Hunter felt optimistic that they’d get out.
A small, concussive whump sounded and she watched yellow flames and smoke blossom at the far end of the open area where Buck disappeared.
Lonny wailed, “We’re gonna burn!” He tried to stand and jammed his head against the boards, then did it again as he cried, “I don’t want to die!”
Hunter reached by Carlos and pulled Lonny to her, holding him close to her chest and saying, “We’re getting out, you hear? We’re getting out.” She pushed him to arms length and looked into his eyes. He stopped crying and looked at her. “You good now?” She asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“Stay focused, and help David and Carlos get that tunnel clear. We’re almost out of this.”
Lonny wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands, and without another word crawled up by Carlos to help pull out the debris and open the tunnel.
The boys stayed busy, so Hunter turned to the flames, then saw another burst of fire off to their far right as another gas can’s contents drained down and ignited.
Tendrils of gray and black smoke crawled across the roof of the open space like vaporous serpents looking for an escape.
Turning back to the boys at work in the tunnel, Hunter heard another can heavy with liquid fall on its side, this time very close. She heard the glug-glug followed by the sound of dripping liquid and the almost overpowering smell of diesel. Then she saw the golden drops falling into the tunnel and onto the boys.
Lonny’s legs were closest and she grabbed his ankles and jerked him from the hole with such force he seemed to sail backward through the air to land beside her. She crawled into it and grabbed Carlos by one leg, dragging him from the tighter portion of the tunnel as she called to David, “Gas! Getout! Getout!”
She had Carlos out beside Lonny and immediately pulled David by one leg as he scooted backwards from the hole using the other leg and his arms.
They heard the flare ignite and someone toss it on the rubble above them with a thump.
Flames and oily black smoke appeared in the wood crevices above them, quickly eating their way down to the tunnel, which ignited like a candle rather than with a whoosh as it had with the others. Hunter realized it was the diesel that made it different, burning slower and with oily smoke rather than the higher-octane gasoline. The smoke became thicker, much so, and black as coal, but the flames didn’t flash through the space where they huddled.
Hunter pulled and pushed the boys away from the fire, keeping her body between it and them, shielding them from the fast increasing heat of open flames.
They were circled now in flames, in a small, closed space where there seemed to be no escape. The heat mounted until everyone’s clothes showed dark wet spots and drops ran from their hairlines down their faces.
Hunter looked for something, anything to help them, and when she looked up, she saw a chance. The snakelike tendrils crawling on the ceiling disappeared into what looked like solid plywood.
She crawled to it, getting a nail in her knee for the trouble. She pulled it out and went to the six-by-eight sheet of lumber. David touched her arm and said, “It’s getting close.”
Hunter glanced over her shoulder and saw the wall of flames completely filling the other hole and advancing at a walk with the dry wood and diesel fuel on the floor. They had a minute, maybe less.
She put her hand in the debris where the smoke disappeared and felt open space. Grabbing the edge of the plywood with both hands, Hunter put her shoulders and weight into the pull as sweat ran into her eyes. She pulled, feeling it give slightly. Resetting her legs to use them, she pulled again. The plywood gave way and slid to the floor.
The increase in air made the flames around them grow as if by magic. Looking up into the opening showed open sky and a way out. Hunter grasped the small .22 rifle and said, “Come up fast, we’ve got a way out, but I have to cover you.”
They were ready. David moved to the back to allow the others to go first, even though the flames were so close his shirt felt like fire on his back.
Hunter went up and made it to the opening, where she stopped to ease her head out of the hole. Antonio stood three feet away, with his .45 pointed at her face. His face had an evil smile as he said, “Get back down in there, bitch.”
She would try to bring the rifle out of the hole and use it, but she knew the movement would be futile. She readied herself.
Just as she pushed up, loud gunfire boomed across them and both Antonio and Rodolfo went down hard, red smears appearing almost immediately on their chests.
The sound of boots crunching on rubble came to her and Buck Ward stood there, holding an old M-14. He put it down and helped Hunter and the boys out of the smoking hole.
Now that Hunter was out of the hole, she heard the distant sound of drones hovering. Buck said, “They’re still behind the rocks controlling them, got ‘em moving around like bees in the air above the rocks. I figure they didn’t expect us to be alive right now.”
“We can’t outrun those drones,” Hunter said.
“I’m about tired of their shenanigans, but I don’t have a plan yet.”
David touched Hunter’s arm and said, “I think they only have one controller on the drones.”