Page 120 of Monsters within Men
Vitt slashed at Lowenna’s zip tie, then Noah’s. Noah lunged towards the weapon pile and threw Lowenna a rifle while Vitt freed Frankie. And now, finally,finally, it was Zeke’s—
Strong arms threw themselves around Zeke’s neck, pushing his body into theirs. Cold, sharp metal hovered on his cheek. Tobias’s voice, low and steady, said, “Easy tiger.”
Noah bellowed a primal roar.
“Step back,” shouted Tobias.
Tobias, using Zeke as a human shield, crept further towards the edge. With his other hand, he swung his rifle in the air wildly. He squirmed against Tobias’s firm arm, but between his bound arms and his injured ankle, it was a futile battle. Giving up, he focussed every inch of his being on Noah, wanting to take him in one last time. At least he’d had this time with him, before the end. He wouldn’t change that for anything.
“Please,” said Noah, sinking to the floor. “Give him to me. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll—”
But he didn’t get to find out what Noah would do for him. Because Tobias threw them both off of the edge, into the type-infested darkness.
thirty-three
Noah
Noahslammedhisfistsinto the ground so hard bolts of agony shot up his arms.
Picking up the nearest rifle, he made towards the ledge.
Arms surrounded his waist as the light from his flashlight revealed two bodies weaving through troughs towards large metal doors on the other side of the barn. Tobias only needed to shoot a few types—Moss’s body distracted the rest.
“Noah,” said Habib, broken. “We still need you.”
He turned. The fighting was over. Everyone that was still alive was either collapsed on the ground, tending to wounds, or gazing around, delirious. He saw Luo’s body, limp and lifeless, curled into a ball. He expected waves of dark clouds to roll through him, but instead, he felt nothing. Nothing but rage.
“Throw down some more bodies.”
Tobias reached the doors, Zeke’s body still blocking his from gunfire as he pulled on a massive metal bar.
“Do what you can to patch up the wounded. I’ll be back.” Noah pushed Habib off him as light streamed in from the far side of the barn: Tobias had opened the doors.
“At least go down the ladder.” Habib pushed him towards it while handing him his helmet. “Go.”
He tugged the helmet on as he jumped over the dead bodies of his comrades. The interface still wasn’t operational, but at least it would protect his head.
Distantly, his brain registered Savannah and Aoife pressing wads of cloth into a wound on Savannah’s stomach, and Vitt emptying her bottle of blocker onto Frankie as if was going to do anything to reduce the smell.
“I’m coming with you,” said Frankie, but he ignored her, throwing himself onto the ladder and taking the rungs two at a time as he entered the outside world. He blinked, adjusting to the light.
Penn and Williams were not at their post, but he didn’t spare a thought for where they’d gone. But where were the dogs? He whistled. Wolf’s whistle.
The large dog bounded around the corner, barking.
“With me!” Noah shouted, already running down the side of the barn.
When he reached the front entrance, there was no sign of Newman and Zeke, only a cluster of types headed straight for him. He dispatched two with his rifle while Wolf tore another’s neck to shreds. How many clips did he have left? No time to check.
Sprinting across the gravel, Noah charged off blindly in the direction he could only hope Newman had gone. He followed a breadcrumb trail of dead types, their bodies still twitching, through a field.
Luo is dead, they’re all dead.
A bloody handprint on the gate.
Zeke is going to be dead.
Over the wooden fence, down the muddy forest path.
