The Chosen Ones: Book 3: The War

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Casey ran the perimeter of the gym with all ten monsters giving chase.
Oh yeah, this was a great idea, she begrudgingly thought to herself. The only thing keeping them at bay was when she would occasionally turn and fire her rifle on the creatures. She emptied both clips from her assault rifle, when it was out she threw it on the ground as she ran.

Next, she pulled out both 9mm handguns she had and emptied those as well. She put in two more mags and emptied them just as quickly. She was burning through all her ammo. But she wasn't doing this to kill the monster, she was just buying her friends time.

She tossed her guns onto the ground and turned to face her attackers. A few of them bled from the gunshot wounds but they had done minimal damage. She was out of breath and gasping for air. Her lungs were on fire and her legs felt like jelly.

Still, she was a fighter. If these last six months taught her anything it was that. She pulled a sword from her sheath that she had strapped to her back and held it out towards the menacing abominations. Without hesitation she rushed the ten oncoming, drooling hybrids.

As they were about to come together Casey slid on her back and through the legs of one of them, at the same time holding up the sword and slicing it from its throat to stomach. By doing so she covered herself and the floor in its blood. The other nine overran ran her, a few slipping in the blood of their fellow genetically engineered science experiment gone wrong.

Casey regrouped and charged again. This time taking one of the others that had slipped and was struggling to get up. She plunged her sword into the top of its head, killing it. The problem with that was she had stuck it so deep she couldn't pull it out.

She ran again as the others gave chase but she was severely winded. She just couldn't run anymore. Sweat dripped down her face and her chest. She was covered in blood, and worst of all, she was out of moves.

Casey stood with her back up against the wall. She felt a brief moment of fear as the monsters slowed down and moved cautiously toward her. She hoped it was quick when they feasted on her. She didn't want to feel any pain.

These monsters weren't stupid, they knew she just took down two of them, but they also knew they had her trapped without any weapons left.
She choked back her tears. No, she was done crying. This is what she had chose to do. Her friends would live and she would die. She was okay with that, more than okay, actually.

She checked her watch. She told Matt fifteen minutes, she had lasted twelve. In three minutes Matt or Shannon would push the button and it would all be over.

She backed up again pinning herself against the wall. She almost tripped one a long air vent in the floor. She reached into her bag and pulled out a belt that had eight grenades attached to it. If Casey was going down she was taking them with her.

The creatures circled each other. They were hunting their prey, and their prey was trapped with nowhere to go. Two minutes left.

There was a string that connected all eight pins, one pull and they'd be ready to blow. She prayed someone had the strength out there to push the detonator button. But she didn't think Matt could be the one to do it, and she could never blame him. If she was in the position to push it with him inside she didn't think she'd be able to either.

One minute.....

The monsters stopped circling and walked a few more feet toward her. There was about fifty feet between them now. They were moving in on their dinner, or perhaps just hunting her for sport.
Casey took a couple deep breaths and held the grenades to her chest.

15 seconds.

"C'mon." She whispered to the creatures. She thought of her friends, of Tyler, her family, and of Matt. She thought it again- life isn't fair. She closed her eyes. "I love you." She whispered.

The monsters charged her with a menacing growl. She pulled the string on the grenades and rolled them at the incoming beasts.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.......