He flipped a similar switch on the air compressor leading to the inflator. It coughed a few times. Then it burst to life as well.
I glanced at the smoke machine’s panel and saw a dial marked, Speed. I shifted it to High and did the same with the inflator.
“The soil will cause the air to back up. When it blows through, it’s going to be big.” A grin spread across Graham’s face. “I wouldn’t want to be Saul right about now.”
“Me neither. Come on, we’ve got to hurry.”
“What’s the rush?”
“I don’t want to miss the show.”
We ran out of the small cave and back into the main cavern. The arsenic-laced smoke from the fire was thick and we had to keep low to avoid it.
We darted to the foremost dump truck and with a nod at Beverly, took up position on the other end. Light smoke from the fire had drifted out of the mesa and now hung like a shroud over the clearing. But I could still see Saul’s gang, guns drawn, heading slowly in our direction.
The ground started to vibrate. Pipes clanged and air rushed, nearly drowning out the flickering flames.
“What the hell…?” Saul’s voice, tough but hesitant, came from the clearing.
“Must be a quake,” a second voice replied.
The vibrations picked up speed, moving faster and faster. Whooshing noises filled my ears. A shock wave roiled the surface and Saul’s guys fought to maintain their balance.
“Something’s wrong,” Saul shouted. “Get back and—”
The ground clapped multiple times, loud as thunder. A fierce gust of hot air, which had been pent-up beneath the soil, shot into the air like a geyser.
Saul went airborne, flipping head over heels as his body defied gravity. Moments later, he slammed back to the earth.
More air geysers erupted from the underground pipe system. Saul’s guys soared into the air before smashing back to the ground. Bones shattered. Blood flowed. Some men fell limp, while others screamed in agony.
Saul rolled onto another air geyser and was launched back into the sky. This time, he landed awkwardly on his side and blood started to flow all over his body. His left leg, twisted in impossible directions, looked like a piece of spaghetti. Feebly, he tried to crawl without success.
The lucky few who’d escaped the geysers quickly took stock of the situation. Twisting around, they ran for the tree line. But by that time, the air had reached the farthest pipes and more air geysers burst free and they went sailing in all directions as well.
The air geysers slowed a bit, but continued to shoot hot gusts into the sky. Taking a shallow breath, I tasted garlic in my mouth. The arsenic fumes were becoming more intense by the second.
Saul and his secondary crew had been wiped out. Only a few of them were moving and those movements amounted to little more than muscle twitches.
“Well, I guess that closes the book on Saul,” I remarked. “Too bad.”
Graham chuckled. “It almost sounds like you’re going to miss him.”
“I will.” I faked a frown. “Now, I’ll have to find a new punching bag.”
Chapter 79
The geysers continued to spurt pumped air out of the ground. They stretched ten to twelve feet into the sky before the winds caught hold of them and spat them to the east.
Turning around, I saw the various fires had grown larger over the last few minutes. Flames stabbed out sideways, spreading the inferno to all ends of the cavern. Fortunately, they were still a good distance from the dump trucks.
“Get—” A coughing fit seized me. My eyes started to itch and my lungs felt hot and achy. Swiftly, I adjusted the cloth around my face. “Get K.J.”
“What about you?” Beverly asked.
I waved toward the circle of corpses, which remained untouched by the flames. “I’m going to grab Justin’s body.”
“We’ll help—”
“No. Get K.J.” I studied the ten dump trucks. A few were now drivable, but the rest were still in a state of repair. “We’re going to need help to stop those flames.”
Graham and Beverly ran back to the small truck. The engine, which had puttered softly for the last few minutes, grew loud and fierce. Then the truck jerked forward and they drove away.
I filled my lungs with semi-fresh air. Turning northeast, I hurried toward Justin’s corpse. I kept low, but the fumes had begun to work their evil magic on me. The cavern started to spin before my eyes and my balance grew precarious.
I stumbled, caught myself, and stumbled again. Somehow, I managed to reach the circle of old corpses without falling on my face.
The flames intensified. They stabbed out, licking at one of the corpses, threatening to start all new fires.
I placed my gun on the ground. Then I grabbed Justin’s journal and shoved it into my pocket. After wrapping his body in a blanket, I stooped down and picked him up.
My lungs started to ache. I knew I was surrounded by arsenic-laced air. But I needed to breathe and so I took a few cautious breaths through my shirt filter.
Something clicked. My reflexes, dulled by lack of oxygen, were slow to respond.
Twisting around, I saw Ben. A rag covered his nose and mouth. His eyes blazed brighter than the fire. His forehead and upper cheeks were smeared with dirt and blood.
“We meet again,” he said, his voice muffled by the rag. Lifting a pistol, he pointed it at the space between my eyes. “But this time, my gun is loaded.”
Chapter 80
Seeing him standing there, gun in hand, reminded me of our earlier conversation. Willow, he’d told me, had sent me after the safe deposit box because of symmetry. This was symmetry too, in a way. His father had killed my dad. Now, he intended to kill me.
But symmetry wasn’t a one-way street. Justin had foiled the Capitalist Curtain decades ago. And once again, he was in position to foil another Marvin family plan.
I threw Justin’s corpse at Ben. Ben yelped and jumped out of the way. Taking advantage, I whirled around and raced deeper into the cavern, zigzagging and listening to the sounds of wild gunfire.
More smoke swept down my lungs. I was weak and weaponless. If only I had my machete, I could’ve mounted an offense. But alas, it had been stripped from me when I’d entered the president’s temporary headquarters.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ben framed by fire and smoke. He’d calmed down and was now following me at a slow, measured pace.
I kept running. The smoke lessened a bit and I was able to breathe a little easier. I ran past the crevice I’d used earlier and made my way to the tunnel at the far end of the cavern. A rough ramp, showing signs of chisel marks, led upward.
I took one last look at Ben. Then I whirled around.
And sprinted into the tunnel.
Chapter 81
The arsenic-laced smoke rose with me as I raced up the steep, curving ramp. But I was moving faster and before long, I was able to breathe normally. At the same time, the light from the fires began to recede and I found myself surrounded by darkness.
Whipping out my flashlight, I aimed the beam into the tunnel. Then I continued to run.
The ramp looked manmade or at least, altered by human hands. Despite their prowess with tools, I doubted Justin and his crew had taken the time to do it. This was confirmed when my beam illuminated some crude pictographs on the rock walls. They resembled the ones I’d seen on the summit as well as in the cavern.