I was going to make this entry about toast, but I figured this was more exciting. :)
Prequel
Coffee. Chris growled angrily, firing off another round of bullets into the stone as the Swiftrunner dodged out of the way. All I wanted was a cup of coffee. Was that really too much to ask for? She shouted an obscenity and fired another round into the stone pillar.
“Damn it Tal! All I wanted today was to sleep in and drink a bitter black cup of Joe!” Her partner’s gun fired next to her head and she flinched back, a ringing filling her ears as she jerked her head around to glare up at him from behind a pile of rubble. Tal ducked down and pressed his back into one of the huge stone columns that circled the entire cavern, holding what was left of the crumbling ceiling upright.
The gaping cavern was badly illuminated with archaic lanterns that hung on the walls, the light reflecting in the black pools of water on the ground scattered all throughout the fallen rubble.
Chris turned back to the dimly lit room peeking over the large mound of stone she was hiding behind as her mood quickly worsened. The puddle she was kneeling in was soaking through her clothes, pooling in her knees. Wet leather was not fun.
The light flickered horribly, distorting everything and making it even more difficult than usual to track the Runners that flicked in and out of her line of vision between the mounds of stone and mud.
Tal offered her a halfhearted shrug before turning back to the problem at hand. He and Tyler kept the pack of Runners at bay as Chris changed to a new clip. Bullet casings littered the ground around them. Chris knew they were wasting ammunition, but what else could they do? It was a miracle the Swirftrunners hadn’t managed to circle around them yet, but it was only a matter of time.
Her team had been alerted to a sighting of the creatures in the area a little over an hour ago. They’d found the cave by accident after thirty minutes of blundering around in the dark with no signs of the Runners, as usual. Someone had spotted the entrance to the cavern they were now in. Chris had made the decision as the senior member of the team to check out the cave before deciding the information they’d been given was a bust. They’d blindly stumbled into the cavern and right into the four Runners before they even knew they were there. Danny had been struck before they knew what had happened and Tal had put a round of lead in his skull to make sure he wouldn’t change before he’d hit the ground. They’d been pinned down ever since, losing time and wasting both energy and valuable ammunition. The entrance was behind them but it was hard to tell if there was another way out at the opposite end of the room as it was swathed in shadows. If they ran they’d be cut down. The Swiftrunners were faster than they were.
Chris fumed and shot angrily into the dark at nothing but a flickering shadow, making her want to scream. They’d already lost one member of her unit and she wasn’t going to lose another if she could help it. They had to get out.
“What do I get instead?” she continued ranting. “A blaring alarm at four in the morning that a pack of Runners have been seen skulking around the forest. What do we find?” she shouted. “Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Bad intel.” She ground her teeth in anger, firing another bullet at a moving shadow. Her gun clicked. Empty. She emptied the clip and rammed another one into the gun.
“Then we blunder straight in on top of four of them!” Her voice raised as the subway rumbled overhead sending down bits of dust and rock, splattering rancid water all around the room. She glared at the ceiling.
“This subway isn’t even supposed to be running through here anymore. It was supposed to have been shut down last week!” she fumed.
She punctuated her words with a round of bullets, the sound echoing around the room, the stone reflecting the noise right back at them.
The noise of battle ricocheted around the room, filling what would have normally been a very quiet area with a constant roar of noise.
“Was a cup of coffee really too much to ask for?” she shouted, her gloved hands fisting around the grip of her gun.
“Jeez, now I know why you told me not to talk to her in the mornings.” Tyler ducked behind a large chunk of stone, rolling through a puddle as a Swiftrunner swung for him, the animal’s claws splitting the air. Tal put a bullet in the Runner’s shoulder before it could attack their latest recruit and it retreated with a vicious snarl. Tal nodded in satisfaction. Chris had heard the air scream around the claws of the creature when it had swung at Tyler and her heart pounded at the near miss, but Tyler just grinned. They’d already lost one new member of their team tonight; she did not want to lose another and neither did Tal. They both shared a brief look before ducking for cover as one of the Runners hurled a block of stone twice Chris’s size at them as if it were no more than a pebble.
