hearts of metal

lxii. no hug?

Fenrys was beyond furious. He took one glance at the bruises lining her neck, the way she could barely stand, and decided that Cairn would die a slow, painful death.

Shooting him would be too merciful. Plus, the sound would draw too much attention. Which meant he unfortunately had to let the fucker live. Temporarily.

Aelin fumbled with a pin, fingers shaking badly. She managed to unlock his hands, though it probably took her longer than it should have. As soon as his hands were free, he tugged her into his chest.

"Hey," he cooed, smoothing down her hair. "It's okay. Let's get out of here."

She nodded, and the two embarked on phase two of the plan. "Plan" was being generous, considering they only had two vague bullet points. A) Avoid being mummified into Valg soldiers, and B) Get the hell out of Dodge. Also, the optional C) Make the Valg soldiers regret the day they were born.

They made their way down the maze of hallways, which Fenrys had memorized on his way over. The floor here was a grimy white, with fluorescent lights flickering over them.

"I know the way back to the cells, and I think there's an exit near there," he said. He'd taken the gun back, making sure it was loaded and ready to go should they need it.

She nodded and followed closely behind him. So far, they hadn't encountered any other Valg, but it was only a matter of time.

From above them, Fen heard the sudden sound of footsteps. Dull thuds as people were running, a clamor of voices.

"Think they know we're escaping?" Aelin whispered. Her voice was thin and raspy.

"Maybe," Fen said.

At another fork, they stilled. Fen exchanged a glance with Aelin as footsteps sounded their way. A few Valg stepped out, their faces morphing into shock at the sight of them. One reached for his weapon, but Fen's gun was already lifted and aimed.

One shot. Two, three. Each crack of a bullet was accompanied by a dull thud.

When the men were slumped over, Aelin moved out from behind Fenrys. She picked up one of their guns, even though her hands shook as she made sure it was loaded.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded. They continued straight, stepping over the pools of blood that had collected on the white floors.

They had made it to another bend, when voices reached their ears. Aelin quickly gestured for Fen to stand back, and flattened herself against the corner. She peered out, just as the voice drifted closer.

"-who do you think it was?"

"I don't know. Let's just figure out where the gunshots came from."

Aelin shifted her grip on the gun, and leaned her upper body out from the corner. Her hand was surprisingly steady as it aimed. Fen heard the familiar sound of shots followed by thuds.

Then she was jerking his head in an indication to keep moving, so he fell back into place beside her.

Upstairs, shots broke out. The footsteps increased in frequency, and Fen frowned. "What the hell is going on up there?"

Aelin was tired. There was blood splattered on her already torn clothes. Her limbs still ached as she trudged along.

The Valg, at least, seemed preoccupied. Above their hands, the chaos was rampant. Down here, they ran into fewer Valg. And those they ran into were in small numbers and easy to take care of.