190

‘OK, Cal,’ says the captain. ‘Me and the sergeant’ll take the scenic route. We’ll go first. Give us time to clear the zone then wait five minutes before you and Knott make your move. Is that clear?’

‘No problem,’ you reply, confidently. ‘We’ll meet up at the toll bridge at 0100 hours.’

With bated breath you watch as the two soldiers slip over the perimeter wall and crawl away from the safety of Fort Bliss. Expertly they merge with the broken wasteland so that you soon find it impossible to track their path, which leads to an elevated section of Highway 54. Fifteen minutes later, all is still as quiet as the grave. You are sure that they have made it across the zone by now, and so you motion to Marine Knott to follow as you lower yourself head-first over the rampart and propel yourself across the rocky ground using only your elbows and knees.

The faint moonlight serves both to help and hinder your progress as you inch your way towards Montana Avenue, a highway that runs 100 yards in front of, and parallel to, the clansmen’s position. Every move you make is slow and deliberate as though the ground were strewn with eggs, so urgent is the need to prevent dust from betraying your position. Eventually you reach a shallow ditch bordering the highway and you use it as cover as you advance towards a group of ruined buildings at the edge of the city. You are less than twenty yards from the ruins when you are frozen by the sound of howling dogs. They are clan bloodhounds and they have picked up your scent on the warm night air.

With your pulse racing, you peer over the edge of the ditch, seeking to catch a clear view of the enemy. You cannot see them, but you can hear them approaching fast. You must act quickly if you are to avoid being caught by the hounds and their handlers.

If you possess at least one Meal’s worth of food and wish to use it to delay the hounds, turn to 109.

If you do not possess any food, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 89.