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CHAPTER 48

I Camp

Marbella, Spain

Kate forced Martin to eat a little more of the candy bar—part of the paltry “buffet” Shaw had rounded up She held the bottle of water to Martin’s lips, and he drank greedily He couldn’t seeh water

Shaw stood in the corner wearing an expression that said, This is a waste of time that could kill us Kate already knew him that well

She jerked her head toward the silver double doors Shaw rolled his eyes and wandered out

“Martin, I need to ask you about your notes I don’t understand them”

His head rolled back and forth against the cabinet “Answers are… dead Dead and buried Not a…”

Kate wiped a fresh layer of sweat from his forehead “Dead and buried? Where? I don’t understand”

“Find the turning points When the genoes We searched… not alive We failed I failed”

Kate closed her eyes and rubbed her eyelids She considered giving him rabbed the bottle of prednisolone

The kitchen doors parted, and Shaw stuck his head in “It’s happening now We need to move”

Kate nodded her assent, and she helped Shaw stand Martin up and escort hiht of the camp almost stopped her dead in her tracks The tower of the survivors spilled people onto the grounds in an endless stream The palm trees swayed above the unseen hts, herding people Aover the coast Two massive ramps loaded people onto it, as if it were Noah’s Ark

“The far ra Martin

Four guards werethe far ra point

The ship came into focus The once-white luxury liner now looked derelict, and Kate wondered if it would even float

Shaw spoke quickly with the guards, soh syrup,” and “be right as rain tomorrow”

To Kate’s relief, they passed the checkpoint with ease and fell into the throngs of people cli the ramp At the top, they exited into a corridor that was closed on both sides, but open to the ht above It felt like a cattle stall at a state fair or a rodeo They weaved endlessly, toward the center of the ship, Shaw leading the way Twice they had to stop to let Martin catch his breath, standing against the wall as the flow of people snaked around them and filled the hallway beyond There were doors that led to square co the hallway, and people filled each room as they went

“We need to get below, to a cabin The topside co, like an oven” He motioned to Martin “He won’t fare well”

At the end of the hall, they descended the stairwell several flights, then worked their way through another set of corridors until they found an empty room “Stay here, be quiet, and keep the door shut I’ll knock in three sets of three when I return,” Shaw said

“Where are you going?”

“For supplies,” he said and pulled the door shut before Kate could reply She slid the latch, locking the door

The compartment was completely dark Kate felt around for a switch but found none She took the light bar froht Martin lay against the wall, panting Kate helped him into the bottom of one of the bunks This was clearly one of the crew quarters: two bunkbeds and a small closet in the center of the room