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Chapter 50 – Sewer attack

Maren

Pittacus…Pittacus.

The hissing follows us. It's relentless, never-ending, every drawn-out whisper immediately echoed by another, until they overlap in a continuous taunt. It sends shivers down my spine and I clutch my sword, as if holding it tightly will give me some semblance of safety. It won't do much good against an unknown, and invisible enemy, especially since we have no idea which direction they're coming from in this endless tunnel system. Sometimes they sound as if they're coming from behind us and other times I swear the hisses are echoing from ahead. The not knowing is enough to drive me crazy.

Pittacus…Pittacus.

Adam and Amir are ahead, edging forwards slowly with their rifles out and ready, the lights above the barrel flitting all over the place. Their beams hover over pipes running along the ceiling, then the water around our ankles and occasionally tense faces. In the shadows I can't see whatever monster has been sent to kill us and it would reassure me if not for the endless whispering in this nightmarish place. I wish we could move faster but when we tried running earlier, the sloshing of the water and pounding of our boots on the metal tunnel was loud enough to drown out the hissing and we had to stop. We don't want the mutts to be given an even greater advantage down here.

"How much longer?" John whispers to Adam.

"I can't tell," Adam murmurs back. In the faint light, I can see his face is pale with fear. "There's an exit coming up eventually. Maybe ten minutes,"

"Too long," Nine mutters nearby. He has his weapon out too, his face drawn as he looks out behind us. "We need to get out now,"

But there's nothing Adam can do. He did his job too well. We're far from an exit.

Next to me, his face lit up with Lumen, John's face is sweaty and pale. He doesn't even have the energy to try and look calm. I know why he's so terrified. The mutts are after him, not us. That doesn't mean we won't stay and fight for him, protecting him from the mutts. The mutts might not even know if he's Pittacus or not, and they'll probably wipe all of us to make sure that they eradicate Pittacus. But it still doesn't hide the fact that the mutts will be after him before all of us and knowing John, he would willingly sacrifice himself for us if there wasn't another way. Subconsciously, I've found that I've positioned myself so that I'm behind him and Nine is just in front. He's protected by two of the strongest fighters. I wonder if he notices in his fear.

"Anything?" I whisper to Marina, who walks backwards slowly. She's right in the back with Joseph, thanks to her night vision legacy. She stares intently in the darkness, seeing things that aren't visible to me.

"Nothing," she whispers, her bow clutched in her hand. I know she'll use it at the slightest disturbance.

"Check to see if the water moves," I continue. "If there are ripples, then-"

"There's nothing!" she snaps. "Nothing's moving!"

I don't comment on her tone. I understand her fear. I share it.

We continue walking, turning down another tunnel. The route is getting more cramped and I can feel my chest restricting with fear and panic. I'm never one to shy from a fight but down here, with little to no visibility and in cramped spaces, I know that we're in a bad situation. Not even Joseph's teleportation can get us out of this; he might be able to get some people out but how will he manage to get back to us when Adam is the only one who knows where we are? I try to focus on listening out for the monsters, instead of panicking. There's no point focusing on my fear; someone has to be calm, or at least appear it at least.

"I think we're close now," Adam whispers as we continue to wind our way through the tunnels. Amir's moving torch and John's Lumen are the only things lighting our way and the ominous beams flashing all over the place are enough to unnerve me even more.

"Let's get there and then get the hell out of here," Nine mutters. He can't even manage to say something sarcastic.

We keep moving. Down another cramped tunnel and then into a larger one. Amir is so careful, her light flashing over every bit of tunnel that the monsters could be hiding in. She scours every possible nook of the tunnel, even flashing down on the water to see if anything is moving in half-a-foot of water. Very occasionally she makes John throw a ball of fire in the distance, to light up the whole path ahead of us. But her precaution seems pointless. I can still hear the hissing but it seems to be quietening down. I'm not sure if that's because we're losing them or if they're falling quiet so they can track us in silence. I can almost hear my own heart pounding in my chest as we slowly walk down the pipe, the water gently sloshing around our ankles.

"Through here," Adam hisses.

I was so focused on looking around and behind us that I hadn't focused on more than a metre ahead to see that the tunnel has ended abruptly. Instead of leading off into another tunnel, it's a dead-end. Or it seems to be one at first glance. I peer closer and realise that it seems to be a concrete barricade of some sorts, covering most of the tunnel with a small gap at the top. Peering through the gap, I can't see anything, but I have a feeling it's more of the tunnels. I wonder why such a structure is here, maybe to divert the stream of water or something, but I don't ask Adam. He's already using his torch to look through the gap far more thoroughly than I did just moments before. It's silent for a moment and then he peers back, his face etched with fear.

"It seems clear," he whispers. "But anything could be hiding behind the barricade,"

"I'll go ahead," Blake offers at once. No one disagrees. He takes his gun off his back, as the gap is too narrow, and I watch as he pushes it through. It lands with a clatter on the metal surface on the other side and I wince at the loud noise. He places his hands on the shelf, heaving his body up and then lying in a flat position before he starts to crawl through on his stomach. I know he's going first because he's 'expendable', but I feel a surge of shame when I watch him shimmy through the slight gap. I should be volunteering. I shouldn't be hiding at the back, I should be the strong one; I usually am in a battle.

