The Vagabond War

by EnigmaticSerpent

Metro DLC Sam's Story Natasha is a bandit living in Vladivostok at the time when Sam is trying to get home. She enlists his help in the bloody clan war that her brother's clan is fighting with the other bandits. She has her own ideas. She is tired of losing her people and plots revenge on those who have wronged them, but she could have never predicted the consequences of her plans.

20. Perilous Hunt

Chapter 20: Perilous Hunt

The dark, empty stairwell beckoned us forward, and we halted on the landing for D deck.

Aleksander turned to face us. "Okay, let's get this done. Regroup at the sick bay once we've done what we need to," he said, glancing at Alina and Yevgeni. "We all know what we're doing. Let's go, Sam." He flicked his fingers towards the door.

My pulse spiked as Sam glanced over at me. "I'll see you soon." He paused before holding out his fist. With a clenched jaw, I tapped my own fist against it and he followed Aleksander through the hatch, swallowed by the darkness. I stared after him, irrational loneliness squeezing my chest.

"Come on, we have to go," Alina said beside me, and anger blazed through me. I somehow bit off a retort, but I could imagine my expression. Alina ignored it, continuing to climb the stairs while Yevgeni watched me warily before following. I had no choice. I couldn't stand here all day. My sigh echoed around the stairwell, trailing behind them.

Alina removed her earpiece before gesturing for me to do the same. I frowned at her but tugged it from my ear, eyeing her expectantly.

"Why do you dislike us? Have we done something?" she asked in a level voice.

I scowled at her. She was choosing now to ask that? "I'm not sure now's the best time."

"Why? Nothing else is happening right now," she replied between breaths as we climbed the stairs. When I didn't answer, she continued. "It's just that we went out of our way to help you. We saved Sam's life and probably saved you from blood poisoning. We took you in, shared our food, ammunition, medical supplies, and all you have done to thank us is animosity. I want to know why."

Scowling at the steps in front of me, I tried to force back the flash of guilt. I couldn't tell anyone about what seeing Aleksander made me feel. The way just looking at him reminded me of things I tried to forget. There was no way I'd tell her, being she close to him.

I shook my head. "I'm wary of strangers." I finally said, cringing at how contrived the words sounded even to my own ears.

"You've been with us for a month. I thought you'd have gotten past that by now." Alina's light swept over the large, black letter C on the wall as we reached the next landing.

"Some things are hard to unlearn," I replied, leaning against the wall.

"You must not have been shown much kindness in your life if you are so suspicious of it."

"There's no time for kindness. Only survival."

"I see," she said, giving me a pitying expression I could have done without, an expression that told me she guessed more than I wanted her to.

With a sigh, she nodded to us before replacing her earpiece. I did the same as she pushed the half open hatch. It swung in with an ominous, too loud grating of rusted hinges that shot through the darkness, making all of us flinch. We paused to listen for any sounds of movement in the darkness beyond, and a faint scuffling met my ears.

"There's nothing we can do," Alina said, striding forward.

"Wait, do you hear that?" I asked, straining to hear, stopping just inside the hatch.

"Yeah, there's something there," Yevgeni said, sweeping his AK's light over the dark corridor, shuffling his feet.

My pulse drummed in my ears, staring into the gloom beyond our light, waiting to see something emerge, hoping it wasn't a clicker, fearing it was.

When nothing came forth, Alina sighed. "We have to keep going. Keep as quiet as possible."

"Is everything alright?" Aleksander's voice filtered through my earpiece.

"There's something on this level with us," Alina whispered. "We are going to go radio silent until we determine what it is."

"Copy. Be safe."

"You too," Alina replied, waving us forward. She removed her earpiece a second time and slipped it into her pocket.

Just as we moved down the corridor, the scuffling became louder, and we all raised our guns as a shrimp lurched out of a room ahead of us to the left. I let out a breath, tensing to fire. A shrimp we could deal with.

Wait. If there were clickers, firing would be an idiotic thing to do. This didn't seem to occur to Yevgeni, as he lifted the barrel of his AK.

I went to stop him, but Alina beat me to it. "No gunfire," she warned. "There could still be clickers."

Yevgeni glanced at her wide eyed, lowering his gun. "How-"

I pulled my knife, cutting him off and strode past him. "Time to get up close and personal." The shrimp growled, and I raised my knife, stabbing it quickly in its ugly face until it crumpled. "Yeah, shut up."

"Shit," Yevgeni said, watching me with an expression of both shock and a little awe. "You're good at that."

I shrugged as I wiped the blood off my blade. "I know."

"Come on. Let's keep moving," Alina added, stepping over the corpse.

"You seem to be pretty good at fighting in general," Yevgeni continued, following Alina down the corridor. He touched the inflamed burn on his cheek and winced. "And that thing you did with the solvent — who taught you that?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "It's just something I learned. You know, it's not really the time to chat."

Alina glanced back at me, drawing her lips to a line. "Let's keep quiet."

"Ah, right. Of course," Yevgeni replied, lowering his voice, gaze flicking over me again.

