Rhett grinned and nodded as Finn and I quickly suited up.
Pike and Tim did the same.
“My men will escort you to the top, and will wait at the entrance. Will four canisters be enough?” Rhett asked.
“Yes, that should be more than enough, and we’ll only use them if we have to,” Finn said.
I didn’t know exactly what we were getting ourselves into, but it was something that needed to get done. We’d already lost four from our company; we couldn’t afford to lose anymore.
Finn grabbed my hand as we made our way back up to the top. “Remember, I’ve got your back,” he whispered.
“And I’ve got yours,” I returned.
“Pike, you and Tim will hang back and watch for any Arvies. We will need the extra eyes. You will each have one canister. Only use it if you really have to. We have one shot at this mission. Abi and I will go first and make our way down the street. The doctors confirmed they didn’t go off the path, so hopefully the bags will be in view. Let’s pray this will be a quick mission. Everyone, remember to remain calm, breathe, and pick your shots. All we have is each other out here, so be careful and be safe.”
Pike and Tim nodded.
“Alright, are you all ready?” Finn asked.
“Yes,” we all returned.
The more I watched Finn, the more I admired him. The topside had a way of pulling one’s inner self out, revealing who they really were and what they were made of. Finn was selfless, caring, a born leader, and someone I would be willing to go into battle for and fight with. Everyone who’d come into contact with him respected and admired him, not only for his outward appearance, but because his inner strength and kindness was just as beautiful.
“Abi, don’t be a hero,” Finn suddenly stressed, with an anxious look in his eye. “You better stay close to me.”
“Do you really think I’d wander off into Arvyville all alone?” I questioned.
“With you, I never know,” he said, raising a brow.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be sticking to you like glue,” I said
“Good.”
We finally made our way to the front of Sanctum. Rhett’s men stayed at the door, as the four of us stepped out into the cold dark. The moment we exited I started to question myself. What the hell were we doing out here? The mission seemed to go so easy in my head, but now that we were out here, in the vast black hole of horror, I became terrified.
I knew we had to do this, and I wasn’t about to let Dr. Banks come out here and do it himself. He was too important, not only to us, but to the countless people who would need his help.
“Hey Abi,” Finn whispered softly in my ear. “When we make it back alive, you and I will have to have a private celebration.”
“Well, that makes this all worth it,” I smiled. I was definitely going to stay alive and try and keep his gorgeous ass alive, just to find out exactly what he has planned.
“If we do this quickly and quietly, maybe they won’t even notice us,” he whispered.
Before I shifted the night vision goggles down, I noticed something in one of the buildings directly east of us. I gasped, and a jolt of fear surged through my veins. Milky white eyes illuminated in the darkness, and not only that, I could see their veins. They looked almost bioluminescent. A surge of fear made my body tremble.
“They already know we’re here,” I said, pointing ahead of us into a building a few hundred yards away. The Arvies couldn’t hide from us now. I could see all of their hideous forms, slouching in the corners, stalking, watching.
“You ready, Abi?” Finn asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said. “Let’s do this.”
I held Hellfire tightly in my grasp. She had a loaded magazine in her, and I had six more attached to my waist. I hoped it was enough to get us back.
“Let’s move,” Finn ordered, taking lead.
We quickly ran from the safety of Sanctum, into the dark streets. The goggles helped, making everything clear ahead of us.
It was eerily quiet, especially knowing the Arvies were close.
We finally made it to the street we came in on.
“Finn,” I whispered loudly. “I don’t see the bags.”
“Neither do I. Look to the sides, maybe in the commotion they were kicked off the road,” he said.
“Or they were taken…” I didn’t finish. I hoped that wasn’t the outcome.
“Just keep your eyes open,” he whispered.
We quickly swept the area. All the Arvy bodies we’d shot earlier, were gone. The Arvies must have carried them away, or eaten them whole.
