The gunshot pierced the oppressing silence; I had made a direct hit. The man let out a shriek and writhed in pain for an agonizing moment, crawling up off of the floor and lunged tried to just after I danced away from his grasp.
A dog bark came from my left, and I heard the sound of paws and nails padding across the linoleum, I turn and ran. My footsteps clattered through the halls as I swung around the corner, the truck's horn bounced around in my eardrums; the base drum line that fell in time with the erratic beats of my heart. The guys hadn't heard the gun shot. The punctuated howling of the man was against my back as the pack descended on him. I could hear the growling, and the screaming though I tried to block out the sounds as I ran it still pushed into my mind; only focusing on the goal ahead. The truck was two halls and three turns down the mall I wasn't out of danger yet.
I glanced back to find two of the pack rounding the corner at break neck speed, I hadn't been lucky enough to get out unnoticed. Two dogs, a German shepherd taking the lead and what seemed to be a Dalmatian mutt in the back and they were close at my heels.
The impatient sound of the horn sounded from the Hummer, my head snapped up. They didn't know about the infiltration, I couldn't let them surround the truck.
Shut up Theo. Shut up!
I rounded the corner and swung my gun around butt first like a baseball bat into the shepherd's skull. A dull crack sounded and it fell to the ground. I struggled up and stumbled around the other corner, the damnation mutt so close I could almost feel its breath on my calves. I stopped and the mutt slid past me towards the truck. I turned on my heel while the shepherd was still down and flipped my rifle back around, shooting a round into the mutt as I ran past. The mix yelped but I knew that it hadn't been a fatal wound; it wouldn't be down for long.
I took a deep breath and screamed as loud as I would be a loud to.
"Go I ripped the flashlight off of my vest and threw it at the humvee; it bounced off of the hood and put myself in front of the truck. I only had a few rounds left; I brought up my rifle eyeing the scope as three big dogs bound out from the darkness. I shot the largest of the three first, knocking it almost a foot back as it dropped to the floor, I only had enough time to take a second shot at the German shepherd, the bullet exiting from the back of its neck with a sickening gurgle. I kicked the body aside and brought the butt of the rifle to swing at the third dog, but I was too late. I only grazed its flank as it sunk its massive jaws into my arm. I felt the power behind the blow, like a linebacker into my side, though I felt no pain. I grimaced at the sound of bone cracking as the dog crunched down into my bare arm.
The Dalmatian mutt that I had shot earlier stalked out of the darkness, teeth bared as his shadow crept toward us. I grabbed my gun and blew off a round into the mutt, crimson poured out of its chest as it lunged for my leg; its teeth clenching down into the artery but a moment or so later it slumped away and shuddered before lying still. I couldn't think about it now, there were probably more in the mall and I had to finish these off, Quickly I pulled the scruff of one closest to my face and bit into its neck, the taste of warm iron flowed into down my throat, almost gagging me. The loss of blood and adrenaline sent me gulping down the scorching slick blood as the dog tried to wretch away, I held tight and let the gush of the life force wash over my face, staining my skin. Its attempts at escape became less of a effort, the wrenching shifted to twitches until it was still altogether.
I let go of the neck and leaned back, with what strength I had left I pushed the still corpse off of me. The sight of my arm made me almost vomit, chunks of muscle and skin hung as blood gushed from the wound the white of bone shown between sinews of red twitching muscle it was barely recognizable. Hastily I shoved the splintered and cracked bone back into place, it I could only hold together long enough it would heal.
The craving hit hard, my world began to spin and fade grey the vertigo sent me crumpling to the ground. I was losing blood to fast; too much lost I was going to bleed to death.
The sound of more growls echoed through the fog, I closed my eyes and laid my head down with my hand clenching the mangled arm so the bones would set, the warmth of the crimson liquid soaked through my clothes and crusted onto my skin. Too many of the pack had come, they needed to leave. Gun shots echoed through the mall along with the yelps and cries of the fallen pack. The heady scent of blood made my head light; I opened my mouth slightly before closing it again.
