“Five hours, guys,” I said as I set the bedside clock’s alarm. “We sleep until ten. That’ll give us plenty of time to work on explosives and nail down the game plan.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Evan mumbled sleepily as he crawled on the nearest bed and closed his bloodshot eyes. It always struck me how baby-like his features still were when he was sleeping.
“Get some sleep, yourself, Meg,” Alik whispered to his sister as he flopped down next to Evan and closed his tired eyes.
“Sleep well, boys. Tonight we get mom back,” I said encouragingly.
I leaned over to Maze and rubbed him behind his ears. He was snoring, peacefully. I lay next to him, buried my face in his fur and fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 44 Game Plan
It felt like we just laid down ten minutes before when the alarm started screeching at us to wake up. After a quick breakfast and fast showers, we were ready to get to work.
We positioned the small desk right next to the long dresser then unplugged the television and moved it to the useless closet. We were going to need all the work space we could get.
We didn’t even stop to think about what came next. This part was automatic. Mom taught us everything we needed to know to prepare the materials.
Evan began unpacking the items and organizing them on the make-shift worktable. Alik sat on the edge of the bed and bent down over a notebook. His face was creased in concentration as he began sketching The Institute’s layout. I knew his memory was good, but I had no idea he would be able to access perfect details from something he last saw when he was two!
His hand flew across the page. Every stroke added even more definition to an already elaborate map. After a few more minutes, he was done.
“Evan, come over here. We need to plan this. I’ve drawn everything I can remember about The Institute’s layout,” Alik said.
“This is awesome! Ev, you have to see this. Alik, you truly have a gift. You recreated a picture you saw twelve years ago when you were only two years old. Amazing.” I was so thankful for my brother. With this map we’ll be able to plan our entrance and where to plant the explosives and detonators so they will do the damage we want them to do. And when it comes to our rescue and exit, well, at least we’ll know the options.
Alik, Evan and I spent the rest of the day preparing ourselves, sharing tactical ideas and organizing our equipment. We walked through the plan from start to finish one last time. It was four o’clock, time to go.
The boys loaded the truck while I stayed back to talk with Maze. Yes, talk with him. “Listen, we have to go get mom now. You can’t come with me. There’s no place for my Maze in the plan we set up. You could get hurt, and I can’t have that. You have to stay here, but I’ll come back for you, okay?”
I nuzzled my face into my best friend’s neck and breathed deeply, drawing strength from his familiar scent. He held very still for me and let me hug him, seeming to know that’s the best way he could help me right then. I pulled back and looked into his warm yellow eyes. He whined and licked my face with his soft wet tongue. I stood slowly and gave him one last scratch between the ears. Eight steps brought me to the motel room door.
I turned around once more to be sure Maze had stayed like I told him to. He always obeyed me, and I had no reason to think he would do anything but comply now.
There sat my Maze in the glow of the bathroom light watching me with only love in his eyes. He scooted toward me and let out one last whine just as I closed the door behind me.
Chapter 45 Into the Monster’s Lair
We sat in silence during the ten-minute drive to The Institute. Each of us was going over our part of the plan repeatedly in our minds. We were depending on each other with such certainty; our plan would only work if each of us did exactly what we were supposed to do.
Evan pulled the truck up to a curb one block away from The Institute. For just a moment, my brothers and I shared one last silent exchange. We would not see each other again until it was all over.
Turning quickly, I began sprinting back toward the white buildings. The air was crisp as it struck my face and in response my eyes began to tear. I barely noticed the cold, or the way the sidewalk felt under my feet, or how I must have looked to passersby. Nothing mattered except the plan, and the first step was about to happen.