Dominic tips his head in agreement, and we all get out to scope out the area. The grass is noticeably thicker beyond the front bumper, supporting Jacob’s theory.
But there’s still nothing useful around us. Just grass, grass, and more grass.
We spread out through it, our eyes fixed to the ground for clues. The tall blades rustle against my calves. I walk slowly so that I don’t miss anything—and so that the tremors shooting through the muscles in my legs don’t have the chance to trip me up.
Every now and then, Dominic bends down and yanks a slightly taller plant out of the ground by the roots. Without comment, I watch him tuck the weeds and wildflowers into the pockets of his parka.
Someday he’ll tell me what’s going on with him. Pushing the guys to open up hasn’t gotten me anywhere.
I don’t want him to have to do anything for me that he isn’t happy about.
We’ve been scouring the area for at least ten minutes when Zian gives a little shout. He’s staring at the ground just in front of his feet, but when we all hustle over, I can’t see anything there at all.
I mean, other than grass.
He motions toward the ground. “I’ve been trying lookingthroughthe soil as far as I can. A couple of feet down right here, there’s more than just dirt. I think it’s cement.”
My heart skips a beat. “There’s an underground building. Like the facility.”
Andreas glances across the field again. “Except it’s either a hell of a lot bigger or they didn’t bother with the aboveground part.”
Jacob’s brow furrows. “Whoever was using it must have had some way to get in.”
You’d think so, but another half hour of searching, with Zian guiding us as he traces the outline of the building through the earth, turns up nothing remotely resembling an entrance. Or any other sign that anyone at all has come out this way in the last couple of decades.
It’s Dominic who calls out to us next. While we rush to join him, he kneels down in the grass.
He’s crouched by a small metal grate, a circle no wider than his shoulders. “Any underground structure would need ventilation.”
Jacob claps his hands together. “That’s our way in.”
Andreas cocks his head skeptically. “I don’t think we’re going to fit. How big is the vent under it?”
“Only one way to find out.”
Jacob untwists the bolts holding the grate in place, and Zian heaves it up with a rasp of degrading metal. He leans down to poke his head inside, buthisbroad shoulders won’t even make it through the opening.
“It looks even tighter in there,” he announces with a faint echo.
Jacob’s attention fixes on me. The other guys’ gazes follow him.
My skin tightens up, but it’s the obvious answer. I’m by far the smallest of us.
“Sure,” I say before Jacob even needs to volunteer me. I’m part of the team; I won’t shy away from doing my bit. “You want me to just crawl in there and…”
“Look for a way into the building, and then find a better way to getusin,” Jacob says in a tone like I’m dim for not realizing that right off the bat.
Maybe it should have been obvious. My brain has started to feel kind of wobbly too, like little bursts of static electricity are crackling through my thoughts.
“Right.” I peek down into the dark passage. “Anyone have a light?”
When Jacob hesitates, I let myself glower at him. “I know you don’t want me armed, but what do you think I’m going to do with a flashlight that I couldn’t with my fists? There obviously aren’t any windows down there. I’m not finding any entrances if I can’t evensee.”
He grumbles something under his breath and jogs back to the car. When he returns, he passes a keychain-sized LED light to me. “Get on with it.”
“Happy to.” I give him a mocking salute and bend down to squirm into the vent.
I have to go head-first, because there’s no room to turn around once I’m inside. My gut twists and shudders as I squeeze into the space that’s tight even for me.