The Long Road (Surviving the Fall 6)

“Got it.” Jane tossed the keys back into the car and closed the door before walking around to stand next to Rick. “So this is our escape route, huh? We’ll come out here, get the car and head down through the tunnel and to… wherever Dr. Evans says, I guess.”

Rick nodded. “Yep. Exactly. Hopefully the sight of the general’s car driving along will confuse the soldiers enough to let us slip by without them making too much of a fuss.” Rick kicked one of the car’s tires and sighed. “I’d prefer to have something a bit beefier but being able to outrun anyone chasing us isn’t bad, either.”

“Are you two lost?” The soldier that had spoken to them on their way out into the tunnel was now standing in front of the main door shouting at them.

Rick waved at the man as he whispered out of the side of his mouth at Jane. “Follow my lead.” They walked towards the soldier who had his hand on his sidearm while he narrowed his eyes at them.

“I thought you two were going out to get your gear.”

Rick sighed and threw his hands up in the air. “We were supposed to. But it wasn’t out here. We were just taking a walk while we waited to see if it was being unloaded.” Rick turned to Jane. “I still don’t see it, do you?”

“Nope, nothing.” Jane shook her head.

“We’ll head back in, I suppose.” Rick spoke again before the soldier had a chance to reply. “I don’t want to get in the way any more than we have.” Rick smiled and walked past the soldier, leaving the man to stand there and watch the pair as they went back inside the complex.

Chapter 15

Somewhere between Ellisville, VA and Blacksburg, VA

After walking a fair distance away from the hill to answer the call of nature and radio the house to give Sarah and Mark an update, Dianne headed back to rejoin Jason. The sun had all but vanished on the horizon and the pair were checking their gear yet again in preparation for heading down to the compound.

“I’ll leave my bag up here,” Dianne said, “and Tina and I can pick it up on the way out.”

“How much stuff do you have in there?” Jason hefted the bag with one hand and rolled his eyes. “Just give it to me. I’ll tie it onto my pack.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you two are going to have to loop around far enough from the compound that you don’t need any excess weight on you.”

“And you’re going to be running from people who know where you are. You don’t either.”

“Quiet, you.” Jason shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Just remember the plan and make sure you don’t get caught. No noise, no gunfire, no flashlights. Just get her out and go. I’m going to catch hell if you get hurt while we’re out here.”

“Yeah, Sarah wanted to

talk to you when I called in earlier. I told her you weren’t near the radio. She didn’t sound happy.”

Jason grinned. “Why do you think I made you go call in?”

Dianne chuckled and stood up, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a long sigh. “You ready for this?”

“Ready as I can be.”

“All right. I’ll expect the shots in fifteen minutes.”

“Starting my countdown now.”

Dianne reached out and gave Jason a hug before turning and running down the hill, heading for the western side of the compound where the back of the gas station—and the shed holding Tina—was located. Jason went in the other direction, circling around to the eastern side and aiming for a rise from which he would have a clear angle on the front of the compound.

It took Dianne ten minutes to get in position at the back of the compound and she realized that getting in and out was going to be easier than she thought. One of the burned out cars was a large truck with a gaping hole through the center that had been filled with several sandbags. With no guards in sight she was able to pull the sandbags out before ducking down behind the vehicle to await Jason’s distraction.

Jason, meanwhile, reached his location in just over five minutes, giving him plenty of time to contemplate the plan he and Dianne had set up and think of ways to improve it. Instead of merely firing off several shots to draw the attention of those inside the compound he would put the rounds through a few objects instead. Dianne had insisted that he not kill anyone since it was impossible for them to know the details of those who appeared to be the captors and the captives, so that was out. Shooting out some lights and putting holes in the fuel trucks, though? That sounded like it would provide an excellent distraction.

Jason swept the scope of his rifle across the compound, making mental notes as he went of various objects that would make for good targets. When his gaze passed over the north side of the compound—the side that had been impossible for them to see when they were perched on the hill to the south—he noted that there was a small object with several cables leading away from it. The generator wasn’t all that powerful but it looked like the only thing providing light in the compound aside from flashlights carried by the occupants and the fires that were still burning.

He glanced at his watch and took a deep breath. Almost time. Once the first shot rang out he figured that he would have two minutes at most to continue firing before they identified his position and started out after him. Jason had already scouted the path down from his position and found the quickest way that would allow him to evade his eventual pursuers and make it back to the truck before they spotted him.

When the fifteen minutes was up Jason pressed his rifle up against his shoulder and steadied his breathing. The wood paneling on the stock felt rough on his cheek and the metal was cold in the autumn air. He squeezed the trigger on the rifle slowly, relaxing his body as he sunk into the weapon to make it as much of an extension of himself as he could.