“Just be careful,” I warn. “Don’t be seen.”
She salutes me with a grin.
“We’re wasting time,” Chuck says. “Let’s get going.”
*****
Christine, Chuck, and Marco take their positions around the camp. Christine has the high ground on the far side of Ferst Drive on top of a semi-truck trailer abandoned in the street, and Chuck is close to her on the ground. Marco is two hundred feet away, under cover of rubble and facing the main entrance. If I’m discovered, it’s the most likely place people will exit, and it won’t take Chuck long to join Marco if needed.
I take inventory of everything I’m carrying: two handguns, extra clips, a small crowbar, and my knives. Satisfied, I look to Chuck.
“Good luck,” he says quietly.
“Thanks.” I give him a grim smile. “I appreciate this—more than you know.”
“Go get her,” he says as he grins back at me. “I’ll get Christine to cook those rabbits in celebration when it’s all over.”
“Like hell,” she calls down from on top of the trailer.
“I’ll cook them myself,” I tell him.
“Deal!”
It’s still dark as I approach the former fast-food place and duck inside. I have to walk carefully to avoid tripping over the debris on the floor as I make my way to the hole in the wall and the tunnel beyond. There’s no one in the storeroom when I get to the other side, and I slip between the crates and make my way into the compound without anyone taking notice.
There are only a few people milling about outside. The water station I had seen the previous day now holds large percolators of coffee. At first, I think they have somehow managed to get a generator running, but then I realize the pots aren’t plugged in. Someone is filling them from smaller pots heated on a cooking fire.
I keep close to one of the buildings between the Kessler and the shack where they’re keeping Hannah. I can’t see the front of the latter, but I assume the guards are still posted out front. As the sun breaks over the wall of garbage, more people enter the common area.
I pull the ball cap down a little, shielding my face. I haven’t seen any sign of Caesar or Brett, but I don’t want to be recognized if they enter the area, and I don’t see them first. I scan the faces of the men as they pass me, recognizing only the two men who came to trade last night and the young man who had just shown up to join the camp.
“Come on. It’s time for the drawing.”
I take a deep breath and push off from the side of the building where I’m standing and walk at a steady pace against the crowd heading for the Kessler. No one seems to be paying attention to me as I make my way to my destination.
To Hannah.
Hold on a little longer. I’m coming.
There is only one guard at the door. I wasn’t sure if these assholes would be included in the drawing or not, but one is better than two. He’s sitting near the door, propped up against one of the support beams holding the shelter roof in place. He’s smoking a cigarette and picking at dirt under his nails.
I walk past, not looking at him, and twirl the small, yellow bracelet around my fingers. He glances in my direction and then goes back to picking at his fingernails. When I step off to the side and around the back of the building, he stays in the same position.
Perfect.
I close my eyes briefly as I center myself. I ignore the fact that Hannah is just inside, only a few feet from me, and concentrate.
With one swift motion, I grab his head, pulling it back as I wrap my fingers around his neck and plunge the knife into his back. I turn and twist it, making sure the artery is severed. The rush of blood over my arm and his quick collapse tell me I’m successful.
Propping him up against the support post, I try to make him look as lively as possible before I jump back to the side of the building. I look around quickly to see if anyone has noticed, but everyone is still focused on the drawing and not looking in this direction.
Moving quickly, I pull the gutter away from the rain barrel and tip it to dump out the small amount of water at the bottom. I glance inside the container. It’s smooth enough and shouldn’t cause undue injury. There are rails on each side where Hannah will be able to brace herself. It will be a tight fit for her, but it’s the best way to get her out unnoticed. Even if her absence is discovered before I’m out of the compound, no one will suspect she’s inside the barrel.
Again, I check the group in the distance. A few of them are starting to move about, their tasks for the next few days determined, but none of them seems to be in any hurry. I pull the barrel back into the cover of the shrubs beside the building and peek through the crack in the wall.
There’s no one visible inside the main room.
Quietly and quickly, I pull the small crowbar from my belt and slide it into the crack, wedging it securely before pulling back. The plywood is thin and cracks easily under the pressure. I pause a moment, making sure no one has heard the sound, but everyone is still far off at Kessler.