Keiko lifted him easily. Once on his feet, he took an inventory of his body. He was sore all over but didn’t think he had any broken bones.
“Look.” Emily pointed to the far end.
Everyone turned. The smoke was beginning to drift away, slowly revealing the far end. What used to be a wall was now a massive pile of stone. It would be a steep climb with some tricky steps, but they should be able to make it out. Amanda was already moving in that direction.
“Yes!” Zane pumped his fist.
“Easy… be careful,” Carmen warned Amanda as she stepped onto one of the stones at the bottom.
Zane tested one as well. It wiggled but wasn’t going anywhere. “One step at a time.”
After cautiously testing the pile, the group began their ascent. The steps were much too precarious to walk on, so they all crawled. Ten minutes later, the entire group stood on the rim.
Zane told Amanda to remain with Emily behind some nearby bushes. He took Carmen and Keiko back to the trail, where the humanoid used her enhanced hearing to listen for any sounds. Despite doing so for several minutes, she failed to detect anything. At this point, Lawson and the others were probably miles away.
Confident the coast was clear, Zane used his flashlight to signal Amanda and Emily to join them. Once the group was together, they made their way back down the trail. When they arrived back at the road, the van was exactly where they had left it.
Carmen looked at Zane. “You do still have the keys, don’t you?”
“I should.” He reached into his pocket. “They were the first thing I picked up after they left.”
“If he doesn’t have his key, I can start it without one,” Keiko said.
Zane held up the key.
Amanda moved toward the panel door at the back. “I can’t wait to get out of this place.”
As Zane got in, he remembered what Roger had said about coming back. It was likely too soon for that, but he wanted to be prepared in case they did. They had no weapons, so if they met someone on the way down, they’d have no choice but to scatter into the woods. That was all the more reason to drive out as quickly as possible.
After sliding into the seat, Zane inserted the key and turned it. Nothing. Not even a cough. The temperature was dropping fast, but it wasn’t cold enough to disable the ignition. He returned the key to its starting position then tried again. Still nothing. Even the dash lights remained dark.
“Don’t tell me.” Carmen put her head on the dash.
Zane rubbed his face in frustration. Somehow, Lawson had sabotaged the van, an insurance policy in case they managed to escape. Zane should’ve known it was too easy.
He turned toward Keiko. “Let’s have a look.” If it was something simple, she could probably fix it. Unfortunately, his gut told him it wasn’t going to be simple.
After popping the hood, he shook his head. Cables dangled over the battery platform. Roger had taken it with him. Zane slammed the hood.
Carmen and the others came out. “What’s the bad news?”
“They took the battery.”
“Do you think they might have hidden it somewhere close by?” Keiko asked.
“No, it would stand out in the snow. Roger Lawson is too smart for that.” He looked down the road. It was dark and silent. Foreboding. “We’ve got a long hike back, folks. Get what you can out of the van.”
Fortunately, there were some spare clothes in the back of the van. Amanda found a second coat, and they all donned gloves. Zane even found a couple of tactical knives in the cabinet. Guns would’ve been better, but at this point, he’d take anything he could get. Once they retrieved as much as they could, they set off down the mountain. The wind blew strongly, tossing the tree branches back and forth. The temperature had dropped as well, so in some ways, it was better to be walking than standing still.
Carmen fell in beside Zane. “What now?”
“First and foremost, we try to stay alive. Second, we look for any signs of Roger because finding him is our only way of finding Connor and James. Although I don’t think it’s likely, the other site could be somewhere close.”
“Something tells me he’s miles away.”
“You may be right, but he did say he’s coming back. That tells me they’re not more than ten or twenty miles away.”
After reaching the bottom, they followed the highway south. Zane reminded them to stay on the shoulder and enter the woods if they saw headlights. He’d briefly considered flagging someone down, but at this point it, would be too risky. As long as they could keep warm, he was certain they could make it back to one of the towns by morning.
“Any idea where the other site might be?” Emily asked Amanda.
“I’m wondering if it might be the Grotto of Pan back at the Banias Nature Reserve. He told us there was nothing there, but in looking back, that answer seemed too convenient.”
“Guys, look,” Carmen said.
Zane followed her gaze. Ahead, another road turned off the highway. It looked like a mirror image of the one they’d just come down.
“I say we stay on the highway,” Amanda said.
“No, that’s not what I’m talking about.” Carmen hurried forward and trained her beam on something in the road. A set of tire tracks was visible in the snow. It was clear someone had come through within the last half hour or so.
Carmen looked at Zane. “You think it was Lawson?”
He crouched and studied the marks. “I’d say it’s likely.”
“Who else would be up here this time of night?” Emily asked.
Zane shifted his gaze further out in the road and saw more tracks. These had turned in from the opposite direction. “And it looks like Lawson wasn’t the only one.”
“I think it’s the order,” Carmen said. “They’re all here.”
Zane’s eyes followed the tracks up the slope. She was right. This was where they were all gathered. Somewhere up the mountain was the real tunnel entrance. He looked at the others. “Ladies, I think it’s time to crash the party.”
After having everyone extinguish their lights, Zane led them up the road. The terrain was mostly bare during the first stretch, broken only by a few small trees and boulders. Keiko should be able to hear an approaching vehicle, but what bothered Zane even more was someone approaching on foot — perhaps a sentry watching from higher ground. If the order were on the mountain, they’d surely have a security perimeter in place.
A short time later, woods closed in on either side. Zane felt less exposed, although he realized the trees could also provide cover for others.
Keiko held up a hand and stopped. She tilted her head, turning her auditory receiver toward the higher elevation. “I heard a car door close.”
“How far?” Zane asked.
“Approximately a quarter mile away.”
Zane nodded toward the trees. “We’ll take the woods from here. Let us know if you hear anything, and I mean anything.”
“Yes, sir.”
They walked parallel to the road. At this point, Zane didn’t have a plan except to approach as close as possible and conduct due diligence. Roger had admitted there were tunnels, so perhaps most or all would already be underground.
About five minutes later, Keiko tapped Zane on the shoulder and pointed through the maze of trunks ahead. Zane squinted but saw nothing.
“I can see a line of vehicles along the road,” she whispered. Along with her hearing, Keiko possessed advanced eyesight. Brett often said she made hawks seem myopic.
“Let’s get closer.” Zane signaled everyone forward. If they could find Lawson’s Land Rover, they might find their weapons.
They saw the line of cars through the trees. Zane led them to a group of saplings near the first vehicle.
“I see the Land Rover,” Keiko said.
“Any sign of security?” Zane asked.