My heart hammered as the goggles picked up dozens of Arvies in the buildings around us, but they stayed quiet and didn’t move. But, they knew we were here, because they were staring directly at us.
Then I saw what we were looking for.
“Finn. There.” I pointed ahead of us. About twenty-five yards away, both bags were sitting neatly in the middle of the road. It was the same area where the pilot’s body was left. I could see drag marks, leading behind one of the buildings.
“I don’t know about this, Finn,” I whispered.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“Trap,” I said. I started to get a weird feeling, and like clockwork, my head started to throb.
“We have the canisters. Use them if you have too. Here,” he said, holding his out to me.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m going for the bags. You stay here and cover my back. You’ve got this, Abi. I have faith in you,” he said.
“Finn. No,” I begged. I could feel impending doom lingering around us.
“Abi, don’t argue with me. You know you’ll lose. I’m not as good of a shot as you are, but I can outrun you. This is the best way. Believe me, I’ll be quick.”
He was right. He was much faster, but this was way too risky.
Knowing Finn, he was going, whether I agreed to it or not.
“Please be safe,” I said.
“I’ll be right back,” he grinned.
He placed his canister in my hand, and adjusted his shotgun for his sprint.
“Cover me,” he said, then took off, sprinting toward the bags. I followed behind at a slower pace, on full guard, with Hellfire raised and ready to fire. The Arvies were still, staying quiet within the shadows.
Finn finally made it to the bags, and then quickly swung them over his back. As soon as he turned back, loud blood-curdling screams pierced the night. I screamed, as excruciating pain shot through my head. Arvies started to swarm from their cover, charging toward Finn.
I instantly engaged the canister and threw it toward him, then took the next one and engaged it too. I wasn’t taking any chances. Not with Finn.
Gunfire was coming from behind us. Pike and Tim were shooting Arvies coming up from behind us. They had separated us. I heard one of their canisters deploy.
I watched one of the Arvies dive into the smoke and hit Finn from the side. They tumbled off toward the side of the street.
My worst nightmare was unfolding right before me.
The pain in my head was nearly incapacitating, but I was not going to let it keep me from saving Finn. I charged forward, aiming and shooting every Arvy in my way. Within seconds, I’d emptied a whole magazine.
Shit. This was not happening.
I dropped the empty clip and popped in another.
Don’t you dare hurt him!
The Arvy wrestling with Finn stopped and snapped its head toward me.
My breath seized. Holy crap. It was the same one that killed the pilot. I knew this because I recognized a deep gash on his right cheek.
“Finn!” I screamed running toward him.
Without thinking, I ran and dove for the Arvy on top of him. I wrapped my arms around its neck, and yanked it away from Finn. We crashed to the ground, I landed on its chest. It kicked back and threw me off.
All I could see was a flurry of white bodies heading
toward me.
This was it. There was no way I would be able to survive.
I lifted Hellfire and began firing. I was determined to take out as many as I could before the end.
Bastards.
I could faintly hear Finn yelling my name, but I was completely encompassed by screaming Arvies. They all seemed to stop, about twenty feet away, making a tight circle around me. They continued to growl and hiss, daring to charge forward, but something seemed to be holding them back.
Agonizing pain pierced my brain. I grabbed my head and gritted my teeth.
Stop! I can’t take it anymore!
Suddenly everything went silent. I slowly peeled my eyes open, and the Arvies were glaring at me, their heads twisting as if confused.
Can you hear me? I said, in my mind.
The one I pushed off Finn, slowly stalked forward. He was hunched, his teeth snarled and dripping with saliva, his wicked eyes locked onto mine.
Another surge of searing pain throbbed behind my eyes. I then felt liquid drip from my nose. Blood.
Stop. Please!
The Arvy came within a few feet of me. Its lip curled back, revealing sharp, corroded teeth. An evil growl rumbled from deep within him.
I’m sorry you all had to suffer the way you did. It wasn’t our fault. We didn’t know you were left up here to die.
