A bit of a run through of chapter 1 from Abby's point of view . . .
Chapter 6
As luck would have it, Lester in his paranoia had commissioned a safe room to be built quickly after his encounter with one of Leek's future predators, least he be caught unawares by a sudden attack again. They all flew down several flights of stairs, lead by Conner, who was followed closely by Cutter and Abby, carrying Jenny, both sharing her weight. It was not like Jenny was particularly heavy, but Abby found it extremely difficult to coordinate her movements with Cutter's as they sprinted forward. Jenny was badly hurt; most of her face was covered in cuts and scraps, and there was a gapping wound on her forehead that was bleeding copiously. However, they could do nothing but get her to safety. Abby had never felt such a rush of panic in her life; all these creatures! If they were not rounded up and killed . . .
The door to the safe house come into view, and Conner pushed it open and he flung himself inside. Abby and Cutter followed.
"Hurry, it's coming!" Conner shouted in a strained voice, seemingly hearing something that Abby herself had not picked up on.
Abby dropped to the floor and Cutter lent a motionless Jenny against her before scampering up to join Conner at the huge metallic door.
"Jenny!" Abby said loudly, shaking Jenny's shoulders. Her head lolled onto Abby's arm, but she did not wake up. "Jenny! Can you wake up?" she added, holding Jenny's head up.
Jenny groaned slightly, obviously struggling to regain consciousness.
"Come on!" Abby whispered, slapping Jenny's heavily scratched cheek slightly to try and rouse her.
Lester sprinted in after them, his face flushed and his hair wind-swept.
"Close it!" he barked, clutching his chest and gasping for breath.
"What about Becker!" Conner asked in an accusatory tone. "We can't just leave him up there!"
"He'd want us to!" Lester argued, straightening up. "It's his job!"
"Just give him a minute!" Cutter interjected, scanning the corridor wildly.
"If one of those things get in here, were all dead!" Lester bellowed, his face red with fury.
Everyone ignored him, and stared at the door intently, holding their breath in anticipation. Becker should have been down here by now . . . something must have happened . . .
Abby hoisted Jenny up more so that her head rested on her chest; the cut on her forehead bleeding onto Abby's top which was saturated deep red in seconds.
Then suddenly, out of the darkness of the corridor came the sound that chilled everyone to the bone . . . the ear-splitting clicking sound that Abby come to know and dread.
"Lock it!" Lester ordered, his face contorted in fear.
They had to do it . . . they had no choice.
Conner and Cutter scampered behind the door and began to push it closed, but it was too heavy for them. Lester hurried over to help them, and slowly, it started to move. It was almost closed . . .
Suddenly, the Predators head appeared in the gap, causing the three men to jump back in fright. Then, they pushed harder, trying to force it backwards. However, with one thrashing movement of it's gigantic head, they were all thrown back, and flew across into the corner in a heap. The creature entered the room, still clicking wildly as it approached the girls.
Abby heart was beating so fast she was sure it would burst out of her chest.
"Jenny," Abby said numbly, clutching her unconscious friend tighter.
There was nothing she could do; she had no weapons! But she had to try . . .
The Predator approached them slowly, as though savoring every moment as it surveyed it's helpless prey.
Abby lay Jenny down on the ground and stepped over her towards the creature. The Predator paused, apparently taken aback by Abby's sudden advancement. It clicked it's tongue again, surveying her through sonar.
"ABBY GET DOWN!" Cutter's voice barked from the corner as he struggled to get up.
Before it could regain it's wits, Abby lunged at the Predator with a kick to it's jaw. It staggered backwards, shaking it's head as though in pain. Abby backed up slightly ready to strike again, adrenaline pumping through her veins.
Gunshots echoed through the room.
