The Girl in the Wilderness (Leah King Book 2)

by Harris, Philip

  “Fan out, find some cover,” said a harsh female voice.

  The footsteps grew louder. A shadow passed by on the wall nearby. Leah tensed and pressed her back against the crate. She could hear someone approaching. She willed them to turn away, to find cover somewhere else.

  A man stepped around the crates. “They’re here!”

  Alice’s gun barked. The shot caught the Transport soldier in the neck. He twisted and went down, screaming in agony and clutching his throat. Alice fired again—two shots into the man’s chest.

  Gunfire chattered. Alice ducked down as the edge of the crate exploded into splinters. Bullets tore into the wall behind them creating little explosions of concrete. As the echoing gunfire died away, Alice poked her gun over the crate and let off a couple of shots before dropping back down.

  There was no return fire. The only sound was the occasional piece of concrete falling from the wall and the distant sound of the klaxon.

  “You’re not getting out of here!” called the harsh-voiced woman. “But if you throw away your weapons and give yourselves up, we’ll treat you fairly!”

  Leah realized she recognized the voice. It was the captain she’d met at the inn.

  “We’ll need a few minutes to think about it!” shouted Alice.

  “How about five seconds? Then we flush you out.”

  Alice counted off four seconds, then called out again. “Okay, we’re coming out.”

  “Weapons first,” said the captain.

  There was the crackle of a radio, and the woman said, “We have them in Warehouse Two. We’re bringing them in.”

  Alice unclipped the grenade from her belt and removed the pin.

  “Okay,” shouted Alice. “Here they come.”

  Alice threw the grenade.

  “Grenade!” said a panic stricken male voice.

  Gunfire erupted, and shards of concrete rained down on Leah and Alice. Bullets thumped into the crates, splintering wood and pinging off the drones inside.

  And then the world exploded. There was a boom, the sound so loud Leah thought it would crush her skull. Metal shrieked. Fire lit the room, sending shadows dancing across the walls. There was another explosion, this one smaller, and a chunk of burning metal bounced across the floor a few feet from Leah.

  “Head straight for the door!” said Alice. “Don’t stop for anything.”

  Without waiting for Leah to reply, Alice ran out from behind the crates, gun blazing. Leah followed her.

  The warehouse was on fire. Alice’s grenade had landed near the forklift, and the resultant explosion had scattered burning wreckage twenty feet in either direction. The flames had found the crates, and half a dozen fires had broken out. One was already burning fiercely, and the room was filling with thick black smoke.

  Leah could hear coughing and shouting. A shape moved in the smoke, and she raised her pistol and fired. She heard the crack of the shot, and the gun bucked in her hand, but the shape was swallowed up by the smoke before she could tell if she’d hit it.

  Alice was firing too. Her pistol snapped as she let off quick, precise shots while they ran. Leah fired again, blindly this time. They were near the burning forklift, and Leah could feel the heat from the flames. She pressed her mouth into the crook of her arm to try to filter out the smoke, but her watery eyes were stinging. Shots rang out, and the floor at Leah’s feet exploded. Alice returned fire, and this time, there was a shout of pain.

  One of the crates exploded. Burning wood flew through the air, trailing more smoke. A man appeared, and Leah fired at him, but he was already stumbling, clutching his face. He pitched forward, slamming into the floor. Leah turned away.

  The battered green exit sign was just ahead. Leah reached the door and threw herself against the metal bar. The door clattered open, and Leah fell forward into daylight and gloriously fresh air. She was on a loading dock surrounding by a metal rail. She leaned over it, gulping in lungfuls of fresh air until she realized Alice wasn’t with her.

  32

  Terrified of what she’d see, Leah turned back to the warehouse. The flames had spread. They danced and flickered across the inside of the building. The wooden crates blazed like beacons, cracking and popping. The smoke softened the edge of the flames, giving the scene an otherworldly feel.

  There was a loud crack, and another crate exploded, sending chunks of metal and burning plastic arcing through the air. A wave of heat rolled out of the door. Leah staggered back.

  “Alice?” called Leah. Her voice was scratchy, her throat raw from the smoke.

