Page 42 of Fated to the Hunter
Chapter 23: Kiera
“Go, go, go!” I shouted, realizing Bael’k was slowing himself down to wait for me.
I knew that what he really wanted was to carry me, but that wasn’t happening, not with his injured leg.
That single flyer had somehow multiplied into a full dozen, and they were circling above us, eager for their snack. One of them swooped down, its mouth open in a cry, but Bael’k threw something at the creature with his good arm. It was one of the grenades!
They were totally better with him than with me.
The creature, dumb as ever, snatched it up midair, then started flying off. By the time it realized it had caught something inedible in its mouth, it was already exploding into a million pieces, spraying everywhere.
Gross. I guess flyers couldn’t have pineapples.
The explosion drew the attention of the other flyers, and they all veered toward the sound. That was the thing about the scourge, if there were guts on the ground, they were going for it regardless of who or what it had belonged to. But the bits andpieces would only keep them busy for so long, and it gave us time to get to the shuttle.
I could barely make out the shuttle's shape against the overgrown lawn. But as we neared, it showed itself, and the door slid open for us.
Safety!
Eyes still on our enemies, I urged Bael’k inside.
We’d made it!
Bang!
“Oww!” I howled, my head ringing from smashing hard into a solid brick wall. “What the fuck?” I brought my hand to my face. “My nose!”
But it wasn’t just my nose. I bashed my hand really hard too. And my knees. And my shoulder. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.
Then I realized it wasn’t a wall in front of me, but the shuttle’s door. The malfunctioning asshat had closed it on me!
I pounded on it even though my fist felt bruised.
Aggressive knocking answered me on the other side, and I could faintly hear Bael’k calling my name.
That hadn’t been an accident. The shuttle had locked me out.
But my howling, and possibly combined with my bleeding nose, had called the attention of every scourge in the area. The flyers started toward me on foot, deciding I was too close for flight.
Fuck!
I couldn’t wait here for Bael’k to convince the shuttle to open up for me, so I turned back toward the house and ran.
Why the hell had we parked so far from the house? The flyers were going to reach me before I reached the door. And my chest was hurting, my lungs felt like they were going to burst, and my vision was starting to blur.
Please, if there’s anyone out there listening, let me survive this, and I promise, promise, that I will never skip cardio again. Ever.
Suddenly, the loud zing of a Xarc’n ship-mounted energy cannon split the sky. I dove behind one of the ornate stone columns by the door, narrowly avoiding a spray of flyer innards. I covered my still-bleeding nose with my hand, trying to filter out the stench. I wasn’t sure how much I trusted the precautionary dose of antifungal medication and didn’t want to test it.
Peeking around the column, I saw the remaining flyers chasing Bael’k’s shuttle. Not only was he flying in a Dead Zone, but the shuttle was uncloaked. Then it cloaked again. It flickered in and out like a glitch. Was he fighting the AI? Had he uncloaked to draw them away from me?
The shuttle veered wildly, blinking in and out of sight. All the flyers turned to follow except one. It locked onto me. I scrambled to the door as it charged, then slammed the heavy portal in its face.
“And stay out!”
The heavy-duty bolt slammed into place with a satisfying thunk. But just because I was inside didn’t mean that I was safe. The creature started to charge at the door, landing with a loud thud.
I ran up the grand staircase, occasionally turning to look out of the many windows that lined the front of the house. Thishouse was most definitely not safe. But the library could be. The scholar who had lived here had clearly valued the many old books he owned. As a result, there was only one single window in the library, the one next to the desk, and it was stained glass to protect his collection from the sun’s bombardment.
