To Be A Warrior

Chapter 56: Trapped

"Runner Five, the swarm of baby... things are gaining on us," Janine pants, the babies screaming and crying as they crawl after us, climbing the walls and ceiling. "My God, they're fast."

I start to turn my head to look back, to see how close they're getting, but Janine stops me.

"Do not look back! Just keep moving! We must lose them somehow, and then we must find a way out of this building, a way that A.N.N.I.E. hasn't considered. There is something on the edge of my mind, Five. Something we heard." Her face scrunches up in thought, but then she shakes her head. "Ms. Spens, report. Are you hurt?"

"Not yet," Amelia says through the headset. She sounds scared, and I hear my deformed clone... thing let out a choked sound-like the sound you make when you've got a bad chest cold and all that slime and mucus is stuck in your throat. "But the Five thing is catching up. It's huge and has got longer legs than our Five. One of its steps is three of mine. I'm tired! I can't keep up this pace. Do something!"

I gasp, grabbing my pistol when one of the leather babies on the wall jumps, its claws out ready to grab on to Janine.

"Duck!" I warn, and Janine bends down just as I fire. The baby lets out a horrific screech as the bullet its hit square in the chest. It falls to the ground and as we keep running, I look back and see that it isn't moving, instead being trampled by all the other leather babies coming after us.

"Thank you, Five," Janine says before her attention turns back to Amelia. "Ms. Spens, you are strong. You have reserves. Draw on them. All hope is not lost. When you chose to remain with us instead of saving yourself, you may have thrown Miss McShell's plan into disarray, but perhaps she will be able to compensate for that. We must behave precisely in character from now on, or rather be as Veronica sees us. What would the Janine that Veronica thinks I am do in this situation?"

"You're over thinking!" Amelia shouts. "Just come and save me!"

She is silent for a moment, then nods. "Yes, that is what I would do! That is what Veronica would predict." She laughs humorlessly. "Whether I wanted to or not, I would save you. That is who I am. We all act as we are."

I look up and fire at one of the babies on the ceiling that's getting too close, jumping out of the way as its body drops to the floor.

"Well, I'm all ears since acting as I am is me using this pistol and eventually running out of bullets," I say. "I have a clip in my bag, but I don't think these leather freaks are going to let me stop and reload."

"The goggles. I can see a route that could help use escape them, but I need you to save your bullets. At the end of the corridor, we will have to go up the stairs. That will be our most vulnerable since the babies are already on the walls and ceiling. That is when you will need to use your bullets, and possibly your axe. When we reach the top of the stairs, we head through the labs. I can see a door that we can shut and trap them in. Pick up the pace!"

It's hard to do that, since we're already nearing sprinting, but I obey as best I can. When we reach the stairs and start climbing, that is when the leather babies truly try to strike. My finger stays on the trigger of my gun as one after another lunges only to fall to the ground as my bullets slice through their tiny bodies in midair.

Higher and higher we climb, the sound of gunshots ringing in the air as I fire again and again and again until-

Click.

I realize too late I've ran out of bullets, and I try to doge the leather baby that's flying towards me. I manage to keep it from sinking its claws into my chest, which was its original target, but it still manages to slice through my left arm, just below my shoulder. Four deep, long gashes immediately start spilling blood as I hiss in pain, the sting of the scratches and the burn of the healing slowing me down some.