Midnight Eclipse: Book 1# [EE] [Heaven's Curse]

Chapter 8

Noel-Len's name barely made it to his ears, when Caprice's frightful eyes never left the robot. Afraid if she blinked, it'll kill them. Even that fear alone, couldn't tear her gaze from the threat they faced.

"Drive," Michael warned slowly, his body taut with apprehension.

Within a second, the alien-robot sprinted towards the car and Noel-Len reversed the car as fast as it could take him. His eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror and to the empty street behind them, as they reversed along the road, avoiding the obstructions it threw at them with its tail, while it gave chase.

Suddenly, the alien was stopped by a powerful force that almost made Noel-Len almost lose control of the vehicle, and struck the machine hard, halting its assault.

Noel-Len slammed the brakes, disregarding Mike falling off the seat before climbing back up on Michael.

He watched, the black-clad figure of the woman he had seen moments before force the robot into the ground with her fist. She no longer wore casual clothes, but rather an unfamiliar black and silver uniform with unusual armour, complemented by a black and silver cloak that shifted around her as she moved.

The surrounding windows of the nearby houses shattered while their car windows cracked, mimicking the ground beneath the alien, that split and fissured towards the car.

"What the . . . hell?" Michael asked to no one in particular.

Noel-Len scrutinised the battle.

The woman moved with incredible speed, too fast for his eyes to keep up before vanishing and reappearing, tearing concrete from the road and tossing it at the alien, stunning its impending assault.

Michael observed the battle in disbelief then uttered,

"I think . . . we're . . . out-classed." With undeniable shock, he watched the woman shred the alien machine to pieces.

Panting, she glanced over at the idle BMW, then removed the last of the machines' silver limbs before tossing the separate pieces of the robot's body into a nearby abandoned park. Immediately pulled, the struggling unarmed and unprotected alien pilot from the cockpit. Within seconds, the alien became limp in her hand, when everyone heard the snap of his neck.

Both Caprice and Michael glanced away while Noel-Len stared in pure horror at the lifeless alien dangling in her hand before she casually tossed aside. In that moment, he was aware of the woman's strength and how easily she could've killed him. Not before long, her eyes settled on him, and he returned her gaze from where she stood on what remained of the silent mechanical beast. Immediately, she vanished into a cloud of black smoke.

"Where did she go?" Caprice calmly questioned; her eyes searched the area before them. Noel-Len and Michael glanced at Caprice; almost forgetting she was with them.

Moments later, Noel-Len's window echoed with the rap of Anaphora's knuckles tapping against the glass. The men regarded the inhuman woman beside the car with trepidation and Noel-Len wound the electric window down.

Patiently, Anaphora watched the window descend into the door, before declaring, "There's no reason to continue further down this road."

"Why?" Michael asked, ignoring the glare Noel-Len threw.

Anaphora's dark eyes drifted to Michael who suppressed the shiver he felt run along his spine.

"There are more of those," she proclaimed, pointing to the mechanical monster. "If you value your lives, then, I suggest you take my advice. If not, well . . . it was nice knowing you."

Noel-Len swallowed as her words sunk in. "We need to go that way," Noel-Len managed, a few seconds later.

The woman remained silent for a moment, then enquired with mild interest, "Do you now?"