Page 76 of Into The Rabbit Hole
Chapter 14
Wade
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Astatic soundpierced his eardrums and rippled through his head. It forced his eyes open and he moved his head. A searing pain rushed through him, running straight from the top of his head and scattering down the nerves of hisspine.
He’d fallen from up high and hit his head. He didn’t even remember getting knockedout.
Wade looked up and saw the hazy outline of the drop. There were, indeed, arrows all around him. There was one in his arm that hurt like abitch.
“Wade, are you okay?” Wes’ voice came into his ear and hurt hishead.
“How long was I down for?” Fright gave him the strength to move against the dizziness that slowed his movements. He didn’t know what time they hadleft.
“Twenty minutes. Wade, unless if they were bluffing, we have fifty minutes left from the time that we left the house to get to Taylor and Chloe and disable thebombs.”
“Shit,” Wade cursed, pulling himselfup.
The pain was secondary and could be dealt with later. His collarbone didn’t feel right, but that could be dealt with later, too. He was standing and that was all he needed, strength and the ability tomove.
“How far away am IWes?”
“Not far. If you follow the passage, that will take you straight to them. Keep to the passage and stay close to the wall. I’ve been looking around to see what could set off the traps. It looks like if you keep to the wall you’ll be fine. I mean, like, seriously creeping along the wall, but as fast as you can. More the sort of rock climbing, but across the wall as opposed to upit.”
Wade could do that. There was only one mountain left in this world that he hadn’t climbed, so this cave was nothing. He could and would do this. He had to save Chloe andTaylor.
“Are the girlsokay?”
“They’re alive but they’re not okay. Taylor’s calming Chloe, she looks sick. They’ve put her next to a headless corpse. Wade, you’ll have to bring them with the vests because removing them will detonate the bombs instantly,” Wesexplained.
“What! How can youtell?”
“Zeek went back to the room and said something about it. We don’t want to test that to see if he was bluffing on that. When you get to them, look at the timer. I can’t see that, so we have to go with what they said. And Wade…” His voice took on an uncertainty Wade didn’tlike.
“What isit?”
“Your mom and Brian got separated. Aaron’s holding your mom at gun point and Brian went on a path that has no surveillance. I spoke to Detective Fray and he’s arranging for a squad to come to all entrances of the mountain. The path your mom and Brian went on crumbled away so the squad have to go in from the south side. There’s no surveillance there atall.”
Damn it. Everything was sohard.
“I have to helpthem.”
“Deal with the bombs first and get the girls out. Do that and we can see what we can do from our side. I have five cops with me who are part of the bomb squad. We’ll figure somethingout.”
If it was one thing he knew Wes for, it was his positive attitude to anything and anysituation.
Wade was grateful for it now and knew he couldn’t waste any moretime.
“I owe you a lot, Wes,” Wade toldhim.
“You can thank me by getting my girlsout.”
Wade nodded firmly, knowing Wes could see him. “I will. Here Igo.”
He took the flashlight, set it in his mouth again, and climbed up the wall, moving across it and down the path. He didn’t waste time looking around him. Wes told him where he had to go and that’s where he went. As he moved along, the area brightened until the light absorbed that which came from the flashlight, making it easier for him tosee.
With his skills, he got to the end quickly. Another path verged onto this one and he could see stairs leading up to an office and the track below at hislevel.