“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said, staring at the floor ahead of me. “I thought I saw something.”
“What did it look like?”
I backed up a step and crouched before standing up again. “Like a straight line that goes across the room.”
“This is a clusterfuck,” he muttered. “Does it look like a trip wire?”
“I don’t know, Shepherd. I’ve never seen a trip wire before.”
“Don’t be a smartass. How high is it?”
“Oh, about to my waist.”
“We’ll crawl.”
Shepherd got down on his hands and knees, putting the blade between his teeth as he flattened himself out and propped himself up on his elbows.
I knelt to do the same thing but suddenly grabbed his belt. “Stop!”
He froze.
When I got a little lower, I saw it. “There’s another one close to the ground. We can’t crawl.”
On his elbows still, he scooted himself backward and stood up. “I’m guessing this isn’t the way he comes in every day. Does it go all the way across the room?”
I leaned back and squinted. “Looks like it.”
“Anything we can stand on to jump over?”
“Nope.”
“Lead me to the wall on the right.”
We walked a short distance and stopped.
“Is the floor clear of debris?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He felt the wall all the way down to the floor. “Anything on the other side… like a pillar?”
“No.”
He continued, his questions rapid-fire. “Any holes in the floor?”
“Exactly what’s your plan?”
“Lead me a foot from the wires.”
I did as he asked, convinced we would be forced to retreat and search for another way inside.
Shepherd locked his fingers together and bent over. “Put your foot in there. I’m going to hoist you over.”
Without questioning his plan, I put my foot in his makeshift stirrup and flattened my hands on his shoulders.
His body tensed. “Are you ready? One… two… Geronimo!”
