CHAPTER 154
Gary woke up with a stiff neck and groaned as he stretched to his feet. With his eyes still closed he yawned, "this cot is gonna break my back if I sleep on it again. I can't wait to get back to a real bed. Hey, what time is it anyway?" When he didn't hear anybody answer him his eyes popped open. "What the hell?" The door to the bunker was wide open, and people were coming in from outside. "Seth, what's going on?"
"The plane is here, Gary."
"Seriously?" Gary was instantly wide awake. Stumbling across the bunker in a clumsy jog he met up with the group that was coming through the door. "The plane is here?"
"Well look who decided to wake up and join the universe," Marcus slapped Gary on the back and then turned his attention to Dr. Conners. "What exactly do you mean, formulate a strategy?"
"Well, we're going to have to get to that airstrip, and fast. I don't know how long Hector's cousin is willing to wait, or more likely how long he can wait. There's a strong chance every enclosure on the island has been down for the past three days. There's no telling what's running loose."
The group congregated around a table and continued to converse.
Marcus pointed toward the door and said, "I don't know if you've noticed, but those sons of bitches out there slashed every tire in the god damned motor pool. How the hell you think we're gonna get there?"
"I did happen to notice, Marcus, but they didn't get them all, did they?"
Marcus leaned back and put his hands on his hips. "Well, maybe, but there's no tellin' whether or not they broke into that shed. But anyway, those are decommissioned. None of 'em are in real good shape."
"They only have to get us from point A to point B, Marcus. What have you got that runs?"
"Well, there's a couple of old CJ7s Logan and I have been cannibalizing. They're the last two still hangin' around since we swapped for the Wranglers. I guess I got a few dirt bikes that'll make due. Oh, and those CJs would be runnin' with the headers wide open. So there's that."
"Is that a problem?" Carrie asked. "I mean, what does that mean?"
Marcus gave a little smirk. "Ain't no tail pipes. Ain't no mufflers. The whole exhaust system is missing."
Logan spat in his cup and said, "Ain't no issue for our purposes. It just means everybody from here to Costa Rica is gonna hear that shit."
Marcus frowned. "Not exactly discrete, if that's what you were hoping for."
"I don't think it'll matter," Dr. Conners said. "I'm certain the pack has been watching us like hawks since day one. There's likely sentries all around the motor pool. Getting to that shed is going to be a task in itself."
Bill wagged his head, laughing as he butted into the conversation. "What you mean to say is that those bastards have spent the last three days thinking of a thousand and one different ways to murder us the second we try and make a run for it, and we're probably all gonna die just getting to that shed."
"Thank you, Bill, for ever being the one to outline in detail the grim nature of our situation." Dianna barked from across the table.
"I'm just sayin' it like it is, doctor."
"Yeah, well I'm just a little tired of you acting like-"
"Hey!" Dr. Conners slapped the tabletop. "Let's keep it productive." Everyone around the table quieted down and Bryce continued. "We're going to need a few things." He began pointing and giving out orders.
Seth, Kyra, and Shelly sat by quietly watching.
From her cot Shelly took Kyra's wrist with a shaky hand. "I don't want to go back out there. Can't someone come here and get us? Isn't there a helicopter or something? Why do we have to go all the way to the airstrip?"
Kyra put her other hand over Shelly's. "I think this is our only choice, Shelly. It'll be ok. We're going to be ok." Kyra sounded more like she was trying to reassure herself.
Shelly's face became deadpan. "No. We're not."