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Dalton hit the lights and Simms ran to the window, pulling back the heavy drape to peer out into the darkness. “Damn, those nasty Guardians are already crawling all over my bird. They’ve probably got your wheels covered too.” She turned and glared at Dalton. “You got any bright ideas now, chief?”
“Get everyone to the kitchen,” Dalton said to Maia. With only a moment’s hesitation, Simms rousted everyone off the couches.
“They’ve got us surrounded. What’s your plan?” Agent Simms followed at Dalton’s heels, stunner at the ready, obviously none too happy about this turn of events and the prospect that we would have to do things his way.
When we arrived in the kitchen, the others were hiding in the shadows. Dalton wasted no time in implementing his escape plan. With the push of a button underneath the kitchen table, the wood split in the middle, the two ends sliding apart along with the floor beneath it, revealing a dark hole leading downward.
“An escape tunnel?” Agent Simms’s face lit up.
“This house was once part of the underground railroad.” He loaded his shotgun with several rounds as he signaled us all to descend into the darkness. “Maia,” Dalton said, “you, Lily, Tyler and Garnet lead the group into the tunnels. Will and I’ll hold them off up here. You go too.” He addressed Agent Simms, but she was already standing at the back door, peeking out behind the drawn blinds.
“I’m not going anywhere until I know everyone is safe, cowboy.” She nodded to Baxter. “Do you think you can do a little magic for me?”
Baxter stayed behind as Maia headed down the steps into the tunnel. By the time she hit the bottom of the stairs, a light came on below and a soft glow rose up. The Slates followed, and Tyler and Garnet went down next, helping Neri negotiate the steep, narrow steps.
Will gave Dalton a ready nod. Both of the men looked at me. “Lily. Go,” said Dalton and Will together. I glared at both of them in turn.
“I’m staying.” I gave Dalton the stubborn expression I usually reserved for Sam. Thoughts of my uncle crashed in and my heart raced with the gravity of the situation.
Agent Simms was peering down the front hall and exchanging words with Baxter. Dalton joined them. “What’s he doing?”
The boy raised his hands, palms forward, aiming ahead just as the door crashed open and agents filed in, weapons drawn. A bolt of electricity slammed into the men and they flew backward, landing in a collective heap on the front lawn. Another blast and a zigzag of electricity shot through the doorway, hitting one Guardian and then arcing to each of the others, one exploding after another. Chaos broke out with men yelling and running in every direction.
“Take the children. I’ll hold them off.” Agent Simms fired her stunner and took out another two agents who charged through the doorway.
“What are you going to do?” Dalton took a step toward her then stopped, his brow furrowed.
A smile spread across Holly Simms’s face as she met his gaze. “I’ll be fine. Go on, get out of here.” In the next second, she pushed Baxter toward us and darted down the hallway and out the front door.
“Dammit,” Dalton cursed. Before he could go after her, the kitchen door burst open. I shoved Baxter down into the tunnel stairway, telling him to run.
Will and Dalton turned on the men who plowed their way in, barricade busters in hand. As armed agents filled the kitchen, the bone-crushing sound of fists on jaws ensued. Each time one man crumbled, another took his place, Will fighting them off with practiced skill. Dalton yelled to me even as he nailed another agent with an uppercut, “Go!” He stepped back and the resounding blast of a shotgun fired in close quarters had my ears ringing.
Heart pounding, and hands over my ears, I hit the stairs. By the time I reached the bottom step, Baxter was far ahead of me and running to catch up to the others. I stopped, breathless, listening to the sounds of the battle above. I covered my ears tighter as several more shotgun blasts tore through the house above me. I wanted to run, but if Will or Dalton were hurt, I needed to stay and help.
A second later, dirt cascaded onto my head and face. I felt a vibration that made me reach for the wooden columns that held up the ancient ceiling. The Condor was taking off amidst an explosion and the sounds of men shouting echoed in the distance. Just as I was about to race back up the steps, Will’s face appeared in the opening above. With a quick smile he let me know he was okay, he ducked into the tunnel stairway, followed by Dalton. By the time the two reached the bottom, the floor had closed and sealed up the table behind us.