  There was no gunfire but no sign of movement either. Leah held the sleeve of her jacket over her mouth and moved to go back into the warehouse. A shadow reared up in front of her. She yelped and raised her gun, almost pulling the trigger before she realized it was Alice. Her face was smeared with smoke, and there was a cut across her forehead, the blood mingling with the sweat.

  Gunfire cracked, and the door frame above them exploded in a shower of brick. Leah and Alice ducked, then ran to the edge of the loading dock and jumped off. There was a truck parked nearby, and they dodged behind it as more bullets cut through the air around them.

  They were in a courtyard—a broad expanse of concrete surrounded by a wire fence. There were three more vehicles, besides the truck. Two hulking black SUVs were neatly parked across the other side of the courtyard. Neither of them were occupied, but to Leah’s eyes, they looked impenetrable.

  The third vehicle was an open-top Jeep, a typical drab green military issue. From the trickle of smoke coming from the exhaust, the engine was still running. It was close, too, maybe thirty feet.

  Bullets clattered off the steel shutters behind them as Alice ducked back behind the truck.

  “Can you drive?” said Alice.

  “A bit, yes.”

  Somewhere over the other side of the building, there came another thump of an explosion.

  “We’ll take that Jeep. You go for the near side; I’ll go around to the passenger’s seat. As soon as I’m in, drive as fast as you can toward the exit. Whatever you do, don’t stop. Go on three.”

  Leah took a deep breath.

  Alice fired off a couple of shots toward the warehouse.

  “One… two… three!”

  Time slowed as Leah ran toward the Jeep. She could hear the pounding of Alice’s footsteps behind her, feel every crack and undulation in the concrete beneath her feet. A woman shouted, and gunfire filled the air. A bullet zinged past Leah’s ear, and she ducked.

  She reached the Jeep and fell against its side. Her smoke-damaged lungs were burning, and her legs were starting to feel like jelly. She fumbled with the door handle. Alice was already clambering into the passenger’s seat by the time Leah got the door open.

  “Get down!” shouted Alice.

  Leah dived forward. Alice reached across her and fired twice. Someone grunted in pain.

  “Go! Go!”

  Leah swung her legs into the Jeep, found the pedals and pressed the clutch. Gears ground together as she forced the engine into first gear. She stamped on the accelerator. The Jeep lurched forward, its engine screaming. Leah was snapped back in her seat, and her head hit the rest behind her.

  Alice fought to regain her balance as Leah swung the Jeep around. The entrance was blocked by a pair of chain-link gates. They’d been opened but the soldiers manning them had seen the Jeep and the gates were sliding closed again. They’d have to break through. Leah forced the Jeep into second gear and accelerated toward the exit.

  The soldiers operating the gate dived clear as the Jeep slammed into it. The two halves crashed outward, one of them tearing free of its moorings. The other buckled and crashed down onto the hood of the Jeep. It slammed into the windshield, cracking it, then twisted away. The Jeep slewed sideways as Leah fought the wheel.

  The road curved away from the data center, descending down a hill before cutting sharply right. Alice leaned out of the back of the Jeep and fired off a couple more rounds, but L
eah couldn’t see how she could possibly hit anything.

  Leah eased off of the accelerator, but the Jeep was still fighting against her. The sweat on her hands was making it hard to keep a grip on the steering wheel, and her arms were aching. She yelped as the Jeep hit a pothole and jounced heavily.

  She checked the rearview mirror. Her heart sank. One of the SUVs had given chase and was hurtling down the hill, quickly gaining on them.

  The Jeep’s engine whined. Leah changed gears again, but the stick caught for a moment before she could find third, sapping their momentum. They hit a bump in the road and bounced. All four wheels left the ground, and Leah’s stomach rose into her throat. Then the Jeep hit the ground again, and Leah realized they were almost at the bottom of the hill—and they were traveling too fast to make the turn.

  Leah stamped on the brakes. The wheels locked, and the Jeep began to slide. Its rear end fishtailed. Leah fought to regain control, but the Jeep spun sideways. It tipped, and for a moment, Leah thought it was going to roll. Then the Jeep fell back, bouncing as it landed on all four wheels again.