For a few agonising moments, it's silent on the other side. I can't see Blake or his torch and I can't even hear him move. Then Blake's face abruptly peers on the other side of the gap. I jump, more on edge than I realised.

"It's clear!" Blake calls back. "Come on through, quickly!"

One by one, we slip through the gap. First Cleo and then Nine, before Ella, John and Joseph slip through. When it's my turn, I try to ignore the claustrophobia that comes with squeezing through such a tight gap. I lie on my stomach and wriggle through the gap, scraping my hands on the rough concrete as I shimmy through. The ceiling seems to crush down on me and my breath seems short, and the shelf seems larger than it did at the start. But then, thankfully, someone grabs my arm and manages to pull me through to the other side. I almost fall into John but he catches me, smiling briefly as he rights me before I can topple into the water. I grab my sword from him and cast a glance around me, feeling hunted.

There's nothing around us that I can see.

"Marina, come on!" Joseph whispers sharply, and I can see from the faint Lumen and Adam's torch that his face is filled with fear.

Marina's bow is pushed through and I watch as she wriggles through, clearly finding it easier than some of the others did. She makes it halfway before Joseph practically pulls her through and then she's on our side, slightly ruffled but safe. I peer through the gap to see Amir's silhouette. She has her back to us, her rifle in her hand as she peers around in the darkness. The beam of lights shines over the tunnel on all sides but I can't see anything in the darkness, just the water and the tunnel going on into the darkness and the pipes running along the walls.

"Amir, come on," I whisper softly. She continues to look around with her rifle, her beam lighting up the darkness. Her body is tense.

Nothing stirs.

"Ok," she turns away from the tunnel towards me. Her face is stern and, despite her calm exterior, her eyes give away her fear. She goes to push her gun through the gap but then she pauses. Water sloshes against the stone in the silence.

She turns around, shining her torch into the dark tunnel.

They leap out from the darkness so quickly that all I see is milky white skin and sharp fangs before they overwhelm Amir and drag her down. I hear a shout once but then the snarls fill the air, concealing Amir's scream. John's Lumen illuminates the scene for a moment and I see a heaving mass of white, bodies with claws and fangs and bulbous heads on the other side of the stone gap. Their heads snap towards the source of light and then they surge towards the gap and me, just on the other side. One is halfway through before I can even blink.

"Maren, come on!" Someone drags me away just in time. I watch as Marina's arrow flies through the gap and then there's a mini explosion as fire rips out in the gap, incinerating the mutts and sending the concrete flying into the body of mutts. The explosion knocks me onto my back and into the low water. I almost drop my sword.

"Go, go, go!" Someone screams. John grabs my arm and heaves me to my feet at once.

"Come on, down here!" I hear Adam yell from the front. I turn once to see more white bodies forcing themselves through the much larger gap now. I don't even hesitate.

We take off at once, the beams of light from torches bouncing around in the small, metal tunnel as we race through the tunnel. Our feet pound on the metal ground and my heart hammers in my chest as we sprint down the pipes, Adam in front, Blake, John and I at the back. The bouncing lights barely light up the dark tunnels and all I can see are the occasional flashes of a pipe, of water and the running silhouettes of my friends in front of me. We swerve around one corner so quickly that John slips on the wet flooring and I have to reach out and catch him before he falls over. I throw a desperate glance behind me. In the darkness, I can only see one moving, heaving mass of bodies coming straight for us.

"Come on!" I grip John's arm and heave him down the next tunnel, where the others are already racing ahead.

It's terrifying not being able to see anything. It's even worse hearing the calling of the mutts behind us; it's torn between a snarl and a haunting howl, as if the mutts are in pain. John's hands are still lit up with Lumen and I try and focus the light it produces, even as the beams flash frantically around the place. The tunnels are getting larger but I can feel the water is getting higher too, sloshing around my claves instead of my ankles. It just makes it harder to run.

"Down here!" Adam turns another corner, into a much larger tunnel. I barely have time to take in the tunnels leading off from it, arches appearing randomly in the walls as they lead to other parts of the sewers. We continue to run. My heart pounds painfully in my chest.

Mutts suddenly pour from one of the side tunnels' entrances, slamming Blake into a wall. I turn around to see them crawl over him, dragging him into their midst. I hear him scream once.

"Blake!" Cleo races for us as he yells again and then I watch as he just seems to disappear, the bodies blocking all view. I think I hear him scream but I can't be sure with the noise of the mutts. I stare at them in horror, just able to take in their humanoid figures and white bulbous heads with the large jaws protruding with sharp teeth.

Instinct kicks in and I reach for my gun, firing a couple of unsteady shots into the midst of the mutts. I can't even see well enough to know if I hit anything or even killed one. Next to me, Cleo kicks into action, grabbing her shotgun and firing rounds into the mutts. From the brief flashes of light illuminated from her gunfire, I can see several mutts knocked back, dead. They fall into the water, blocking the way slightly for the rest of the mutts. But they're coming.

