"Go to the right. That'll lead you toward the vent in the hallway. Follow the vent to the grit and you should be at the hallway." Sherman explained.
"Got it." Lindsay said. She crawled along the narrow vent. It had gotten colder once she reached the fourth floor. Her hands trembled against the icy vent. Lindsay couldn't keep herself from shivering anymore. She was losing all the heat she had, fast.
"Hey Linds, how're ya holdin' up?" Danny asked.
"I just turned another corner." Lindsay answered. She adjusted the earpiece.
"I mean you. You feelin' dizzy, lightheaded, hot, cold, anythin'?" Danny repeated.
Lindsay paused before she answered. She had to keep her teeth form chattering long enough to make a decent lie. Unfortunately, she didn't have the energy to do it. "It's freezing in here. I don't know how much longer I can last in here."
"Just one more corner, Detective." Sherman said.
Lindsay caught the sound of sirens in the background. "What's going on?"
"We're headin' in soon. S.W.A.T. just arrived. You hang tight, Montana."" Danny answered.
Lindsay pressed her trembling lips together and crawled on. She rounded the last corner. Dead ahead of her was the vent grit. Her heart began beating with excitement. She was almost out! Lindsay picked up her pace toward the grit. She reached out her hand and pressed it against the grit.
"Lindsay wait! He right behind the grit!" Danny yelled.
Lindsay pulled her hand back as the grit came off. Marty was standing right there in front of the vent. Lindsay twisted her body around as fast as she could and kicked Marty back against the wall. She turned around and headed back through the vent. Lindsay could hear Marty climbing in after her. She dug her fingers into the vent and pulled herself along.
"Lindsay? Lindsay, talk to me, what's happenin'?" Danny said.
"He's following me in the vent." Lindsay explained.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey Linds, how're ya holdin' up?" Danny asked.
"I just turned another corner." Lindsay answered.
"I mean you. You feelin' dizzy, lightheaded, hot, cold, anything'?" Danny asked. Lindsay was injured, that they knew, but if she was still conscious and talking, then maybe, the bullet only scrapped her.
"It's freezing in here. I don't know how much longer I can last in here." Lindsay explained. Danny heard her teeth chattering.
Sherman saved Danny by speaking first. "Just one more corner, Detective."
Sirens rang out behind the perimeter. Everyone turned. A S.W.A.T. van pulled up to the building. Armored men emerged from the van, carrying their guns ready. Mac walked over and started to explain the situation.
"Looks like we're headin' in." Flack said.
"What's going on?" Lindsay asked.
"We're headin' in soon. S.W.A.T. just arrived. You hang tight, Montana." Danny answered. He looked at the monitor. Lindsay's figure was crawling through the vents, but there was something else there. Danny moved closer to the screen. Another heat source was near Lindsay's. Danny shook his head. "Oh damn!"
"What?" Flack asked.
"Lindsay wait! He right behind the grit!" Danny yelled. He could hear movement on Lindsay's end. He watched as one figure was thrown back against the wall while the other headed back out. "Lindsay? Lindsay, talk to me, what's happenin'?"
"He's following me in the vent." Lindsay explained.
"Damn! Mac!" Danny called.
Mac turned and hurried over to Danny. "What's going on?"
"Marty's in the vent following Lindsay." Danny explained.
Mac turned back to S.W.A.T. "Alright we move in now! Flack, Hawkes, you two take the rear! Danny, you're n the fire escapes."
Danny nodded. He passed the phone to Sherman. "Talk Lindsay through to another exit!"
Sherman nodded.
Danny jogged with Flack around the west end of the building. His group stopped at the escape and drew down the ladder. Danny ascended up to the first hanging and opened the widow. He gripped his gun tightly in his hands. His heart hammered in his chest. Danny watched one man enter and wait for the remaining groups. Danny moved up the ladders to the second floor and dropped of several more men.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Take the next left you reach." Sherman explained.
Lindsay followed Sherman's orders. The phone scrapped along the metal of the vent. Lindsay reached down, pushing he phone deeper into her pocket. Her back stung with a fury. Lindsay bit her lip to keep form groaning. Not only would that worry the others, but that might give Marty a clue to her whereabouts in the vent system.
Lindsay had given up on her flashlight altogether after the batteries had died. Lindsay left it behind and let her eyes adjust to the dark vents. Her fingers practically gone numb, though Lindsay was surprised they hadn't gone numb earlier. She dragged her body through the vents, praying that the next grit wasn't too far. She was growing tired and focusing had become a difficult task. Lindsay found herself nearly passing out several times during her crawl. If she were going to survive, Lindsay would have to keep pushing herself to her highest limits.
"Done." Lindsay said.
"Alright, twenty feet in front of you, there should be another opening." Sherman explained.
Lindsay looked ahead of her. She could see the basic shape of the vents, but nothing particular about them. Lindsay pressed her hand against the wall and crawled on. Her hand slipped into a gap in the vents. Lindsay bit her bottom lip, adjusted her body, and crawled down the corner.
Ahead of her, Lindsay hear a slight rustle. Lindsay closed her eyes tightly. Please be rats. Then a bright light flashed on her face. Lindsay opened her eyes. She saw the barrel of a rifle pointed at her. Lindsay pushed herself back down the corner. She twisted around and began crawling from Marty.
"Sherman, Marty's right behind be. He cut me off." Lindsay explained.
"The only other way out is up through the roof vent." Sherman replied.
"It'll have to do." Lindsay said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
yeah, now can Lindsay make it?
i own nothing!