Ok, guys, next chapter up as promised!
Quickly, yet as silently as manageable they hurried through the corridors and rooms, Eve leading at the front with Nick and Jenny close behind and Adam at the rear. They seldom saw or heard anything, yet from time to time eve would stop suddenly and stayed completely still, her silver gaze shifting through the half darkness around them. Once or twice a small creature passed their way, more frightened than a threat to them.
Nick didn't dare to look back at Adam, for the way he moved reminded him a little too much of Eve and he thought if he looked back, he would see silver shining eyes behind him, glancing around their surroundings. He often looked at Jenny thought. She staggered slightly, clutching at his arm, but her trembling had ceased. Hoping that at least that would be a good sign he looked again at her pale face, and she looked back at him, while they chrouched in shadow, Eve ahead, moving her head slowly before she gestured them to follow her. They had hardly passed the room and ended up in the next one; a neverending labyrinth of rooms and dead things and destroyed maschines, as they heard a well-known screech in front of them. Eve ducked herself quickly to the ground, hoping it hadn't spotted them. Ahead, somewhere hidden in shadow and death a creature lurked, one of those she hated the most. She thought that those were the creatures Nick talked about, those future predators. Her kin, she thought with horror, but she quickly shook her head, now wasn't the right time to brood on heritage.
Nick carefully looked across the room, he had took a rifle from the dead clones, which had been slain by Adam out of that steel door two floors beneath them. But shooting blindly was no good idea, it would be pure luck if he managed to hit it and if not it certainly knew where they were.
He looked at Eve, who still chrouched in front of him, strangely on her hands and legs, giving the shadows a hard look, her instincts cquickly returning and she felt her muscles tense and spasm, ready to charge at the target. Now the creature was the prey and Eve was the hunter.
"You will stay where you are. I'll draw it out of the shadow. Once I killed it, we can safely cross the room. Don't get into my way, so stay here." She whispered, hardly to be heard over the whining of the siren all around. Then, without so much as a quick glance back over her shoulder, she stood boldly and walked into the room as if nothing was hidden from her sight; which wasn't entirely true. She could only spot the creature if it breathed or moved or made some kind of noise.
So she walked a few steps forward and suddenly froze again. Her senses had spotted the creature. Slowly she looked up towards the ceiling, eyes staring at a spot at the heights above her head.
And as the predator lunged down to throw her off her feet, Eve quickly jumped out of reach of the claws, raising her own as she did so, now growling loudly. The creature turned towards her and attacked again, its movements fast and determined, screeching and clicking, lashing around with its claws. Yet every time it prepared to lunge at Eve; the woman stepped out of the way, sometimes only inches before it would hit her. Eve was moving fast also, an equal match for the predator, and as the thing by accident moved too far and bared its side, Eve took the opportunity and tackled the creature fearless, breaking its balance and was briefly unable to stop Eve. While it was still in motion, Eve embedded her long claws in the neck of the great beast, which started to flail compulsively, muscles spasm beyond any control for Eve had hit its spine, her long dangerous weapons destroying the nerves within them. The blood of the creature covered her torso as she managed to yank her claws out of the beast's flesh and jumped away from the dying animal. Panting she stood there, hands dripping wet from the creature's blood or whatever that liquid was and looked around herself.
But as soon as Nick crept closer, he heard the same dangerous clicking and snarling left and behind him, while Eve looked towards a spot on the far right wall. As Nick looked to his right again towards Jenny he saw a dark shape rising against the grey wall behind it and in the little light the lamps had to offer he saw the predator which had obviously decided to snatch Jenny for dinner.
Yet the creatures had no chance to strike them, because a tall thin shape charged through the door ahead of them all and Eve jumped out the way, while Nick pushed Jenny behind himself to protect her from the claws of the creature. But the predator chose the thin four-legged animal to be put down first and screeched high pitched towards the others of his pack.
Never knew they were pack-hunters...
Jenny pulled him down next to her, behind the relative hiding of a trashed desk and together they watched in terrified fascination the battle unfolding in front of them. The thin shape turned out to be a deer the size of a moose, its antlers large and sharp, tusks emerging from its muzzle and within the span of a moment Nick knew what kind of creature that was and why Eve had jumped out of the way. It was a tusk-deer, thin and probably close to starving, but it seemed determined to crush the predators along with it if it was dying today. Four predators had surrounded it, moving in slow circles, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. However the deer lowered its antlers, its nostrily growing wider as it sucked air in its enourmous lungs, its great hoofs stomped on the concrete and it roared fiercely, charging against the closest predator. Its massive body trashed several things that were standing in its way ere it thrust the antlers into the sensitive flesh of its opponent. The others hesitated only a split second before they jumped at the deer, trashing wildly with their claws, one of them had managed to mount it and was hanging on the deer's neck.
Eve crept swiftly closer, mouthing to them to follow her and she led them back the way they came. Behind them still the battle could be heard continuing, it would probably be going on until one killed the other. After they had crossed the next room Eve took a turn to the right and lead them into another long corridor.
Jesus, who built this place? A maze is easier to get out than this bullshit...
"Hurry, the other predators will probably hunt the deer instead of us." Eve whispered right in front of them before she finally left her covering and began to run towards the end of the hallway, only glancing back to make sure they were following her.
Slowly, corridor by corridor, room after room; they finally got to the room where Helen's scientists had worked. Yet now it was empty, deserted by the staff, probably they had been warned by Helen to get out before she had opened the cages in order to kill them.
While they ran swiftly through it, following Eve's lead, Jenny concentrated on looking out for possible threats or creatures, no matter how big. She had composed herself and blocked out the darkness and the silence and the loneliness of that room Helen had locked her in for the last couple of days, so she was being of some use to them. Nonetheless she wished for Becker or some special-forces guys to be here. Would be useful if we have another weapon aside from just the one rifle Nick had took, not counted Eve's claws and Adam's knife. They were short-range weapons after all and she would feel a lot safer knowing she could do more than just running next to the man with the gun, hoping another man with a gun would get her out of this nightmare.
Looking at Nick she couldn't help but feel happy he was here. After all, he had come to safe her. Ok, he wasn't exactly that "knight in shining armour"- thing, because they usually were better equipped on the weaponry, but still it was incredibly brave of him to come here. But then again, Jenny knew him well, he had a tendency to be braver than he had to be.
However as they finally reached the top floor; well rather the floor on ground level, the storm outside could still be heard raging and despite the danger everyone was breathing relieved at the sight of the doors. Through the dirty windows the light of the bolts lashed, covering everything in hues of white and blue, only being interrupted by the sound of thunder roaring through the sky.
Yet Nick thought they all silently agreed that facing the storm outside would be a lot better than facing the terror inside this research centre and then all they had to do was to get through the anomaly, away from Helen and close to a doctor for Jenny. He supposed they had to take Adam back with them, whatever the man was, he certainly wasn't evil and that meant they couldn't leave him here within Helen's reach.
Suspiciously they looked around the room, as if they were expecting to be attacked this close on getting out of here. Yet without so much as a spoken word they hurried towards the door, thrusting it open and immidiately the rain clashed on them. Had it been a cool shower at first, now the winds of the storm were heavily whirling aroung them, while thunder and lightning danced above their heads.
Ok, its a little shorter than the other ones, but it felt right to end the chapter here. However they are not out of trouble yet!
You know what I want, people! So get me the reviews I need!