TWELVE
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Ryan dove to the ground when the explosion from inside the tunnel shattered the stillness.
Ears ringing, right arm screaming in protest, he shook his head to clear it and looked around.All the others had hit the deck as well, but thankfully no one seemed to be hurt.
“Everyone good?”Taylor asked.
“Yeah,” Ryan muttered, gritting his teeth as he pushed to his feet.Jesus, whatever that was had packed one hell of a punch.March had to be down there somewhere, must have triggered it somehow.Why else set booby traps if not to protect himself?“He’s waiting for us.”
“Let’s go.”
Ryan followed behind the others, carefully easing his way into the circular opening to climb down the metal rungs anchored into the concrete wall.He kept his right hand on his rifle, to stabilize his weapon and keep from moving his arm around more than necessary.The patch job was holding for the most part but he could feel blood trickling down his side.Must have re-opened it when he hit the ground a minute ago.
When his boots touched the floor he turned and began walking down a concrete tunnel.The farther they moved away from the entrance, the less light there was for his NVGs to pick up.
Taking point, Taylor led the way down the corridor, their steps echoing off the walls.The place was damn creepy and Ryan couldn’t believe Ruby had spent time down here.They passed the spot where the first booby trap had gone off, the walls, floor, and ceiling peppered with pockmarks.
“Son of a bitch,” Taylor murmured, stopping a dozen yards or so ahead.“He’s got this whole section wired up to blow.”
“Wentworth and I’ll help you,” Wade said, stepping forward.Ryan stepped around Cam and Jackson, leaving them to provide over watch, and moved closer to the other two.
What he saw made his heart sink.
March or whoever was down here had crisscrossed wires across the width of the tunnel before them, like a massive silver spider web, punctuated with at least a dozen frag grenades.
“If he was ready to blow this up, then he’s either not here, or he’s got another tunnel to escape from.”And it was going to take them precious time to render this inert so they could get past it.
Taylor nodded and contacted Craig to confirm with Ruby.“She says there were five different exit routes when she was here.”
“Great,” Ryan muttered, hunkering down and fishing a pair of wire cutters out of his vest while Wade aimed a penlight and helped him figure out where to cut.Even with the three of them working feverishly it took almost ten minutes to undo everything and set the grenades aside where they wouldn’t pose further threat.
Taylor waved them forward.They found two more booby traps and had to stop and dismantle them before moving on.Ryan’s entire upper right arm ached, the trickle of blood sticky against his side.The tunnel forked right, then left, then right again.Zig-zagging its way under the mountain.
At a pile of rubble blocking one side of it, they stopped.“Another tunnel?”Ryan murmured.
