Creepers

56

"Always," Amanda said.

Her spirit reminded him so much of Diane's that for a moment, in the smoke haze, he thought he was actually looking at his wife. He shook his head to clear it.

"You're hurt," she said, pointing toward his right arm.

Balenger was surprised to see that his Windbreaker sleeve had blood on it. "Shotgun pellet, I think."

"And your left cheek."

He touched it and felt blood. "Flying wood splinter maybe. Here." He unstrapped the spare night-vision goggles from his belt. "You'll need these."

As she put them on, he told Vinnie, "It'll get dark now."

In pain, Vinnie nodded. "Just do what you need to."

Balenger switched off the lamps on Amanda's and Vinnie's hard hats. He prayed Vinnie had enough strength to keep from panicking in the darkness that would come when they took him from the candlelight. While Amanda adjusted to the green glow of her goggles, Balenger put on the knapsack. He holstered his pistol and shoved the crowbar under his utility belt.

Amanda took Vinnie's left arm, Balenger his right. When they lifted, Vinnie groaned.

"Lean on us," Balenger whispered. "Don't try to walk. Let us carry you."

But the moment they started, Balenger knew it wasn't going to work-Vinnie's shoes scraped along the floor.

They paused.

"Maybe if he puts his arms around our necks," Amanda murmured. "If he helps to lift, we can support him with our arms around his back and our other hands under his thighs."

They tried it, raising Vinnie's hips so that he was now in a kind of chair formed by their hands, his knees bent painfully. Inching ahead, they reached the trapdoor in the dining room and set Vinnie down.

Balenger aimed as Amanda unlocked and opened the hatch. His goggles detected only a green-tinted stairwell. The only sound was the rain outside.

He studied the opening. It wasn't large enough for two people, so he descended the stairs until his head was below the trapdoor. Amanda went to Vinnie's shoulders and pushed him legs-first toward the opening. The pain made Vinnie hiss, but otherwise he had the resolve to keep silent. Balenger gripped Vinnie's belt and pulled him into the staircase, trying to be gentle, aware of what Vinnie suffered.

The stench of scorched flesh made him gag. He set Vinnie's hips on the steps and waited for Amanda to enter the stairwell. Then he turned his back to Vinnie and felt Amanda place Vinnie's arms around his neck. Clutching them, Balenger stood and bent forward so that Vinnie's torso was over his back, the injured legs dangling behind him.

About to descend, Balenger suddenly thought, No, we're doing this wrong. "Squeeze past me," he whispered to Amanda. His voice was almost inaudible, but it made him cringe, as if he were shouting. "Wave the hammer in front of you. Check for wire."

Her goggles hiding whatever apprehension was in her eyes, she took the hammer from his belt and edged past him. Vinnie tensed from the pain. As they moved in a downward circle, Balenger became aware of their hoarse breathing. Too loud. Ronnie'll hear us. His stomach hardened. He had to balance himself carefully, lest Vinnie's weight topple him forward.

Ahead, Amanda stopped. They were almost at a corridor on the sixth level, and Balenger stared down past her shoulder. Her hammer tapped on something.

Razor wire.

Balenger saw it tremble.

He leaned back and set Vinnie on the stairs, momentarily grateful to be free of the weight. "Lie on your back," he whispered to Amanda. "Squirm under it. Then I'll slide Vinnie down the steps."

Without hesitation, she proceeded, then turned, and this time did hesitate when she understood that she'd be reaching for Vinnie's charred legs. But the hesitation lasted only for an instant. Readying herself, she waited as Balenger eased Vinnie under the wire.

But Vinnie's body thumped on the stairs. To Balenger, it seemed that the excruciating sound came from a loudspeaker.

He shoved his hands under Vinnie to cushion the impact. Vinnie couldn't see the obstacle and didn't know why it was necessary to slide him. But Balenger gave him credit. Vinnie didn't resist. He followed orders.

Then Vinnie was through, and it was Balenger's turn to go under the wire. Seconds later, he rose beyond it, put Vinnie's arms around his neck, and stooped forward once more with Vinnie's weight on his back.

Amanda continued downward, using the hammer to check for more wire.

Suddenly, the stairs wavered. Bolts popped from the wall, the staircase pulling loose from its moorings. Balenger swayed. As the bolts clanged onto the lower stairs, he grabbed the unsteady railing. The stairs were a huge bobbing coil anchored at the top but not at the sides, banging against the walls.

Vinnie's legs hit the railing. He screamed. Amplified by the stairwell, the noise seemed to fill the hotel. Ronnie couldn't fail to hear it. Balenger pulled the crowbar from his belt, turned, and swung toward the razor wire. He hit it with all his strength, the wire so taut that it snapped from the impact.

"Upstairs!" he shouted to Amanda. "Now!" Pellets blasted through the wall. More bolts popped, the staircase wobbling. Sweat dripping from his face, Balenger groped for the trapdoor's opening. Grateful to touch something that was solidly anchored, he scurried up and yanked Vinnie through, trying to ignore his screams. He stopped in the kitchen, hoping for safety against the outside wall. The trapdoor banged shut, and Amanda was suddenly next to him.