Damn kid.

Almost at the end of the corridor, I froze when muted gunfire reverberated through the floor.

"Was that gunfire?" Yevgeni breathed, peering around.

"Shit." Alina shoved her earpiece back in. "Aleks, what's going on down there?" she whispered.

Silence. My heart skipped a beat, and I drew in a sharp breath. Sam. He could take care of himself, couldn't he?

"Aleks?" Alina repeated, voice growing worried. "Do you copy?"

Still nothing but deep silence.

Shit.

I stared back down the corridor to the inky stairwell. If they were in trouble, they might need help, especially if they couldn't answer because they'd encountered a clicker. And if that was the case, I needed to get there.

My pulse raced as I fumbled to fit my earpiece again. "Sam?" When another long silence followed, and thoughts of blood and death flashed into my head, I strode toward the stairwell.

"Natasha, where are you going?" Alina hissed after me, grabbing my arm.

"Don't touch me!" I growled, snatching my arm out of her grip. "Sam needs my help."

"We have a job to do. If they need help, they'll tell us."

"What if they can't? I don't care about your job. I'm helping him."

"You two are the reason we need to do this. You should care."

"Mom," Yevgeni urged in a low voice, slowly backing up, his rifle trained on the stairwell behind us.

My gaze burned into Alina. "Do it yourself." I went to turn away, but she shoved me against the wall, clamping her hand over my mouth with wide eyes.

Anger burned in my chest, and I struggled against her, reaching for my knife. Then I heard the eerie clicks that I never wanted to hear again and I froze, meeting Alina's wide stare. None of us dared to move, our eyes fixed on the clicker that emerged from the darkness of the stairs. Did it hear the shrimp's body fall, or did it smell the blood?

It turned its eyeless head in our direction, emitting another round of clicks, searching for the disturbance. Did it know we were there? Could it smell us? With careful steps, it lurched towards us, and Alina pulled me through the door to our left. Before either of us could react, Yevgeni hurled something across the corridor, breaking the silence with a jarring clatter. Whatever he'd thrown bounced against a wall and into the landing of the stairwell. The clicker snapped its head around to follow the sound, and I winced as it let out a shrill scream before lunging back through the hatch.

Alina nodded at Yevgeni, before slicing her hand towards the final door on the right. Without another word, we hurried forward, only to stop again when a scraping echoed from inside the sick bay. I hoped it wasn't another clicker, but I got my answer a second later when another eerie tone met my ears.

Fuck. Give us a damn break.

Alina gestured to an open door over her shoulder. I swept my light over the now empty corridor as we backtracked. After we confirmed the narrow, debris strewn office to be empty, we took a moment to regroup.

Alina let out a sharp breath as she turned to me with a serious expression. "I know you don't like us, but we don't have time to fight. If you want to go back to find them, don't let me stop you, but you'll have to go through that thing out there to reach them," she said, her voice barely a whisper with a hint of concern.

I dreaded facing another clicker alone, but I needed to help Sam. I took an unsure step.

"I know you are worried, so am I, but we just have to trust they'll be alright," she said. "They're very capable."

I met her frown, and clenching my jaw, I gave a reluctant nod. Yeah, he was a Marine. He could handle it. Of course he could. But why didn't I believe it?

Alina sighed and peered at the door. "Okay, we will have to lure it out of there."

Yevgeni's eyes flared. "How do we do that?"

"I'll draw it out with noise from the opposite room. You two will go into the sick bay once it's gone and lock the door. I'll try to lose it and knock three times so you know it's me."

Yevgeni shuffled his feet with an expression of dread. "I'm not sure about that."

"It'll be fine, Genya," Alina walked over to her son and held his shoulder with a reassuring smile. I turned my back on them with a scowl, peering around the ruined office, noticing for the first time the crushed skeleton under the splinters of what used to be a desk, its surface buckled by the weight of the heavy set of shelves.

Alina sighed, glancing back as she headed for the door. "Stay together. More importantly, work together." She speared me with an almost hostile look. "Do not get my son killed."

What about him not getting me killed? I glared after her as she slipped silently out of the office.

I huffed continuing to glare. If she wanted to get herself killed, who was I to argue? The thought sent a spike of guilt through my chest, even as it flashed into my mind. She'd come into the hold after me to help me fight the shrimp and she was risking her life for us now. I should repay the favor. Yevgeni watched me with a hesitant expression as I leaned against the wall next to the door.

"Get your ass over here and get ready," I hissed, jabbing my thumb to the opposite side of the door. "And don't fuck around."

"Who said you were in charge?" he shot back, but got into position.

"My experience says I'm in charge. I've been surviving in this shithole since I was ten and I've had to fight for it the whole time. I was never coddled."

"I wasn't coddled," he argued. "I-"

"Shut up," I urged, as a loud clunk broke the silence from the adjacent room. Yevgeni clenched his jaw, looking a little less sure of himself.

