When All Else Fails (A Push of a Button Novella)

Chapter Nine

AN ALARM WHINED in the hall outside the bedroom and pulled Viv from her sleep. She blinked the sleep-haze out of her eyes and frowned. That alarm... That alarm! Someone was on the perimeter. She bolted upright and rushed to the cot in the corner of the room where Seb slept. Kneeling, she reached out and shook him, calling his name softly.

He stirred and eased up onto an elbow. At first, he didn't seem to notice the alarm. Then he sucked in a sharp breath and threw the covers off. "Come on. We'll have to go out the back door. But first, we have to go grab Mr. H."

She nodded and snatched a wool sweater off the back of the desk chair beside his cot. Yanking it on, she wrapped it around herself and followed him into the hall. Mr. H's room was right next to theirs, and the door opened just as Seb was about to knock. Mr. H hurried into the hall with a nod to them. "We'll go out the back door. The proximity radar is showing a few intruders near the front. Given their numbers, I'm guessing it's just a few Buttonless scavengers hunting for food. They occasionally come out this far. If we hide and let them take what they want, we should remain unharmed."

Viv clung to Seb's arm. "What if they're not scavengers? What if they're using a cloaking device to hide from the sensors?"

Mr. H stroked his bearded chin. "Is there a reason to think they would?"

"As kids, Dane always played that way. He used tactics and strategy no matter what we were playing, and his favorite tactic was to have one front obvious while the others were hidden. The opponent had no escape, but they didn't know it. When they ran, they ran straight into his trap. If it's him, not scavengers, he'll have more men hiding."

Seb nodded with a sigh. "That was his favorite technique, and even though we knew to look for it, we never knew what form it would take. He usually managed to pull it off every time."

Mr. H nodded. "Very well. We'll take the tunnels under the house."

"Do the Diexebels have tunnels everywhere?" Seb ran his fingers through his hair. "And where do the tunnels lead?"

"They have tunnels in many places. The one leading out of the safe house will take us out on the outer edges of the property." Mr. H strode down the hall toward the stairs. "No time to waste now. We need to leave immediately, or they'll be inside before we can get out."

Viv swallowed the lump in her throat and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, praying to the Father for mercy. They couldn't be found. Being found meant death or worse. Seb wrapped his arm around her shoulders and propelled her toward the stairs. She let him hurry her along, leaned into his side, and tried to take some comfort from his solid presence. He didn't seem too worried, but she could sense his tension and knew he felt the urgency of their situation even if he wasn't allowing himself to worry too much.

The three of them made it to the basement with no cries of alarm or broken-down doors, a blessing in and of itself. At least no one would be pursuing them down the tunnel immediately. She clutched the sweater closer. Seb gave her a squeeze and let go just long enough to weave his fingers through hers. She smiled weakly. If they made it out of this, she needed to tell him how much he meant. With all of the mishaps they'd had lately, it would be just her luck if one of them died before she could tell him how much she really cared.

The tunnel seemed to stretch on for ages, and the longer they ran, the harsher her breathing became. So maybe Seb had been right about her needing a little more time. But given the current situation, it was clear the Father wanted them to move on. If nothing else, He didn't want them in this particular house for now. They had their answer to that prayer, at least.

Mr. H stopped short, and Seb followed. She barreled into his back with a breathy gasp. "What is it? Why did we stop?"

"The tunnel ends here. We'll have to climb up the ladder and unlock the hatch. It's kept locked from the inside so intruders can't get in undetected." Mr. H began climbing.