Faster than I anticipated.

A few mutts lurch towards us and Cleo shoots them back with her shotgun. Then Marina shoves past me, her bow and arrow armed. I take in the red arrow and I move back at once as she releases the arrow, aiming for the heart of the mutt pack. It hits one of the mutts and immediately explodes, lighting the whole area up with fire and knocking many of the mutts back. Fire runs along the side of the tunnels but I don't have time to watch it burn out. Already more mutts are leaping over the fallen and lurch towards us, claws outstretched. Cleo shoots another round into them, knocking a few back into the water. I grab my gun, joining in the fire and John lobs a few more fireballs at them.

But it hardly makes a dent in their group.

"Move, come on!" Nine is suddenly next to us, shoving us away from the mutts and towards the tunnels. I don't turn to see the mutts following us; I run after the others who are slightly ahead of us, trying to find a way out as soon as they possibly can.

My heart pounds. My breath comes out in desperate pants. I turn once to see the mutts' figures illuminated with the fire still burning in the tunnels. They lurch to the side, unsteady, and yet I remember their strength to drag Blake to whatever death he suffered. I turn around and keep running.

"Hurry, there are more coming!" I hear Ella scream from the front. "Come on!"

I look ahead of me, and watch in horror as mutts appear from the other end of the tunnel, running towards us. We're surrounded on both sides. I barely have time to imagine how this fight will pan out when Adam suddenly ducks down a side tunnel and the others pour after him. I race as fast as I can, John and Cleo right by my side, Marina just ahead as we sprint for the side tunnel. I don't know how we do it. The mutts are just in front of us, more mutts seconds behind us, but, muscles burning in pain from the effort, we manage to just race down the side tunnel. I don't need to look behind me to know just how close we were to being caught then.

"Come on, we're almost there!" Adam screams.

We race down the tunnel but in fact it's more of a corridor. There are metal steps and we race up them, the metal flooring turning to a grating. Then the room suddenly opens up into a large chamber, with tunnels branching off in all directions. The platform I'm on right now branches off in all directions, with occasional holes that drop down to the water lying at the bottom of the chamber. And there, right in the middle, is a ladder leading up to the safety of the catacombs. Adam runs for it at once, and he starts to scale it, his hands almost slipping on the wet surface. He's almost up halfway, moving quickly in his panic.

"Come on, follow me!" he yells.

Mutts pour through the tunnel we just came in and then Marina shoots at them again, fire exploding around the mutts and knocking them back. Their smoking remains lie scattered on the ground but just before I can even think about escaping, another one leaps from the tunnel, racing along the metal platform towards us. I grab my gun, aiming for the mutts' temple. I shoot and the mutt falls off the grating, into the water below.

"Other direction!" I hear someone scream and I turn frantically to see mutts coming from another tunnel nearby.

"Up the ladder, go, go, go!" I hear Cleo scream and I briefly watch as she shoves a shocked-looking Ella towards it. Ella doesn't even say anything; she just starts climbing, as Joseph protects the ladder.

Nearby, Marina is in her element. I watch as she shoots arrows at the mutts, knocking every single one down with an arrow to the chest, head or stomach. They fall like dominoes, toppling into the water with every shot, but she carries on shooting, never letting up. Occasionally she releases one of her exploding ones and it bursts into flames in the tunnels, killing several mutts at once. As they continue to surge towards us John grabs his own short sword, slicing and stabbing and fighting them off. Nearby Nine swirls his staff, expertly knocking mutts into the water in pieces, killing every mutt that gets close. Cleo and Joseph guard the ladder as Adam and Ella get to the top, heaving themselves to safety.

One mutt comes running for me and I grab my sword, slicing it through it before it can reach me. Another races for me and I slice through it easily, when one more launches itself from one of the metal platforms. I duck and roll out of the way just in time, getting to my feet just as it rears up. I kick it right in the face, knocking it back a few feet, when another mutt lunges out at me from the side. I grab my gun, shooting that one with my left hand, and then shoot the first mutt in the face.

"Cleo, go!" I hear Joseph yell nearby. I turn quickly to watch her shoulder her gun and then run for the ladder.

Another mutt is about to lunge for me and I raise my gun, shooting it in the head and it topples into the water nearby. I turn just as a mutt looms above me, knocking me into a nearby wall and my sword goes clattering into the water nearby. The mutt lunges for me again but I throw my hands up, pressing them against the slimy chest. Its head is turned to the side as it snarls but I can see the gleaming teeth, ready to tear me apart. I have my gun in hand but it's caught in an awkward position, and I can't shoot at the monster. I grit my teeth and I can hear myself groaning as I try to push the mutt away from me but it's strong, so strong. With a heave of effort, it moves closer to me, its jaws getting eerily close to my head.

