Page 5 of Hell Breaks Loose

Sprinting across a gap in the ceiling, I flinch as several shots ring out, zipping over the concrete behind me. Too fucking close.

“You can’t hide from us forever, Eraser!” Sly laughs, his voice reverberating all around me. No telling where he actually is. “Flank him. Force him out. Now.”

The whoops and hollers sound from all around me, way more than I thought. At least twenty of them.

My gut tightens instinctively right before a pipe whips around the pillar ahead of me, clipping me. If I hadn’t skidded to a stop, I’d be on the ground.

One hand pushes the pipe along its path, overbalancing the wilder, making the half-naked, skeletal excuse for a human stumble out of hiding.

Right into my fucking boot.

Another kick to his head as he hits the ground shatters his jaw, knocks out the few remaining teeth.

And the fucking whacko just sounds mad about it.

New side effect: no pain.

Great.

I dash forward, away from his clawing fingers, stomping on his ankle to at least buy me time.

But there’s another one in my path.

My hand goes for my gun, but I clench against the reflex.

I’ve only got three rounds left.

Gotta save them for absolute emergencies. Two of them, anyway.

The last one…

Well.

Let’s just say I won’t let them take me or inject me with that shit.

I let the junkie lurch forward, sidestepping. My elbow cracks the back of his head, driving one foot down against the side of his knee.

Crunch.

Hands lock onto my back, followed by the full weight of a body latching on.

Instantly, my palms cup the back of the head snapping at me with rotten teeth, clamp down, and heave down with all of my strength, sending the bastard flying over my head, slapping against the plaster wall with a sickening thwap.

Right in time to drop, spin, take another out at the knees, snapping through both shin bones with brute force and momentum. I almost feel bad for him as he nose-dives face first into a column of exposed rebar, skewering his head on the metal rods.

He goes down in a crumpled heap.

Backing into the darkness, I crouch low, listening for movement. My head spins, nearly taking me to my knees.

Fuck.

I need food. Sleep.

Two more shadows flit across the opening to my right. More to my left. It’s only a matter of time before they pin me down, hem me in.

The hairs on my neck stand on end suddenly, alerting me to my mistake.

“Right behind you,” a cracked voice whispers.

---