TEN
The Den
September 11th
23:16
"Okay, let's go," Lara said.
Lexa nodded, giving a slap on the head of her spear. "Ready, Lara."
"Let's get 'em," Mike grunted.
Lysanna's belly felt as if someone had laid a knot in it. Her stomach was a hard, aching ball. She hoped she could be able to stay out of harm's way, but she didn't trust this affair. It wasn't like Tyler and his merry bunch would ignore her just because they hadn't seen her before. So it was going to be a "kill or be killed"-situation. The only person she had killed before had been by accident, and she had felt absolutely rotten because of it. And now she'd have to look another human being in the eye, knowing she'd have to kill him. Although truth be told, as much as she dreaded having to kill someone, she'd still choose that over getting killed any day.
Lara fell into step beside her. "You alright?"
Lysanna tried to appear unconcerned. "I'll be fine, I guess."
"Yeah, don't worry too much about it. You have the look of someone who can handle herself. Well, for a tribal at least," she added with a grin.
"Thanks, I guess."
"Anytime. Okay, let's be quiet now, we're getting close." The ruined church was just ahead. Lara whispered to the others, "okay, this is how we go about it: we charge the guards and try to take them down as quickly as we can. They've been stupid not to post anyone with a gun outside," she whispered, pointing at the guards. Indeed, none of them had a gun strapped to his belt. "So we get as close as we can before they can hurt us. The second they move or try to run inside, I shoot. You ignore the guards and run straight in. There might be people with guns there, so be careful, since I'll be following behind. Make sure you stay behind cover, close the distance quickly and kill 'em. Everyone ready?"
No one said a word. They were ready.
Lara counted down. "Three, two, one, GO!"
Everyone charged from behind the wall at the two guards posted outside. The two needed a moment to overcome their surprise and stood there, mouths gaping. Then they gripped their weapons tightly and shouted "ALARM!" There was an enormous thunderclap coming from behind Lysanna, slamming against her ear drums, and one of the guards went down, blood exploding from his chest, and after another bang, the back of the second guard's head exploded, smashing its contents against the wall in a smear of red and gray. She stood for a second longer, then collapsed. Before she'd fully gone down, Lexa had already reached the doors, throwing her weight against them. Lysanna and Mike were right behind her. They saw Lexa duck as the heavy head of a hammer swept through the air, the wielder hidden behind the doors, and then she thrust her spear in the direction of the swing. There was a scream that turned into a gurgle. The hammer didn't swing again. Lysanna and Mike burst through the doors just in time to see a burly guard swing his crowbar at Lexa's head. It hit her right in the mouth with a metallic bang. Teeth flew through the church in a spray of blood, clattering across the floor. Lexa stood a moment longer, and then the crowbar swung again, hitting her below her left ear and lifting her feet off the ground. She crashed down between the pews. One of Tyler's men fired his pistol. The bullet whizzed past Lysanna's ear and dropped one of Lara's men, the one wielding the fire axe.
The guard with the crowbar launched himself at Mike, but Mike kept his cool and thrust the head of his hammer at the other's nose. Lysanna heard the guard's skull give way with a flat thud-crack. He went down, his face an enormous dent. At the same time, another of Tyler's guards swung his knife at Lysanna. As if someone else was running her body, she parried with the shaft of her spear, her hands moving faster than she could think, and simultaneously lashed out with her foot, catching the man in the side, smashing the wind out of him. She swung the shaft of her spear and hit the guard in the side of the head, sending him staggering to the ground, but before she could finish it off, another one of Tyler's men body-slammed into her, throwing them both to the ground. Lysanna screamed in pain when the heavy guard's weight crashed down upon her. His weight pressed her down and he lifted his fist, which was adorned with a mean set of brass knuckles with spikes. His teeth were clenched together and he meant to start pounding her face with those knuckles, but before he could bring down his fist, there was another crash of thunder and the side of his head blew apart. He collapsed in a heap. Then there were two more crashes, the sound of a body falling, and everything was silent.
Lysanna tried to push the heavy weight of the guard off her, but the pain in her chest made it a slow and arduous process. Lara was standing, scanning the area. Mike was kneeling down, his hand over a bloody wound in his side. One of Lexa's legs hung over the back of a pew, but it didn't move. Lara's head flicked over to her. "You OK?"
Lysanna grunted and nodded, still trying to roll the dead guard off her.
"Mike?"
"A little punctured, but alive," came the grunt from Mike.
Lara took a step forward and craned her neck to look at Lexa. "Lexa's gone. Bastards broke her neck." She sighed. "Bye Lexa."
Mike lowered his head.
"And here we have Tyler himself," Lara said venomously. She was looking at the man Lysanna had hit in the side of the head with her spear. There was no blood. Lara turned toward Lysanna. "Well, looks like you get the credit for avenging my broth – "
"Lara! Look out!" Mike screamed. The man Lysanna had floored was suddenly on his feet. He snarled and a knife flashed. Lara turned around, but Tyler's arm swept across her face, slashing it open in a spray of blood. Another slash hacked into her left breast. Lara staggered back, but Tyler advanced and swiped his knife again. Lara brought her arm up and caught the slash with her arm. Suddenly Mike bowled Tyler over, body-slamming into him with a roar. At the same time, Lara fired her pistol. Mike's tiger leap smashed Tyler out of the way, and the bullet went into Mike's groin. He shrieked and cupped his groin, blood spurting out from between his fingers. Lara froze, wide-eyed. Tyler got to his feet, but Lysanna's spear flew through the air and caught him in the chest with a thud. He staggered about like a drunken man, and then crashed to the ground. Lara still stood frozen.