After a moment, the clicker burst out of the sickbay, skidding over the cracked blue-grey linoleum and colliding with the opposite wall with a loud thud. I winced, drawing back against the wall, hoping it wouldn't draw the other one back to us. My skin crawled as its clicks bounced around the corridor and I focused on keeping my breathing as quiet as possible. Another metallic tapping came from the other room, and I readied myself to dash to the sick bay. I hoped Yevgeni was ready. I didn't sign up to be a babysitter. When I glanced over at him, he had his eyes shut, looking terrified, and I rolled my eyes. This was the result of shielding someone from the scary shit instead of making them confront it. I thanked Senya and Viktor for that.

"Get your shit together, and get ready to run," I whispered. He met my stern expression and nodded quickly.

Keeping low, I leaned out into the corridor, glancing either direction, waiting to see if the clicker had moved on and that the other one hadn't come back. When I confirmed it was clear, I slipped through the door, gesturing to Yevgeni to follow. He did so without argument, keeping tight on my heels, his steps unexpectedly quiet. Good, he wasn't completely useless. That was a start.

I shook my head, glancing back towards the stairwell to check if it was still clear and I waved Yevgeni forward, keeping our steps light and careful. Scuffling from the room opposite the sick bay broke the silence, and I found myself hoping Alina was alright, that she was hiding, waiting until she could sneak past the bastard. No, I had to focus on getting to the sick bay without attracting it to us. Alina could take care of herself. I waited for Yevgeni to pass me into the sick bay, where he swept the gloomy room with his AK.

Filtered grey light streamed in through a strip of grimy windows across from the door, and relief swept over me to not be in complete darkness. I carefully swung the door shut and bolted it, letting out a breath when the bolt slid into place. Relaxing my gun, I glanced around at the white room; the cupboards lining the walls, the three hospital beds fitted with dirty, off-white sheets, one with a skeleton with gnawed bones. Yevgeni glanced back towards the door, worry creasing his brow.

"Come on, don't think about it. Help me look for supplies," I said, dropping my pack onto a bench littered with gauze pads stained with twenty-year-old brown blood, as if someone had been treating a wound. Probably from the skeleton. Poor bastard.

"What if something happened to her?" Yevgeni asked, slowly walking to the closest cupboard.

I rolled the stiffness from my shoulders and opened the cupboard above my head. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Yevgeni looked unsure, and I sighed. "I know nothing about her, but from what I've seen, she's a good fighter." Even if I didn't want to admit it.

Yevgeni nodded, reaching into the cupboard and pulling out a bottle of iodine. "Yeah, she is a good fighter, you're right. She'll be fine." I guessed this was mostly to convince himself. It failed.

With another sigh, I busied myself in the cupboard, finding it full of sterile gauze, bandages wrapped in disintegrating plastic and various shaped adhesive wound dressings, all of which I pulled out and dumped into my pack.

"I just found a bunch of bandages and gauze. What have you got?" I asked as I rummage through another cupboard along the bench.

Yevgeni pulled open the doors to the cupboard in front of him. "Lot's of iodine and anti-bacterial wipes," he replied, opening his own pack. "I wonder how many we should take."

I shrugged. "I don't know. Ask your mum when she gets back."

He hesitated, glancing back at the door. "Shouldn't she have returned by now? She was only luring it away."

The next cupboard had a lock on it and I'd bet there would be something in there we'd need. I peered at the small, circular lock, wondering how I could open it without making too much noise. "It's only been a few minutes. Give her time." I said, frowning.

"How long does it take?"

"That depends on if she could sneak away," I said, jolting the handle, grunting when the lock held. "She might still be waiting for it to leave."

"Then we should make it leave," he said in a pleading voice.

"And bring it back here after she tried to lead it away?" I arched an eyebrow at him, moving to the next cupboard.

"Well, we throw something down the corridor."

"And bring the first one back, so we have two to deal with? Yeah, great idea."

"Well, what do you suggest if you're so smart?" He glowered at me.

"We stay here and get the supplies like she told us to." I turned back around, skipping the cupboard with the lock, not wanting to risk making more noise. In the next I found a stack of saline bags twenty years out of date, but they looked okay, so I dumped a few in my pack.

"Like you do what you're told," Yevgeni mumbled.

I held up my hands. "Fine, do what you want. Go do something stupid."

"Helping my mother is not stupid." He shouldered his AK, stepping towards the door.

I glanced up from my pack as I transferred the contents of a large plastic first aid kit. Another flash of guilt squeezed my chest, thinking of the danger Sam might be in and my burning need to know if he was safe. Alina risked her life for me. It was the least I could do now. I glanced over my shoulder as Yevgeni carefully unbolted the door, pulling it open a fraction to peer into the corridor.

After a moment, he slipped into the gloom beyond, leaving me alone. I huffed. If it was me, I would want to help too. I dropped the fist full of antibacterial wipes I was holding into my pack and hurried after him, shouldering my Kalash, not quite believing I was following. He nodded at me over his shoulder as I slipped into the corridor behind him before continuing towards the opposite room where Alina had led the clicker. Behind us, the passage to the stairwell was fortunately still empty.