  Leah looked back up the hill. The SUV was speeding toward them. She tried to pull away again, but the engine sputtered and died.

  The SUV crashed into the side of the Jeep. Metal screeched as the passenger’s side crumpled under the impact. There was a loud pop from somewhere underneath the vehicle. Alice screamed in pain, but Leah was looking past her, into the SUV. Katherine was sitting in the passenger seat.

  33

  Leah raised her pistol, but Katherine ducked down before she could fire.

  The SUV’s driver-side door opened, and a man stepped out. He aimed a pistol and fired. Leah ducked as bullets shattered the windshield. She could smell gasoline.

  “Give yourselves up; there’s nowhere to go!” shouted a gruff voice.

  In response Leah sat up and fired twice. The first bullet thumped into the SUV’s door. The second hit the soldier in the throat. Surprise contorted his features. He clutched at his neck and fell, blood pouring from between his fingers. Leah stared at him, shell-shocked.

  Alice moaned softly, then hissed in pain. She was slumped forward in the passenger seat.

  The passenger door of the SUV opened. Katherine poked her head around the side. Leah fired again. The door’s window exploded. Katherine returned fire. Bullets whirred past Leah’s head. One clipped the rear of the Jeep. Katherine ducked back out of sight.

  Leah pulled Alice’s arm, and she stirred. Her eyes flickered open.

  “We need to move,” said Leah, her voice strained. She looked over Alice’s shoulder at the SUV. There was no sign of Katherine.

  Alice moved and cried out. Her foot was trapped by the buckled passenger door.

  Another shot rang out. Katherine was standing beside the SUV. She pulled the trigger again, but the pistol clicked empty. Her face twisted into a look of frustration. She threw the gun away and dodged behind the SUV.

  Leah froze. This was her chance. She was armed; she could go after Katherine and get her revenge. She moved toward the driver’s door. Katherine was back in the SUV, and Leah could see her battling to start it. The SUV’s engine whined but didn’t catch. All Leah had to do was get out of the car, walk up to the SUV and fire. She couldn’t miss.

  Alice groaned. Leah caught the smell of gasoline again.

  Leah reached for the driver’s door and pulled the handle. The door creaked as it swung open. The SUV’s engine whined again, caught, then sputtered back to silence. Katherine looked out of the windshield at Leah. If she was worried about being able to get away, she was hiding it well—her face was impassive.

  There was a soft whump. Seconds later Leah heard the crackle of flames, and a thick plume of black smoke appeared from the back of the Jeep. Leah’s heart accelerated. She stopped, one foot out of the Jeep. Katherine was still trying to start the SUV. She was still vulnerable.

  Alice cried out as she struggled to free her ankle. Smoke drifted across the Jeep.

  Clenching her teeth, Leah fired two shots into the SUV’s windshield, shattering it, and then moved back to Alice.

  She slipped one arm beneath Alice’s and pulled. “You’ve got to get free.”

  Alice let out a scream. “Get away, before it—”

  “No!”

  Alice’s foot was caught between the bent door and the seat. It was twisted at an awkward angle, probably broken, but there was almost enough of a gap to pull it free.

  Leah put her feet against the buckled door. “I’m going to push. When I say, pull your foot up.”

  Alice nodded, her teeth clenched.

  Leah glanced nervously behind her. The flames were visible now, licking at the rear of the Jeep. Leah strained against the door. Metal creaked, and she felt it shift beneath her feet. “Now!”

  Alice screamed as she dragged her foot free. As soon as Leah saw it was clear, she relaxed, and the Jeep door popped back.

  Leah clambered from the Jeep and helped Alice pull herself across the seats. Her pain was written across her face. She caught her ankle on the gearshift and screamed. There was no blood that Leah could see, but Alice’s foot was twisted at an awkward angle. It was certainly broken.

  Alice almost fell out of the Jeep. Leah managed to keep her upright. She slipped an arm under Alice’s and helped her hobble away from the Jeep toward a nearby cluster of trees. Something thunked beneath the vehicle, and the flames intensified. The SUV’s engine sputtered to life, then revved hard. Wheels spun in soft earth.