He and Chris hadn’t had Danny and Tyler on their full unit for more than a few days, barely giving them time to get acquainted. They’d both just been promoted to Hunters a number of weeks ago and had been selected as Partners based on their chemistry, strengths, weaknesses and a number of other factors. They’d proven to be an excellent match after their trial period and Chris and Tal had been selected to be their other half of a full strike unit, but they hadn’t had enough time to get to know each other very well which was something the Academy frowned upon; but there wasn’t much they could do about it.
The number of attacks by the Swiftrunners over the past few weeks had been getting steadily worse, and they were always happening at night. There wasn’t much time for anything other than prepping for an attack, training and maintenance for weapons and cleaning up after the last attack. They hadn’t had the necessary amount of time to coalesce as a full team, but they had gotten along well. Tyler had been a bit of a thrill seaker and Danny the level headed planner. He had a plan for everything. Tal especially had taken a liking to Danny and they’d spent as much time as they could talking about the places they’d been and the things they’d like to do, but despite that Tal hadn’t hesitated when Danny had been struck across the chest by a Runner. It was protocol. He had, had to kill the kid, no matter how much he’d cared for him and he would do it again in a heartbeat.
Tal’s stomach churned at the thought, but he steeled himself with the mental reminder that it was necessary and that he had saved Danny from the change. The twisted fever that came over a human who’d been infected by the disease of the Swiftrunners suffered a burning heat in every part of the body, like there was sandpaper in each of their joints and wracking shivers that could contort the body with their force. He had seen some of the earlier humans who had been Infected when the Academy had once again tried unsuccessfully to find a cure for the Infection. The subjects had shaken so badly they broke their own backs.
Those few who did manage to survive the effects of the fever and the change weren’t right. Their bodies were twisted into the monstrous form of the Runners, tall and broad in the shoulders, narrow in the hips and more wolf like than man, towering more than seven feet tall when upright. Their faces were broad with a long snout and eyes as dark as spilled ink.
The eyes were what unnerved Tal the most; they seemed to burn with a dark malevolence. Something in the fever made the Infected irrational and angry. The Academy had learned quickly that anyone infected by the Runners was better off dead. Now anyone who’d been scratched or bitten by the Runners was to be shot on sight. They couldn’t take the chance of the person infecting another member of the Academy or worse, a civilian.
“Shut up Tyler!” Chris warned, taking her anger out on the Unnaturals hiding within the flickering shadows of the room. Her voice pulled Tal out of his thoughts and back into the fight for their lives.
Chris bit back a rebuke and a warning for the little stunt Tyler had pulled earlier. She turned away from him and clenched her teeth. The Runners could be no more than five feet away from her and she wouldn’t even know it. If only there was some way to illuminate the cavern.
Suddenly the largest of the Runners skidded to a stop in a patch of light and she grumbled. “Stupid Unnaturals. Always causing problems.” She aimed and fired at the large creature, but it darted out of the way faster than Chris could see and the bullets struck stone. Her grip was so tight on the gun her knuckles hurt.
“Why is it the Swiftrunners are the only ones causing problems? None of the other Unnaturals are this much of a hassle,” she snapped. Tal opened his mouth to answer her when Chris saw a small dark shadow dart around behind one of the Runners.
“Get the Scout!” she shouted, turning all of her attention to the deformed little hairless grey creature darting around the legs of the larger animals. “He’ll tell the colony their party has been ambushed; we can’t let him get away!” Panic clawed at her throat. That was the last thing they needed. If reinforcements came they could be trapped. The Runners may have been animals but they were smart. A second group would come at them from behind. It would be over in seconds.
“I know!” Tal shouted. “Don’t quote the rules to me!”
The sound of bullets firing exploded around the room echoing horribly and making Chris’s ears ring, the flashes of light from the guns blinding.
Tyler and Tal zeroed in on the small, mostly hairless creature and fired, finally managing to catch it with a round of bullets. As the creature fell Chris shouted to Tal.