Then hands grab the mutts' shoulders and heave it away from me. John grabs it by the throat and practically flips it over, so that it lands on its back on the metal platform. Gasping for breath I watch as John struggles with the monster and as it manages to flip him over, this time roles reversed. John struggles, grunting with effort, and somehow manages to find the strength to knock it off him. Just as it moves to get up and attack again, I lunge out and kick it right in the face, hitting it in the jaw. It goes flying back into the water. I don't even wait to see if it comes back for us.

"John, up the ladder!" I yell, grabbing his hand and pushing him towards the ladder.

"I can fight!" he protests but I grip his hand so hard that it must hurt.

"You of all people have to go!" I yell at him. He stares at me for a long moment and then I shove him even harder in the direction of the ladder. "Go!"

He turns to run and then something grabs me from behind, hands gripping my shoulders. I try to wrestle it off, trying to buck the monster off me in desperation but it's so strong. I manage to elbow it in the eye and it rears back, snarling with what must be pain. Then it grabs hold of me and before I can fight it off, it throws me off the platform. I hit another one nearby, smacking against the metal edge of it painfully before I tumble into the water.

Dazed, in pain, stunned I lie in the water, almost as if I can hide there. The water splashes around me as mutts race through it, passing me without stopping. Maybe they think I'm dead. I can see a faint glow from fire in the tunnels and I barely make out the silhouettes of the moving bodies above. Then, desperate for air, my instincts kick in and I rear up from the water, gasping for breath. I clutch at one of the columns supporting the metal platform, catching my breath desperately.

Joseph wrestles with a mutt by the ladder as John scales the ladder and then Joseph grips both sides of the mutts' head, snapping its neck with an incredible show of strength. He reaches for the first rung of the ladder when another mutt races for him, arms outstretched. Before it can hit him, Marina shoots it, using her gun this time. The chamber rings with gunshots as she shoots the mutts down, hitting every single one perfectly.

"Joseph, go!" I hear her yell. "I'm right behind you!" He doesn't even hesitate, probably realising that arguing will just waste precious time. He disappears; he must have teleported to the very top.

"Marina, go!" Nine yells and she runs for the ladder.

Nine has his gun out too. He shoots one mutt running along a platform towards him and it tumbles to the ground. He turns swiftly, shooting another mutt dead. Another lunges out for him, pressing him against the ladder, it's claws eerily close to his face. He somehow manages to wrestle his gun up so that it aims for the mutts' face and then he fires, killing the mutt instantly. Marina reaches them and Nine all but shoves her in the direction of the ladder just as another mutt races for the two of them. Nine raises his gun and shoots once; the mutt falls to the water, dead. I don't know how he does it so calmly and easily. He just keeps shooting, hitting every mutt and knocking them all down. I watch as they attack from every side, but he easily turns and shoots, sending some skittering along the platforms whilst others tumble into the water.

I hear Marina's scream and I turn to watch one of the mutts grab her, throwing her back onto the platform with a painful thud. I kick into action at once, grabbing my gun from my belt. I know it's empty, I didn't have time to change the ammo, so I react on instinct, chucking it at the head of the mutt. It hits home, smacking the mutt loudly, and knocks it away from her.

"Marina, go!" I scream to her as she scrabbles for the ladder. I heave myself out of the water, my wet clothes almost dragging me back, but I manage to get up. I breathe heavily, as I race over to the ladder, Nine's gunshots still echoing in the chamber.

I race along the platform as the mutt attacks Marina once more, dragging her away from the ladder. She tries to fight back but I know just how strong those mutts are. It scrabbles at her neck, at her face and then I'm there. I kick it off her, grabbing the dagger from my belt as I throw myself down on the mutt, pinning it onto the grating with my knees. I stab it immediately, right in the heart, and it goes limp.

"Go!" I snap at her. She obeys, racing for the ladder and climbing it. I peer up to the opening above but I can't see the others; they must be looking for another escape route. I reach for the first rung of the ladder.

Something grabs me from behind, knocking me onto my back and I'm winded, gasping for breath. I look up to see a mutt loom above me and I don't have the energy to try and fight it off. I'm too tired, too sore and battered. It raises its hand and I hold my breath, waiting for the strike when I hear it snarl abruptly. I open my eyes, shocked, to see the end of a pipe staff through its chest.

Nine.

He swings his staff around and sends the mutt flying through the air, before it lands in the water nearby. He spins almost instinctively, stabbing a mutt that was about to drag him back from behind, and just as another mutt lunges for him, he stabs that one too. He's incredible. I've never seen him fight so well. He seems to almost sense the mutts coming for me, for him and he knocks them down with a twirl of his staff, before turning and killing the next one that lunges for us. The whole time I stare at him, almost shocked, and he grins at the look on my face.

"Go, I'm right behind!" he says. Before I can react, he turns and stabs a mutt as it crawls towards me. Then he's racing off and attacking another mutt.

I get to my feet, lunging for the ladder. My wet hands slip on the metal surface but I keep a hold on it. I make sure Nine's ok; he knocks another mutt away from him with a simple slice and I start to climb. I'm exhausted but I somehow find the energy to pull myself up each rung.

"Maren, watch out!" I hear him yell. I turn to see a mutt lunge for my legs. I don't have time to react.

