Free DusktoDust_Final3 by adrian felder Page A

you ask me this is a waste. The dude is buried too deep. ”
    “ Or he ’ s not in there at all. ” Letsego knew there was the chance that Dominguez was still alive somewhere. If so, he must be long gone by now. “ Alright, let ’ s pack it up. Whether the bastard is in there or not, we have more important things to do right now. Burleigh will just have to believe that Dominguez is not a problem anymore. ”
    The woman reached up and grabbed his sleeve. “ Wait, you ’ re just going to leave Mike in there! Leave him to decay in this awful place? You can ’ t! ”
    Letsego pushed her hand away. “ Look lady, I don ’ t have time for this. If Mike really is under there, that ’ s his fault for coming down into the Skull Pit. I have more important things to do like get you back to Skylift and continue this investigation. ” He turned back to Conway. “ Sergeant, we ’ re going back the same way we came in. Yang, you ’ ve got point. Ski, bring up the- ”
    His words were cut short by a bright flash that exploded right in front of him. He fell to his knees, hands reaching for his ears as they began ringing. The sensory overload was completely disorienting. Seconds passed and he tried to regain his footing. His hearing soon returned.
    “ Nobody move or I will blow his brains out, ” were the first words that Letsego heard.
     
    David crouched in the shadows of the tunnel. Up ahead was a bend. Just around it he could hear the voices again. Judging by the volume they were no more than twenty-five meters away. David thought through the mechanics of what he was about to do. In high school he had run the forty yard dash in five seconds. He would be able to make it. He just hoped they were looking the other way.
    In his right hand he held his pistol. In his left he held a modified grenade. Instead of the explosive charge that it normally carried, David had attached a packet of gun powder to the grenade ’ s detonator. He hoped it would make do as a rudimentary flash bang. He ’ d spent fifteen minutes with his multi tool tearing off the bullets from sixty pistol rounds to get the powder.
    David inched along the inside wall of the tunnel. He would need a clear line of sight to throw the grenade. Inch by inch he made his way toward the cave in site. He soon reached the end of the curve and could make out figures. He counted six, including Alana. The closest PK was fifteen meters from David and was facing away from him.
    It ’s now or never . Still holding the pistol, David slipped a finger through the grenade ’ s pin and pulled it. Keeping the grenade as low to the ground as possible, he tossed it as far as he could. The device skipped across the ground past the closest PK and landed right next to the team leader. David looked away, plugged his ears, and counted the seconds.
    The sound was deafening as the powder ignited in the confined space. It reverberated through David ’ s bones. Anyone not expecting the explosion would be completely disoriented. But for David it was the sound of a starting gun.
    He covered the distance between the tunnel bend and the closest PK in mere seconds. The man was doubled over on the ground clutching his ears. David was more than willing to help him up. Then he slid his left arm around the man ’ s neck and placed the muzzle of the pistol on his temple.
    “ Nobody move or I’ll blow his brains out. ” Even as he said it, the man he held hostage started clawing at the arm around his neck. A blow from the butt of David ’ s pistol convinced the man to stop. But the rest of the PKs continued to pick themselves up off the ground. Enough of this . David raised his pistol and sent a loud, echoing round into the tunnel ceiling.
    “ I said, nobody fucking move! ” He now had the undivided attention of the team leader and his three stooges ’ .
    Nothing moved in the tunnel, but the tension could be cut with a knife. David surveyed the situation. The team leader stared David down. He was