“Cover me!” She didn’t leave him time to respond before darting out from behind her cover towards the closest lamp. The needed light to fight back and there was only one way she could think of to get it. The old lamps burned on oil and if there was enough she could dump it into the puddles or splash it across the floor to illuminate the chamber. If they just sat there they were going to run out of bullets and then they’d be dead. She supposed if she was going to die she wanted to at least give them a fighting chance.
Bullets sent up a spray of water as Tal shot at a Runner charging towards her. He missed, but the creature stumbled back out of the way and vanished into the shadows. Cold sweat broke out across her back, slicking the leather as she reached the first lamp. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she tore it from the wall she spilled lamp oil across her arm. The fire lapped at it as she tossed the rest of the oil across the floor. A Runner charged her and she tripped over a chunk of stone, the water putting out the fire on her arm. The Runner leapt over her at the last second as she fell and vanished into the shadows again.
The flames from the lamp licked at the fuel lighting the area around her. There was a wild scream from behind her and Chris whirled around, her skin cold with fear. A Swiftrunner towered over her, its eyes wide, a river of blood running down its muzzle from between its eyes. Tal had shot it just as it was about to strike. Chris scrambled back out of the way as the beast fell. A howling cry emanated from somewhere in the darkness from the other three creatures at the death of their companion.
Chris shot a grateful, if not panicked look at her partner before darting for the next lamp. One down.
Her stomach churned as she past the ring of light the flames provided. She managed to grab two more lamps off the wall before she was charged again, this time by two of the remaining Runners. They knew what she was up to and they weren’t about to let her get any further. She saw small explosions of blood from their backs as a volley of bullets tore through their hide, but that didn’t stop them. One was bleeding from a hollow socket where its eye should have been, but the other had sustained little damage from the fight. As they drew closer the one-eyed creature stumbled, it’s right leg buckling beneath it’s weight. The second Runner jumped over its fallen companion, soaring through the air towards her. Chris threw one of the lamps at it, but missed. Her heart pounding in her chest she hurled the last lamp. It struck the creature in the middle of its broad chest, fire licking at the hair and flesh as the creature screamed in agony. Chris ran working her way around the room managing to snag two more lamps before being chased by the last Runner back to where Tal and Tyler were hiding. She screamed as the Runner caught her leg, tripping her up and sending her sprawling through the water and mud. Gunfire exploded from behind her and she creature howled, stumbling backwards as blood blossomed on its chest. Chris scrambled the last few feet to the safety of the rubble. Tal snatched her by the arm, whirling her around and slamming her back into the stone. She could feel the hot barrel of his gun pressing into her forehead. His eyes were as cold as steel.
“Have you been injured?” His voice was a quiet hum in the roar of the room, but Chris new that right now he was the most deadly thing there. Her heart was pounding so hard her body twitched and her breath came in heaving gasps. “Did you get hurt?” he shouted, his grip on her arm tightening painfully. Chris swallowed thickly and shook her head.
“No,” she gasped.
“Are you sure?” he snapped. Chris nodded. “Are you sure!?”
“Yes, yes I’m sure.” Tal’s lips narrowed into a thin line, but he pulled the gun away from her head and Chris could breathe again.
“Good.” He turned and fired into the cavern, ignoring her for the moment. Chris managed to still her shaking hands and pick up her fallen gun, staring out into the darkness, looking for the last Runner.
“That was the dummest thing you’ve ever done.” Chris cast a look at Tal from the corner of her eye. He was furious with her. She knew he was only angry because he cared, but she hated it when he was mad at her.
“I did what I thought was necessary.”
“You did-” Tal cut off his shout mid-way and clenched his teeth together. He whirled on her. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
Chris glared at him. “I’ll do whatever I-”
“Look out!” Tyler’s cry of warning cut her off as the Runner she’d thrown the oil on launched itself at her out of the darkness. She’d thought he was dead. The three scattered as the huge wolf-like creature plowed through the pile of rubble she had been hiding behind throwing it out for thirty feet all around her. The creature swung wildly as she and Tal threw themselves out of the way.
