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Others were crowding around "Where’s Raih the men "Where the hell’s Raimey?"

"He’s dead, sir"

Vorhees turned to where Alicia was kneeling in the er "Jaxon, you don’t belong here"

"We found it, sir," Alicia said "Stuular hornet’s nest There must be hundreds of them"

Vorhees waved to Hollis and the others "All of you, back to your quarters, now" Without waiting for an answer, he turned back to Alicia "Private Donadio, report"

"The mine, General," she said "We found the mine"

• • •

All that su for it: the entrance shaft to an old copper ht that this was one of the hot spots Vorhees had spoken of, a nest where the virals slept Using old geological surveythe creatures’ movements with the nets, they had narrowed their search to the southeast quadrant, an area of roughly twenty square kilometers above the river Blue Squad’s mission had been one last attempt to locate it before the evac It was sheer chance that they had; as Peter heard the story from Michael, Blue Squad had simply wandered into it, just before sundown-a soft depression in the earth, into which the point ed took two et off a shot The rest of the squad was able to for line, but ht in their blood fury; once the sun went down, the unit would be quickly overwhelmed, the location of the mine shaft lost with them The flares they carried would buy theroups; the first would make a run for it while the second, led by Lieutenant Rai the creatures off as long as they could, until the sun went down and all the flares were gone, and that would be the end of it

All night long, the cae: the days of waiting, of hunt-and-peck missions in the forest, were over; Vorhees’s one, helping to ready the vehicles that would carry the explosives, drurenade-cluster igniter, known as a "flusher" These would be lowered by winch straight into the exposed shaft The explosion would no doubt kill many of the virals inside; the question here would the survivors eed, and for all Vorhees and the others knew, a landslide or earthquake had opened an entirely new access point While one squad put the explosives in place, the rest of the s With luck, everyone would be in position when the boray dawn The teht, and all the puddles in the yard were encrusted with ice The vehicles were being loaded; Vorhees’s soldiers were assele squad, which would stay behind tohours in Vorhees’s tent It was she who had led the survivors back to the garrison, using the route they had first traveled along the river Now Peter saw her up front with the general, the two of them with a map spread over the hood of one of the Hu of supplies Watching fro else, too-a strong attractive force, instinctual as breathing For days he had drifted between the poles of his uncertainty, knowing he should press on but unable to leave Alicia behind Now, as he watched the soldiers co thele desire pushed itself forward Vorhees’sto war; he wanted to be part of it

As Greer moved down the line, Peter stepped forward "Major, I’d like to speak with you"

Greer’s face and voice were distracted, hasty He looked over Peter’s head as he spoke: "What is it, Jaxon?"

"I’d like to go, sir"

Greer regarded him a moment "We can’t take civilians"

"Just putI can do I can, I don’t know, be a runner or so"

Greer’s focus shifted to the back of one of the trucks, where a group of fourthe drueant," Greer barked to the squad sergeant, a man named Withers, "can you take over for me here? And Sancho, watch that chain-it’s all wrapped up"

"Yes, sir Sorry, sir"

"These are bombs, son For Christsakes, be careful" Then, to Peter: "Come with me"

The major dismounted and took Peter aside, out of earshot "I know you’re worried about her," he said "Okay? I get it If it were up to me, I’d probably let you coeneral-"

"That’s not going to happen I’m sorry" A curious expression ca indecision "Look What you told " He shook his head, glancing away "I can’t believe I’m about to tell you this Maybe I really have been out in these woods too long What’s that thing called? When you think so’s happened before, like you dreamed it There’s a na at hi that way since I first found you guys A big bad case of deja vu I know it doesn’t look like it now, but when I was a kid, I was a scrawny little thing, sick all the time My parents died when I was small, I never even really e where I was raised, fifty kids all craether, all that snot and dirty hands You naht it About a dozen times the sisters were ready to write me off Fever drea I could really describe, or even re lost in the dark for a thousand years But the thing was, I wasn’t alone That was part of the drea tiirl Those eyes of hers You think I didn’t notice that? Jesus, it’s like I’you, she was the one I know it sounds crazy She was in the drea around his final words Peter felt a shiver of recognition

"Did you tell Vorhees this?"

"Are you kidding? What would I say? Hell, son, I’ you"

To show Peter that the conversation was over, Greer took hisback up into the saddle "That’s all But you ask o, there’s my answer We don’t come back, Red Squad has orders to evacuate you down to Roswell That’s official Unofficially, I will tell you they won’t stop you if you decide to press on"

He heeled his ines; the gates swung open Peter watched as the men, five squads plus the horses and vehicles, h Alicia was soht, probably up front with Vorhees But he couldn’t find her anywhere

The line had long since passed when Michael cao, huh?"

Peter could only shake his head

"Me neither," said Michael

Chapter SIXTY-ONE

They waited, through that day and into the next With just a single squad ree, eh the garrison as they wished, but there was nowhere to go, nothing to do but wait Aun to wonder if he had drea she sat on her bunk in her tent, her eyes drawn into an intense look of concentration When Peter could stand it no longer, he asked her if she kneas happening out there

Her voice when she answered was vague; she see at him and also not "They’re lost Lost in the woods"

"Who is, Amy? Who’s lost?"