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Cutter tells you and Rickenbacker to follow him to the rear of the gas tanker. There, he connects the tanker’s filler hose to the fuel discharge valve, and then passes the nozzle of the hose to you. Together, you and Rickenbacker unwind it to its fullest extent, and then signal to Cutter to open the valve. As the gasolene starts to gush from the nozzle, you and your partner walk along the line of parked vehicles and douse them liberally with fuel. Then, when the tanker is near empty, Cutter orders everyone to clear the area.
You run to join Kate. She is crouching in a hollow on the lower slopes of Round Mountain, close to the freeway. It is a good position, giving a clear view of the bridge and the railroad beneath it. You have just settled into the space beside her when the first of the clan scouts appears in the distance, at the exit from Devil’s Canyon.
