“Take a closer look at the bars on the sides and top of the cage.” She pointed up as if Daryl needed directing. “What do you think that is?”
Even with their enhanced vision, it was hard to make out exactly what was on the bars, but they weren’t smooth metal, that was for sure. “Jase,” he called upwards. “What’s that on the outside of the bars?”
Jason sighed again. “Not allowed to help, remember?”
Arse. “That includes answering questions?”
“Yes, if they’re to do with helping get me out of here.”
Daryl grumbled under his breath but didn’t ask again.
“It looks like metal spikes. Some sort of barbed wire, maybe?” Jenn walked closer until she stood underneath the cage. “There’s nothing on the underside, so just the top and sides.
“Barbed wire?” Daryl stared, incredulous. “Why the fuck would they put that on it?”
“To force us to find both keys, I guess.” Jenn pulled out her phone and checked it. “Anyway, that’s enough chit chatting. We have a key to find.”
Daryl snapped back to attention, forcing himself to concentrate on the problem itself, not the how and the why. “Was there a clue, or did you start looking anywhere for the first key?”
Jenn handed him a slip of paper. “Just this.”
Daryl scanned the solitary lines.
There are two key points to solving this puzzle. All within a unit’s grasp.
He turned the paper over, but there was nothing on the back. “That’s it?”
“Yep.” Slipping the paper back into her pocket, she pointed behind them. “We found the first key over there. Which I think is north.”
Daryl raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the other members of her team that were frantically searching in a spot in front of them. “You think that clue means the other one is south?”
“Maybe? Or could be the other two points of the compass. But we’ve had no joy so far.”
“Shit, and I’m just holding up the search.” He gestured to the members of his team. “Kara, Rob, you search east; me and Kev will take west.”
“How far out do we go?” Kara shot back.
Daryl repeated the last bit of the clue. “All within a unit’s grasp.” He glanced at Jenn. “Six or seven feet from the cage?”
She grinned. “That’s what I reckon.”
“Take seven paces east, then search from there back to the starting point.”
They all hurried off to their positions.
Daryl checked his phone again, heart stuttering when he saw the screen. 25:09. Shit, he’d wasted too much timetalkinginstead ofdoing. “Come on.” He marched out six paces, Kev hot on his heels.
Of course the ground was thick with foliage and muddy from recent rain. Daryl dropped to his knees, carefully sifting through the debris in search of a fucking key.
It could be anywhere.
He tried scenting for where the alphas might have gone, but their scents were thick all over the area surrounding the cage. As if they’d purposefully walked back and forth to confuse things. Daryl muttered a few choice curses and hoped none of the council were around to hear them.
At this point, though, I don’t really give a fuck.
His foot hit the base of the tree, and with a start, he realised they’d searched their area and found fuck all. Jumping to his feet, he gripped his hair with both hands. “Where the fuck is this bastard key?”
“Hey.” Jason’s soft voice took the edge off Daryl’s ire, but frustration burned through him like wildfire. “It’s okay if you can’t find it. Nothing bad’s going to happen.”
