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“That’s why I like you,” he responded. “We’re the same. Let’s go over it again, shall we?”
I took in a breath of frigid air and nodded. I followed Landon down the gravel road away from the trees and lake to where his Jeep was parked. There were a couple of downed tree trunks off the side of the road where he had parked, and we sat on one of them.
“Buckingham Island is far above the tree line,” Landon said, “so don’t plan on finding any trees for cover. There isn’t much in the way of vegetation or animal life at all, just a few lichens and mosses, but don’t eat the lichens—they won’t do you any good.”
“I figured,” I said with a nod. “This is going to have to be fast. I should be able to carry everything with me.”
“You’ll have to,” Landon agreed. “You’re also going to have to stop and eat frequently. In twenty-four hours, you’ll burn seven or eight thousand calories easily just trying to stay warm.”
That would explain why I had been so ravenously hungry every day we had been here.
“Temperature this time of year is right about negative five,” Landon continued. He pulled a roughly drawn map from his pocket and laid it out on the gravel in front of us. “It could get as low as negative ten to fifteen with wind-chill. The only landform is Mount Windsor, which is pretty much the entire island. It’s a volcanic formation with deep vertical ridges going from the top down to the ice floes. Those are going to be your best friends when it comes to securing yourself from the sniper.”
I looked over the terrain on the map. It was pretty fucking boring—nothing but rock and ice. I could see the ridges Landon spoke about, running up and down the sides of the mountain.
“They’ll offer some protection,” I agreed, “but also the possibility of getting myself trapped. If someone’s above me, they’ll have a definite advantage.”
“Maybe,” Landon said. “When it comes to pure strength—either that in your hands or the strength of exceptional firepower—taking the high ground will give you the advantage. When it comes to strategy, that’s what everyone is going to assume.”
I sat back a bit and looked at him, realizing almost immediately what he meant. We’d had this conversation many times over the years I had trained with him.
“I should do the opposite.”
“It will be the unexpected,” Landon said with a nod. “You can pull that off where others can’t. Remaining hidden is what will bring you victory.”
“I got ya.”
“I’ve got one other thing to help you out.”
Landon stood and headed over to his Jeep. He opened up the back and pulled out a large duffel bag, which he dropped at my feet before leaning over to open it.
“Kevlar,” he stated simply.
I looked over the rough-feeling black vest.
“Arden is definitely a one-shot-one-kill man,” Landon said, “but this could still help you out.”
“He goes for the head shot every time. He doesn’t miss often.”
“If he does, this could save you.”
“It’ll work against Dytalov’s knives, too,” I noted.
“It will,” Landon agreed. “It will also give you a little extra warmth in the torso, which you’re going to need.”
I slipped off my parka and put the vest on underneath it. It was a little snug, but I could move well enough. If it managed to keep me from getting cut or shot, it would definitely be worth it.
“Let’s call it a day,” Landon said as I slipped the vest back off. He packed it in the duffel and handed the bag over to me.
I looked up at the sun, which didn’t seem to make any perceivable difference in the temperature. It was still high in the sky.
“Kinda early, isn’t it?” I wasn’t going to argue with him or anything. I was already gathering up my stuff to make sure he didn’t change his mind. We’d been hard at it for days upon days, and my head was overloaded. I wasn’t even sure what the date was anymore.
“Well, it’s a long trip into town.”
“We’re going into Leaf Rapids?”
“No,” Landon said, “Thompson. Franks wants to chat, and I thought you deserved a little reward for your efforts.”
