Page 9 of Hell Breaks Loose

Guess if you shoot them enough times, they feel it.

Double-tap and another goes down in full sprint, taking his pal out at the shins in a heap. And suddenly, there’s a lot less of the bastards.

Three more crawl out of the woodwork, forcing me to dive, using one of the wounded fuckers as a shield.

“Rorshak! Up!” Alaya shouts, and I roll onto my back, firing from my hip right into a raving woman’s chest as she lunges for me.

They don't stand a chance against a team like us. We've always been deadly.

And it seems that time hasn't done anything to diminish our effectiveness together. Part of me is a little bitter about that, but Alaya’s been different since she joined us at Damon’s old place. That and the fact that she did her homework, didn’t kill Hellena, and has saved our asses more times than I’d like to admit.

“Foxglove, the leader!” I holler back at her, popping back to my feet and taking two over her shoulder with pinpoint precision.

Sly is on the move, running for the gap between two vans at the end of the driveway.

And I’m out of energy and ammo.

Still, we both take off after him, Alaya taking the lead and me trailing her a few steps behind.

I manage to scoop up a rifle that’s seen better days as I run, slotting a round as we stagger clear of the vans and into the street. Right into another trap.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” I growl.

But Alaya is as cool as ever.

Even when more psychos than I can count surround us, screaming and taunting us from a safe distance. When they swarm, we’re dead. No matter how many we take with us.

“Hey, Sly!” she yells, throwing down her guns. “We surrender.”

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Just go with it,” she whispers back.

“You wretched bitch. All that trouble and I’m still going to have the Eraser for a plaything. But you’re good enough looking, maybe I’ll have you for myself first. Let you suck my dick before I kill you. It’ll be worth a vial of Devo to watch you fight it. The first dose is always the hardest. You can actually see the battle inside their fucking heads, watch them struggle to resist while their body does whatever I tell them to.”

“You don’t have to dose me up, big boy. Put that shriveled little twig anywhere near me and I’ll take care of you. Permanently. You’ll love it.”

“You cocky cunt. No shock there, if you hang out with the likes of him.” Sly points to me. And as if on signal, every one of the junkies around us moves in, hesitantly at first, then at a full run.

“Well,” I grunt, tensing to fight, “Really wish you wouldn’t have thrown down your guns…”

“Eh, I was just buying us a little time.”

“For what?” But I know she’s always got a backup plan. Even if I can’t imagine anything that could get us out of this.

“Step one foot to your right.” Alaya grins.

With a scowl, I follow her order, bracing for the onslaught of attackers.

Then she stomps down, dropping the floor out from under us.

The fall is only a few feet, but she shoves me forward as something flips behind us, slamming shut an inch behind my head. A resounding clang shocks my ears.

Right before a massive explosion rocks the earth outside.

Screams and crunching rubble follow.

Then tires screech at a distance. Alaya and I roll onto our backs, kick open the rabbit hole, and rush out into smoke- and dust-hazed mayhem.

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