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A
Chapter Thirteen
The women steal out into the open, their eyes flicking rapidly in every direction. They reach the entrance to the bunker, where the original chunk of stone that blocked their return to the base has been joined by two dozen other smaller hunks of stone shrapnel. Through small gaps in the blocks, A
“They’re there,” she says excitedly. “They’re trying to break through.” A rush of hope flows into her, giving her just the spark of energy she needs. “C’mon, let’s do our part from this side. Start with the small pieces, work our way up to the big ones.”
For a half hour they struggle and strain against the weight of the “small pieces,” which are anywhere from twenty to eighty pounds, some so heavy it takes both of them just to roll them off the pile. Every second A
Breathing heavily, A
Together they search for something—anything—that might give them a chance at success. A
“Stay down,” she warns Maia. Together they flatten themselves against the pile until each of the groups move out of sight.
They take turns searching for a lever while the other one keeps watch. A
She pulls it from under a boulder, cringing as the steel shrieks along the sharp edge of the stone. “Take this,” she says, feeding the handled end to Maia.
“This is perfect,” Maia says, taking it. With A
They test out the lever on several medium-sized rocks, jamming the cross-end beneath them and using their collective strength to force the loads up and off the pile. With each small victory, A
In agreement, Maia shoves the cross under the largest block of all, the one that originally trapped them on the outside. Taking their positions, A
Nothing.
Gritting her teeth, A
CRACK! She cries out as the rod gives way beneath her, catapulting her headfirst. She crashes on her shoulder and neck, pain lancing through her back and into her legs. Something falls on her, and she gasps as the air leaves her chest.
“Oomf!” Maia grunts, coming to rest on top of her. “General! Are you okay?” she asks, rolling to the side.
For a minute A
She cringes as she tries to stand, feeling pain roar through her body.
“General, let me help you,” Maia says, grabbing her under the arms. “What hurts?”
A
“Okay. You rest, I’ll try again.”
“Forget about it. I might be older than you, but I’m just as tough. Give me a sec. I’ll help.”
While A
“Good. Then it shouldn’t happen again.” That’s when she hears it: a shudder of the earth, a slight tremor caused by something below the surface.
“It’s them!” Maia says elatedly. “They’re trying to blast their way out.”
A
Maia plunges the naked tip of the rod back under the massive tombstone block, and then reassumes her position on the inside of the lever. A
It happens.
The block starts to move, and this time it’s not in preparation to snap the end of the rod off; rather, it moves up under the pressure driven from the back end of the lever all the way to the front. It’s just a slight bob upward, but the movement is enough to allow Maia to shove the pole further under, giving them even greater leverage. A
An inch of movement turns into half a foot and then a foot—and then the block is teetering on its edge, pushed from behind by the lever and pulled from the front by gravity. With a final shove, A
A
As they stare down at their fallen foe, there’s a rush of feet as dozens of sun dweller soldiers pour from behind houses and buildings, a flooding river of red.
A
Her last regret: that Maia will probably die along with her.
Chapter Fourteen
From behind the stone block, they fire their weapons again and again, dropping a dozen sun dwellers before the click click click of their weapons informs them that they’re out of ammo, out of luck, and out of time.
Looking at Maia, A
Maia looks back at her, her eyes filled with tears of sadness and maybe a hint of pride. She says, “It was an honor to serve with you, general.”