Earth(6)

Better to let the attack continue. Flames are good cover.

After an hour of running a convoluted route, I sat in a treetop studying the hotel. It was still intact. People milled about on the lawn, chattering about the explosions. I couldn't tell if Susan was one of them. They all held candles – the lucky few with working batteries had flashlights.

I turned the other direction, toward the bunker, or what was left of it, to search for potential followers. My binoculars would've come in handy, but I had left them in my bag, halfway down the tree.

Now, we wait.

Every few minutes I called out, the shrill whoit, whoit, whoit whistle imitating a Cardinal. It had taken Alex two months to teach me that. Bee learned it before I did. I waited each time for the response, but got nothing.

Where are they?

Images of One Less snatching up Bee assaulted me. I shook my head.

Don't do that; not yet.

I whistled again. Still no response.

That does it.

I worked my way down the tree, as silently as possible. It was difficult, considering I had to go back up for my forgotten backpack. When I hit the ground for a second time, cursing about the bag being the death of me, a noise made me jump.

"Kaitlyn!"

"Argh!" I yelled, then clamped my hand over my mouth and ducked down.

The bushes shook and Alex whisper-shouted, "Unless you're using the bathroom, quit squatting and get over here."

I crawled over, cracking twigs as I went.

Once I joined him under the bush he said, "You'd make a terrible sniper."

"I'm more of a machine-gun type of girl." I looked around. "Where's Bee?"

"She's safe with Susan, hiding about two clicks away."

"I told you before, I don't know what in the hell a 'click' is."

He rolled his eyes. "They’re a little over a mile, further south from here."

I popped my head out, looking in that direction as if I could see them.

Alex pulled me back down. "You were being trailed."

"One Less or Secret Service?"

He furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "I'm not sure. I had to circle a few times to be sure of their position."

Ah, so he was using me as bait while I whistled away like a jackass.

"Come on, they've dug in around you but we should be able to get out this way." He headed north.

"But Susan and Bee are south," I said.

"We'll make a loop – now, no more talking until I say. And step where I step."

I nodded, moved forward, and my heavy foot landed directly on a dried up pinecone. Alex paused to turn back and look at me with a raised eyebrow. I shooed him on, annoyed enough with myself for the both of us.

As we walked, adrenaline wore off and fatigue set in. I fought to keep my eyes open and fixed in between his shoulder blades. After another hour, things were beginning to get hazy. If I wasn't careful, I was going to run straight into a tree. That definitely wouldn't be very sniper-like.

Clouds moved in, covering the moon and extinguishing the only light we had. I lost him in a matter of seconds. "Alex?"

"Over here," he called.

I followed the voice to a row of trees and breathed a sigh of relief when I could make out his silhouette.

"There." He gestured to a clearing with a nod of his head.

The clouds dissipated and what probably used to be a well-maintained property came into view. The house was a shell, the upper floors burnt down. We'd been in houses like that before. Probably nothing remained. People got crafty when they became desperate. I'd seen pieces of staircase banisters whittled into weapons and copper piping and shower drains used in a homemade – literally – water filtration system.

"Not the house," Alex said. "The shed."

My eyes drifted to the edge of the yard. There was a small shack covered in vines. "You left them in there?" I squeaked, emerging from our hidden spot.

Alex followed me into the clearing. "What's the matter?"

"You know," I hissed, looking at him over my shoulder. "Spiders."

"You just ran through an exploding hillside, and you're worried about spiders?"

"Black widows can be deadly to a two-year-old."

Alex moved ahead, and pushed open the doors to the shed. I shoved him aside. Susan sat in the middle of the floor, cross-legged with Bee lying in her lap. I knelt before them, holding one hand to Bee's chest and the other just in front of her mouth.

"She's breathing," I announced.

"You look surprised." Susan glared at me.

I hugged her. "Thank you."

I felt her shoulders relax, and I released her. I leaned back on my heels and looked around. Completely bare – even the shelves had been pilfered.

"I found something. Here, hold Bee," Susan said to me.