Yevgeni stopped and held up his fist as he reached the open door to the room. "I can hear the clicker. I think it's just inside."

I strained to listen, stopping behind him, but I didn't need to try. The clicks cut through the silence, chilling my skin. Definitely close. Yevgeni glanced at me with a what do we do now grimace. This kid definitely didn't know how to make tactical decisions. Not a leader. I sighed, tapping him on the shoulder as I slipped past him to take the lead, flicking my first two fingers on my right hand forward in the follow me signal they'd taught me before this mission. Admittedly, using hand signals had its uses, especially dealing with creatures that hunted by sound. I would have to get them to teach me more of them. I frowned. That almost seemed like I was intending to stay with them. That couldn't happen. It was just temporary.

Yevgeni tapped me on the shoulder to confirm he understood and I leaned out to peek into the room. My eyes tracked the clicker on the other side of the long desk in the middle of the room, head turned in our direction, but I didn't think it knew we were there, so I waved Yevgeni forward and he followed close behind. We crept along the opposite side of the desk, keeping the clicker in sight while searching for signs of Alina. Besides the clicker, the room was empty. It looked recreational with wall-to-wall bookshelves, but every book scattered across the floor. The mutant stepped on one and hissed, crouching to sniff it. Books and chairs, and broken glass from a shattered TV, littered the floor like a minefield.

"Watch your feet," I whispered to Yevgeni, and he nodded. "We have to get it back into the corridor. Don't move."

In a low crouch, I leaned over to grab a ceramic mug with a broken handle and hurled it towards the corridor, but it went wide and smashed against the door. The clicker growled and stalked over, stopping just inside the door. Fuck it. I grabbed a book and slipped closer, cautiously peering above the level of the table. The clicker remained in the doorway and I shook my head. I had to find a better angle to avoid hitting it. I gestured to Yevgeni to stay where he was and crept further into the room, stepping over debris, holding my breath. When I had an obvious line of sight to the door, I paused, preparing to throw, when a barely audible hiss came from my left and I froze, waiting for something else to leap out at me. But as I squinted behind me into the dark space beneath another waist-high table scattered with broken computers, I met Alina's determined gaze. I sighed in relief as she handed me another cracked mug. Easier and probably more accurate to throw than a book. I nodded, slowly standing and launched the mug across the room. It sailed past the clicker's head and through the door, shattering on the linoleum. With an angry shriek, the clicker lunged after it.

Alina climbed out from under the table. "Sorry, I couldn't respond."

I shrugged. "You had to keep quiet."

"We should get out of here. Did you find anything in the sickbay?"

"Just some bandages and wound care stuff, no antibiotics or anything, but there was a locked cupboard, and I didn't want to break it and make more noise." I said, watching for the clicker.

Alina nodded as Yevgeni crept towards us. "We should see what's in there. I want to salvage something from this mess."

"I guess," I huffed, waving my hand at the door. "What do we do about that bastard out there?"

"Get it away from the sickbay, and lock and barricade the door," she suggested.

The door's ability to withstand a clicker seemed questionable to me. It wasn't the best plan, but what choice did we have?

With a resigned sigh, I nodded. "Fine, let's go."

We backtracked through the room, carefully avoiding the debris, stopping inside the door to peer into the corridor. The clicker stalked the corridor about halfway down. Suddenly, its head jerked towards the door. Were Sam and Aleksander coming up the stairs?

No.

My eyes widened as I caught sight of the other clicker in the darkness. I glanced back at Alina and gestured to the sickbay. "We should move while they're distracted."

She nodded quickly, leading the way, hurrying across the hall, stopping by the door to wave Yevgeni inside. I followed as Alexander's voice finally broke through my earpiece. "Sickbay team, sit-rep."

"Aleks!" Yevgeni said, his voice too loud. "Are you alright?"

I turned to shove him against the wall to shut him up, but too late. I knew, without looking, we were fucked. Alina's expression of horror, as she threw herself toward the door, answered my question.

"We're alright, Genya," Aleksander replied, completely unaware of our predicament. "We had a clicker we had to deal with, but we're at the galley now and-"

"Well, we aren't alright!" I yelled over him as Alina bolted the door. I helped her pull the beds over in front as a meagre barricade. They would do little to hold them back, but they were all we had.

"What's happening?" Aleksander asked in an alarmed voice.

We retreated to the benches on the far side of the cramped room, while the clickers crashed against the door. A shudder shot through the makeshift barricade.

"Aleks, we're trapped in the sick bay by two clickers. We've locked the door, but I don't know how long it can hold them," Alina said in a trembling voice. The door quaked again as the clickers smashed against it violently.

"Fuck. Hold on, we're on our way," Aleksander replied. "Bravo, get up to C deck now!"

There wasn't time. That door wouldn't hold. I exchanged a terrified glance with Alina, and we all turned our weapons to the door as the hinges buckled and broke apart. After several more shudders, the door finally burst off its hinges. The two clickers grappled in the doorway, snapping and ramming each other to be the first through. The three hospital beds were the only thing between them and us.

