When the sound of the men faded, Juan suddenly heard a soft crunching sound behind him. He twisted his neck in an attempt to see who, or what, was approaching. There was nothing but a dense wall of bushes and trees covering most of the hill. Then he noticed something move and peered harder into the darkness until he saw two small dots of white. When they blinked, he froze. They were eyes. And they were watching him.
He gasped and turned back around in a panic. In desperation, he dug his feet into the dirt and tried to move around the trunk of the tree. But the ropes were too tight.
“Help!”
There was no response. He had opened his mouth to yell again when a low voice stopped him.
“Shut up!” it growled.
Juan twisted back again and looked closer. The eyes were still there, yet the more he focused, the more he could see the outline of a dark-colored face. A face painted black.
It was Corso, hiding motionlessly in the bushes. “What the hell are you doing?”
Juan looked back to make sure no one was coming, then whispered loudly to Corso. “I thought you were a wild animal.”
“Well, I’m not,” Corso retorted. “So shut up.” He looked back and forth, examining the area. “Can you walk?”
“I’m losing some feeling, but I think so. What are you going to do?”
Corso shook his head. “I have absolutely no idea.”
Several hundred yards away, Tiewater was watching from the front of the line. Further back, he could see a large base being set up, with several soldiers running tripwire.
They had to move quickly. Once a solid perimeter was established, getting in and out would be much harder.
Tiewater watched several men run past the vehicles. The truck in front was the most logical option. It wasn’t as big, but it would be the easiest to drive out if he could get it started. It was too new to hotwire which meant he needed to locate the keys. Because unlike the movies, no one kept their keys stashed above the visor.
“Talk to me, Tiewater,” Corso’s voice whispered in his ear.
“I’m looking for keys.” He watched a soldier approach and stop at the vehicle. He opened the back and retrieved a large bag. He hefted it over his shoulder and closed the door before marching back up the hill to the other side. “Hold on. I may have the driver.”
Tiewater continued watching as the soldier reached the top and dropped the bag on the ground. After briefly disappearing, the man reappeared and began heading back down toward the truck.
“How fast can you get Juan out?”
“Pretty damn fast. But it has to happen now.”
“Okay.” Tiewater looked back and forth before stepping out of the trees. “I’m taking this guy. Get ready.”
Corso slid a knife out and gripped it tight in his hand. “I’m ready.”
“Ten seconds…”
When the soldier reached the Humvee, he opened the back again and leaned in. Tiewater was already moving. Running low and smooth from the trees, he covered the distance quickly, stopping at the driver’s door. He could see the man searching for something beneath the tailgate’s overhead light.
Tiewater raised his gun and began to move when he glanced through the side window. Sitting inside, in the center console between the two front seats, were the keys.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Tiewater muttered to himself.
“What?” Corso replied over the headset.
“Shh!” Tiewater whispered. He remained frozen at the door, waiting until the man behind the truck pulled something else out and reached up to close the gate. Without looking up, he turned and continued back up the hill.
Tiewater quietly opened the driver’s door and reached for the keys. He examined them and slid the larger key into the ignition. With a slight turn, the dash lit up. He immediately turned it back off.
“We got wheels! GO!”
With that, he slid into the driver’s seat and laid his rifle across on the passenger’s side. He pulled the door closed until it made a soft click. He then kept the key in the ignition and slid down in his seat as low as he could.
No sooner had Tiewater given him the go than Corso rushed out of the brush and dropped behind Juan. He worked quickly with the knife, cutting the lines, then peered out over Juan’s shoulder. No one was watching.
“Let’s move!”
He jumped up and yanked Juan onto his feet, pulling him back into the shadows.
“Stay on my heels!” was all Corso said before darting back the way he came. Juan scrambled and ran after him.
They had made it less than fifty yards before they heard a yell behind them. Neither of them knew what the words meant, but there was no doubt as to the message.