chapter 18

Chapter 18: High Beams and Dark Secrets

My fingers hovered over the tablet in front of me. I selected the switches for the powerful lights on our roof and pointed them toward the parking garage three blocks away.

Then I pressed the button.

CLICK!

Two powerful lights suddenly came on, shining brightly into the dark night. Their beams pointed directly at the top floor of the parking garage.

On the thermal monitor, I saw the orange shape of the sniper move suddenly.

The bright lights were shining directly into his night-vision scope. He couldn't see properly anymore. He raised his arms to protect his eyes, moved away from his rifle, and hid behind a concrete wall to escape the bright light.

"Now you know I'm watching you, you bastard," I muttered.

The sniper now knew that I had discovered him. He could no longer use his night-vision equipment properly because of the bright lights.

I pressed the intercom button to speak to the room downstairs.

"Derrick, move away from the gate and come to the control room. Right now."

Ten seconds later, I heard heavy footsteps climbing the metal stairs.

The door opened, and Derrick walked in. He was carrying a tire iron, a heavy metal tool. He looked worried.

"What's going on, Evelyn? I saw the lights come on outside. Why are you using so much electricity on those lights?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I pointed at Monitor 4.

Derrick bent forward to look at the screen.

The bright lights made it easier to see the top floor of the parking garage. Even though the garage was three blocks away, we could clearly see the sniper's rifle stand and his body as he crouched behind the concrete wall.

Derrick's mouth fell open in shock.

"Is that... a man with a gun?"

"A sniper," I answered calmly. "He has a special scope that helps him see in the dark. He's using military equipment. He's been sitting on that roof, watching our bunker."

Derrick rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He looked at the monitor and then back at me.

"Do you think he's one of the scavengers or raiders?"

Scavengers were people searching for useful supplies, while raiders were people who attacked others to steal their belongings.

"No," I replied.

I took out my phone and slid it across the table toward him.

"Julian."

Derrick picked up the phone.

On the screen was a photograph from an unknown phone number. It showed a picture of my second bunker from high above. The bunker was hidden deep in the northern valley.

Derrick stared at the photograph. His expression became angry, and his jaw tightened.

He didn't need me to explain anything. He knew Julian and understood how dangerous he could be. He also knew about the terrible history between Julian and me.

"That miserable bastard!" Derrick shouted, slamming the phone onto the table.

"He sent that sniper to keep us trapped inside. He wants us to die in here!"

"He wants us to run out of food, water, and fuel," I explained.

I looked directly at him.

"He knows he can't easily break through our strong steel doors without powerful explosives. So he's trying to make us run out of supplies. When we have nothing left, we'll be forced to surrender."

Derrick stared at the monitor. He gripped his tire iron so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"So we stop sitting here and defending ourselves," Derrick said.

He looked at me with a serious expression.

"My repair shop's truck is parked in the back garage. It's a strong diesel truck. If we cover its windows with thick steel plates and attach a snowplow blade to the front, we can use it to smash through Julian's blockade."

I looked at him and gave a small nod.

"Get your tools. We're starting work on the truck tonight."