Then I hear the swish of metal as something flies through the air and then his pipe staff impales the mutt. I watch it fall into the water nearby. Nine grins at the look of my face, distracted enough for another mutt to knock into him, both of them tumbling into the water. Before I can leap down to help him, Nine rears up and grabs his dagger, stabbing the mutt in the head before wading towards me.

"Go!" he yells. I pause.

"Maren, get the hell out of here!" he yells again.

I hear more snarls as the mutts swarm towards us, and I know I have to go. I can still hear Nine fighting, as he grunts and sometimes yells, but I can only hope he's behind me. I climb up the ladder, heart pounding, as my arms almost shake from the effort of heaving myself up. I manage to get to the top and it takes every bit of energy to pull myself off the ladder and only the floor. I can see John and Cleo nearby, but the others aren't here. I turn at once to see Nine below me, starting to climb. A knife is gripped between his teeth.

"Nine, come on!" I scream.

A mutt lunges for him, dragging him down a rung and he turns with his dagger to stab it right in the eye. It staggers back with a scream, tearing the dagger from Nine's hand. He goes for the ladder again and I watch as the mutts swarm below him. I suddenly feel very scared. Nine reaches for a rung above him and then a mutt leaps out, grabbing his back and dragging him back to the metal platform. Nine falls with a yell, landing painfully on his back on the platform. The mutts swarm over him at once.

"Nine!" I scream. I hear him yell.

"Nine!" I scream again.

I go to leap down the ladder but then something suddenly pushes me away and I'm knocked back. It's John. He's fast, faster than I've ever seen him before. I watch as he shouts something, I think it's Nine's name. But what he says isn't important. It's what he does.

The mutts around Nine are suddenly thrown back, as if some kind of wave of air just knocked them back from Nine. I look down to see a light sheen of energy covering a bloody Nine, like a force field hovering just above his body. He's not unconscious but he seems beaten up, battered. Lying around him, the mutts seem stunned, as if electrocuted by whatever John did. John races down the ladder to Nine, grabbing him with an ease that I haven't seen him display before and then he reaches for the ladder again, climbing up it. He's so strong and so fast. I wonder if this is Ximic. It has to be.

"Maren, move!" he snaps. I turn to go but I can see the mutts swarming for the tunnel again. Whatever knocked them out, it's not taken them long to recover.

"We need to stop them!" I cry out as John gently places Nine onto the ground next to me, heaving himself up next to us.

"With what? Fire doesn't kill them!" John argues. "We need a bomb!"

"Here!" Cleo, seconds ago as stunned as I was, snaps into action. She grabs the Holo from her belt. I didn't even know she had that; Amir must have given her that before Cleo went through the tunnel. She presses something on the Holo, her fingers shaking.

"Lorien, Lorien, Lorien!" she snaps, her voice desperate. I hear a beeping noise from the Holo and then she tosses it through the hole, down towards the moving mutts. I hear the beeping fading and then suddenly there's a loud exploding noise, stronger than any of Marina's arrows. I barely have time to move away from the hole as the heat hits us. Fire roars up towards us but the main concentration of the burst is caught below. I manage to catch a glimpse of flames and burning bodies before I back away.

"Come on, I found an exit!" Adam appears up ahead by the end of the tunnel. Marina and Joseph are next to him and Ella hovers nearby.

"Nine!" her shell-shocked face suddenly regains life when she sees him. "Nine, is he-"

"I'm good," Nine groans, rolling over with a weary grin. "It'll take more than mutts to kill me," Despite his words I can see the struggle to get to his feet. But he doesn't complain.

"Come on, we need to go!" Adam says desperately. We don't have time even to heal him.

Without even looking down on the carnage below, I get to my feet. My body aches in pain. I want to curl up and sleep.

Instead I run.

I'm barely aware of the small tunnels we race through, so similar to the ones before. I just run, my mind switched off, completely focused on running. Somehow Adam brings us to a door, already opened, which leads us straight into the catacombs. We run out into the tiled, massive tunnels, with huge spotlights shining down on us. The brightly-coloured tiles play tricks on my eyes, which are so used to the darkness. I stagger for a moment, wincing in the bright light, until someone knocks into me from behind. I can see the tunnel splitting off into different directions. Tiled columns dotted around the tunnel tell me that this isn't part of the train line anymore, but a pedestrian zone. I can see what appears to be stand with a map or poster on nearby. I can see escalators in one of the tunnels splitting off, leading up to the surface.

"Come on, this way!" Adam shouts.

Then gunfire erupts in the seemingly empty space. I leap behind a column at once, watching as Ella staggers, her arm covered in blood. Nine somehow drags her behind a column, as the others run for cover too. I peer out ever so slightly to see that beyond the electronic poster stand, there are stairs leading up the surface and some mutts have descended them, coming towards us. Grabbing a spare gun, I move out from the safety of the column, shooting at the mutts frantically. Nine and John join in with the shooting, protecting their heads from shots aimed towards them. I get the satisfaction of seeing mogs explode to ash.

