condensed master

Will Bonner
head!" Will's statement had it's effect and Ed got back up to speed again. What
looked like a maintenance building appeared ahead, and Will skirted around the
back finding a single entry door.
It had a small window alongside. Quickly unscrewing one of the tripod legs,
Will used it as a tool to smash the small pane, adjacent to the latch. Reaching
inside he unlatched the door and they scrambled inside, shutting and locking the
door behind them.
They lowered themselves on to the floor in the darkness to wait, but as the
seconds ticked by Will's eyes began to make out dim shapes and he could see a
bench and some gardening tools leaning in the corner. He instinctively grabbed the
four pronged fork, and they waited for events to unfold.
Within minutes he could hear activity outside, two men only he estimated. One
came up to the door and tried the latch, pushing on the door a few times. "There's
nobody in here, the doors locked." His accent sounded European, and he could
have come from Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, or anywhere in that part of the
world. As his footsteps receded Will breathed a sigh of relief. Thank heavens he
didn't see the broken window pane! He was obviously not a professional.
Reaching down, he pushed firmly on Ed's shoulder to prevent him from
moving. His body was trembling, just like Gerald's when they were hiding in the
bushes in Hawaii. "Stay put," Will whispered. "When they can't find us in the
grounds they will come by on their way back. They haven't had time to search the
building back there, and the car will be discovered. As soon as they have gone by,
we'll wait awhile, and then leave."
It seemed an age and Will began to wonder whether they had gone back a
different way. Not knowing where they were, would make leaving difficult.
Eventually, footsteps and voices were approaching, the two men appeared to be
walking casually, and conversing with each other.
They have given up searching Will concluded, and his whole body, which had
been stiff with tension, relaxed as the men passed, and the noise they were making
became fainter, until finally all was quiet. Will waited awhile until he thought they
would be back in the buildings, then standing up placed the fork back into the
corner and turned to Ed. "Let's get going, we'll go to the opposite end of the
gardens and find a safe place to get over."
"My leg is stiff, I don't think I can walk."
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