The creature turned around and focused his attention on Becker, who was firing at it from the outside corridor. It jolted as the bullets penetrated it's tough grey hide, and it ran towards Becker, who backed up slightly, but kept shooting. Just before the creature reached him, it gave a massive shriek and collapsed in front of him, clearly dead. Abby suddenly realised that she was shaking as the adrenaline rush left her, to be replaced by numbing shock. She felt Conner beside her, pulling her into a hug that she couldn't bring herself to reciprocate. Becker entered the room and helped Cutter and Lester close the door, that sealed itself with a rumbling snap.
As soon as it was closed, Cutter strode over to Jenny. He pulled her arm over his shoulder, hooked his arm around her legs, and picked her up; her head falling against his chest.
"Bedroom?" he asked Lester shortly, who pointed numbly in a certain direction.
Without another word Cutter left the room, obviously with the intent of putting Jenny on a bed until she regained consciousness.
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The bedroom was in a small room adjacent to the main living quarters. It was as dull as the previous room, with only one light that flickered on automatically as Cutter entered. There were only four small beds, each one with slightly dusty generic bedcovers. Cutter put Jenny down gently on the bed nearest the end; her body still extremely limp.
"Jenny?" he said clearly and loudly as he kneeled next to her bed. "Can you hear me?"
She didn't respond, which made Cutter's stomach tighten uncomfortably - what if the head injury had caused some long-term damage?
"You'll be needing this," Abby's voice said gently, although she still sounded shaken up. Cutter turned around and saw that she was holding up a first aid kit.
"Yeah thanks," Cutter replied, as he turned back to Jenny.
Abby approached and kneeled down on the other side of the bed. She opened the kit and pulled out the anti-septic spray and some plasters. They both worked in silence as they fixed her up.
"What the hell happened out there?" Abby asked eventually in a quiet voice.
"I have no idea," Cutter answered honestly.
"Do you think the soldiers will manage to get them all before they kill people?" she enquired.
Cutter looked up at her, and saw her face furrowed into a worried expression.
"Of course they will," he lied, deciding that his true opinion would be of little comfort to her at this time. "They're the best soldiers in the country."
Abby nodded, looking slightly less panicked.
"She needs stitches," Cutter breathed, his fingers fumbling as he placed a large plaster over her now clean wound.
"I think this is the best she going to get," Abby sighed, as she cleaned the rest of Jenny's more minor injuries. "Is she hurt anywhere else?"
"We won't know that until she wakes up and tells us," Cutter answered, staring at Jenny.
When he looked back up at Abby, he saw she was giving him a look of confusion, and realised that he must have been looking at Jenny a little to tenderly.
"Come on," he sighed as he got to his feet, in an attempt to cover up his blunder; he and Jenny had both agreed to keep their relationship under raps for the time being - they didn't need any more pressure on them than there already was. "We need to go and figure out what we're going to do," he added.
When they returned to the main room, it seemed that a heated argument had broken out between Becker and Lester.
"I should be up there with the men!" Becker shouted, pointing upwards.
"Your job is to protect us," Lester pointed out, his arms folded tightly.
"That's exactly what I was trying to do sir!" Becker burst out, pacing slightly in his eagerness to be up there on the front line.
"You know what Lester, we should just let him - " Conner began, trying to disperse the tension.
"You stay out of this," Lester snapped.
"I do not wish to break a direct order sir," Becker said in a forced calm voice. "But my men need me up there!"
He crossed the room, and made to open the door; only to find it immovable. He looked around in confusion.
"It won't open," he said as he tried again unsuccessfully.
Cutter joined him at the door, and tried to help him, but he too failed to make the door move so much as an inch. He stepped back slightly, surveying it. Then he spotted a pad of numbers next to the steel door.
"We need a code to unlock it," he informed them, turning around to the room.
Everyone exchanged bemused glances.
"I take it no one knows that code," Cutter sighed, running his fingers through his hair.
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
Great, Cutter thought to himself as he lent back on the door. Just great.
It was one thing not being able to get out for a few hours as they came up with a plan; but to be stuck in here indefinitely? They had a job to do up there! They needed to figure out why this had happened; they couldn't do that down here in an underground bunker!
"What are we gona do?" Abby said uncertainly, breaking the silence.
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