Free Beneath the Veil by William McNally Page B

with gold, but the camp had little use for the metal. Conditions didn’t warrant the use of currency as only the bounty from the land, like corn and wheat, had any real value. Above them on the rim of the quarry, a man walked a horse and plow in an empty field getting the soil prepared for planting.
    On the way back to his tent, Barry walked by Jimmy who was cleaning a rifle on a wooden table. A fire burned next to him in a steel drum.
    “Know how to handle one of these?” Jimmy pulled a Colt revolver from under the table and handed it to him.
    Barry took the gun and examined the long barrel.
    “I’ve shot before,” he answered.
    “Good. Maybe you can work the watch with me tonight?” Jimmy asked. “The Edward brothers were supposed to have it tonight, but they went hunting and haven’t turned up yet.”
    “Should we go look for them?” Barry asked.
    “Nah, they’ve pulled this routine before. Last time they ended up drunk in some cabin up in the mountains. Besides, if those boys don’t want to be found, there’s no use in trying.”
    “Well, I’d be happy to fill in,” Barry said, aiming the gun in front of him.
    “Okay, then meet me at the elevator just before sundown and dress warm, it can get cold up on top.”

C H A P T E R  T H I R T Y - F I V E
    W hen Barry arrived at the elevator, Jimmy was already there with his back against the wall of the quarry. Seeing Barry arrive, he turned and spoke into a voice tube.
    “Pull her up in one minute.”
    “Got it, Jimmy,” a voice answered back.
    The elevator cage made from welded pieces of pipe dangled two feet from the quarry floor. Barry followed Jimmy onto the lift, then gripped the sides and prepared for the ascent to the surface.
    “Going up,” Jimmy said.
    Jimmy had worked the watch hundreds of times before, but always felt anxious before his shift. The ride up made him think about the danger outside the walls of the compound. Barry fidgeted with the pistol stuffed into the pocket of his borrowed overcoat. When the lift reached ground level, it stopped with a jerk. Jimmy and Barry stepped out and held the gate open for two men waiting for a ride down. Once the men were loaded in, Jimmy pulled the lever and they descended to safety.
    He knew when the men reached the bottom they would chain the lift to an iron ring mounted to the floor of the quarry, disabling the elevator and preventing anyone or anything from raising it. When the device was first constructed, two men on watch were attacked. One was killed, but the other ran and escaped onto the elevator. One of the creatures jumped onto the cage and rode the lift to the floor of the quarry. Gun shots woke the sleeping camp and they were ready when the elevator touched bottom. They opened fire on the creature, killing it, but the man in the cage was also hit and died a few hours later. From that time on, defensive measures like the iron ring were put into place to protect the camp and its inhabitants.
    “First rule is we stay together,” Jimmy said. “It’s dark as pitch up here and we could end up shooting each other if we’re not careful.”
    Barry nodded in agreement and then followed Jimmy up the ladder to the vault.
    “Second rule is you don’t close the vault unless you are inside it. The combination’s been lost to time and the safe is no good if we’re locked outside of it.”
    “Got it,” Barry said.
    “The third and last rule is the easiest. Sit, wait and hope like hell that nothing tries to get in,” Jimmy said, half smiling.
    Barry laughed uneasily.
    “I mean...gets in. They always try,” Jimmy added.

C H A P T E R  T H I R T Y - S I X
    B arry sat on an upright wooden chair, which according to Jimmy, was designed to make sleep impossible. They were halfway through a quiet shift and hadn’t seen or heard anything. Suddenly, Jimmy leveled his rifle towards the dark road outside the gates.
    “Looks like we got a customer,” he said.