Bullets bite into the pillar, just above my head, and I turn to see two mogs by the escalators to my right. Before I can react an arrow races past me and then I watch as Marina sets off another explosion, killing the two mogs immediately. Lights are smashed by the explosion and I watch as tiles tumble from the ceiling, shattering on the ground. I turn again, gritting my teeth, and making a run for it with the others. Adam is ahead leading us left to another set of stairs, not too far away. But with mogs at our backs it feels like miles.

I turn at shoot at the mogs, watching as another is hit and crumbles to dust. I turn to continue running, shooting at the mogs frantically with Cleo at my side. She has her head turned towards the mogs, steadily shooting at them. She doesn't even see the beam of light suddenly shine down from the spotlight in front of her. She runs straight through it. One moment she's running and then the next she just seems to shatter into a million tiny pieces. I stagger to a stop, staring at the shattered remains of our friend.

"Move!" Adam yells. I stare at the ashes for a moment longer.

"Maren, come on!" John yells. I turn, racing away from it.

More lights suddenly shine down from the spotlights and we have to dodge out of the way; one time Joseph has to throw himself out of the way of one before he's killed. I fight back tears in my eyes, gritting my teeth as my feet pound on the tiled ground. Mogs still shoot at us from behind and every now and then Nine or John turns to shoot at them but they miss. More bullets bite into the ground next to us, some shots too close for comfort.

"Marina, use your arrow!" John yells.

She grabs one of her last red ones, knocking it to her bow. Skilfully, she twists back whilst running and sends it flying towards the mogs. I hear the boom of an explosion but I don't need to turn and see the destruction. Marina shoulders her bow and continues running along with the rest of us. There aren't any more bullets.

There's suddenly an exploding noise behind us and I turn to see the floor behind us literally burst up, tiles and slabs of concrete thrown up in the air. I stumble with horror to see the floor seemingly disintegrate and replaced with sharp blades spinning frantically. And it's moving fast, racing towards us. It's like thousands of tiny, moving saws racing towards us. If it catches us, we could be torn apart.

"Run!" I yell.

We race along the ground, the ominous whirring and bursting sounds continuing behind us. Tiles shatter and I can hear stone thrown against pillars from the latest pod but I grit my teeth, racing in determination for the stairs ahead of us. I can feel a sob rising up in my throat as the metal slicing sounds continue behind us, the banging and tearing noises of the pod sending shivers down my spine. I move as fast as I can but then I can feel the ground beneath me shifting, starting to disintegrate. I see a flash of a red line in front of us and in one last desperate hope I leap forwards, over the line and landing on my knees. I turn to watch the pod end abruptly, just beyond the red line. I stare in horror at the fast-moving blades that could have killed us.

"Come on, everyone," Adam pants, breathing heavily. It's surprising that he of all people amongst us is the only one who seems to be holding it together.

I get to my feet, turning to join the others. Marina is crying, tears streaking down her face, and John looks like he's fighting back emotions. Ella's face is blank but I wonder if that's because she's become eerily good at masking all emotions. Somehow we all manage to pull ourselves together, stumbling to our feet. The stairs are just in front of us. We're so close. We race up the stairs and I can feel the cold air starting to sting my cheeks, as I take two at a time. We burst out from underground, into the dead of night. I take a deep breath of fresh air, enjoying the first taste of air without the tinge of mould and death. But I don't have time to enjoy it.

"I know where we are, keep going!" Adam says in front of us, running away from the stairs. "Come on!"

I follow him, very briefly taking in our surroundings. A light dusting of snow lies on the ground. We're in a shopping area; there are shops nearby with glass windows, benches, walkways leading up to different levels of shops above us. We race past lampposts and bike racks, under overhangs of shops with upstairs house on top and duck under arches. We run over a small footbridge, a tiny stream bubbling below us. We race away from this and down another street, a narrower street. The buildings here aren't destroyed but appear desolated.

"Down here," Adam whispers.

He leads us down the street towards a glass-windowed shop. The lights are out and anything could be lurking inside in the darkness but Adam doesn't even hesitate as we crowd near the door. He pulls out a small tool from his belt and starts to pick at the lock, bending over it so I can't see exactly what he's doing. I'm more surprised that Adam of all people knows how to pick a door, even though he's ridiculously clever. Despite betraying his own side to help us, he always seemed so straight-laced.

"Come on," There's a click and Adam gently pushes the door open. Marina goes first thanks to her legacy and for a few moments we stand outside, our breaths fogging in the cold air in front of us. I shiver in the cold.

"It's clear," Marina whispers from inside. "Um, Adam, you do know-"

"Yes, I know," he replies, pushing the door open before she can finish. We slip through the tiny gap and once we're all in, Adam shuts and locks the door behind us.

"What the hell?" John whispers. His hands are lit up with Lumen and he shines the beams around the room, taking in the rows and rows of empty stands in the deserted shop. The room itself hasn't been vandalised or destroyed but it's been completely stripped of whatever it used to sell here. John's Lumen runs over the counter, the till open and emptied too, and then over posters of guns on the wall. I look around, confused but not alarmed.

