Page 57 of Mated to Team Shadow
What the hell was going on?
The tarmac was not that large, but there was no aircraft here, and a twenty-foot-high chain link fence curiously cut off the tarmac from the hangar area. Something was very, very wrong. I smelled something I didn't recognize, a scent that seemed unthinking and dangerous.
Ryker roared and broke out into a run toward a section of fence that seemed shorter than the others. We got closer to the fence, but I saw it was still too high for us to jump. A normal jaguar can leap ten feet, and this was fifteen, beyond what we could do.
Ryker shifted and scowled.
"I don't know where the hell we are, or what this place is."
"It sure isn't an official installation."
"No, it's not, but this is our chance. No one is coming after us, so we climb."
"I don't relish the barbs at the top of that fence," I said. "And the ground appears to slope down sharply. We can't see what's below us."
"Just for that you go first and do recon." He tore off his t-shirt. "Use that."
"And mine," said Damon.
"Oh hell," said Gunner. "Take mine."
"Go," said Ryker. "That fucker Melkot is still here, and he probably has his tranq gun ready."
"He doesn't seem to be in any hurry to get to us," said Damon.
"Yeah," seconded Gunner. "I wonder why."
"Probably cleaning off the shit in his pants," I said cockily.
I knotted the shirts together and climbed the creaky fence. The scent of rust filled my nose, and I sneezed.
"Hurry the fuck up," said Ryker.
I flipped him off and since I was near the top, slung the shirts over the sharp barbs. It would still hurt. I had lost my sneakers in the shift, but I leveraged my right foot at the top to haul the rest of my body over the edge.
And stopped short.
"Um, guys. I know why no one is watching this fence line."
"Why?" huffed Ryker.
"Is it alligator or crocodiles in this part of the world?"
"Crocodiles," said Damon.
"Okay, there are crocs here."
"How many crocs?" asked Ryker.
"A fuck ton. Like in someone stocks this moat here with crocodiles and leaves them hungry."
"They have to eat something."
"Maybe they eat each other," said Gunner.
As if to disprove Gunner's point one of the crocs ran up to the fence and hissed.
"Whoa," said Damon staring at the ugly mass of reptile.
