Page 43 of G8
She walked back to G8 and the others as the man left the floor. “Okey-doke. Let’s do this.”
G8 turned to P8. “Help me bring the stuff we want up closer to the stairwell. F8, you stay here and direct the guys coming to get it. Make sure they pick up everything Ingrid marks.”
“With a star,” Ingrid added.
“What do you need us to do?” Biggs asked, indicating himself and the fire chief.
“You might want to go ahead and start on the next level,” Ingrid suggested. “We’ll be down as soon as we’re done here.”
The two men agreed and left. As soon as they were out of earshot, F8 came over to where G8 was waiting for Ingrid to finish marking a few boxes.
“I didn’t want to say anything with those men here,” she said in a hushed voice. “But this place is freaking me out, and not in a good way.”
“Like how?” G8 inquired as P8 came over to join them.
“I feel it, too,” Ingrid admitted. “Maybe it’s woman’s intuition, but something about this place makes me uneasy.”
“Something’s still working,” P8 softly told them and pointed overhead. “I can’t tell what it is or where it’s coming from, but I think they’re still able to see us or hear us.”
“F8?” G8 looked back at her.
The woman shook her head. “I don’t detect anything, but I feel he’s right.”
“Remember, you weren’t aware of that thing called Wi-Fi and whatever sort of current cell phones work off of until Cydney brought them to your attention,” G8 reminded him.
“Do you think they’re watching and listening in on us right now?” Ingrid whispered.
G8 grunted. “I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. Let’s hurry and finish up here so we can leave.”
“But that doesn’t mean they’re not watching on the other levels,” P8 pointed out. “We need to let Biggs and the others know.”
“Let Biggs know,” G8 countered. “We don’t know Korris and the fire chief that well, and right now I don’t trust them any farther than I can throw them.”
The remark got a chuckle out of P8. “In that case, let me know when you do give them the old heave-ho. I want to see how far youcantoss them.”
The bit of humor was enough to break the tension of the moment, and they all resumed their work with renewed energy.
21CONFLAGR8
By the timeSheriff Korris rejoined them, along with half a dozen men, G8 and the others had managed to get most of the boxes they wanted stacked in front of the elevators. Along with all the cartons, they’d included a couple of boxes containing sheets and bedding, a couple with cleaning supplies, and one marked TOOLS.
Korris whistled to see the progress they’d made. “You guys didn’t waste any time, did you?”
“We don’t like being down here anymore than you do,” F8 acknowledged.
The man glanced around. “Where’s Sheriff Biggs and the fire chief?”
“They went ahead and went down to the next level,” Ingrid informed them.
“We were waiting for you to show up before we went down to join them,” G8 added.
Korris waved an arm at the stacks of boxes. “Is this everything?”
“Pretty much,” P8 replied. “You probably need to take what’s in the freezer first before you tackle this.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” the sheriff told them. Pointing to his right, he directed the men to start with the contents of the freezer.
“And be sure you only take a box that has a star drawn on the side,” Ingrid informed them.
