The Nexus

Chapter Six

The night had descended so fast, so unexpectedly that Arayna hadn't even had a chance to get back to the team. Darkness had fallen and all she had to see with was the flashlight attached to the barrel of her assault rifle. Heart in her throat, she moved it back and forth, the beam of light bouncing off the cliffs walls as she tried to make her way back towards the entrance.

An odd, throaty, gurgling noise that resembled clicking made the hair on her forearms stand on end. She swung the light back and forth, and up. Movement scuttled along the ledges making her stomach fall away with dread, adrenaline seeping into her blood when she realized she wasn't alone.

Her strangled breathing was loud to her own ears as sweat slid down her neck. Instead of cooling off when the sun disappeared, the heat began to oddly intensify in a mugginess that made it difficult to breathe.

"I'm really starting to hate this place so much." She whispered, unashamed by the way her voice trembled just the slightest. Her combats boots clicked on the rocks as she moved slowly, fighting the urge to take off running.

Even if she got to the gates, would they open them? Why had she walked off from her brothers like that? It had been so rash and stupid, but when they started going at it again, fighting each other, she had got sick and tired of the bickering, she had needed space, something they seemed to refuse to give her. Now she was going to have pay for that thoughtless decision.

The sounds of claws scratching and clicking echoed around her, making her tremble, finger hovering over the trigger, preparing to fire when needed as she looked up again. She most definitely was not alone, and somehow she knew that she was surrounded by the same things that had killed and eaten the other team.

And she was next on the menu, but she was going to give them a free clip full of lead as an appetizer.

"Come on," she whispered, her voice shaking as she moved forward, "come on, where are you, you sick creatures?"

Movement behind her made her spin around, gasping for air as her insides trembled with terror, a cold sweat dampening her hair, making her palms slick. The adrenaline coursing through her blood made her jump at every noise.

Something brushed the back of her neck. Spinning around, she slammed the butt of the rifle into something's hard face. A pained screeched pierced the deathly silence as she shoved her combat boot into its chest with as much force as she could, sending it stumbling back. Not hesitating, she pulled the trigger. The deafening sound of gunfire echoed in the canyon until her ears were ringing and she could hear nothing, the bright blinding light from the barrel partially illuminating her surroundings.

But it revealed something that filled her with stark, raving terror, because all around her, was a creature covered in white, translucent scales, bones sticking through their ribs, with white eyes and teeth dripping with drool, a stench of rotting meat coming from them.

She didn't stop firing, hitting one after another, their screeches of pain filling the air. Then the gunfire stopped abruptly, her assault rifle clicking on an empty chamber.

She didn't hesitate, to adapt and slam the butt of the rifle at the nearest one, relying on all her other senses to locate them. She wasn't going down without taking as many of these things with her as she could!

Withdrawing her pistol, she began firing again, but something slammed over the back of her head. The force of the hit sent her to her knees, her consciousness slipping away before she hit the ground.

              ***

Xavier watched, fascinated and intrigued by the human as she fought the Night Stalkers impressively, managing to kill several, which he knew was not an easy task. His gut clenched as she was hit from behind with a rock, sending her crumbling to the ground. The desire to help nearly overwhelmed him, taking him by surprise.