"Hide," Alina hissed, and we squeezed into a gap between the cupboards and the wall. Alina grabbed Yevgeni, holding him like a child.

A loud scuffling broke out, and I leaned to peer past the edge of the cupboard. The clickers had apparently forgotten about us, instead engaging in a violent quarrel. Hope warred with terror. Could we sneak past while they fought?

I glanced back at Alina and Yevgeni, looking equally terrified, huddled together like rabbits. "They're fighting. Maybe we can sneak past if we're quiet enough," I whispered.

Alina shifted to get a view as a clicker crashed to the floor. The one on top hissed and swiped, but received a sharp kick to its abdomen in return. It staggered back as the other found its feet and lunged, slamming them both into the wheeled beds with an almighty crash that shot through the deck. And through my bones. I shut my eyes as Alina and Yevgeni startled beside me. One clicker screamed as they stumbled over each other.

"Or maybe they'll kill each other for us," Alina said.

"I'm not sure I want to wait around for that," I replied, my eyes fixed on the two mutants. One turned towards me and I threw myself back behind the cupboard, chest heaving. But it continued fighting.

"If we're going to do this, we need to go now," I whispered.

Alina glanced toward the locked cupboard, and I caught her expression.

"Forget it. We can try elsewhere. But you'll help no one if you're dead."

She met my gaze and nodded solemnly. "Okay, let's get out of here."

Returning the nod, I leaned out past the cupboard again. The mutants still fought in the centre of the sickbay, slamming against each other and slashing with their clawed arms. We had to pass them to reach the door. It was now or never.

I gestured to Alina and Yevgeni to follow. "Hurry up and stay low. Use those beds for cover."

We darted across the two metres of open space between the cupboards and the closest bed, ducking behind it to regroup. As I readied myself to make a sprint for the door, silence fell around us. The crunching and screams of the mutants fighting had vanished and when I peered out I understood. Both had their eyeless faces turned towards me. A low hiss and the dreaded click of echolocation emanated from the one closest to us as it stalked forward, its claws tapping ominously on the linoleum.

"What's happening?" Alina asked.

I shook my head and held a finger to my lips. But Yevgeni swore upon seeing the second clicker in front of him. He screamed and scrambled backwards, stumbling over his own feet as he tried to stand. He fell backwards as the clicker advanced on him. The Fucking idiot was dead if he didn't move. But terror paled his face and paralyzed him where he sat. The mutant raised its clawed arm to strike with a hiss, and vivid, bloody images of the shrimp in the engine room being pulverized flashed into my mind. I didn't want to see that again.

I dove over Alina, pushing her to the floor, and rolled onto my back on her other side between the clicker and Yevgeni. Holding my Kalash horizontal above my head, I intercepted the clicker's claw mid-strike, pushing it back with everything I had.

"Move Yevgeni!" I growled over my shoulder through clenched teeth. He stared at me with terror filled blue eyes but scrambled across to Alina behind the bed. The clicker shrieked with rage and swiped with its other claw. I rolled to the side, righted myself and fired a quick burst into its exposed belly. Blood splattered the linoleum, and I fired again. Attracted by the gunfire and commotion, the first mutant lunged over the bed we used for cover. It sprawled onto the floor as I backed away, still firing. The second closed in and I backed up against the cupboards, both of them looming over me.

Alina fired from behind the bed, catching its attention, and I darted between the two. With another shriek, the clicker lunged for me, but slammed into the other instead and suddenly they were fighting again. I glanced quickly over my shoulder at the crunching of chitin. One had its jaws wrapped around the other's neck while it slashed wildly against it.

"Over here!" Alina called while they focused on fighting, and I hurried to her side. "I have an idea. On three, push this bed as hard as we can. We'll trap them against the cupboard and make a run for the door."

I nodded quickly, bracing against the bed, my pulse raging. Alina held up three fingers, dropping them one at a time, exchanging glances with Yevgeni and then me. When she dropped the last finger, we shoved hard against the bed and it rolled across the floor. The mutants broke from their fight to come after us, but too late. The bed slammed into them, pinning them against the cupboard.

"Go!" Alina shouted, leaning all her weight into the bed and locking a wheel with her foot to keep the clickers trapped behind it.

I shoved Yevgeni before me, and we sprinted for the door. Once he reached the corridor, I paused by the ruined door to glance back towards Alina, who still pinned the screaming mutants against the cupboards.

"Alina, come on!" I yelled, getting into a firing position, ready to cover her. She nodded, took a deep breath and threw herself away from the bed, sprinting for the door. As soon as she let go, the clickers shoved the bed off themselves, the one locked wheel doing little to slow them. I opened fire, pummeling them with bullets.

"Go!" Alina urged again, towing another bed behind her as she ran.

