Retaliation: The Mortis Desolation, Book Two (8 page)

T
he Xenomortis
alone was enough to terrify Daniel and paralyze him with fear. When Daniel realized that the scaly hard-skinned creature was looking right at him with its reptilian eyes, he had to fight back a scream.

Daniel forced his feet to move and began running as fast as he could through the trees. With his sudden movement, the Xenomortis sprang into action as well. It chased after Daniel, paying no attention to the tree trunks. It slammed into them, and the trees splintered and fell to the ground.

The vibrations from the stomping and trees falling was almost enough to knock Daniel off balance and send him tumbling to the ground. He was able to keep himself upright as he bolted through the trees.

Daniel’s first thought was to zig-zag through the trees. Not only did he feel stupid doing it, but when he looked over his shoulder, he also saw that the Xenomortis was still gaining on him. It seemed to Daniel that the Xenomortis wasn’t able to get up to full speed, however, thanks to all the trees it was slamming into.

Daniel felt hope flicker from within him. He might actually have a chance to escape. For a moment he even considered the possibility of taking out the Xenomortis, remembering their soft spot beneath the chin. However, he didn’t want to have to get close enough to take that shot. He had already survived much longer than he should have with a Xenomortis around, so he knew he was already doing good. No reason to get cocky.

Daniel looked behind him once more, and the Xenomortis seemed to have reached a rhythm. It would brace for each impact with a tree, and it no longer seemed to be slowed by the trees since it was expecting the blow. He couldn’t even process the fact that the Xenomortis seemed to adapt and learn its environment. It showed more intelligence than any other creature with the virus he’d encountered—although up to that point they’d all been zombies. All he could really focus on was the fact that the one advantage he had was beginning to dwindle away. He’d have to come up with a new plan and fast.

Daniel tightened his grip on the atra vials in his left hand, and with his right, he grabbed the handle of his gun. He wasn’t going to fight the Xenomortis—at least not yet. Not unless he had to. But from the way the creature was gaining on him, Daniel couldn’t fight the sickening thought that his last stand might be coming soon.

The Xenomortis let out grunts and groans behind Daniel as it tried to catch him. Daniel used his own fear as fuel to run faster. Up ahead, it seemed brighter, like more sunlight was allowed to pierce the tree canopy. As Daniel reached it, he realized that it wasn’t because more sunlight was getting in through the trees, it was brighter because there were no trees to block the sunlight at all.

And that meant there were no trees to slow the Xenomortis down.

With no other choice, Daniel entered the clearing. He knew the chase would come to an end, but he forced his legs to move even faster. There were no trees to dodge or limbs to trip over, so Daniel could sprint full speed.

But with no trees to crash into, the Xenomortis could do exactly the same.

One of the Xenomortis’s hard, scaly hands grazed Daniel. Its long nails scrapped his left arm, and Daniel let out a cry of pain. The hit knocked him off balance, and Daniel tumbled down.

He slammed into the hard ground, pain shooting through his body. He gasped for air and tried to get up, but he was too disoriented.

He braced for the Xenomortis to end him, but after a few seconds, Daniel was surprised to find that he was still alive. He looked over to his left, and just a few feet away was the Xenomortis crouched above something, hitting at it with its hard hands.

He didn’t hesitate. He jumped up and swung his gun around. He ran up to the Xenomortis, shoved the gun beneath its neck, and pulled the trigger.

A hail of bullets ripped through the creature, sending pieces of it everywhere. The Xenomortis fell to the ground, and so did Daniel.

Daniel lay on the ground, staring at the sky. He breathed heavily, and his breathing turned to laughter. He couldn’t believe what he’d just done. He’d actually killed a Xenomortis by himself. No one else was around to help him. It was just him, his gun, and the Xenomortis. He gave his gun a pat, as if to say “good boy.”

He turned his head to see what it was that the Xenomortis had been so interested in. Lying in the grass next to the dead creature were the two vials of atra fluid. Daniel had dropped them on his tumble to the ground.

He got up and picked up the vials. He flipped them around in his hand as he studied them. He began to wonder if the Xenomortis was even after him at all. It seemed that it was more interested in the atra substance than Daniel himself.

Daniel put the vials in his backpack. He was nervous that there might be more Xenomortis in the area that could sense the atra vials. He didn’t like having a beacon for them in his backpack.

