Carrion (The Bren Watts Diaries #1)

Chapter 96

The mall was on fire.

We looked down from the roof's edge, reminded that we were surrounded by hundreds of vectors tearing through the parking lots and the plaza, and now began to spill into the concourse; all were heading eastward. I realized we were in the race for our lives. If the vectors got to the Alphas' transport bay early, we're screwed.

"Fuck me. We just rang the dinner bell!" Haskell shouted, pointing to the billows of smoke and fire that bled the dark skies in a red-orange hue. He then gestured northward, up to the tree line bordering the adjacent highway, and there, coming out of the trees, dozens of vectors stumbled out of the dark forest, pouring into the highway like a wave cresting over the shore. I didn't have to imagine where they're all heading.

Yay fucking ki-yay.

"Haskell's right. That's a whole lot of them! Oh, we're so totally fucked," Logan mumbled.

"Thanks, Logan. I have eyes too, you know," I said.

"Eh. I just want to spell it out. Five bucks say one of them will bite me."

"Ten bucks if none of them don't."

"Deal. Money ain't worth shit now anyway."

"That's the spirit, Logan Hardy. Now, run faster."

"I'll show you speed, amigo."

I dashed toward Miguel, who hobbled slower behind Haskell and Yousef, the latter helping Haskell stay up on his feet. Logan left us in his wake. I moved next to Miguel, put his arm around my shoulder, not caring that I'm practically dragging him now, and ignored his huffed protests.

"I can do it, Bren," Miguel said, still struggling to keep pace with the others. We were now lagging behind. Logan was on the lead.

"No, I got you, man. You can barely walk." Miguel groaned, but he decided not to say anything further.

"Watts!" Logan screamed. "Look at here! We have a problem!"

My heart sank. In front of us lay a thirty-foot-wide gap between the buildings and with no chance of jumping across it. Fortunately, the roof we were on and the other was connected only by a giant mounted sign, plastering the name: CASCADIA TOWN CENTER. It was made of steel with a ten-inch wide beam behind the mammoth letters, brightly illuminated in neon lights of blue, green, and pink. I wasn't sure how stable it would be for us to cross, and we had to cover at least thirty feet of ground, maybe more.

And a three-story drop! I fucking hate heights. I spat a curse under my breath, and for a split second, I wished we faced a small horde of vectors instead of what was in front of me.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Peter grunted beside me, both hands running along with his hair as if he wanted to pull them out. "Just our shitting, son of a bitchin' luck!" Peter kicked the ledge, could practically feel the contact as he screamed another curse. He hopped awkwardly on one foot like a jackrabbit with a stubbed toe. "Fuck-shit-toe!"

"Careful there, boss," Haskell warned.

Peter glared at him. "I'll show you how to be careful!"

"Jeez. Friendly! Friendly!"

"Take it easy now, Peter. It's pretty obvious what we need to do," I said.

I looked across the other roof. I reckoned we only had a couple of blocks to go before we reached the loading docks. Just then, a loud explosion of buckling metal and splintered wood reverberated across the roof. I looked behind us to find the rooftop doors had been breached, spitting out half-burnt vectors mad for blood. As if they whiffed our scent, they whipped their heads to our general direction, shrieked, and started running.