(The Raid)
Alice led the way into the once thought to be abandoned mansion. For a change Sam was right behind her, his ten gauge auto loading shotgun covering first one side and then the other. Sue and Linda were next providing sotto voice directions.
Before they had actually entered the house Jill had been forced to take Sue and Linda aside.
"You make too much noise," the former Raccoon City PD officer told them bluntly. "Step quietly. Hold hands if you need to do so. Feel with your foot for anything under it that might make a noise before you put you weight on it. And for heaven sake stop whispering. Whispers carry much farther than you might think. Speak in an undertone, just above a whisper."
She held up her hand. "I know how anxious you are about this but one miss-step can ruin the whole operation. Don't worry. Chris and I are both veterans of The Special Tactics and Rescue Service of our former department. We KNOW hostage rescue. And the others are as determined as we are to help you and every bit as skilled in combat. So stay close, be still and keep your heads down."
The group entered through the shattered remnants of once had been extremely elegant French doors. Sam shook his head at the waster of it all; stained glass had once filled the mahogany hand crafted doors. Unknown to everyone, except of course Claire, Sam Treadwell had once dreamed of being an architect and he still appreciated beautifully designed houses and building of all sorts.
Soft clicks in the earpieces of the headset radios and hand signals sent Carlos, Chris and Claire fanning across what was probably once the formal dining room. All that remained of the furnishings were splintered pieces of charred wood, indicating a fire had once been constructed in the corner and broken pieces of fine bone china that looked to have been carelessly and heedlessly thrown against the wall just to see them break.
The trio checked the adjoining rooms. There was no sign of anyone and no indications that anyone, living or undead, had been there in recent memory. Making sure they kept each other in sight they continued to circle through the bottom floor of the old mansion. Finding nothing they returned to where the others were waiting and signaled the "All Clear".
Following the directions Sue had given them the party moved to the former study. There were only a few books left on the shelves and most of those looked rotted. It appeared most had been burned in the massive fireplace that dominated one wall of the room.
Alice reached up into the chimney, her fingers exploring. They found the hidden lever above the heavy cast iron damper and pulled it. A click sounded through the stillness of the room. She scrambled out of the firebox and moved to the right side. She tipped one of the ornamental andirons set on that side of the brick hearth. Another click followed and part of the bookcase abutting the fireplace swung open slightly. Well balanced and obviously maintained it took only a gentle push to open all the way, revealing a set of stairs leading down. A dim but steady illumination spilled through the opening, causing the night vision goggles to be doffed
Claire looked suspicious. "Why are the lights on?" she asked softly.
"They leave the stairway and most of the cave lights lit all the time," Sue reassured the former convoy leader, "except for the areas where it might be seen from outside or the sea." She shrugged. "They use a wave powered generator for electricity so it's not like it costs them anything."
Alice nodded. That made sense but something seemed to be tugging at her sharpened senses. She looked down the stairway and concentrated. Nothing. It was her turn to shrug then and she led the way down, indicating to Chris, who was bringing up the rear, to leave the door slightly open.
The party vanished. Nothing moved. Several minutes passed and then two slender figures slipped in from the direction of the dining room.
"For a moment I thought we were caught," Said Angie quietly.
"Me too," agreed K-Mart just as softly. "You know, my mom has extraordinary senses caused by her bonding with the T-Virus. She can somehow sense me, and probably Dad too, even at a distance if she concentrates. It's how they found me when I had been kidnapped back in the hidden valley. I felt her just then, reaching out. I guess because I was concentrating on her and she was probably looking ahead she didn't pick me up."
Angie nodded as she moved to the hidden door and peeked down it. K-Mart joined her and they both listened intently until the faint sounds of the main party's movement had just about faded away. Then they followed and once more the room was empty.
The stairway went down and down curving to the left as it went, leading the party around in nearly a full circle Alice judged. Three doors were encountered, old-fashioned hand-made wooden ones that led off to who knew what. Sue shook her head telling them she had never seen them opened. Twice the walls of the tunnel changed from smooth concrete to rough hewn native stone and then back again.
Brighter light finally appeared ahead of them and the stairway ended in a large cavern that showed signs of being partially natural and partially artificial. The stairway continued down on the other side of the room. To the far right was what looked like the pathway from the other hidden entrance that Sue had mentioned.
Mounds of material lay everywhere. Some was covered by tarps or was in wooden or metal crates. Much was simply piled carelessly on pallets or the floor. Electronics, jewelry, canned supplies of every size and type, even furniture and two near complete cars lay scattered around.
"Everything ends up here except weapons and fuel. The guns and ammo are kept in an arms room off to the right while fuel is stored in a bunker down at the sea level." Sue pointed one way and then the other.
"The prison cells are further down. We have to go one more level to one of the caverns that's almost at sea level. In fact a short tunnel leads from there to the hidden boat docks. But we'll go the other way once we reach that level."
"Where IS everyone?" muttered Sam.
"They must be out on a raid," replied Sue. "That will give us a chance to rescue our families and then set a trap for them when they return."
Alice nodded although she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on that she should osmehow be aware of. She waved the rest of the group on, lingering for a short spell before she shook her head and followed the others down the stairs.
K-Mart and Angie both released breaths they had held for what had seemed like ten minutes. They peeked around the corner again.
"That nearly was it."
"We are in SO much trouble if we get caught."
"Then let's not get caught."
The teens scampered across the cavern, paying no attention to the stuff laying there. They listened intently at the beginning of the next set of stairs and then moved on. Their athletic shoes, found at an old Wal-Mart backroom (K-Mart had grumbled about supporting the competition but wore them anyway), made no sound audible beyond a few feet. They had slung their shotguns but each one held their pistol, muzzle down and finger off the trigger but ready to be brought into action in an instant if need be.
Occasionally they paused. They wanted to be close enough to hear the main party but not so close that the reverse was true. In spite of their comments they knew perfectly well that sooner or latter they'd have to come out of hiding but that would happen when it happened and they counted on puppy-dog eyes to at least soften Carlos and Chris.
"Dads are like that," Angie had pointed out. K-Mart had agreed and nearly giggled, recalling her Dad's stunned expression when he and her Mom had rescued her and he had seen the "wedding dress" she had been wearing prior to the, fortunately rudely interrupted by her parents, forced marriage ceremony. Like most girls she knew she pretty much had her Dad wrapped around her finger and she knew Angie was rapidly doing that to Chris as well.
Angie held up a hand. K-mart saw that the stairs had ended once again. On either side of the entrance to the cave ahead there were little niches carved out. My mutual, if unspoken, consent, Angie slipped into one and K-Mart the other. Both strained their ears but could only hear bits and pieces of what was being said.
"Over there... door... prisoners... family..." seemed to be Sue talking while Alice was saying something about spreading out.
Suddenly the talk was interrupted by a loud roar. At the same time a brilliant flash of light nearly blinded the teens even though they were not in the direct line of whatever in the world was throwing out such light. The thunder of the explosion had barely subsided when an obviously amplified voice shouted.
"Don't move!"
(To be continued)