"A weapon's shop," Adam explains, taking a few steps into the room. "One of the most popular in this part of town. I used to come here for father-son shopping trips," he says bitterly. His face is thoughtful as he looks around, resting his hands on one of the empty racks.

"Where are the weapons then?" Nine demands, breathing heavily. I notice he's still bleeding from the mutt attack and Marina goes over to him at once, pressing her hands against his arm. I watch him start to relax as her healing legacy works its wonders.

"Gone," Adam replies. "Some citizens will have probably bought some in the run up to the invasion. Anything that was left would have been taken by the mog army for extra weapons and so the rebels can't get their hands on anything," he says.

"Great," Nine mutters sarcastically, straightening up. Marina moves from him to Ella, who's arm is bleeding from the earlier mog attack.

"Don't worry," Adam replies. "There might still be some in the basement,"

"Dude, mogs are stupid but even they'll check the basement," Nine snorts.

"Trust me, they might not," Adam retorts. "It's worth a go," he suggests. Nearby John shrugs, still waving his hands around so we can get a decent look at the room.

"Maren needs a sword," he says absentmindedly. "Marina needs some more arrows and Nine could do with anther pipe staff. Plus we all need more ammo. Try it," he suggests. Adam nods, heading off to the back of the store at once, Nine tailing him. I guess he's curious.

"Where should we camp out for the night?" I whisper. There are glass windows along the front wall of the shop, which means anyone could see us now. The whole shop is in a square layout; there are no corners or nooks to hide in.

"There are curtains, we might as well draw them," Marina whispers, going over to the window. It's not exactly subtle but I suppose it's better than nothing. There's another door at the back that must lead out onto the street; that can be our emergency exit if we need one. Marina draws the curtains shut and immediately the room becomes black. I can barely see my hand.

Suddenly a tiny ball of glowing light rises in the air, just over John's hand. It's not Lumen, as it's not pure fire, but a glowing sphere of energy. Blue electricity seems to flow and crackle as it grows and then contracts in its round shape. It's not that bright but it illuminates the room in a dull glow that might not be obvious from outside. He twists his hand again and another one rises and then one more so three balls of light float in the air. Nearby Marina and Joseph share a startled glance, but Ella just smiles knowingly.

"Um, what the hell?" Nine is back with Adam and he drops his weapons in shock.

"New legacy?" he demands. He stares at John, looking freaked out, and I almost feel sorry for him; we've been through so much today and this is just another shock. John struggles to say something, as if wondering how to phrase it nicely. I decide to help out.

"John's Pittacus," I say bluntly. John blushes at once and I can see Joseph's eyebrows shoot up in shock. For a long moment, nobody says anything, staring at each other in confusion. Then Marina just shrugs, dropping her rucksack onto the ground wearily.

"Ok," Marina says. After her initial shock, she seems kind of chilled. Nine, though, is far from relaxed.

"Sorry, what?" he demands. "How long have you known?" he demands. "How do you even know if he's Pittacus?" he questions.

"Since the battle at Calakmul," I explain as John doesn't look like he's able to say much. "He had Dreynen and could use his legacies whist the rest of us had none,"

"He could have just developed Dreynen," Nine mutters.

"I knew it was more than that," John says softly, finally speaking. Joseph crosses his arms, looking thoughtful, and Nine still looks unconvinced.

"We've known he was Pittacus for a while," I jump in, John apparently too embarrassed to say anything else. "Henri didn't want Laws to find out and we weren't sure at first whose side our squad were on. Then we decided to keep things quiet so there was less pressure," I admit and John nods along, shooting me a grateful look.

"You could have told us," Nine crosses his arms, looking slightly offended.

"You never keep your mouth shut!" I protest. "One of Laws' people could have overheard you and then what if she found out? She'd ban John from coming!" I add.

"Look, I know it's a shock," John says softly. "But it really doesn't change much. I don't have a sudden idea of how we can defeat Setrakus. I'm just me…with a few more legacies," he forces a smile.

"Well, I'm glad it's not me," Joseph breaks the tension. "Way too much responsibility," John smiles in relief but Nine just narrows his eyes more.

"So that's it?" Nine says. "He's Pittacus and he has Ximic, which is why he can do that light trick, and we're going to act as if this isn't huge?" he demands. Marina sighs, rubbing her face wearily.

"Why not?" she replies. "It's good news, for once," she points out. "They had a good reason to keep it from us and honestly bigger things have happened today," Her words are sobering and I can see even Nine lose his indigent annoyance.

"Did you know?" Nine turns to Ella, who was watching John with a knowing smile on her face. When Nine speaks to her, she blushes, looking at him shyly.

"Yes," she admits. Nine raises an eyebrow and she blushes more. "Maren knew too!" she adds abruptly, deciding to place the blame on me. I shoot her a glare as Nine throws his hands up in annoyance.

"Seriously, do I have to start making out with John to get some information now?" Nine demands.

"It might help," Joseph says with a grin. "That or merging with Lorien," he adds and nearby Marina muffles her giggle. Even Ella grins.

"Ugh, no thanks," Nine shoots John a weird look.

