Ansley wouldn't givein to the pain. Her leg felt like it was on fire. The last few days, she'd been in hell. When the rescue happened, she'd been given a boost to push her on her way. But now, that surge had dissipated, and she was lagging. If they didn't get rescued soon, she would be as helpful as a wet sock in snow.
No question, Link had slowed his pace to fit hers. She was dragging them down but was thankful for his consideration. She felt like a broken spoke, and if she caused something bad to happen to him, she would never forgive herself.
The pressure of not going fast got to her, and she had to say something. “I can move faster.”
"No, slow and steady wins the race. I won't push you because if I do, we could end up stalled later. We're safe now. Eventually,we might have to run. I don't want you to burn out too soon and end up in real trouble when we have to get away quickly."
"Thanks." She was silent for a moment, but then her guilt slipped out. "I feel terrible about slowing you down."
“Don’t. We are getting you out. Trust that my team is getting your other people out. They have a plan.”
“I do trust you.”
“Good. Now then, up here, right or left. What do you think?”
She studied the area, but they were in the tunnel underground. There were lights, but no signs on the walls. “Left.”
“Why?”
She wasn’t sure. Maybe she was wrong. “Maybe right.”
Link stopped, his face scrunched up, and his lips twisted to the side. He looked like he was deep in concentration.
“Which way do you think?” she asked.
“I’m thinking about the area above. We’ve gone about a hundred yards. Based on my study of the area before we landed, I think right might be better.”
“Okay, so we should go right.”
He turned right, checking his six to make sure no one was behind them. So far, they were safe, but this wasn’t the best time to be underground. But above ground was even worse.
“The tunnels are better than our intelligence gathered. I’d been warned that most of the tunnels in the city were unusable.”
“Maybe they are in other areas.”
"True. But in this area, the tunnels seem clear, almost clean, like someone is maintaining them.
They walked another few hundred yards before they came to another set of stairs. Ansley was still up and walking, but she wasn’t going to get far. He figured they had another mile at most before she had to stop again and rest.
“What do you think?” Ansley asked.
“Not yet. We’re still too close to the hot zone. Let’s keep moving.”
“Sure.”
He noticed the skin around her mouth was pinched, and her face looked ghostly pale. She needed more antibiotics and a painkiller.
“Tell me why you joined the Marines?”
Ansley glanced at him, then shrugged. "I guess it's the usual story. No money, few prospects. My parents told me I had to be gone within a few days of graduating high school. They wanted the room for themselves. I left and slept on a friend's couch for a few weeks until I was shipped off to basic."
He nodded. “I’ve heard that story all too often. It’s sad.”
“Yeah, but it got me out of a pit and I’m good now. Becoming a Marine saved me.”
“I get that. Joining the Army gave me purpose. I almost went Navy, but I wasn’t sure I could pass the test for being a SEAL.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Why did you doubt yourself?”