Tyler wasn’t able to backpedal fast enough and the Runners claws caught him across the torso, ripping open his stomach and throwing him to the ground, spilling his insides across the stone. Another creature came at them from the side and Tal rammed it in the chest with his shoulder and they both fell backwards into one of the pillars supporting the high ceiling. It shattered beneath them.
The creature that had attacked Tyler got to him before Chris could stop him and its massive jaws locked onto Tyler’s shoulder. Chris watched him scream as the Runner’s teeth clamped down, blood splattering the ground as the Runner released him.
Chris forced herself not to think about Tyler, but the other Runner trying to circle around behind them; the one she’d burned. She fired at it, catching it in the side of the head and it toppled backwards, but didn’t die. She felt the pillar closest to her crumble and the walls crack as the fallen column weakened the support of the entire room. The ground rumbled as the subway drew nearer overhead just as the ceiling split open and stone plummeted to the ground around them. The subway train careened down through the ceiling towards them, its light splitting the darkness as everything slowed.
Chris turned and stared up into the yellow light of the subway train as it fell straight towards her. A gust of air tickled her face as rubble fell all around and the sharp whistle of splitting air filled her ears along with the shriek of tearing metal. Sparks flew and glass shattered. Rock was sent tumbling down through the air. It felt like an earthquake was going on beneath her feet.
Tal plowed into her, knocking her out of the way as the train rammed into the ground and everything slammed back into motion. Tal rolled off of her and instantly began firing, again trying to keep the last two Runners at bay as Chris struggled to get enough oxygen back into her lungs.
“Take care of Tyler!” Tal shouted, a strange look in his eyes as he dodged out of the way of a falling chunk of rock. He hit the ground rolling. Chris gritted her teeth and nodded, struggling back to her feet. She took off across the ground, leaping over piles of stone and puddles of water, her vision blacking over. More and more of the ceiling caved in, leaving a gaping hole above them that led up to the black subway tunnel far above their heads. Light flickered from inside the broken subway cars.
As she reached Tyler she saw a large grey Runner standing over him, blood covering its muzzle and long arms. It snarled at her, Tyler struggling to breathe at the feat of the Unnatural. Chris fought down the urge to be sick. His body had been torn apart by the Runner and for the first time Chris was grateful for the darkness. She could already recognize the smell of loosed bowls and she knew blood must have been everywhere. There was a wet gurgling sound and Chris felt sick. He was still alive.
There was a loud crack and Chris looked up just in time to see part of the ceiling and half of the wall caving down towards her. She dove out of the way, the stone separating her from the Runner and Tyler. She stared through the dust and the darkness trying to see if he and the Runner were dead, crushed by the falling stone, but she couldn’t see and the mass amount of falling rock would crush her if she stayed. She thought she saw movement to the left and fired into the darkness. She saw Tal running out of the cavern as the entire room began to fall in on itself, separating them from the last Runners. She hadn’t known she’d gotten so turned around.
Tal shouted after her and she ran from the room, tearing her eyes away from the wall of rock separating her from Tyler and the beast. She took off after Tal, a wall of dust and falling rock cascading behind them, the bottom of her stomach dropping out. The impact of the subway train falling through the ceiling weakened the structure of even the long hallway they were running down. They sprinted side by side down the long shadowed passage, erratically lit by more ancient lanterns spaced along the wall casting dim blue and yellow light into the darkness. Chris hurtled the body of Danny that rested off to the side. Chris tried to ignore the wide eyed look of fear on his dead face. The ground felt like it would shake free from under her feet as she ran, struggling to keep her balance. She stumbled twice, Tal hauling her to her feet both times.
As they ran their feet slammed down through puddles of water and muck as they made their way out of the underground passages and back into the crisp air of the night, dust and rubble following them out in a heavy cloud.
