Wildfire Run (8 page)

“Sal, we're going to
the back gate,” Luke said. “We're taking one of the cars. Send the helicopters there, because we're taking Isabelle and Adam and the colonel too.”

“No! Just move up the road a little ways,” Sal commanded. “You are not leaving here. You are not driving a car. It's too dangerous. That's an order. The helicopters will be here any minute.”

“Sal, we're going,” Luke said. “The fire is getting too close to you.” He held up the chain around his neck, the disk on it shining in the sunlight. “If the helicopter gets here before we get there, they can find us by my locator disk. We'll see you soon. Come on, Callie!”

Sal's strangled “no” was the only sound Luke heard as he and Callie ran back to the gatehouse.

Callie knelt by the colonel and he opened his eyes.

“Colonel,” Luke said, “the fire is getting closer, so we're going to the back gate. We'll move the car enough to free you, and we'll get Adam and Isabelle in the car Isabelle was driving. I…I don't think we can take Grant.” Luke knew just by looking at the size of the beam that lay across Grant's back that it couldn't be budged. “Someone will come back for him as soon as we get the gate open.”

“No, son.” The colonel struggled to get upright. “You're never going to be able to move this vehicle, not with all the rubble in here. Don't worry about us. You need to get out of here, but you have to listen to me first.”

“We're not leaving you, Colonel,” Luke said.

“Please listen. It's hard for me to talk and you need to listen. The camp is in automatic lockdown. Do you hear the sirens?”

In all that had happened Luke had forgotten the sirens still wailing near the main buildings, their sound muffled by the trees between the gatehouse and the center of the camp.

“What does automatic lockdown mean?”

“Luke, Sal is calling you,” Callie said.

“Will you go see what he wants?” Luke asked. “The colonel's trying to tell me something important.” He didn't want to see Sal. Sal would just keep telling him what not to do. He heard Callie move away and turned his attention back to Colonel Donlin.

“The system thinks there's an attack on the compound and the fence has been breached. It has gone into emergency mode.” The colonel stopped talking and drew a few breaths. “You can't follow the road back through the center of the camp and then out to the back gate. The inner perimeter defense ring is on and it cuts right through the road in two places.”

“We're on the outside of the defense perimeter, aren't we? We're trapped between it and the electric fence.” Luke sank back on his heels. There was nowhere to go and no one to help them.

No wonder Sal was so frantic.

Colonel Donlin roused himself.

“No, Luke, you're not trapped. Think. You know the woods are like a big band around the central zone with all the main buildings. Inside the woods, the defense perimeter beams are
located so that they form a continuous circle. It's like an invisible fence. Do you understand?”

Luke tried to comprehend what the colonel was saying. Colonel Donlin knew Camp David better than anyone. He had been there for years. If anyone could get them out, it would be him. Luke thought about the colonel's words. Trying to focus, he put his finger down on a dusty part of the floor and traced the image forming in his head.

“I think I understand. Camp David is like a doughnut. In the center where the hole would be are most of the buildings, that's B, the woods are the doughnut itself, and the electric fence is the outside edge of the doughnut. The defense perimeter ring is like a thin ring of frosting. The main road cuts the whole thing in half, top to bottom. We're here.” He wrote
FG
at the bottom of the circle, to stand for the front gate. “And we need to get here without going through the perimeter ring, the frosting.” He wrote
BG
at the top of the circle, to stand for the back gate.

The colonel gave a gasp that might have been a laugh. “That's right. I never thought of it that way, but you're right. You won't get through the defense ring in the woods, and because the
road goes through the ring in two places, you can't take the road. You wouldn't be able to tell which part of the road is protected anyway. The devices generating the perimeter are too well concealed.”

“You said the defense system was a ring. Can't we just crawl under it? Is it aimed so it would hit someone who was trying to run through? Like a tape across a finish line at a race?”

The colonel coughed, his face gray. When he spoke again, Luke had to lean in to hear him. “Think of an invisible fence about ten feet tall and about a foot thick. There are hundreds of millimeter-wave-generating units positioned on the trees to create the wall. Every tree in that ring has two units, one on each side of the tree,
and they're aimed at the trees next to them in the ring. A person can't crawl under it. It goes all the way to the ground. But there's another way.”

“I get it.” Luke understood exactly what the colonel was trying to tell him. “We go through the woods, around the outside of the ring to the back gate. We won't cross the defense perimeter that way.”

“Right. The defense perimeter system is about a hundred feet outside the circular nature trail. I know you know where the trail is, but keep close to the fence, just to be safe.”

“Can we get an SUV through the woods? We can't get Adam and Isabelle there any other way.”

“I don't know. Maybe, but it would take some time to find places the car would fit between the trees. Luke, you need to get out. Don't worry about the agents. They wouldn't want that.”

“I'm not leaving them. Besides, my friend Theo really hurt his head. I'm not sure how well he can walk.”

The colonel was quiet for a few seconds. “Take my jeep. It's parked behind the gatehouse and the keys are in it. If any vehicle can get through the woods, it can. Don't go too fast, though. The
President will be pretty mad at me if you get hurt.” He gave raspy sound like a chuckle.

“I'll be careful,” Luke said. “But we can't just leave you here.”

“I'll take my chances. Besides, it's my job to be the last one out.” The colonel smiled a little. “Help will be here soon. The fire may slow down or go around us. They don't always do what you expect them to. And, Luke, I expect that jeep back in pristine condition. Not a scratch on it.”

