Infamous • A Force of Nature

Chapter III

Erika cautiously made her way down the aisle carefully peering up occasionally looking for her opponent yet doing her best to stay unseen herself. When she came to the end of the row she was a little taken back by what she saw outside the store. Through the glass door entrance she spotted two more D.U.P. soldiers guarding the front of the grocers. Both with their assault rifles ready peering in through the glass examining the store for any signs of commotion. The sight was more upsetting to her than it was startling, there were now two more obstacles to overcome.

'Damn it those two caught up I'd almost forgotten about them, or at least I hope there the two that followed me from school & not more back up. I can't catch a break, & where'd the other guy go.' & just as the thought crossed her mind Erika was hit hard in the back of the head. The unexpected blow was dazing, she grabbed on to one of the shelves to avoid dropping to the ground. She quickly turned around looking for the cause & found the enemy she'd been searching for. Erika couldn't believe that he had managed to sneak up on her, she'd only turn her attention away for a second & he made her pay for it.

But now she was going to return the favor, as the D.U.P. soldier raised his rifle Erika saw an opening & struck before he could pull the trigger. She jabbed him square in the stomach causing him to drop his gun & double over in pain. Ericka took advantage of his vulnerability & immediately followed up with a solid kick to the side of his head knocking off his helmet & causing him to bash his face into the shelf before falling to the floor. As she watched him hit the ground Erika had little sympathy for this D.U.P. soldier who a second ago sucker punched her. Straightaway her attention went back to the two enemies keeping watch over the front door.

Erika was exhausted, in pain, out of energy & unfortunately the fight wasn't over yet. 'Ok two more, hopefully the last two. I need to handle this carefully, I can't just rush them they'll gun me down before I get close.' But Erika realizes the D.U.P. soldiers weren't about to give her time to strategize as a small metal canister landed a few feet away from her. She instantly recognize the device & her heart sank as she grasped the fact that they had just thrown a grenade into the store. She frantically scrambled down the aisle attempting to distance herself from the destructive implement. However she only managed to take about four steps before the device detonated.

Instead of the massive explosion she was anticipating Erika only heard a slight popping sound. She turn to discovery a tan fume rapidly spewing from the canister, & then she heard the clanking sound of a second canister hit the ground & then a third. The grocers was hastily filling with tear gas, Erika started to panic as her eyes began to sting & water & her vision became cloudy. She tried to hold her breathe but given the tense situation she didn't hold out long & unwillingly inhaled the noxious gas. Her lungs were burning as she coughed & choked. She was getting desperate for relief, she had to get out of the store which meant heading toward the two armed & waiting D.U.P. soldiers guarding the only exit.

With no other choice Erika reluctantly made her way toward the door, it was somewhat difficult for her to navigate to the front of the store given her eyes were scorching. She took a second to prepare herself mentally for the fight that was waiting outside before pulling open the door & stepping out coughing & gasping for fresh air. But the instant Erika exited the grocers' one of the D.U.P. soldiers smash her in the face with the stock of his rifle sending her crashing to the ground. "Stay down!" the soldier commanded shoving his gun in her face, but even in the disoriented condition she was in she had no intention of complying.

Even while hazily staring down the barrel of an assault rifle Erika wasn't afraid of the D.U.P. any more, she despised them for the torment there'd caused her. 'From the moment I discovered my powers the D.U.P. have been hounding me. I've already dropped over a half dozen of these idiots I'm not letting these last two cowards drag me to some hole in the ground prison just because I'm different.' Erika refused to surrender, she was hell bent on succeeding. So much so that she could sense the energy source that she desperately need, looking past the D.U.P. soldier standing over her she could vaguely make out a tree planted across the street. She wasn't sure if she could recharge her powers from the tree but it was natural greenery & she was intuitively drawn to it so it was at lease worth a try.

Erika slapped the gun out of her face, hopped up & pushed past the soldier making a mad dash for the tree. Both soldiers let loose with their rifles, bullets pelted Erika from behind as she bolted across the road but she ignored the ache & stayed focused on the goal. The instant she reached the tree there was a gleaming green light as she drew energy from the leaves turning them brown & lifeless. Now fully recharged her pain & fatigue vanished replace once again by that superb unstoppable feeling. Erika had a devious grin on her face as she turned to face her final two opponents ready to repay them for all of the hardship they'd put her through.

On a mental instruction an emerald orb began to form in Erika's hand, she then threw the orb at the two D.U.P. soldiers still firing at her from in front of the grocery store. As the orb hit the ground in between them it erupted in a cloud of toxic spores that engulfed them both. As there armor started to singe the soldiers dropped to the knees in obvious agony, Erika watched as they got a much more lethal taste of what she had experienced when they threw tear gas canisters at her. Erika felt a sense of satisfaction as her last two enemies collapsed on the sidewalk, she had just triumph over a group of armed forces trained to hunt down people like her.

She was glad that she'd developed these powers, she was grateful to be a conduit. & if people hated her for it, if they wanted to condemn her for her gifts, then Erika would give them good reason to be afraid. 'After the damage I've caused here the D.U.P. will definitely be on the lookout for me & when they do catch up they better bring everything they've got because I'll be ready.'

Finish

Thanks for taking the time to read my story, the next one is in the works.