The Siege Read Online Free

doomed to die a solitary and agonizing death.
         So he should have been relieved to a degree when he stumbled into one of his men who was struggling to his feet, halfway to the other debris pile.
         But he wasn’t. He knocked the man down again and kept going, working desperately toward the front of the tunnel. Even if he was shot as soon as he emerged, he reasoned, it was still a better option than this.
         Forty yards in front of him, at the debris pile, McMillan was screaming at the top of his lungs.
         But no one could hear him.
         He couldn’t even hear himself.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
         Back in the compound, the rest of Alvarez’ gang was on edge. Although they had no clue of their leader’s plight, they were expecting an attack from outside the walls.
         Martinez, Hance and Bennett had all spent time in the army. Hance, especially, knew a little about military tactics.
         “I wish we knew how many of them there were.”
         “How come? What difference does that make?”
         “Because if they have enough men, it would make sense to them to do a counter attack, while half of our guys are out there in the woods looking for them. They’d have to know that’s when we’re weakest here, and they could more easily attack us.”
         “Do you think they’re coming?”
         “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on whether they have the men and the firepower. I’m just saying it would be a smart move on their part, and that we need to stay on our toes. That’s all.”
         “How long do you think it’ll be before Alvarez comes back?”
         “I don’t know. I guess it depends on how long it takes him to find them. Alvarez is a stubborn bastard. He won’t give up until he does. When he does find them, we’ll be able to hear the gunfire from the roof. Who’s up there, anyway?”
         “ Douglas.”
         “Go tell Douglas that if he hears any gunfire off in the distance, to fire a single shot into the air so we’ll know the battle has started. And tell him to stay on his toes in case we’re attacked.”
         Bennett muttered, “Who the hell put you in charge?”
         Hance, who’d been lifting weights in prison yards all over the country for twenty years, loomed large over Bennett.
         He looked at Bennett and just clenched his teeth.
         “Just go,” he said.
         Bennett went.
         Martinez asked, “What if the tunnel doesn’t lead to the woods? What if it leads to some underground safe room?”
         “Then I expect Alvarez will be ba ck any time now. He’ll shoot all the men and kids, then look over the women to see which ones he wants to keep. If I know Alvarez like I think I do, he’ll want to sample a couple of the women just to see what they can do. Then he’ll drag them back.”
         Martinez smiled.
         “Yeah, just as long as he doesn’t use them all up. I want me a taste too.”
         “Why don’t you go to that building,. The one with the trap door. I don’t think it’ll happen, and if you tell Alvarez I said so, I’ll kick your ass. But just in case Alvarez is outgunned and gets shot, and they come out of that tunnel looking for us, I want somebody there to cover it. You go cover the tunnel, and I’ll head over and help O’Neal on the gate.”
         Martinez was a bit smarter than Bennett, and a bit more able to hold his tongue. He ran off without another word.
         Martinez made his way out of the building, across the open compound, and to the feed barn. The false floor to the tunnel entrance was still propped up with a two by four.
         He cautiously peeked down into the hole and saw the s teps that descended into a black abyss.
         The entire building smelled of recently disturbed dirt. He looked around