Luke felt like crying now. He knew the commander was making a joke so Luke would stay calm, just like his mom and dad did when things went bad. The colonel's jeep was almost a legend at Camp David. It was ancient, a huge old jeep with extra seats in the back, and so beat up, it looked like it had survived many wars, but the colonel always refused to give it up.

“Son, listen.” The colonel beckoned to Luke to get closer. “There's a pass code to open the back gate if they can't get it open remotely. The whole system is in lockdown, because this gatehouse was compromised by the accident. You have to type in the override code; do you understand? The code today is four-nine-eight-three-two-eight. Can you remember? Four-nine-eight-three-two-
eight. Say it back to me.”

Luke tried to calm down enough to get it in his head.

“I can remember,” Theo said, coming up behind Luke. “Four-nine-eight-three-two-eight.”

“Are you sure? Is your head okay?” Luke asked.

“It feels like it might explode at any second, but I can still remember a six-digit number.” Theo sounded angry, but Luke didn't want to take the time to find out why. “I want to find my glasses,” Theo said.

“Go ahead. Can't we do anything for you, Colonel Donlin?” Luke asked.

“No, you need to hurry.”

Callie brought over what looked like part of a chair cushion. “If we put this behind your back, you can sit up better, and you'll be able to breathe better.” Luke pulled the colonel up slightly and slipped the cushion behind him.

“Now go,” the colonel said. “That's an order.” He tried to smile again.

“We'll hurry,” Luke said. “As soon as we let them in the back gate, someone will come get you. Colonel, I think we should try to take Isabelle.”

“No, son, she's…she's…Just go….” The
colonel's voice trailed off.

Luke felt everything go fuzzy and dim, as if he were looking down a long tunnel at the colonel far in the distance. He reached out and grabbed the car door to steady himself, putting his head down on the window. It was cooler than the air around him, and it felt so good he didn't want to move.

“It's not fair,” Callie said. “I didn't even want to come here in the first place. I want to go home.” A tear ran down her face, making a stream through the dirt. She kicked at a piece of stone on the floor. “Ow!”

It was Callie's “ow” that steadied Luke. He straightened up. “We're taking Adam, at least. Theo, we need your help. Did you find your glasses?”

“Yes, but they're a little twisted, and one lens popped out. I can't find it. I have a monster headache.”

“I'm sorry,” Luke said. “Let's just get out of here so somebody can give you medicine for your headache.”

“We're never going to be able to move Adam,” Callie argued. “He weighs a lot. Luke, when I was outside I could tell the smoke is getting thicker.
The fire is moving farther up the road.”

While Luke had been concentrating on Colonel Donlin's words, he hadn't even thought about the fire. Now he felt how hot the air was, and he could taste the smoke.

“We aren't leaving him, and I can't do it without you. Callie, you take his legs, and Theo and I will each grab under an arm.” Theo mumbled something too softly for Luke to hear, but he did shift around to Adam's right side. Callie gave in and took her place at Adam's feet. When everyone was in place Luke said, “I'll count to three and we'll lift him. One, two, three. Now!”

They heaved Adam up. Theo was able to lift him clear of the ground, but Luke struggled to get him high enough not to scrape his body on the pieces of stone on the floor. Each step took too much time, as they tried to find level places to put their feet.

Adam's vest caught on a jagged piece of a beam and ripped.

“Set him down,” Luke said. “Callie, can you pull it free?” Luke wished Adam would show some sign of life; even another moan would be encouraging.

Callie pulled on the vest and more of it ripped.

The roof creaked.

“I don't like the sound of that,” Theo said.

“One big effort.” Luke tried to sound unworried, but he took a quick glance up. “Colonel, we're leaving. Someone will be here soon.” The colonel didn't answer, or at least Luke didn't hear him.

They struggled over the stones, and Luke knew Adam's back was scraping on some of them, but it couldn't be helped. It was like moving a giant, heavy rag doll, and none of them were strong enough to do the job easily. By the time they had him out of the building, they were all panting, trying to catch their breath. Sal still stood by the gate, watching them, yelling into his phone.

They hauled Adam into the back of the jeep. “Okay, we're ready to go,” Luke said, trying not to panic at the crackling sounds from the road behind Sal. The smoke was getting thicker.

“Luke,” Sal yelled, “get Adam's earpiece and microphone off him and use them so I can talk to you. I need to tell you how to avoid the defense system.”

“The colonel already explained,” Luke yelled back. “I've got it. Sal, get out of here. Theo, unclip the microphone from Adam's cuff; then if you
take out his earpiece, you can pull out the wire that runs up his sleeve.”

Theo was looking at his watch again. “I think the helicopter will be here in about ten minutes. We should wait.”

“Sal will be dead in a few minutes if he doesn't move!” Luke screamed. He sucked in a breath of air to yell again, but the hot taste of the smoke made him cough instead. “I'll do it myself. I'm going, and Callie's going too, right?” He didn't want to look at Callie in case she agreed with Theo. “You do what you want.” Luke got the microphone and earpiece without having to shift Adam around too much. He hoped all the moving they were doing wasn't going to make Adam worse.

“I don't want to just stand around,” Callie said. “The helicopter will find us wherever we go, and I want to get farther away from the fire.”

“Okay, I'll go.” Theo climbed in the passenger side and buckled his seat belt. “I'm already having trouble breathing.”

“What about Comet?” Callie asked. She was still standing by the jeep.

Luke hadn't even been thinking about Comet; he had been too worried about everyone else.
“He followed me out of the building. I don't know where he went. Comet! Comet!” When the dog didn't appear, Luke said, “He'll probably run after us once we start going. We have to leave so Sal will go too.” Sal was the one in the most danger.