excellent. Why don’t you set off running, Yorkie, and we’ll all see if we can hit you?”
“Y’know, it was fairly quiet around here without you, Dahl.”
“Well, the Vikings always did bring the noise.”
“Oh, so you think you’re a Viking now? Like Erik the Red? Ivar the Boneless? What are you — Torsten the Twat?”
Curtis and now Desiree were staring at them as if sensing conflict. Drake laughed it off and slapped the big Swede on the back. “You finished digging your pits?”
“Yeah. I’m thinking of blocking some of the streets off so we can create a kill zone. Bring the creatures right where we want them and then—” He slammed a fist into his hand.
“That might take longer than we have and if not done right could cause chaos.”
“I know.” Dahl nodded. “But it would end the battle very quickly and deter them from attacking again if they lost dozens at once. Also, they wouldn’t be able to retrieve the bodies.”
Drake gave him an agreeable shrug. The plan had merit. He asked Curtis and Desiree to take another run as Hayden walked toward them, followed by Kenzie and Smyth.
Hayden held a cellphone up. “I’m waiting to speak to Secretary of Defense Crowe,” she said in a worried voice.
“Why the hell did you ring her?” Drake had been dreading such a call since they arrived.
“I didn’t, dumbass. Her office rings you, places you on hold and then puts you through.”
“Can’t you drop it?” Dahl asked. “Flat battery. Gust of wind. Use your imagination.”
“I could jam it down your throat.”
Kenzie skipped over to Dahl’s side. “And you thought they’d missed you, baby.”
Drake did a double-take. “That’s one ugly looking baby, love.”
Dahl gave them both a warning glare. Hayden turned away slightly and began to speak. “Hello, Madam Secretary. Yes, we’re there now following some promising leads.”
Drake watched her body language, seeing the tension, the worry. If they were called back to DC… sent somewhere else in the world…
“Now?”
The sudden, snapped word grabbed all of their attention. A few villagers wandered up, perhaps sensing the anxiety.
“Madam Secretary, we’re close to ending this. I realize we’re operating outside—”
Drake let out a long breath, letting his eyes linger on the houses and streets of the village only they could defend.
“It’s one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of all time,” Hayden pressed. “Mostly, I guess, because we know the gold really existed. Dahl and Kenzie just returned from Europe with a solid lead. It will just take a few days.”