Free Deathgame by Franklin W. Dixon Page A

They knew they had fifteen minutes at most before Hammerlock would set out after them.
    "Maybe we should set some sort of ambush for him. No one, outside the colonel and his elite squad, lives on this island," said Terry.
    "We have no idea how far away the next Caribbean Island is," Frank continued with the planning, "so there's no reason to head for the beach, which is what I'm sure he'll expect us to try. We just can't chance swimming, without knowing how far and in what direction the closest inhabited island is."
    Lauren picked the actual spot in the trail where they would stage their ambush. "You see how the trail zigzags here very sharply. So when Hammerlock approaches this point, he's blind to anyone stationed nearby."
    Joe looked excitedly into her vivid blue eyes. Her pupils seemed to enlarge slightly.
    "You've got a plan!" he said with a note of triumph. He turned to Frank. "I love it! She beat you to the punch!"
    Frank rolled his eyes.
    "You haven't heard my plan yet," Lauren reminded him coolly.
    Joe nodded. "That's true. But when I do, I know I'm going to love it!"
    Lauren tried not to smile and failed. Turning to Frank, she asked, "Is he always like this?"
    "Only when his life is in danger," Frank replied.
    Terry disappeared while they were working out the actual logistics of the trap.
    "I'm not sure I like this," Frank said as the sky began to turn a light peach color.
    "What's wrong, Frank?" Lauren asked as she inspected a tree near the edge of the path. She was going to climb up one trunk, and Terry another, in the hopes that they could drop down on the colonel when he passed below.
    "I'll tell you," Joe said, picking a spot alongside the path where the scrub brush was densest and would make the best hiding place. "Frank doesn't like the idea of us taking direct physical action against Hammerlock."
    "Let's say I have a few reservations," Frank said grimly.
    "Look at it this way, Frank. What we've really done is combine our collective intelligence with force," Joe reasoned.
    "It sounds good when you put it that way," Frank admitted grudgingly.
    Lauren tested the lower branches of the tree. She nodded to herself. The branches would support her.
    Then she turned to Frank. "I think our best bet at this point is to try to put Hammerlock on the defensive," she explained, her sapphire eyes thoughtful. "He's bound to think we'll be concentrating on finding a way off his human game preserve."
    Biff was hidden deep in a thicket off to the side of the trail. He seemed stronger than when the boys had first found him, but he was still weak and bruised from the beatings.
    "I'm reduced to being a mere 'spotter,' " he grumbled.
    Frank studied the sky. "Sun's up. Hammerlock must be on his way by now. It won't be long."
    Joe whirled about, looking left and right, obviously disturbed.
    "What's wrong, Joe?" Lauren asked.
    "Terry! Where's Terry? Anybody see him?" His voice rose in concern.
    "Calm down, Joe." Terry's voice came from the trees. He appeared a moment later, carrying all their canteens.
    "Where'd you go? What'd you take our canteens for?" Joe asked.
    Terry handed Joe one of the canteens. "Try some of this."
    As Terry pushed through the brush to hand a canteen to Biff, Joe unscrewed the cap. He took a sniff. "What is it?" he asked, wrinkling his nose.
    "It's a drink made from crushed cinnamon, ginger, and a special tree bark," Terry replied. "Drink up. It's actually good, and it'll give you strength." Terry caught Joe looking distrustfully at his canteen. "Stop making faces, Joe. Set a good example for Biff."
    Terry silently worked his way through the thicket, back out onto the path. "Hammerlock won't expect any of us to know how to live off what's at hand on this island. This puts us one up on him already."
    Joe took a cautious sip. "Hey, this isn't so bad, after all."
    "How'd you learn to make this?" Frank asked. "I told you my dad was an agent. He was stationed in the Caribbean for a while when I was a kid, and he