He looked at his watch.
2:38
. He turned toward the line of fallen trees that led back to the road. He began walking toward it. Once he reached the road, he began to run. He needed to get back to Riven as soon as possible so Pete could begin studying the liquid in the vials, so they could hopefully learn a little about what was going on.

I
ra’s sleep
was fitful and filled with nightmares as her mind struggled to process the events of the previous day. In the dreams, she was being dragged around by the slave line as they ran away, but there was one zombie that had its teeth deep in her calf, and it was dragged along with them. She screamed in pain and fear. There would be no escape for her. Even if she was able to get the zombie off, she’d still turn into one of the undead and be wandering around the Earth until someone was merciful enough to put a bullet in her brain.

Ira looked up and saw that they were approaching a cliff. She cried out for them to stop, but nobody listened, and they ran straight off. Before she hit the ground, she woke up.

Ira sat straight up, breathing heavily and feeling hot and sweaty. She put a hand on her calf, rubbing the lingering pain away.

She looked around and panicked for a moment, unsure of where she was. Then it all came flooding back to her. She was inside a tent in the middle of the woods, having been rescued the day before by Ashley Finch. She told herself that over and over again in her head.
No one can get you,
she told herself.

It must have been the middle of the night. She could barely see a thing. She crawled out of the sleeping bag she had been in, and just lay down on top of it. She hoped she hadn’t woken Ashley, who was asleep in the tent next to her. She didn’t’t know if Ashley was a heavy sleeper or not. What if she woke her up and Ashley wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep? Then tomorrow she wouldn’t be at a hundred percent and a zombie might get the jump on them. Or she might be spotted by a Rove and brought back in. Then the Roves and people—or
slaves
, as they surely would be by that point—would recognize her, and then their whole plan would be useless. Ira would go back to being a slave, and who knows what they’d do to her as punishment.

Stop it. Stop it!
Ira yelled in her head. She clenched her eyes and fists. She tightened every muscle in her body, counted to ten, and then released. That was something she did to help relax her when she started to overthink.

There’s nothing to be scared of,
she told herself.
Ashley knows what she’s doing.

She closed her eyes and tried her best to get some rest. She knew full well that she was going to need it. However, when sleep finally came, it brought more nightmares along with it.

* * *

“Hey, Ira.”

Ira heard the voice from far away, but as soon as it reached her ears, her eyes shot open. She turned her head and saw Ashley poking her head into the tent. Her brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she wore a sweet smile on her face.

“Hey, sorry to wake you. Breakfast is ready. We’re going to leave here soon.”

Ira nodded and made a grunt in acknowledgment. Ashley went back to doing whatever it was she was doing.

Ira swallowed, trying to wet her throat. However, her throat felt like sandpaper, and she winced in pain. She didn’t feel like she could take on the Roves in
any
capacity. She just wanted to sleep.

She sat up in bed, and a wave of thoughts crashed over her.

I can’t do this.

I’m going to get myself killed.

I’m going to get Ashley killed.

I’m going to get
everybody
killed.

Just like I got Isabel and everyone else killed.

That last thought hit her brain like a bullet. She hadn’t considered that theory until just then. However, as much as she hated to admit it, it made sense. They were literally dragging her along. She was slowing them down, keeping them from being able to escape. If she hadn’t fallen, they’d all be able to run in sync, and maybe—just maybe—there’d be a chance for
everybody
to escape alive. But she couldn’t, and now there was no “maybe” about it. They were all dead. There was no changing that.

Stop it,
Ira told herself, but it was halfhearted.

She got up from the cot and stood. She rubbed her eyes and moved her hair from her face. She needed fresh air and food in her stomach. She moved the flap out of the way and exited the tent, doing her best to leave the bad thoughts and nightmares inside.

“
I
s that it
?” Ira asked. She looked at the sturdy wooden walls that surrounded a large brick building.

Ashley nodded. “Welcome to Jefferson Memorial Bank, Ira.”

Ira looked at Ashley, who stood to her right. Ashley looked at the Rove outpost with sad eyes, full of longing.

Ira turned her eyes back to the building. They were standing at the back of a gas station across the road from the bank. There was a small field between them and the bank. It was still early in the morning, so they had a bit of darkness to help keep them hidden.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Ira?” Ashley asked.

Ira nodded her head. She had to. She didn’t deserve to go off and try living as normally as she could. To her, saving the slaves inside Jefferson Memorial—giving Ashley back her home—was a debt she needed to pay. Once that was done,
then
she’d be able to sleep at night.
Then
she’d be able to move on.