"Lia!" with great effort I opened my eyes to see Azire and Theo standing over me. Theo looked frightened; numbly I put my hand against his cheek. Crimson tainted his skin. "Lia speak to us!"
They sounded so far away, like they were behind a door or in another room. "Duck tape, compartment it would be great if I had it before I bled to death."
Theo disappeared and Silas took his place, hands clenched around the shot gun. "Oh man, is she going to be alright?"
I gave a drowsy smile my throat was becoming thick from all the blood. "Yea, keep watch I saw a rat too."
Theo came back and tossed Azire the duck tape; He tried not to look at the chunks of flesh that hung off the bone. Azire quickly put them back into place and taped up the wound before moving onto my leg. I closed my eyes and relaxed, knowing that I had them to watch my back. Arms picked me up and moved me toward the truck and laid me in the back seat.
Azire glanced around and started dragging one of the dog corpses along with the dog. "Private retrieve."
"What are you doing?" Theo still seemed to be in shock, he leaned against the hummer and ran his hand through his hair in an irritated manner. "Also the rats have smelled the blood by now, so they'll be coming out of the works soon enough."
"Where do you think Private gets his food?" Azire smirked and threw the one more into the back. I tried to sit up, but curled into a ball when a wall of nausea hit.
"I can understand why you think this is hell." Silas nodded vaguely and watched Private drag another dog corpse from the shadows. "That is wrong on so many levels, if anything you should be rewarded for teaching your dog such a perverse trick."
I gave a quite bitter laugh and stretched back out on the back seat, listening to them move the bodies onto the growing bodies in the back, soon after they hopped in. Theo carefully sat me up against him so that I wouldn't be hit with vertigo.
I got comfortable and watched as Silas opened the gate and quickly climbed back into the passenger seat after the truck was pulled away from the entrance and it was closed with the lock on it. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed another shadow moving towards the entrance. "There's a rat, floor it Azire."
He didn't need to be told twice; the woman dodged out of the way and followed the truck for a few feet before returning to the gate. Inspecting the lock though I knew she wouldn't be able to break it without a blow torch.
I glanced wearily up at Theo; his face was rigid as he sneered at the window. Off in the distance lightning flashed as the rain battered against the vehicle as it traveled the hollowed streets. Every now and then you would see a shadow emerge from the buildings to watch the truck go by. I looked back up to Theo, he was considerably beautiful for a man, with features chiseled nicely with a strong yet almost graceful square chin that was now shaded with a few days worth of a beard. And his eyes were the color of melted silver, churning with tiredness and something dark that were framed by long dark eyelashes. His rich coffee hair needed to be cut soon, just under the curls of his hair I noticed a vein pumping faintly under his tanned skin that showed off his Hispanic heritage.
"Lia?"
"Hmm?" I forced myself to look away, embarrassed that I had been caught staring.
"Can you stop looking at me like I'm a free buffet?" a weary smile as he pulled the canvas bag from beside him, taking out a few sticks of jerky and handing two to me. I nodded absently and chewed on the dried meat.
As I chewed on it I looked out the window, it had been a close call. I hadn't been in a situation like that in years. I had to give the rats credit, using the dogs against us was something I would have never thought of. I sneered at the rain that pelted the cab; I could feel in the pit of my stomach a war was brewing. The rats knew everything about me while I knew nothing about them or their dwindling population. How many were still out there? I toed off my boots and laid my head against my own personal heater, the cab was getting colder.
What resources did they have? They knew my routine, where I placed my traps. I had to think, what could spur them on to do this; it was only the fear that had kept them at bay but if the fear was gone, if they knew how much this changed things. I was in serious trouble, we were in serious trouble.
I closed my eyes and pulled my jacket over my curled body, my mind becoming groggy and overworked. "We can't go back, they found another entranceā¦it was an ambush."