"Ok, come on, let's just get some sleep," I change the subject. I've had enough of talking about Pittacus and whatever is going on between John and I.

"What weapons did you get?" Marina fortunately seems to agree. Nine bends down and picks them up.

"There wasn't much choice," Adam ventures over, a few arrows in his hands. "These were the only arrows down there. Normal arrows, nothing special about them, but they're better than nothing. Not many mogs would use bow and arrow if given the choice," Marina nods, eagerly taking them. She rolls the thin weapons over in her fingers before slotting them into her quiver.

"There were a few guns but they're kind of old," Nine tosses one to me and I catch it, grimacing slightly at the dust on the barrel. I wipe it with my sleeve, longing for the modern weapons we had just this morning, but they're lost in the tunnels and I am never going down in those again.

"They had loads of these though," Nine has a pipe staff in his hand. He has a spare one too and he chucks it over to me too. I catch it, not as used to this weapon as a sword. It's currently folded up into a small pipe shape but I know that with a simple flick of the wrist and press of the button at one end and the pipe will elongate.

"Enough for us all to have one?" John asks and Nine nods.

"Easily," he replies.

"Great, we'll get as many as we can," John decides. "They're small and can be hidden easily," he says. I nod in agreement, rolling the pipe over in my hands. It won't take me that long to get used to this and it's better than nothing,

"Why are there so many?" Ella asks curiously.

"They're a traditional Loric weapon," Adam explains. "It was used for non-lethal jousting combat. The mogs have no idea what they are," he explains. "Probably thought they were useless,"

"Well, that's good enough for us," John says as Adam divvies up the rest of the guns.

We start to set up camp in the bare room. There aren't many cushions or anything soft and comfortable in this shop, but it's warmer than outside and it's sheltered. Best of all, there's light in the darkness, and as I sit down with my back to the wall I keep my eyes locked on the floating globes in the air. Ella seems equally as transfixed, her concentration only breaking when Nine sits down next to her at one point, making some joke to her. Marina, Joseph and Adam settle down too, and I'm pleased to see that none of the others are acting weirdly towards John, even despite the latest revelation. Maybe they knew deep down who he was. Marina didn't seem that shocked, neither did Adam, and honestly Joseph and Nine's reactions weren't even that strong for such a huge revelation. I think they had a suspicion all along.

John sits down next to me and without speaking I rest my head on his shoulder. He turns his head, kissing my hair lightly, and I smile weakly.

"How did the mogs even know where we were?" Joseph asks, breaking the comfortable silence. Adam shrugs meekly, loading his gun on his lap.

"There might have been cameras above the door to the catacombs and the sewers," he explains. "Probably CCTV,"

"That means they could have seen us leave the catacombs," Marina says softly. "Thee could find us now,"

"I doubt they'll care anymore," Adam replies. "If the mutts didn't wipe us out, then nothing else they throw at us will. They'll wait until we come to the Inner City, where things are really bad," He explains.

"I don't know-" Nine begins but Ella shakes her head.

"Adam's right," she says and the certainty in her voice is hard to argue against. "We're so close to the Inner City now. The Generals in charge of defence are now betting on two things; that we're wiped out along with other rebels as we try to infiltrate the centre. Or that we get through where we meet Setrakus and he kills us,"

"Only we have to kill him first," John says grimly. "Did you see that from Setrakus' mind?" he adds. Ella pauses and then nods.

"It was…it's a hunch I'm sensing from him," she explains. "I didn't sense him as much in the tunnels. I think he was preparing for the battle to come. Maybe he was in the vats,"

"Gross," Nine mutters and Ella smiles briefly.

"But he was planning attacks this morning," she says. She hesitates and for a moment her eyes flicker to me. "He's expecting us to make it to him now. Those mutts were his personal creation and were hard-wired to destroy us all. The fact we beat them in the tunnels means that we'll probably make it through whatever else is left," her words sound confident but I don't share the feeling. I just feel immensely tired.

There's another silence. I can see from the grim looks on everyone's face that they're thinking about the mutts, about the fight and those we lost. Amir. Blake. Cleo. The last members of our team who weren't Elders. It makes me wonder if there really is some kind of force looking down on us, helping us get to the Inner City to fight Setrakus. We have to be the luckiest people to have survived so much battle otherwise. The thought just makes me feel incredibly sad when I think of those we've lost. None of them deserved to die. They all deserved to be here with us now, so close to the end.

"Come on, let's get some sleep," John suggests. I wonder if he can sense our feelings, if that's one of his new legacies, and he knows how low we all are. Or he's just perceptive.

"I'll take first watch," Nine suggests, reaching for his pipe staff.

"Me too," Ella whispers and Nine smiles.

"Wake me up for mine," I say automatically. I try to not think of the last time we had a watch system, when Amir and Cleo and Blake were all alive and we were still in the tunnels. I try to fight down the grief in my chest and I settle down, curling up into a ball. I try to block out my mind, trying not to think of anything.

When I finally fall asleep, my nightmares are filled with deathly-pale mutts and Setrakus waiting for us.


Hope you all enjoyed! Not close to the final battle now!

Please review!