“Okay, well then whenever you’re ready, just go knock on the front door.”

Ira couldn’t help but laugh. “That sounds so dumb and simple. How do you know they aren’t just going to shoot me?”

“Trust me, they’ll see you well before you reach the front door. They’ll let you in. And they aren’t going to shoot you. They’ve had some trouble getting slaves here,” Ashley said with a sly smile. “They’re going to need all the help they can get.”

Ira took a deep breath. “All right.” She turned to Ashley. “Thank you, Ashley. For saving me. I won’t let you down. We’re going to do this.”

Ashley smiled and put a hand on Ira’s shoulder. “I have no doubt we will. Thank
you
for doing this, Ira. I know it’s not easy. Trust me. I’ve been in your shoes.”

Ira turned and faced Jefferson Memorial. “You’re getting me out of there, right?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Of course. A week from today, you be ready. I’ll get you out of there. If something happens and you find yourself on the outside before then, I’ll be at the First Baptist Church.”

Ira nodded, but the comfort she felt knowing she was going to get out of there was quickly replaced by the dread of having to go in in the first place. “See ya in a week.”

“See you then,” Ashley said.

Ira took one step, and then another. There was no turning back now. She was about to enter Jefferson Memorial. She was about to make a difference.

I
pulled
the gun up to my shoulder and squeezed the trigger. The bullets ripped through the air and shredded into the paper target. Holes appeared in a tight circle around the center as I fired in bursts until my clip was empty.

I clicked the safety on and sat the gun down. I took off my ear protection and turned to Trevor, who stood behind me.

“Not bad,” he said with an impressed smirk.

Hearing a skilled military man like him tell me I did a good job made me feel a slight sense of pride. “Thanks,” I said.

“I think we’re done here,” he said as he stepped past me and picked up the assault rifle I’d just used.

“So, you think I could get on your squad soon?” I asked him as we walked toward the front desk.

“What’s the rush?” he asked.

I’d only been in the bunker for a day or two, but I had to get out of there as soon as possible. My friends needed me, and if I could get Trevor’s trust, I figured I’d be allowed to leave the bunker. It was the best plan I had at the moment, but if things didn’t start happening quickly, I was going to have to come up with a different one. One that didn’t involve me leaving on such good terms.

“I just miss the outside, you know?” I said. That wasn’t totally a lie. I did miss the outdoors even though I enjoyed the safety of the bunker. The air in the bunker was just so artificial. Too sterile. There was something unbeatable about the fresh outside air. It was more refreshing than air that was
designed
to be refreshing. No amount of science and engineering could come close to matching the real thing.

“I may have some good news for you then,” Trevor said.

“Oh yeah?” I asked, my ears perking up. We exited the fire range and stepped into a narrow hallway.

“Yeah. A couple of guys and I are going out later. I’m going to plant some supplies in a nearby cleared town. Then my guys are going to go in, find the supplies, and deliver them to me. It’s just a simple training exercise that we do to keep ourselves sharp. I think I can pull some strings and convince some of the higher-ups to let you come along. You are supposed to be training to join my squad, of course, and this
is
a training exercise,” Trevor said with a wink.

My heart fluttered with joy. “Yeah, of course I would!” I instantly began to come up in a plan in my head, figuring out how I would escape. “What about John?” I asked. I was hoping Mila would be able to come along too, but I didn’t say that, as it would havebeen too suspicious.

Trevor scoffed. “Yeah, I don’t think so. Just you. John can go on the next training mission. If all your friends went with you, you’d have no reason to come back.” Trevor stopped walking and turned to me. His face turned serious. “Miles, I’m being serious here. You’re going to have video cameras on you so we can monitor your progress, and you’ll have
multiple
tracking devices. If you try and run, we will find you. That’s only if we don’t put a bullet in you while you try and get away. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

“
Tell
me you understand, Miles. This is serious. You’re a valuable asset. You’ve proven that already with your knowledge of those atra creatures and with your knowledge of the outside world in general. The benefits outweigh the risks, but still, when it comes to keeping the location of this Bunker a secret, we’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Okay, I understand,” I said, struggling to get the words out of my dry throat. I swallowed and quickly forgot my plans for escape. It was clear I was going to have to play the long game, but I was running out of time.