Dazed, it took me a second to register the bang from the back of the building. A battering ram appeared where the back door had once been, followed by three black-clad figures wearing gas masks. I choked back another cough and scrambled to my knees.
“She’s here,” a female voice said. “Hurry. Jim J wants her whole.”
They descended on me as I tried to get to my feet, and with a hard shove, I was on the ground again. They bound my hands and ankles, then tied them to a long steel pole they unfolded. The other two cultists—both men—then hoisted me up, dangling me painfully between them. A female cultist approached, the gold eye on her mask shimmering in the glow of the firelight outside.
“The Vessel,” she murmured, then turned to the men carrying me. “Carry her out quickly. No mistakes this time.”
They carried me toward the back door, then paused, listening. There was still a fight happening outside.
“These Wastelander scum are more trouble than they’re worth,” the female cultist muttered.
As they waited for an opening, I struggled against my bonds. I tried to throw my weight into it, hoping to make the men drop me. They just laughed, and a moment later, carried me out of the building.
The night was illuminated again by fire as something was thrown from the roof next-door. Whatever it was, it burst into flames that engulfed one of the masked figures, making him shriek horribly and run uselessly in circles.
I couldn’t see John or Kimmy. I thought they were on the roof of the next building, judging by the gunfire, but in all the chaos, I couldn’t be sure. Iwassure, though, that they had no idea what was happening to me.
There was only one thing left to do. I summoned all the voice I could muster, taking a deep breath.
I released the loudest, most bloodcurdling scream I could muster.
“JOHN!”
Chapter 4
John
Iflattened myself against the roof, cursing. Bullets whizzed all around us. The building was only one storey, but we still needed the higher ground. We’d scrambled up via a rusty old ladder that’d crumbled instantly behind us. There hadn’t been a break since then. They pummeled the building with lead, even as we picked them off one-by-one.
We were running low on ammo when Kimmy pulled out the Molotov and let it fly. The flames engulfed one of the attackers and drove back the rest.
As Kimmy got another ready, a female scream chilled my blood.Claire.
“Go!” Kimmy burst out, lighting the wick on the Molotov. “Now!”
Terror-filled adrenaline hit my bloodstream. I grabbed my rifle and sprinted for the back of the roof. I scanned the ground for enemies, then dropped onto the ground, avoiding the jagged rebar left behind by the ruined ladder on the back wall. I raced in the direction of Claire’s scream.
I reached the back of the building next-door. Three masked cultists struggled violently with a frantically thrashing Claire. The woman had no chance; I shot her twice before she even glanced in my direction. One of the men managed a shout before I shot him, too, which caused him to drop Claire’s ankles. She yelped as she hit the ground, and there was another burst of flame nearby—probably Kimmy’s second Molotov.
The last cultist reached for his weapon, but I was too close now. I tackled him, knocking him to the ground beside Claire. He swung wildly at me. I barely felt the hit as I reversed the rifle and caved his skull in with the stock. With laser-like focus, I drew my hunting knife and slashed across his throat. His hands clutched his neck uselessly as his life gurgled away.
I stood, panting, and dropped on Claire’s other side. She babbled something I didn’t understand. I focused on cutting through her bonds, then helped her stand. The sounds of gunfire had faded. I backed up against the wall of the building for cover, then peered around the corner. There were only two dark figures left on the battleground.
I waited patiently for them to take their shots, looking through the scope of my rifle, and took them both out at once.
“Where’s Kimmy?” Claire asked, her voice breaking.
I nodded at the roof next-door. “Comeon.”
I took her hand and ran for the next building. When we were in sight of the back wall, there were two dead cultists on the ground, and the sounds of a struggle nearby. Kimmy was backed against the building, fighting furiously with another cultist. He threw her backward against the wall, and she made a pained, gasping cough.
“You’re dead now, bitch,” the guy taunted. “I—”
Kimmy buried her hidden blade underneath the cultist’s ribs. He choked, splattering Kimmy’s face with blood, then fell. Kimmy nodded to me with a weary expression, and Claire and I ran to her.
“Front looks clear, any more back here?” I asked.
She stayed slumped against the wall and shook her head. I left to make sure. The area was littered with bodies—some of them still burning—but it seemed like we got them all.