The Arvy slowly placed its finger to its throat, dragging it from one side to the other. I knew exactly what this meant. I also knew it understood me. There was no reasoning with them. They were dead to every emotion.
I didn’t know how many rounds I had left in Hellfire, because I’d forgotten to count with all the madness. I prayed I had at least one shot left. This bastard was threatening me. He was now number one on my hit list.
I kept Hellfire lowered to the ground, attempting to look like I wasn’t going to retaliate. I knew what I could do. I just hoped it wasn’t faster than me.
Even if I killed the leader, there was nowhere for me to run. I was completely surrounded. But no matter what happened, I wasn’t going out a coward. For thirteen years I was trained to be a fighter. I was a survivor, and that was one thing they wouldn’t take from me.
I could hear gunfire from the outside. I knew the Arvies had planned this. They separated us. The leader was probably interested in me because they could hear me, but I couldn’t hear them.
I’m not afraid to die. I said in my mind, and then stood to my feet, keeping Hellfire down. Being in a standing position made it easier to get my ammunition.
Again, a wave of excruciating pain shot through my brain. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes.
You will die. You will all die.
What the—? It sounded like someone was speaking directly into my ear, but the Arvy didn’t move.
Loud shrieks from the Arvies echoed all around me. The ones in the outer circle were getting restless, but the leader snapped at them, keeping them back.
Why does there have to be any more death? We can help each other. We can help you find a cure.
I hoped that we could come to some kind of reasonable conclusion.
No cure. Our planet. You all must die.
Holy crap. The Arvy did speak to me. I could hear it as clear as day.
But it was hopeless. It wouldn’t listen.
Then, it slowly crouched, growling, baring its teeth.
I knew this was it.
The other Arvies began to go mad, screaming, growling, flailing. My ears, my head, my eyes throbbed.
Kill. Kill. Kill. The words chanted over and over in my mind, tormenting me. I held tight to my trusted weapon, and as soon as the leader flew forward I raised my arm and fired.
Bam!
I hit it directly in the chest. It screamed and flew backwards, flailing madly on the ground. Blood and gore splattered all over the Arvies behind him.
As soon as the blood touched them, they went mad and rushed forward, attacking it. The injured leader let out a hair-raising, blood-curdling scream as they tore its limbs from its torso. Those that couldn’t get a piece of it had focused on me.
Screw them. I wasn’t a freaking take-out meal.
Adrenaline kicked in, I began firing at the milky eyes focused on me. I reloaded another clip.
Just as I snapped it in, an Arvy rushed at me from the right side, knocking Hellfire from my grip. She flew to the ground and was lost in the shuffle.
Fear gripped me as soon as she left, but I couldn’t let it control me.
Swiftly bending down, I retrieved the dagger from my boot. I swung with everything I had, pushing the blade into the closest Arvy. My blade sliced, tearing its midsection wide open.
It happened so fast, it stood there, dazed, watching its intestines spill out to the ground.
A half-dozen Arvies suddenly attacked him. They started eating his insides while he was still alive.
I had to turn away. My stomach wrenched, making me sick. Bile threatened to rise, but I kept it down.
This was a nightmare. I was surrounded by freaking cannibals.
As far as I was concerned, there was not one ounce of humanity left in those monsters.
Most of them seemed to be occupied with their current meals, but I kept swinging at anything coming at me, using every skill I’d ever learned. The Arvies weren’t agile, so at the moment, I seemed to have the advantage. With a few more swings, my blade pierced through two skulls, sliced one neck, and pierced two hearts. As each Arvy dropped, they were attacked by the others.
They were ravenous beasts.
“Abi! Abi!” I could hear Finn yell.
“I’m here!” I screamed back. I desperately searched for Hellfire while continuing my massacre.
An Arvy grabbed my arm, its teeth bared, ready to sink into my skin. I quickly turned and kicked it away. As it stumbled backward, I ran toward it and spun, slashing open its midsection. Entrails and intestines spilled out, splashing all over my legs. The smell was so vile, it burned my nose.
