A Will to Survive Read Online Free

know some of the others instead. Before very long it was time to turn in.
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Joe tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. Finally he sat up in bed. The glowing dial on his watch said 3:14. Maybe a glass of water would help him sleep. He slipped into his clothes and tiptoed toward the door. As he passed Sal’s bed, he noticed it was empty. So he wasn’t the only one who was having trouble sleeping!
    Joe stepped into the hallway. Suddenly he stopped and stood motionless, listening intently.
    From somewhere in the distance came a scraping noise. It sounded like something heavy being dragged across the floor. It was coming from downstairs.
    Joe hesitated. Should he wake Frank? No, there was too much risk of waking Frank’s roommates as well. Joe ran quietly down the stairs to the entrance hall. The heavy silence was unbroken, and the dim security lights did not reveal anything suspicious.
    Joe stepped inside the first of the exhibit rooms. As he did, he sensed a presence near him. He started to turn. At that moment, a muscular arm wrapped itself around his neck, then tightened.
    Joe struggled for breath. A red film started to descend over his vision.

3 The Secret in the Wall
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    Joe reached up and clamped both hands on the arm that was strangling him. He tensed, preparing to drop to one knee and throw his attacker over his shoulder. Then he recalled that the room in front of him was filled with glass display cases. Could he take the risk of destroying dozens of precious museum specimens?
    On the other hand, could he take the risk of allowing somebody to throttle him? If he didn’t do something at once, he might not have the strength to save himself!
    To buy time, Joe lifted his right foot and stamped down where he thought his assailant’s foot must be. He aim was perfect, but he had forgotten he was barefoot. The other guy wasn’t. From the pain in his heel, Joe guessed the other guy was wearing steel-toed work boots.
    Joe let himself go limp and slump forward, as if starting to pass out. His attacker leaned forward with him. Instantly Joe used his powerful neck muscles to thrust his head backward. The back of his head struck something with a satisfying crunch, followed by a gasp of pain.
    The arm around Joe’s neck loosened just enough for him to force his fingers under it. He drew in one quick, welcome breath. Then, before his attacker could recover, he threw all his weight and all the strength of his linebacker’s legs into a backward push. After two steps, he felt the other guy slam into a wall. The arm fell away from Joe’s throat.
    Joe hurled himself away. Spinning on one foot to face his opponent, he dropped into a defensive posture. He raised both hands, ready to strike out with devastating force.
    The lights clicked on, blinding him for a moment. A voice he recognized as Tanya’s shouted, “Carl! Joe! What’s going on here? Stop it at once!”
    Tanya was standing in the entrance hall, with a small group behind her.
    The man who had tried to choke Joe was a balding six-footer with powerful shoulders and a thick neck. The sleeves on his frayed khaki shirt were rolled up above the elbow, showing a sharp border between his deeply tanned forearms and pale upper arms.
    â€œI caught this fellow prowling around, Ms. Sovskaya,” he said. “He wouldn’t come quietly.” He reached up to rub a bright red patch on his left cheek.
    â€œI woke up and heard a noise down here,” Joe explained. “I came to see what it was. This guy jumped me from behind and tried to strangle me.”
    Frank pushed through the crowd and came over to Joe’s side. “Are you okay?” he asked in an undertone.
    Joe massaged the side of his throat. “I’ll probably be a little sore tomorrow,” he said cheerfully. “But not as sore as that guy.”
    â€œI see,” Tanya said, raising her voice. “This is all an