/> “Yes.” She whispered again at the squishing noise of someone walking toward them, “That water’s cold, huh?”

Raymond said, “I almost talked soprano when I first went in.”

He materialized as he approached the faint glow of Hunter’s light, and said, “Three guys almost saw me in that far shaft. I caught a wink of one of their flashlights and ducked into a side cut, then I followed them for a while before coming back for you.”

“Did you see where they were going?”

“I did. The Shaft leveled out and opened into a huge, lighted room that had large doors to the outside, I could see daylight out there, and the room had a dozen people building drones, all sizes of them. There were another hundred or more Drones in one area, already finished.”

“Did you take any photos?”

“I didn’t have much time because they were moving two of those eight-foot drones toward the shaft, but I took a dozen or so, fast as I could work the shutter on the binoculars. Then I got out of there.”

“You think they’re coming down this way?”

Maria said, “They go up to the shaft opening and launch them from up there, high, and the drones land somewhere else because they don’t come back.”

Hunter said, “Then we can’t leave that way.”

Maria said, “Only one way to go, we get out the way I came in.”

“Have you tried before?” Hunter asked.

“Three times. After the third where they almost found me, I haven’t tried again.”

Raymond asked, “What have you been living on down here?”

“Water from the pool.”

“You haven’t eaten?”

“I was too scared they would catch me. I’m still hoping Cory got away and is bringing help when he comes for me.”

Maria caught the look between Hunter and Raymond.

“What?” She said.

“Someone murdered Cory. We found his body after following his trail for several miles. I’m sorry.”

Maria’s eyes glistened, but she didn’t cry. “Do you know who killed him?”

“They used a drone, chased him down with it, and they fired remotely.”

Maria nodded several times before wiping her eyes with the palms of her hands. “Let’s get out of here.”

Hunter had a protein bar in her pocket and gave it to Maria. She whispered “Thank you” and removed the wrapper, but didn’t wolf it down. She took small bites, sighing at the taste of solid food.

The shaft continued down at a slight angle before leveling. Maria whispered, “Stay on your toes. If they come, we’ll hear the grate squeal a little when they open it to come into the shaft.”

“Are there places to hide if they do?”

“A few, mostly along the left-hand wall.”

The closer they got to the grate, the more nervous Hunter became. “Now is when I wish I’d brought a pistol,” she said.

“Don’t we all,” Raymond said.

Maria led the way to the door-sized aluminum grate where light peeked through a dozen places. She put her eye to one of the vertical cracks for almost a minute before saying, “Looks clear.” Pushing the grate emitted a metal on metal squeal until it opened.

Tags: Billy Kring Thriller
Source: readsnovelonline.net