Secret War: The Annihilation Plague (Part 2)

Chapter 23

Arlathan led his team as they exploded from the doors and ran straight for the jungle. Arlathan didn't even blink as he opened fire with his storm bolter, scything the explosive shots through the trees. Sporadic and inaccurate autogun fire replied, but Kollath and his Stormtroopers fanned out with incredible speed and discipline, adding their hellgun fire. The Stormtroopers were carrying Vex's cogitator and hauling Karmen's boxed power armour firing from the hip. Hellfire sliced through underbrush and tree alike as if it was made of tissue, and shrieks of pain and surprise came as the enemy, thinking themselves safe behind cover, found out they weren't.

Vex and Halsin began shooting their lasguns, Tathe his laspistol while Torris added his shotgun blasts to the cacophony. Darrance and Delathasi fired while flurries with their suppressed autoguns.

Arlathan knew they had a very limited window to take advantage of the shock their sudden counterattack caused their enemies, so he shouted his people onward, sending storm bolter shot after storm bolter shot out.

It only took them a few seconds to sprint the distance into the jungle proper. A shadow flicked in the corner of Arlathan's eye, and he exploded it into a red mist with a shot as dozens of other figures were cut asunder by hell shots.

'Signatures?' Arlathan asked Kollath, who was carrying the auspex.

'Dozens more, at least, closing in on us,' said the sergeant.

Arlathan cursed and hoped to hell none of those signals were Chaos Marines.

Or they had more time before that Land Raider found them.

Dellenger parried a stabbing bayonet, then crushed in the mask of the militiaman with the butt of his lasgun. Another militiaman charged him wildly, but Dellenger slid aside the attacker with ease, then punched his knife deep into the back of the man's neck. Dellenger then side-kicked the man in the base of the spine, sending the attacker careening off his feet and smashing face-first against the rooftop.

Meanwhile, Kalakor's bolter was a blur as it snapped out shot after shot, Dellenger didn't need to look to see each one messily erased any enemy coming their way.

Dellenger threw himself behind the Space Marine before the autoguns of more enemies could cut him down and reloaded, the sound of the shots ineffectually crashing against the Astartes' armour, sheared into Dellenger's ears making him wince.

The shooting didn't last long before Kalakor spun and shot.

Three more enemies emerged in Dellenger's view, but before they could pull their triggers, Dellenger hosed them down with a sweeping flurry of las fire.

Kalakor pulled the bolt pistol magnetised to his hip and fired that alongside Dellenger's shots in that direction. Each round was on target despite not even looking as his bolter kept blasting. Dellenger couldn't help but cry out at the horridness of the combined cacophony.

Dellenger knelt and activated his vox-link as he blasted a shot into the chest of another militiaman while he was slipped out from cover.

'Kalakor, we can't keep this up forever!'

'I am aware, but my actual concern is why the Chaos Marines have not shown up yet.'

Dellenger nodded; he'd thought the same.

'How do we-'

Kalakor interrupted Dellenger by suddenly picking him and then exploding into a sprint straight toward the end of the building.

'Kalakor!' Dellenger shrieked as the Space Marine launched them over the parapet, then fell for the street fifteen stories below and the traffic driving along its length.