Waveland

Chapter 23

Crawlers crawled rapidly across the entire building. Their long spider-like legs pushing them forward at their super-human speed. They were searching. They were searching for her. This was the most aliens she had ever witnessed in one location. And she was right in the middle of it. She held Christian's lighter in her hands. She rubbed her fingers on the metal, engniting the tiny flame that brighten a small percent of the room. She could feel the heat against her fingertips. A small burning sensation, and she never flinched. She dreamed of burning the aliens to the ground, ironically she would be doing the burning for David. A stupid coward.

She hoped that Christian was telling the truth about this being a trap. She hoped that his men wouldn't find themselves being slaughtered by the crawlers or worse. It would make things easier if she didn't have to worry about them being trapped underneath the aliens claws. It would only be a distraction for her mission. She didn't want to admit it to herself but she had a warm spot for this town.

High pitch screeching dragged her from her fixation on the lighter. Metallic tapping against the hardwood floor. She calculated eight legs, two crawlers coming toward her. She ducked into the nearest doorway. Complete darkness. She held her breath as the crawlers approached closer down the dark steel hallway. She flattened her body against the wall inches from the doorway. She focused on her breathing, inhaling as little as possible. They had extremely good hearing and exceptional eyesight, but they couldn't kill what they didn't know lurked in the darkness. Despite her wished she couldn't tear them apart here, she wanted all of the hell creatures to die.

The sound stopped, she dared a peek out of the doorframe. She held her breathe seeing the frozen figures of crawlers right outside the doorway. She couldn't allow herself to freak out a racing heartrate would only increase her heavy breaths and then she wouldn't stand a chance. Rose kept her eyes trained on the attackers outside while staying deadly silent.

The wooden floor creaked to her right. This was different, it didn't sound like the crawlers legs hitting in the ground. Each step was slower. Louder. Heavier.

Her eyes narrowed on the newest figure communicated with the aliens. It was taller, standing at eight feet, with long dark arms attached with sharp claws. The creature could have proven the myths of slendermen true. She remembered her old high school crush playing that video game. In today's world it seemed a lot easier to outrun a tall creature and the only adjective to find all the scattered papers in the forest. She never played it, but she assumed that's all it was about.

After several agonizing moments, the creatures scattered away unsatsitifed or moving on to their next adjective. Rose didn't care. Either way they would burn in the flames created by her. They would scream just like all the innocent lives they took. Just like Alex did that night.

The basement was eerily silent. She used the lighter to create a spark of light, just enough to find her way around. She pulled out the small map she took from David's tent, when he was distracted to Tyler or Christian. She rasied the lighter above the map to see it clearer. A small oval of light spread against the map.

Glancing across the drawn construction of the building she found the perfect spot, a weakness that would burn the whole building to the ground and take out as many hell creatures with it.

Loud piercing sound surrounded her. Bullets were being fired at her, she dropped to the ground trying to dodge the assault. She looked up at the figure meters away with the weapon in his hand. With all her strength she ran to the shadow, tackling him to the ground and forcing the release of his hold on the weapon.

"What the hell are you doing?" Rose lay on top of the figure with her hand tightly gripped on the shadow's jaw. There was nothing stopping her from snapping his neck.

"Sorry. I heard a noise I panicked." Tyler squeaked.

"Do I look like I have six legs?" Rose shoved herself off him, disgusted at his touch. His ignorance was going to get both of them killed.

"Sorry."

"We need to hurry." She pulled on Tyler's arm dragging him across the basement to the center pillar that would make the whole building collapse. She thought it was quite beautiful she would die with the one person she couldn't stand.

"Christian told me. I needed to find you." She glared at him. She was getting real tired of these soldiers thinking she needed their protection. She was doing just fine before any of them came into her life.

"Unfortunate for you."
"What are you talking about?" Tyler's usual guard wasn't there. He seemed almost terrified. A brief moment she wondered if Tyler witnessed one of his friends getten tore apart by one of the aliens. It only took a moment of weakness for someone to get torn apart of one of them.

"I am going to blow the building to the ground. Unlikely we will make it out." She stated calmly.

To her surprise he only stood there. Not uttering a single word. Not a single protest, he almost willingly accepted his fate. Tyler was so strange to her and she would never fully understand him. Instead of objected, Tyler just stared at her. The look made her screen crawl. It was similar to admiration or passion. If he took one step toward her, she would snap his neck.

Dust scattered above their heads from the ceiling followed by a thousand creaks of the floor boards. They are coming. They were out of time.

"I will stall them." Tyler held out his hand for the gun on Rose's waist. She didn't want to bring it but she had a feeling somehow David's perfect plan would fail. Reluctantly she handed over the pistol.

"Try not to miss." Rose snickered.

"Try not to die before me." Tyler said charging for the door with the incoming herds of aliens coming for them. Crawlers and the tall slenderman on their way right now, to kill two little human beings. Unfornate for their faiths they would falling into a trap.

Rose approached the large pillar that was the center of the buildings constructure. She tossed the bag over her shoulder, pulling out th square object that would send the building crumbling in seconds. She pressed it against the pillar and with one hard pull she ripped the duck tape, tearing it with her teeth and placing it on the bomb that would kill everything in this building including her and Tyler. The button in her plam ready to explode with a twitch of her finger.

The thought of the boy caused her to look over her shoulder. Bullets ranged into the air. Tyler shooting all the moving targets. He dodged several attacks, sliding over the tables. He continued firing shots at random hoping to land his target. Rose smiled he was a pretty good shot.

Rose stood in the dark, out of sight from the aliens. They wouldn't see her until she wanted them to. She held a bottle in her hands and the small lighter in her right.

"Run!" Rose tossed the fiery bottle in the center of the room. As soon as the bottle connected with the ground it exploded into a bright light. The fire connecting with the gasoline that graced the floor thanks to gasoline cans Tyler shot.

Rose gripped Tyler out of the way of fire inches from his skin.

"Thank you." A soft voice. Tyler's voice spoke with the smoke bearing against his lungs.

"Thank me if we survive." Rose roughly pulled him to his feet. They looked at each other. His dark eyes looking into hers. Their bodies close, there was a moment. For once she didn't think about how he makes her blood rise, or how he always ends up making things worse. They both were silent glancing into each others eyes, with single nod they both understand each other. They took off running. Rose didn't care if she died, but for some reason she couldn't push the button. Dying next to Tyler sounded like the worst thing.

They ran, waist to wasit. Rhythmically. Their feet matching each other. They were close enough to see the outside. It would have to due.

Rose took one last glance at the boy next to her. His dark hair covering his face, his face red from the lack of oxygen both from the smoke and the intensity of their escape. Then she pushed the button. She felt their bodies collide with the open air and then the world went dark.