Will wiped blood from his cheek with the back of his hand—smearing it like war paint—and pushed a sweat-soaked curl of blond hair away from his face, his eyes wild from the fight. “Let’s go,” was all he said, but the sight of him in full-on warrior mode both thrilled and terrified me.
I didn’t argue when Dalton pushed me forward and fell in behind Will. I let the questions go that weighed on my heart, and hoped Agent Simms had succeeded in escaping.
On shaking limbs, I ran deep into the shadowed tunnel ahead, intermittent lights barely illuminating the narrow passageway. After what felt like forever, we caught up with everyone, who waited at the other end of the tunnel, breathless. Minutes later we reached a gated opening. Dalton slammed the butt of his shotgun into the old school padlock that held a rusted chain. The clink of metal hitting the ground echoed in the silence.
“Follow me and stay close,” he said, leading the group into what appeared to be an old storm drain, which then opened into the night. As my eyes adjusted, I realized we were in a large garden, the aromatic smell of jasmine and roses filling the air.
“Where are we?” I whispered, coming up beside Dalton.
“We’re in a park in the ’burbs outside Memphis. I’ve got a friend nearby who can provide us with transportation. We’re not far from his place.”
Overhead clouds darkened the night, the threat of rain stilling the steamy air. My eyes were keen in the dark, second only to Will’s, so I stayed up front with Dalton and Maia. Will stayed in the middle of the pack with Garnet and Tyler, who were somberly discussing the plight of their families back home. Mrs. Slate had taken charge of helping Neri and the children keep up, and Baxter followed behind, ready to protect the group from a rear assault if need be. I ground my teeth and focused my attention onward, wondering what his and Neri’s stories were.
Baxter’s ability, though it had come in handy in getting us out of a jam, must have been a terrible burden to live with. He reminded me of Zeph at that age. My brother had struggled with keeping his power hidden and didn’t understand how to control it. Another burst of sadness washed over me. It seemed my days to make a difference with Zeph were over and my chance to save him had passed. The weight of failure weighed on my heart as I trudged along next to Dalton with my eyes to the ground. Dalton guided us through the twists and turns of an old residential area, most of the Victorian houses boarded up or having barred entryways.
“What’s eatin’ you, kid?”
“I was just thinking about Zeph...and Sam.” My throat tightened and my stomach gave another twist of worry.
“Sam is the toughest, most resourceful man I know. He wouldn’t let Malevich get the jump on him. Trust me, kid. You’ll be seeing the old man in no time.”
Dalton’s confidence brightened my mood momentarily. He was right about Sam. He had contacts everywhere. He would have had some warning of an attack. Maybe he had managed to escape in time and get the sisters to safety. I knew he’d been planning a relocation to Pennsylvania where Network supporters were banding together. But even if Sam, Nora, and Maggie had survived, what about the others?
I prayed a silent prayer for Rudy, Mr. and Mrs. Higgins, and Garnet’s father. Even Joe Johnson deserved more for his service to the Industry than to be burned out of his home just for being a resident in the town I’d grown up in. Pictures of our farmhouse in ruins, smoldering and charred, filled my mind. All I could do was put one foot in front of the other and hope that the remnants of my old life could somehow be salvaged.
The group moved silently along as we skirted the overgrown yards and avoided open streets. When we reached the edge of a long flat stretch of highway where a building stood, the sign above its door reading Fireworks for Sale, Dalton raised his hand for us all to stop. The building, surrounded by chain link fence and protected by a wide, metal gate, was eerie and dark.
Dalton punched a code into a security box on a nearby post. Will’s throaty growl broke the quiet. A moment later, the gate slid open and the sound of barking dogs split the night. My heart climbed up my throat as a pack of snarling beasts beat a path straight for us.
