“Got it,” Elna said.
Prig then turned to address Norman. “As for you guys, don’t linger out there too long. We don’t need to boobytrap the whole island.”
“Got it,” Norman said, with a nod.
Little Chloe finally caught Sniffy and scooped the dog up in her arms, carrying her over to the group gathered in front of the door, as if she thought they were going too. The little girl ran up to Elna then and lifted the dog, as if to show him off.
“I think Sniffy wants to go on a mission too,” she said. “Look. He’s too excited.”
Elna was pretty sure it was the first time the kid had spoken to her. She bent down and petted the little dog. The Bichon Frise licked her hand and whimpered.
“Well, I think Sniffy better stay here and keep an eye on the bunker,” Elna replied. “You’ll be safe down here.”
“Yeah, Sniffy is the best watchdog,” Chloe said. Her little, round face was dusty. Had the poor kid been playing in the game room when the roof came down? She’d been through so much. Elna just wanted to hug her.
“You and Sniffy make a great team,” Elna said.
Chloe set the dog down, and immediately Sniffy began dashing about again. Chloe and Daniel both laughed and resumed chasing him around the room. Despite his health problems, Daniel had come alive since meeting Chloe.
“Okay, then,” Prig said, scanning the people before him one last time. “We’ve got our missions. Get them done and return here in one piece, all of you. Let’s save our country.”
29
Leaving the bunker seemed somehow more chaotic than it should have been. Teams were clustered together, all of the civilians sort of mumbling and moving about. The Marines were a world apart. Spence and Mac moved with purpose, leading the way up the curving ramp toward the secret door at the back of the cave. As for Elna, she couldn’t help fidgeting as the reality of what she was about to do set in. Sneaking across an island full of hostiles in an attempt to climb the central hilltop. It was like the world’s most dangerous game of hide-and-seek.
Maybe I volunteered too soon, she thought. Common sense hadn’t set in yet.
As she passed through the door, Malin on her right side, Norman and Selene behind her, Elna heard Sniffy barking like mad and dashing about. Although she normally didn’t mind, under the circumstances it set her nerves on edge. Maybe she finally understood just a little bit of Garret’s attitude toward the dog.
Someone please make it be quiet, she thought, but wouldn’t dare say.
As she made her way up the ramp, Elna found all of the noise and chaos distracting, so she tried to shut everything out and map out the best route in her mind. She would need to avoid any and all paths, so that ruled out the back road to the guesthouse. Since Spence and Mac were going to try to draw the enemy to the west side of the island, it made sense to circle around the other way and try to climb the forested hillside south of the vineyard.
As a child, Elna had scrambled through the woods around the guesthouse a thousand times, but it was all fairly overgrown and difficult to navigate. She tried to recall as much of the area as she could. When she heard the loud clank of the bunker’s upper door, it drew her out of her thoughts.
“Have you got it all figured out?” Malin asked.
“I think so,” she replied. “We have to move as quietly as possible. Can you be stealthy like a cat?”
“If it’ll keep us from getting shot, I won’t even breathe,” he replied.
Sunlight flooded down the ramp, and she saw the cave in front of them. The bare shelves against the walls, the trash, debris, empty MRE packages strewn across the floor. Once they reached the mouth of the cave, Spence and Mac took off without a word. They moved quick, sprinting toward the fence. Norman, Selene, and Raymond huddled together at the mouth of the cave, setting the big bag on the ground between them.
“You guys be careful out there,” Norman said.
Elna glanced back at the door and saw Cat standing just inside, the bandage on her hip still visible. And somewhere, damned Sniffy was still barking up a storm.
“You guys be careful too,” Elna replied. “We’ll be back before you know it. Hopefully, we won’t stumble into any of your traps.”
“We’re mostly going to get them up in the empty buildings,” Norman explained. “The mercenaries will want to search this entire area, so they’ll go in the buildings. Stay out of those places, and you’ll be safe.”
“Smart thinking, Norman,” she replied.
She gave him a brief wave. Norman and Selene returned it. Then she stepped out of the cave with Malin. The island seemed strangely quiet. There was barely any wind. Spence and Mac were already gone. They’d moved through the fence and disappeared in the distance. She couldn’t even hear them now. Indeed, it was so quiet and calm she could scarcely believe that they were in a life-and-death situation.
“We’d better move,” Malin said. “Those two Marines will be engaging the enemy soon.”
“Okay, follow me,” Elna replied. “Keep your voice down. Try to step softly. Let’s see if we can’t cross the island unnoticed.”
He patted her on the back. “Just take it easy on yourself. You’re already injured.”
“I can’t make any promises.”
And with that, she set out across the old military base, headed for the fence. She tried to stick close to the sheer rock wall on the east side behind the crumbling barracks buildings. Her nerves were frazzled. Maybe it was the stress of everything that had happened that day, or maybe it was at least partially the result of being caught in the blast of the explosion. Either way, she felt shaky and addled, and it took a massive effort to focus on what she was doing.
As she approached