I fired another burst as the mutants leaped after her, but they quickly gained. I needed to at least slow them down to give Alina time to get to the door. Switching to single shot, I held my breath, lining up my sights with the leg of the mutant closest. Calm. I'd made shots like this before. I could do this. The mutant crashed to the floor with a scream as I pulled the trigger, knocking over the second, and Alina reached the doorway as they sprawled in a heap.

"Nice shot," she said, pulling the bed across the doorway after her. It wouldn't stop them for long, but it might give us a chance to reach the stairwell where we could bolt the hatch and trap them in.

"Thanks," I replied with a grin and a flash of warmth that I quickly suppressed, running after Yevgeni towards the stairwell.

A loud crash and an enraged shriek behind us. I threw a glance over my shoulder and my eyes flared as the clickers emerged from the sickbay after climbing over the meager blockade. It turned its head towards us, bellowed another angry cry, and lunged down the corridor. With a racing pulse, I raised my Kalash again to fire, but my bullets bounced off its plates harmlessly and both closed in. We had to get the fuck out of here.

"Run!" I yelled to Alina and Yevgeni, shooting at its legs again. It stumbled but kept coming. Shit.

"Natasha, move!" bellowed a voice behind me. Aleksander? But before I could look, an arm slid around my waist from behind and pulled me back as something flew over my head. Less than a second later, a flash of orange light and blazing heat lit up the corridor. I stumbled back into a solid body, squinting against the light of the flames that erupted to engulf the mutants. The grip on my waist tightened, and I blinked as I met Sam's eyes over my shoulder. Relief hit me like the tsunami, flooding me with a heat as bright and burning as the flames.

The remaining mutant leaped out of the wall of fire, shrieking. Driven mad with pain, it threw itself towards me. Sam pulled me behind him and reached for his lighter to ignite the Molotov he held in his right hand and hurled it. The glass shattered against the clicker's chest, dousing it with fire. It screamed and flailed violently as the flames engulfed it and I gasped, pressing myself against Sam's chest when movement behind us caught my attention. Fearing another attack, I stepped away from Sam, raising my Kalash again, only to find Danila.

"Easy, Natasha," Danila said, holding up a hand. "It's alright."

Unexpected relief fell over me as I lowered my gun, glancing at Arseni and Nikita behind him. For the first time since Sam and I arrived on the island, I was genuinely glad to see them. I frowned back at the flames still gnawing on the corpses of the mutants; the walls scarred with dark scorches. This could have been deadly for us and we'd been cut off from support. Finally, we were amongst allies and the threat over. I was just relieved to find safety. That's all it was. They weren't my friends, and I didn't like them. But as my gaze found Sam again speaking to Aleksander, Yevgeni and Alina, I knew this wasn't true about him. He'd been there for me this whole time.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, walking over to him to rest my head on his shoulder and wrap an arm around his back. "Thank you." I choked out.

He glanced at me with a startled expression. "Ah, yeah. Of course," he stammered, watching me. After a pause, he tentatively wrapped his free arm around my shoulders, sparking another inferno in my stomach.

"Are you alright?" Aleksander asked, watching us.

I nodded, stepping back from Sam with an awkward glance. "Thanks." I forced the words out around the rock in my throat. After all, he'd just saved our asses. I at least owed him that much, even though it drove a knife through my chest to admit it.

"Alina tells me you risked yourself for her and Yevgeni. That you saved Yevgeni's life," Aleksander said as if he didn't quite believe it. "Maybe my first impression of you was wrong." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Maybe. We'll have to see."

I stared at one of the dark scorch patches on the wall as in my mind, I was suddenly being scrutinized under Senya's sharp gaze. "I was just trying to get out of this shithole alive," I finally said, squirming. I flicked my eyes across to Alina. "We helped each other."

"We made a good team," Alina added. "I'm grateful for your bravery and quick thinking."

I scowled at the wall, aware of Sam watching me with an almost proud expression in my peripherals. My cheeks flamed.

"And grateful that you saved my son. I'm sure he is, too." Alina continued.

What the hell was with all this praise? I just did what I had to do to survive.

Alina nudged Yevgeni.

"Ah, yeah. Thank you," he stammered, flicking his eyes briefly to meet mine before staring at his boots while his face flushed.

I huffed, forcing myself to look at Aleksander, who raised an eyebrow at me. "Alright, if we're done, I'd really like to get out of here. There was a locked cupboard in the sickbay that we didn't have time to break into because of-" I waved a hand at the burnt husks of the clickers. "There might be something useful there."

Aleksander curled his lips into an amused smirk. "Alina mentioned that. I agree. They would likely keep medications secured. We'll go take a look."

"Fine." I strode towards the sickbay, stepping over the charred mutants, wrinkling my nose as the stench of pungent burnt shrimp flesh assaulted me.

"Not one for compliments either, I see," Aleksander said behind me.

"Don't think it's something she's used to," Sam replied.

"You shouldn't talk about people like they can't hear you. It's rude," I shot back over my shoulder.

