“Muscles.”
Rein realized the man wasn’t kidding. He positioned his hands accordingly, and lifted his body on two arms befitting tree trunks. Muscles bulged and rippled under the dark clothing. He tilted to the side to bring his leg up, but a sharp snap stopped further movement. He readjusted.
Snap.
“Hold up,” he screeched. “Stop.”
“Can you see anything?” said Alex.
His partner scanned the area, craning his head to see behind him and around the door. “Just dust. No one would be crazy enough to come up here. It’s not safe.”
“Come on, it’s getting dark.”
“Okay.”
But before he lowered himself, the man glanced toward the back of the barn. Rein’s prayer died and was replaced by a thrumming heart. Doc’s chest stopped moving, as if he’d lost the ability to breathe.
“Wait,” the muscle-bound man said, narrowing his gaze and inclining his head forward.
“What?”
“Just…” He didn’t finish, his stare unwavering.
Rein felt the man’s eyes boring into him, the tension of the trigger familiar against his finger. If the man noticed them, he’d have to be quick. First Mr. Muscle, then Alex. Sweat dripped from his hairline and down his neck.
“Do you see something or not?” Alex asked, his voice strained.
His companion’s voice seemed to break the scrutiny of the muscular man. He blinked. “I thought…” He squinted again before he relented. “No, nothing, just shadows. Lower me down.”
A mountain of relief collapsed on Rein as the man disappeared, and he risked breathing again. Doc followed suit, as his chest expanded. He listened as incorporeal voices faded and the barn door closed. Emptiness, and the certainty the searchers had left, didn’t matter; neither man spoke until complete darkness engulfed the barn.
“It’s night, let’s get out of here,” said Doc, pulling himself forward. His feet hit the floor with a dull thud.
“Wait.” Rein placed the shotgun to the side, before flipping himself onto the ground.
“What?”
“I’m guessing they’re camped close by.”
The doctor looked disheartened. “We can’t just stay here, like sitting ducks.”
“I don’t think they’ll come back. At least, not tonight.” Rein went to the corner of the barn. He pulled out his blanket and spread it across the floor, then took a seat. “We have to leave the truck behind, now that they know it’s here, and hoof it back to the caves.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow night. Hopefully by then, they’ll move along.”
The doctor sighed while he settled next to Rein. “I’ll take the first watch,” he said, pulling the rifle on his lap.
Rein’s lips pursed in uncertainty.
“What? Just because I never carry doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use one.” He slid the bolt back and chambered a round. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
24
Sweat dripped down Ellyssa’s face. Her body remained in perfect balance while she strengthened her arms and legs. First, an extended knife strike to the throat of her invisible enemy, then she spun around into a roundhouse kick, taking out her enemy’s knees. Much like a dancer, she moved fluidly, as she practiced the sequence of katas she’d been performing daily since she had turned three.
The discipline had developed her, mind, body, and spirit, into the warrior she was bred to be. It helped keep her muscles strong and flexible even without the ability to run or use weights. She felt them pull under her skin, tightening, flexing, and stretching. Even after her accident, her body was ready, if need called for action. And, eventually, the call would come. Right now, though, the exercise kept her focus off Rein.
She swept her foot from Hachi-dachi to Zenkutsu-dachi and snapped her arms out into a series of tsukis, yelling kias to accompany the movements. Performed perfectly, as always. If she had on her gi, instead of the black shirt and camo pants, the material would snap with the strength and form of her attack.
The kata completed, she brought her hands up and around, ending with her feet together and her arms at her sides. She bowed. Clapping erupted behind her. Unsurprised, Ellyssa turned around and bowed to Trista, who’d been watching her for the last five minutes.
“That was wonderful. I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that.” Trista bounded from the entrance toward Ellyssa, her blue eyes sparkling in excitement and her ponytail bouncing in blond waves. “Can you teach me sometime?”
“I’d be happy to,” Ellyssa said, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her hand froze in mid-swipe. She’d spoken like a normal person without even thinking about it. Mathew was right, practicing brought it about like second nature.
Trista’s face lit and exhilaration oozed from every pore. “Great!”
Half-afraid the female was going to hug her, Ellyssa stepped back and began wiping down her arms. Even with Jordan and his daylong visits, she still didn’t feel comfortable with everyone. Saddened over her inability to completely trust Trista, she turned from her visitor and washed her face in the basin.
Trista didn’t seem to notice her discomfort. She went over to Ellyssa’s cot and sat down. “I’d like that,” she said, crossing her legs. “By the way, Jordan wants to see you.”
Ellyssa’s gaze flashed toward the door leading into the tunnel. “What about the guard?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I sent him away. Your days of being guarded are over.” She picked up the novel Ellyssa had been reading and wrinkled her nose. “You like this book?”
Her eyes fell to the book Trista was thumbing through. To have a family, people who loved her, wasn’t that the true reason for existence? It definitely wasn’t to live in loneliness.
“I do.”
“I’m not much into reading. I know I should be, but…” She shrugged.
“All I have ever read were text books. Never any fiction. Just facts and more facts.”
The arch in Trista’s eyebrows and the pull of her mouth told Ellyssa how much she thought she’d missed. Even being raised in a cave with very few modern amenities, things Ellyssa took for granted, Trista was the one feeling sorry for her. Just like that, though, Trista was smiling again, all teeth and happiness.
Trista tossed the book back onto the cot. “Are you about ready?”
“Let me change shirts.” Ellyssa went behind a screen and pulled on a different black T-shirt. She tucked the hem in around her waist and stepped toward the door.
“So, no more guards?” she asked as Trista joined her in the tunnel. Even though Ellyssa had only been escorted through the passageway once, she walked with confidence.
“I don’t think so. I overheard Jordan telling Woody it was ridiculous to treat you like a prisoner.”
“Are they changing where I sleep?”
Ellyssa sidled into the dark corridor that led into the generator room. The cool air settled on her skin.
“Not yet. Have you seen the holeys?”
Ellyssa shook her head.
“They suck. You should wish they let you stay here. At least you’re off the ground.”
“You sleep on the ground?”
Trista looked at her as if the answer was obvious. “Did you think all of us had our own rooms with cots and such?”
“I’ve not really thought about it at all,” Ellyssa responded, proud how easily the words were rolling off her tongue. She rounded a bend. Humming emitted from ahead. She stepped into the generator room with Trista following and entered the tunnel leading into the dining area.
“We live in little holes, like little grey moles.”