Neal stood. “There are already a lot of infected creatures out there. The longer we wait the more there will be.”
Luke glanced at Grace then acknowledged her permission to tell them about the armory with a nod.
THREE
“WE HAVE WEAPONS including headsets,” Luke said. “Come with me. We might as well get everyone armed.”
Luke opened the armory door then had Neal, John and Sherry join him. “John, you and Neal are our best shooters so you both get MK11s with scopes and suppressors. All three of you get your pick of the bows. Make sure to get plenty of arrows. We’re going to need them for our mission.”
“Stephan and Damien are on my archery team,” Neal said. “That will give us five people who are experts with bows.”
Luke agreed. “Grab a pack and a duffle then get several sets of cammies and don’t forget boots and a helmet. I’ll get the weapons along with extra magazines and boxes of cartridges.”
Neal, Mark and Sherry set empty duffels on the table and began filling them. They each grabbed a bow and plenty of arrows. Luke laid the weapons and ammunition on the table. “I gave you NVGs and headsets with extra batteries.”
They finished loading their duffels then carried their gear from the room. John entered next. Luke continued handing out weapons and gear until everyone was armed and Grace joined him.
“I figure one of those classes Mr. Manning sent you to was weapons training. Right?” Luke moved to the rack of rifles. “Let me choose a weapon for you.”
“No need. My dad was a Marine sniper. He taught me to shoot. I’ll take an MK11 with a scope and suppressor.” She looked at the pistols and pointed to a Glock 19. “And I’ll take two of those.”
“I’m learning a lot of surprising things about you tonight,” he said, impressed. “I’ll grab the ammo and magazines for both of them along with a few other things. Grab two sets of winter cammies, boots, and a helmet. I’m not handing out armor. I don’t think we’ll need it on this mission.”
Grace held a shirt against herself and looked down. “Ugh, my dad always said I’d end up in boots and cammies someday. Are you sure I can’t wear my own clothes?”
Luke grinned and shook his head. “Nope, you’re in the military now.”
She picked up a pair of boots and a helmet. Luke set the rest of the items on the table and she arranged them in the duffel as if she’d done it a hundred times.
“Don’t forget to grab a pack.”
Grace hefted it onto her shoulder, grabbed the duffel and pretended to stagger under the weight before she grinned. “I’ll change clothes and meet you in the dining hall.”
Ten minutes later when Grace entered the dining area the cadets stood up and quietly clapped. She grinned then dragged a chair into position at the far end of the table and dropped into it. “Okay, Luke, what’s the plan?”
“Bravo is Neal, Mark, Sherry, and me. All radio contact will be between me and security. If something happens to me then Neil takes over. Security is Base One with Megan in charge. This is a search and rescue mission. We’re going to the library to find Stephan and Damien, and anyone else with them. Any questions so far?”
Grace and the cadets shook their heads.
“We’ll use the elevator to exit and return. Security will notify Grace and John when it’s safe to open the door Bravo will exit. Grace and John will close the door and remain on the elevator during the mission. They will act as reinforcement if needed. Understood?”
“Yes,” Grace, John and Megan said.
“If we run into trouble we may have to hunker down and stay put until it’s safe to move. If that happens I’ll notify security and Grace and John will stand down. Understood?”
“Yes,” Grace, John, and Megan said again.
“If we have multiple hostiles on our way back Security will make sure it’s safe for Grace and John to open the elevator door. They’ll open it, move onto the dock, and lay down covering fire for us. Understood?”
Grace, Megan and John said, “Yes.”
“Ideally we’ll accomplish this mission without being pursued,” Luke said. “If we manage that, then Security will advise Grace and John to open the doors and they’ll guard the dock until we reach them.” Luke looked at Grace and John. “The mission should take us thirty mikes.”
“Okay,” Grace said.
“Neil is in charge of gathering food and water to take with us. Can you help him with that, Grace and please keep it as light as possible.”
“Will do,” she said.
He marked off an item on the paper in front of him.
“When are you going?” Grace asked and caught the look Luke gave Neal, Mark and Sherry. “Please, tell me you’re not thinking of doing this now—the sun will be up in less than two hours.”
“This is the best chance we’ll have to rescue them,” Luke said.
“We think the creatures howl to let the others know there’s food available,” Sherry said. “The longer we wait the more creatures there will be.”
Grace stood up. “You’ve forgotten that these things are contagious. According to the television reports if you get their blood or saliva in your eyes or mouth or even just a scratch then you turn into one of them.”
“We have a plan for that,” Luke said. “We’re going to protect ourselves as much as possible by covering up and wearing goggles. Then, we’re going to move mattresses into the upper dining hall along with food and water and quarantine ourselves for two days.”
Grace thought the plan could work but was it worth risking all their lives when they didn’t even know if Stephan, Damien, and the other cadets were still alive? She looked at Luke, Damien and Stephan and saw the same expression on their faces that she’d seen on her father’s so many times. The one that said he was willing to do whatever was needed, even take a trip into hell, to protect her and her mother and his country.
“We’ve got to do this, Grace,” Luke said.
“Yes, I know but I’m worried for you. For all of you, so we do this on two conditions. First, one of the guys and Sherry stays behind with Megan. Second, I go with you. When we return we go directly to the upper dining area.”
He watched her for a moment then nodded. “Are you sure you can handle this?”
Grace smiled. “When my family went camping my father and I played a version of hide and seek. The longer I could hide from him the bigger the prize I won. When I was sixteen he bet me I couldn’t elude him for two days. The prize was a red Mustang convertible.” She smiled. “It’s parked in a garage in town for sunny weekends. So, yes, I can get to and from the library.”
“Okay, Sherry and John stay behind this time,” Luke said. “We have a plan and things to do before we carry out our mission. Let’s get busy.”
Luke slid beneath the tree, rolled onto his back and looked up, searching the branches for creatures. Snow covered the branches, but they appeared free of any hostiles. He signaled to Mark and Grace to move forward.
They ran in a crouch to a line of thick bushes and dropped into the snow beside him. Mark glanced at Luke, signaling that the area ahead of them was clear.
Luke waved Neal forward to his position as he moved to the side of the library and blended into a snow drift next to the stairs. He signaled to Neal and Mark to check the roof while Grace watched their six. A few seconds later they gave him the all clear. He searched the area behind then signaled them to follow him into the library.
The ornate glass of the brass doors was shattered. He set his feet down softly but glass still crunched beneath his boots. Silently, he ducked through the opening in the bottom half of the left door and moved along the left wall. Mark followed him, moving to the right with Neal next to him. Grace took a knee just inside the door and watched for movement behind them.