Embarrassment and anger flared in my chest as I marched back into the sickbay, shoving the bed across the doorway aside. No. I rarely ever got a compliment. And apparently, anger was my default when it came to things I didn't know how to deal with. I vented that anger on the previously inaccessible cupboard as footsteps echoed behind me. Jarring pain blazed up my arm as I hammered on the lock with my Kalash, swearing as Sam stopped beside me.

"Yeah, that's not working," he pointed out in a too calm voice and I glared at him.

He chuckled, studying the lock. "There has to be a key somewhere. Didn't I see an office on this deck? Maybe it's there?"

From the door, Arseni snorted, drawing our attention. "Who needs a key?" He pulled a worn case from a pocket as he strode over to stand next to Sam. "No one needs a key when there is the master key." He held up a long, thin strip of metal with a ninety degree bend on one end.

"Am I supposed to know what that means?" I asked, tapping a finger on my Kalash, scowling at him.

"It's a lock pick," Sam supplied with an arched brow.

Arseni grinned broadly and glanced at the round face of the lock. He snorted again, pulling a second pick from the case that had a wavy tip, and inserted both of them into the lock. "I can do this one in my sleep." After a few seconds of fiddling, he grinned again. "And done." He retrieved his picks and yanked on the handle.

"Oh, nice," Sam said as the door swung open.

"Huh. Okay, that's pretty awesome," I admitted.

"Eh, not really," Arseni shrugged, returning the picks to the case and slipping it back into his pocket. "I could have opened that with a paperclip."

"That's an interesting skill for someone in the navy," Sam said, eyeing him.

Arseni's grin widened a third time. "I was a locksmith back in the day." He glanced at me and winked with a chuckle. "The illegal kind."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but had to agree it was interesting.

"I can teach you if you want," he added.

"The illegal kind?" Sam asked with a frown. "So then, how'd you wind up in the navy?"

Arseni threw his arms above his head theatrically. "Oh, Arseni, you are wasting your life. You will end up in prison, Arseni. You need to be more responsible, turn over a new leaf, blah blah, blah."

"Right, I get it. My Dad thought I was wasting my life too, although I wasn't a criminal."

Arseni put a hand over his chest. "Neither was I," he said with mock indignation, followed by another wicked grin. "At least I was never convicted."

"Well, I'm not sure if much has changed really," Aleksander cut in as he joined us, slapping Arseni on the back.

Arseni barked a laugh. "Ha! You would have been lost many times without my–" he glanced at Sam, "interesting skills."

Aleksander grinned. "Okay, fine. It did have its uses at times."

"Like that time, I stole everything from the commander's lock box and then re-locked it to mess with his head," Arseni chuckled.

"Oh, yeah," Aleksander laughed. "He threatened the entire ship with court marshal if no one came forward."

"Yeah, and then the damn rat bastard, Yakov, snitched on me like he wasn't daring me to. Too bad for him. I snitched on him as well!"

"I thought you were going to be keelhauled. How did you worm your way out of that one?"

"I said I would read all his love letters to everyone on board. I guess he was too embarrassed." He laughed again and Aleksander joined in.

"Okay, Arseni, we get it. You're a scoundrel," Alina said as she stopped beside Aleksander. "Did you find anything?"

"Take a look, boss lady," Arseni replied, sweeping his hand over the neat stacks of boxes and glass vials filling the cupboard. "I can't read all those scientific names. I'm just a petty criminal, after all." Another grin.

Alina flicked him a sideways glance and took a moment to read the labels. "Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Naproxen, Epinephrine, antihistamines, anti-nausea." She grinned at Aleksander. "Morphine, Amoxicillin, Penicillin."

"See," Arseni shrugged, "I have no idea what that means."

"It means we hit the jackpot," Aleksander said, wrapping an arm around Alina's shoulders and kissing her on the forehead. "Excellent work." He shifted his eyes to Yevgeni before landing on me. "All of you. Now, let's take everything and get the hell out of here."

"Fucking hell yes," I agreed. I'd had enough of this shithole.

"Oh no, no," Arseni interjected. "Aleks, didn't I hear you say you found some beverages in the galley? Why not have a little celebration?"

"Nah," Sam replied, running a hand through his dark hair. "What do you think we used on those mutants?"

"Actually," Aleksander said, unzipping his pack and pulling out two sealed bottles of vodka, another grin lighting his face. "We didn't use all of them."

Arseni's eyes widened with excitement. "Stolichnaya! Now we're talking!" He snatched one bottle and cracked the seal, taking a long gulp.

"Hey!" Aleksander frowned at him.

Arseni swallowed and made an appreciative sound in his throat. "Fuck me. I thought I'd never taste real vodka again." He took another mouthful.

"So you're just going to drink it all now?" Aleksander asked with mock indignation, even as his lips curled into another smile.

"Oh, yeah. This one is mine. You can all have that one," Arseni replied, settling himself on one of the waist high cupboards along the back wall, legs dangling over the side.

"Make yourself comfortable there, Arseni," Aleksander said. "Alright then, I guess we could do with a break." He cracked the seal and took a swig himself before passing the bottle to Alina. "Oh, we found these too." He reached into his pack again and returned with several bags of beef jerky and salted peanuts, tossing one to Arseni.

