Kill Switch: Chapter 34

Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Less than an hour later, we’re climbing up a shaft wall. Moonlight streams through a hole at the top. Explosions boom in the distance.

At the top, the land sprawls upward, punctuated with spindly trees and scattered rock.

Bunnfield, with his headlamp and GPS, leads the way.

Halfway up, we stop at a waterfall and drink. Overhead, helicopters chatter in the sky, dropping bombs indiscriminately. We trek upward, until we make it to a plateau. Bunnfield taps the GPS.

“We’re close.”

We push our way through a thick row of hedges, and then we come upon an open field with a cabin about fifty yards away. An outhouse stands to one side, a well to the other. We walk through the grassy field, weaving in and out of a maze of generators. The cabin porch surfaces pixel by pixel. A yellow light illuminates two windows. Something creaks. A rocking chair sways in the harsh wind.

Bunnfield looks through one of the windows. He puts his hand on his blaster. Then he looks back at us.

“I’ll go first.” He pushes open the door and steps inside.

Yide and I are just a step behind.

Over Bunnfield’s shoulder, I see a gaunt figure leaning over a table full of beakers and scales. The man turns, flashing a long, grey beard and a toothless grin.

“It’s about time,” he says. “I’ve been expecting you. Put down your guns and have a seat. I know you’ve had a long journey.”