  As Alice and Leah reached cover, the Jeep exploded. A pillar of flame and black smoke erupted from the vehicle. Shredded metal and plastic filled the air, bouncing off the trees and falling around them. Something hard caught Leah on the back of the shoulder and sent a jarring pain down her arm. She stumbled and fell, taking Alice down with her. A piece of burning plastic careened past Leah’s head.

  Leah heard the roar of the engine and looked up. She was expecting, hoping, to see the burning wreck of the SUV, but instead it was backing away. A piece of burning wreckage from the Jeep sat on the hood, but otherwise the vehicle was intact. As Katherine accelerated, the burning metal slid off, leaving behind dented metal and blistered paint. The SUV reversed a little way up the hill then spun 180 degrees and raced away, taking Katherine and Leah’s chance of revenge with it.

  As Leah helped Alice struggle to her feet, she heard the roar of an approaching vehicle.

  She started to move back toward the trees, but Alice stopped her. “It’s Doukas.”

  Alice’s voice was strained, and her skin was pale and dotted with sweat. A dark bruise was already forming on her right cheek, and her eye was closing up.

  The Humvee slid to a halt beside them. The side of the vehicle was riddled with bullet holes, and there was a heavy crack in the windshield. Doukas and Da Silva jumped out from the back. Da Silva had a cut across her neck, just above her clavicle. The skin around the wound was an angry scarlet color, and blood had seeped into her jacket, staining the shoulder red.

  Da Silva hooked her arm beneath Alice’s shoulders and helped her into the back of the Humvee.

  Doukas came to help Leah, but she waved him away. “Alice…”

  “Da Silva’s got her,” said Doukas.

  He led Leah back to the Humvee.

  “You got away,” said Leah.

  Doukas nodded and smiled, but he winced with each step he took. He helped her climb inside. Her entire body was aching, and her lungs were tight, fighting against every breath she took.

  As soon as the doors were closed, the Humvee accelerated away. They passed the remains of the Jeep, and Leah saw the man she’d shot lying on the ground. A piece of metal was sitting on his chest, smoldering.

  Alice was slumped back in her seat. Her face was frighteningly pale. Leah sat opposite Alice, close enough to see the pain on her face. Da Silva was tending to Alice’s ankle, and every now and again Alice cried out in pain as Da Silva examined her.

  “I’m going to l
eave your boot on for now, until we can get some painkillers, okay?” said Da Silva.

  Alice nodded, then reached a hand out toward Leah.

  Leah leaned forward and took Alice’s hand.

  Alice squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “No,” said Alice, tightening her grip on Leah’s hand. “You risked your life. It was a stupid thing to do, but I’m glad you did.” Alice smiled slightly.

  Leah shook her head, not really sure what to say. After a few seconds, she let go of Alice’s hand. Guilt gnawed at the back of her mind. She had saved Alice’s life; that much was true, but part of her wished she hadn’t. That part wanted to see Katherine dead.

  34

  The sun was peeking over the horizon, and Leah was dozing when the Humvee finally reached the power station. It swung into the courtyard in front of the main building and pulled alongside the main entrance.

  Doukas and a couple of men lifted Alice onto a stretcher and out of the Humvee. Leah was following them when Colonel Billingham appeared and stopped her.

  “Hold on,” he said.

  Leah tensed.

  Alice gestured to the men carrying the stretcher to stop.

  “We need to get them both inside,” said Da Silva.

  “Not until I get an explanation,” said Billingham. He pointed at Leah. She could see the anger in his eyes. “I ordered you off my base.”

  “I know, I—”

  “It’s my fault,” said Alice. The colonel turned to her and raised his eyebrows.

  “I thought she’d be a valuable asset on the mission,” said Alice.

  “I made it clear that she was not to remain here. You disobeyed a direct order. Your behavior jeopardized the mission.”

  “No, it didn’t,” said Alice. “It saved the mission. I’ve got the data, but only because Leah went into the network and broke through the firewall. Without her, we’d have nothing.”