"Now it's a party!" Arseni whooped, catching the bag.

Aleksander held a finger to his earpiece. "Guys, park the boats and come up to the sickbay on C deck."

"Is everything alright?" Nikolai's voice replied in my ear.

"Oh, yeah. Everything is great."

Our group settled on the cupboards beside Arseni, sharing snacks and vodka, and I couldn't help but smile as I glanced around at them, listening to their lighthearted banter and laughter. An unexpected surge of warmth rose inside me, reminiscent of the gatherings I'd had with Yuri's clan. My smile faded as familiar faces flashed through my mind. Viktor, Grigor, Simon, Kostya, Pavel, Anton, Dima, Anatoli. Once my friends, now wanting me dead. I leaned heavily on the cupboards as an empty longing numbed me, stole my strength. I closed my eyes, blocking out Arseni's enthusiastic antics, until a hand brushed my arm.

Sam's warm brown eyes found mine as I glanced up. "I know that look," he mumbled. "You're thinking about them again, aren't you?"

I glanced away, but of course he knew.

"Don't torture yourself, Nat. Come on. This is for you, too." He gestured at the others. Alina smiled across at me, and Aleksander gave me a small nod.

"Okay," I said, and he smiled as I followed him. Yevgeni passed him the already half empty bottle as we joined them, sparing another brief glance in my direction.

Sam took a swig and offered the bottle. "You alright?"

I peered at him and nodded, accepting it. "I'm just glad you're alright. You had me worried."

"So did you," he replied, taking a step closer and ran his hand over my shoulder. Without thinking, I stepped into him, wrapping my arms around him in a hug that he immediately returned. His warmth enveloped me, and I didn't want it to stop. I didn't know how I would make sense of my chaotic thoughts, but it seemed a little easier with him. He was what I'd wanted this whole time, after all. It seemed pointless to ignore it. I could try at least.

I took a moment to collect myself before meeting his eyes again. "Then let's party," I said, taking a mouthful. The fiery, yet smooth liquid went down easier than any of Andrei's moonshine ever did. Sam's arm slid around my shoulders and we joined the others.

After about five minutes, footsteps scraped the linoleum, and I glanced towards the door as Vladik, Nikolai, Buyan, Emil charged into the room, guns first.

Nikolai stopped and glanced around in confusion, finally narrowed his eyes. "Here we were thinking you were all in some kind of trouble, and then we find you drinking and eating snacks!"

"You took your time," Aleksander replied, throwing his arms out wide. "Welcome to the party!"

"You started without us. Rude," Nikolai jabbed a finger at him as he took the bottle from Yevgeni and frowned at it. "And this is all you left us?"

Aleksander pointed at Arseni, sprawled on his back along the bench. "Another one over there."

"Oh, no, I don't think so," Arseni protested, swaying as he sat up. "You're going to have to fight me."

"That could be arranged," Nikolai replied, wrestling with him for the bottle. "You're so greedy, Arseni."

"I never said I wasn't. Aleks, do your commander thing and tell him to stop."

Aleksander held up his hands and leaned back against the wall, watching the wrestling match with a smirk. "No, I'm not getting in the middle of this. Just don't kill each other."

I leaned against Sam, enjoying his presence and warmth while I frowned at them. Nikolai yanked the bottle out of Arseni's hands and quickly stepped back as Arseni grabbed and missed, almost toppling off the bench. With a triumphant grin, Nikolai raised the bottle over his head like a trophy before taking a mouthful, while Arseni hurled insults at him. Nikolai dodged around another failed attempt from Arseni to grab the bottle and passed it to Buyan as the others circled around him. Emil gave me a wary stare, but turned away to take the offered bottle.

"Shut up, everyone!" Aleksander snapped, sitting up with a serious expression. All eyes turned to him as silence and tension gripped the room. After a moment, Vadim's voice relayed an urgent report through my earpiece. Sam and I exchanged a glance.

"Two boats came ashore about five minutes ago," Vadim declared.

"Who are they?" Aleksander replied, sliding off the bench and retrieving his pack. The others got to their feet around him as if some silent command passed between them.

"Not sure. Kirill reported that one of them was patrolling the strait between here and the mainland for the last few days."

"Yeah, I was aware of that."

There was a flurry of movement as everyone prepared to leave, grim expressions replacing their jovial smiles.

"He didn't think much of it," Vadim continued. "There have been boats before, but then the second one fled from the mainland and they've been shooting at each other ever since they arrived."

"Stay put, Vadim," Aleksander ordered as he shouldered his pack and checked his AK. "You don't need to get involved. Stay out of sight unless you're threatened." He turned to face us. "Party's done, let's go."

I exchanged another glance with Sam, stepping out of his embrace as the others readied their weapons. His expression matched my own, telling me he knew as well as I did who had come ashore. We'd both been expecting their arrival, but it didn't ease the sick dread that shot through me as we followed the others into the corridor.