Code Name: RUSH (COMPLETE)

33. Damion

Liam gave us a small nod, accepting the wish of good luck from Evan, and disappeared into the woods. We had an hour before the rest of us had to start walking. Gemma was typing so fast on her laptop so fast that her hands were a blur. Evan was staring out the window intently and Madix was insistently popping every one of his fingers, even when they weren't making any sound.

You would make a good boyfriend.

I let my hair fall to cover my hot cheeks. Now was not the time to be thinking about it, but I couldn't push down the warm feeling in my chest. Madix was like an awkward magnet; he looked over the when I moved and smiled. My best bet was to pretend like I didn't see it; if I had to hear one joke out of Evan I might break his nose. I jumped when Gemma slammed her computer lid shut and put it into a small black bag. "Ready?"

"We're early," Evan said. He was already opening his door.

Gemma waved me to the front to lead the way. The path was overgrown with weeds and fallen branches. I jumped the steep ditch and picked my way through. Madix stepped on the back of my shoes so many times that I considered taking them off. The hike took longer than I remembered. The calmness from the night was replaced with low panic that took my breath away.

I focused on the color of the leaves. Still green, but some were completely yellow. We were going the right way. I had walked this twice before, only now we needed to get to the front of the building.

Something wasn't right. The leaves to the right of the path had been moved. Sticks were snapped like someone had walked down it not long before us. I halted before a large pine and raised my hand for the others to stop. Liam had taken a different path, the longer one, to the back of the compound. I crouched and picked up a sturdy branch. The small pile of leaves was too evenly placed from the next one. I pressed through. The trap snapped it clean in half with a metallic clang. Behind me, Madix scampered away with a shriek. I tossed the rest of the stick into the underbrush and turned. Evan and Madix looked stricken, but Gemma's expression was unreadable. I pressed down on my com so Liam could hear. "Bear traps. Stay to the center of the path and watch where you step."

There were traps every yard. I kept my eyes peeled for the branches above us, thinking back to the wires in the cabin. The first one was hard to see; it looked like a single spider web glistening in the shade. But I was the only one tall enough to trip it, and that wasn't a coincidence. I warned everyone and ducked under, not keen to find out what it connected to.

"I'm at the back of the building. Three security guards are outside." Liam's whispered response was delayed and though we all heard it, no one made a move to answer.

We were slowed by our cautious steps. At ten minutes to five, we stepped onto a gravel path. I looked around. We were at the crest of a large hill. At the bottom was a massive metal gate with a CI crest carved out of the center. Madix moved to stand by my left, Evan and Gemma at my right. I still took the lead, just in case there were lingering traps. We came to a halt at the bottom; the gate was at least ten feet, vertical bars so close together that I could hardly make out the building it was protecting.

No one was outside. There was a buzzer on the large post, but no button. I looked up to the camera flashing a red light at us.

Gemma pushed both hands against the center. It didn't budge. "It's locked."

"Open sesame seeds!" Madix shouted. He pounded on the metal with both fists. "We're here!"

Twenty feet away, a door swung open, barely visible through the grated metal. I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Oh my god," Madix said in awe. "It was the password."

Two guards stepped out, black faceplates covering their expressions, followed by a young man in a grey suit. He adjusted his tie in the wind as he approached the gate. Something was eerily familiar about him but I couldn't quite put my finger on where I'd seen him. He paused, separated from us, and folded his hands.