Chris gasped and stumbled to a stop, resting her hands on her shaking knees, trying to ignore the painful stitch in her side. She could taste blood in the back of her throat and her tongue felt thick. She took in air with shuddering gasps, her throat burning. Sweat cooled on her forehead and beneath her suit, the leather sticking to her body. She knew that in a matter of minutes she’d start shivering and the adrenaline would wear off. When that did the fear and shock of what had just happened would cripple her.
Tal stood next to her, his back arched and his head tilted back to the stars as he gulped air. Chris kept her head down, wiping at the water and sweat on her face. The sound of their breathing was the only thing she could hear above the pounding in her ears as she rolled the sleeves of her coat down to her wrists. As Chris’s breathing slowed she thought she heard the last of crumbling stone stop somewhere back in the hallway. Tal slowly straightened up and looked down at her. She kept her head down.
“Did you take care of Tyler?” His voice was wary and a little dark. Chris could feel him staring at her. Her breath came out in pants and she swallowed thickly. She tilted her head to the side and caught his eye. Cold fear washed over Tal’s face and in a flash he had grabbed her for the second time that night and slammed her against the rock that formed the opening of the cavern. She gasped and made a little mew of surprise, her eyes wide in the dark, her hands grasping at his wrists. Tal’s face was a fearsome glare and the pressure of his fingertips on her arms was bruising.
“Tell me you killed him,” he hissed. “Please tell me you put a bullet in the kids head.” His voice was filled with quiet desperation and barely suppressed rage. She opened her mouth to answer, but couldn’t figure out what to say, so she shut it again.
“Chris!” He shook her once and her gaze flew back to his eyes and for the first time she noticed the fear in them.
She worked her jaw. “No,” she whispered, turning her head away. Tal’s arms went slack and his hands fell away from her arms. The rock jabbing her in the back suddenly didn’t seem so important.
“Chris,” he whispered.
“I couldn’t get to him,” she insisted, feeling the need to defend her ineptitude. “There was rubble everywhere. The whole cavern was collapsing about my shoulders. What was I supposed to do?” She tried to catch his eye, but this time it was Tal who was avoiding her gaze, not the other way around.
“I saw Tyler lying on the ground with his stomach split open and his guts falling out, a Runner standing over him drenched in his blood,” she snapped, her voice rising in anger. “Before I could kill him the ceiling and part of the wall gave way crushing them both.” Her fists clenched at her sides. “Yes, I hesitated.” She stared up into Tal’s dark eyes as he finally looked at her. “I guess I deserve whatever happens next,” she whispered. Tal’s jaw clenched, his body winding tight. He slammed his hands into the stone on either side of her head and she jumped, her heart hammering in her chest again. She felt her skin flush, warming the cold leather again.
Tal’s head dropped and he struggled to breathe and get a grip on his anger. He screwed up his eyes, his hands fisting against the cold stone. Chris could see his entire body trembling. She held herself perfectly still, her own anger burning deep in her gut. Tal’s breath was hot on her face and she stared into the dark trying to push back the memories Danny and Tyler’s Infection were bringing to the surface.
Tal slowly straightened up, one hand sliding down to rest briefly on her shoulder. “Come on. They’re waiting for us.” Chris’s eyes darted to the collection of light up the hill to her right where she knew the two heavy silver Humvees would be waiting. How was she going to explain this?
“Just don’t say anything.” Tal voiced the thought she had been dreading all night. The second team that had come with them had split off from them to cover more ground. They’d radioed once they’d found the cave, but in the ensuing fight Chris had broken their radio. She’d held on to the slim hope that the second team would find them, but it was unlikely. With the maze of passages they’d probably only wind up lost or dead. A cold fist tightened around her stomach.
Once the other team knew she had failed to complete a necessary execution she would be arrested. It was protocol. Always protocol. Her face clouded over.
“We’ll figure a way out of this.” Tal gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Chris didn’t believe him, but she clung to the slim hope anyway as they climbed the hill to the street, the white lights of the vehicles blinding them.
~
Ready to read the rest of it? 8D
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