This had to be the longest 64 miles MeLing had ever ridden, but finally they were close to the end of it. Joe stomped on the accelerator. It was just one mile to their exit. Three more miles on gravel roads and they would be home, safe.

It was 9:00 o'clock.

Joe took the exit and MeLing zipped open the leather bag. The weapons were close at hand, should they need them.

Joe looked down at the bag. "Take them out and lay them on the seat," he whispered.

MeLing's thoughts exactly. She pulled out the knives and handed one, handle first, to her Joseph. He took it with his right hand and exited the interstate, steering with his other. She left the pistols in the bag. If they were attacked, and if there were more attackers than hand-to-hand could manage, she would grab the pistols. But a killing would be very hard to explain. She hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"You're driving very fast for gravel, Joseph."

"I know," he said. "We're almost there," as the car oozed from side to side across the unstable gravel road surface.

Suddenly, like an acid laser, a pain shot through Joe's head!

"What's wrong, Joseph!" MeLing clutched the steering wheel to keep the Explorer on the road.

"It's gone," Joe gasped. "I think Andy is warning us." He looked in the rearview mirror and a pair of headlights was rapidly gaining on them!

It came up next to them now, a car like a disembodied phantom in this dangerous twilight.

"Can't hold it on the road!"

The phantom forced them over and Joe took the ditch!

Before the attackers could even get out of their car, Joe and MeLing were outside of the truck, knives in their hands.

Four men barreled out of the doors. Joe instinctively put himself between them and MeLing.

"Get out of my way, damn it!" MeLing shouted.

Joe did as he was told as the four men rushed them.

Joe took the first one down with a swipe of his blade. The man screamed and clutched his chest.

MeLing was rushed by two shadows. The first shadow tried to face-punch her, but she backed away, just out of his reach, then grabbed his outstretched arm, brought up her knee and broke his elbow. The crunch of splitting bone sickened her for an instant, but it quickly passed as she felt the sting of a blade slice across her chest! She screamed, then bit back with her knife. The man swung at her again and caught her upper arm with his blade before he staggered and fell. Two down. No, three. Joe had one down and was wrestling the third. He screamed, but stayed standing while the man continued to pummel him.

Joe finally got an arm free and hit his man solidly in the face with the hilt of his trench knife. "God!" the man screamed and fell to his knees. It was too dark to see clearly, but the man's blood-slick face grazed across Joe's forearm as he went down in a heap at Joe's feet. The fourth man lunged at Joe, but Joe was ready for him. With both hands clutched together into a fist, Joe let the man move in close before he punched the man in the groin.

"Ahhh..." The man screamed and moaned simultaneously as he doubled over and collapsed on the wet grass.

The four attackers weren't dead. They tried to scramble to their knees as MeLing grabbed Joe's shirt and pulled. "Leave them!"

Joe scrambled after MeLing as they made their way through the ditch and over the fence that was surrounding a pasture next to the road. Joe could see only shadows and outlines, now. He could only guess where they were or what lay in front of them. He followed the shadow ahead of him, moving faster than he ever dreamed she could move.

MeLing gasped as she ran. She knew she wasn't cut out for this. She hoped it would have never come to this. But she would not go down! And she would not let Joe save her! They had to save each other, now.

She felt blood draining from her as she ran.

"Where are we going?" Joe panted. "Me...ah...ah...Ling...ah...ah, where are we going?"

"Quiet," she whispered and gasped at the same time. "To safety. Don't leave me. Stay with me, Joseph...ah...ah..."

Joe had no idea where they were, but he was putting his total trust in this tiny woman.

They heard snapping brush behind them. They were being pursued! Just a little further!

"Get down!" MeLing whispered fiercely.

Joe followed MeLing's lead and got down on the ground. Brush and pasture stubble pricked his face and belly.

"We're going to crawl to safety," MeLing whispered. "It's less than 50 feet ahead of us."

Joe didn't ask questions. His life was in her hands now.

They slowly, quietly made their way, crawling through the brush and short tree growths in their path. Joe was confident if they kept quiet, they could reach wherever MeLing considered safety. The pursuers weren't familiar with this area, but MeLing obviously was. Joe guessed they weren't that far from her house, but he was in no mood to give that thought more than passing attention.

"We're here," MeLing whispered so quietly he could barely hear her, even with her face up to his ear. He felt her hand on his arm, quieting him.

The sound of the pursuers became fainter. Hopefully they were confused in the dark. If the pursuers had flashlights, maybe they'd lost them in the fight. Possible, Joe thought. But Joe knew that if lights suddenly clicked on, they'd be lost.

"Wait..." MeLing whispered. "Waaaait..." Her grip lessened on Joe's arm. She was dying! She was losing blood and she was dying! He could hear it! He could feel it!

"Priestess," Joe whispered. "Priestess, don't leave me. I need you, priestess."

She had said they were here. What did that mean? Joe could see nothing. Only the stars provided light, and that light was as good as no light.

He felt in front of him. Metal! Something metal! It seemed to be a small handle, and it was half buried in the ground!

He turned it--gently. There was no sound, but the handle was moving. There was no audible click, but he could feel the handle unlatch whatever it was attached to.

"Down," MeLing whispered faintly.

Joe could hear her getting weaker. He had to hurry!

He pulled up on the handle and he felt a door swing up. "We're here, sweetheart," Joe whispered. "Everything will be okay. We're here."

He listened again for any sound the pursuers might make. Nothing. He put his ear to MeLing's face. She was breathing shallowly. Hurry! he thought frantically. Hurry!

He felt the ground in front of him again, trying to picture an opening below whatever he'd just pulled up. Yes! There was an opening! He could feel cooler air below!

Joe clutched MeLing to him. Her clothes were slick with blood. He felt like screaming and crying at the same time. But he couldn't. He had to take her down into this opening as quietly as he could. For all he knew the pursuers could be simply sitting in the pasture, listening for him to make just one telltale sound.

Painful as it was, he sat up so he could get better leverage when he picked up MeLing. He was bleeding, but apparently not as heavily as MeLing because he still felt strong.

Through a series of complex maneuvers he knew he could never duplicate he managed to make his way down an unseen ladder with MeLing in his arms. As he dropped below ground level, he reached up and quietly pulled the door on top of them shut. Lights came on!

Joe continued to make his way down the ladder until he reached the floor. They were in a man-made tunnel, and it was well-lit all the way down the corridor.

"MeLing?" Joe said, as he carefully laid her on the floor. "MeLing, we're inside. We're safe, sweetheart."

"Pull...," MeLing gasped.

Joe panicked. He could see now that she was very badly wounded. There was blood puddling on the floor, and he guessed most of it was coming from MeLing.

"Handle..." MeLing gasped. "Pull...handle..."