I held my breath, trying to keep the vomit from rising. Then, as I turned away, I saw her. Hellfire. She was lying between the legs of an Arvy whose milky whites were steeled on me.
I charged forward, my body soaked in blood and Arvy gore. I wasn’t going to stop until I had her. With every ounce of energy I had left, I moved forward. Shoving my blade into the Arvy’s eye, pulled it out, then spun and slashed another’s throat, and kept going. I couldn’t stop. Stopping meant death.
I finally dropped down and slid between the legs of the Arvy standing over Hellfire. I lifted the blade and sliced the inside of its right thigh, then dropped the blade and grabbed Hellfire, pulling her to my chest. I had her. The injured Arvy screamed and dropped to the ground. It twisted and grabbed for me, but I lifted Hellfire and shot it right in the forehead.
Its head exploded from being at such a close range.
I was exhausted.
Firm hands grabbed me from behind. I turned to aim Hellfire, but it caught my hand.
“Abi!”
“Finn?” I cried. I touched his face to make sure he was real.
“I’m here, Abi.” He hugged me to his chest.
A canister was thrown right next to us, emitting the tear-gas. Arvies screamed and scattered. Automatic weapons fired all around us. Arvies were dropping like flies as Rhett and his team came to our rescue.
Finn pulled me back and looked at my blood covered body.
“Oh, shit, Abi. Were you bit?” he asked. His eyes were filled with a mixture of horror welling tears.
“No. I wasn’t bitten. This is all Arvy blood,” I assured him.
“Are you sure?” he questioned. “Promise?”
“I promise,” I said.
“Oh, thank God.” Finn grabbed me and lifted me easily into his strong arms, hugging me tightly to him as he ran towards the safety of Sanctum.
When we reached the door, one of Rhett’s men waved us in. He fired behind us, and I heard a scream.
“Did you get the medicine???
? I asked.
“Yes. Pike and Tim took the bags down to the doctors when Rhett and his men came to help.”
“Good,” I said. My voice was weak. I’d given everything I had, and could barely hold up my head. My adrenaline shut off moments before I was swept into his arms. I was just glad I managed to stay alive. Any longer, and I would’ve become one of them.
I reached up and gently pulled his mask off and balanced it on my stomach while I worked on mine.
“You look like hell,” Finn said.
“Thanks,” I breathed, and managed a smile.
“And you stink,” he added.
“I know. And now you do too.”
“Yeah, thanks for that.”
“We’re a team. We share things, remember?”
“Yeah.” He paused for a moment, then his eyes went soft. “I’m so proud of you, Abi. I can’t believe you’re alive.”
“Well, you were the one who gave me an incentive.”
“I did?” he asked, confused.
“You said if we made it back alive, we would have a private celebration.”
He laughed. “And I will deliver the goods, you can count on that.” He shook his head. “You just amaze me. And I mean that in the best possible way.”
Chapter 9
We finally reached the bottom of the stairs, and Finn set me down. He walked over to the sink and grabbed a clean towel. He soaked it, then came over and gently wiped my face clean.
When he was done, the towel was pink and dripping with bloody water. I peeled out from my radiation suit and dropped the bloody mess in a basket, then walked over to the sink and scrubbed off the remaining blood on my hands. Finn walked up behind me and pressed his body tightly to mine.
I turned and he pinned me against the sink.
“I think I need to check and make sure you weren’t bitten.”
“I’m all yours,” I said.
He placed his hands on my shoulders then gently trailed his fingertips down the length of my arms. I quivered under his touch.
Leaning most of his weight on me, he took my face in his hands and examined my neck and shoulders. He didn’t speak, but I could feel his warm breath brush against my cold skin, and feel his body move with each intake of air. I didn’t move. His closeness made it hard to breathe. Every place he touched ignited small fires in his wake.