Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 61: Kill Code

The distance to the abandoned neighborhood seemed impossibly long. As Clara walked toward it, she focused on placing one foot in front of the other, stifling the pain that wracked her body with every movement. Having lost her glasses in the crash, her vision was partially blurred, but as she drew closer to the neighborhood, she noticed an old, chain-link fence blocking her path. Once close enough, she looked at it, fighting a wave of frustration.

She couldn't climb over, not like this. Her shoulder flared in pain, as if in reminder of the injury, and she was all to aware of the deadened feeling in the prosthetic leg. Her head spun as she stared up at the top, and a wave of nausea coursed through her. She stumbled slightly, catching herself on the fence, choking back a sob.

Sirens sounded in the distance, and she turned to see the flashing lights of first responders arriving at the scene of the crash. Worry flooded her body as she remembered Connor. For a moment, she wanted to run back to him and make sure he was okay, make sure they didn't hurt him. Then she froze, remembering his words.

You need to get somewhere safe, somewhere away from me. Amanda's going to take control again.

She closed her eyes briefly, choking back tears. Even from this distance she could see the people beginning to swarm the scene.

I love you, Clara. I'll figure out a way to stop her.

She tore her eyes away. He was right. She couldn't help him right now, and to try would risk ruining everything. She needed to put her feelings aside. There was more at stake. I'm sorry, Connor. Please, come back to me.

She analyzed the fence, brushing away a stray tear that had fallen, then walked along it, searching for a gap. She'd only gone a few feet before she found one. The wire ties holding the edge of the chain-link panel had snapped in one area, allowing the fence to lift away from the poles. Clara crouched down and tugged at it, creating a gap large enough for her to barely squeeze through. She ducked underneath it, worming her way between the panel and the pole. With most of her body through, her hand slipped, and the panel snapped down, trapping her left ankle against the bottom pole.

Panic surged through her, and she tugged hard, pulling her ankle free, but earning a long gash where a piece of jagged wire had caught her. She hissed as a new pain flared and pulled her ankle into her lap to investigate the wound. To her relief, it was shallow, and she could feel the nanodroids closing it up before it could bleed too much.

Using the fence for support, she climbed to her feet, fighting off a wave of nausea as the motion caused her head to spin. She closed her eyes, taking a few measured breaths before looking around. She was in an overgrown alley between two dilapidated houses. The windows were dark, the glass jagged, broken, and covered in a thick layer of dirt. Smashed bottles and rusted cans littered the ground. Clara stepped carefully over them, mindful of the footprints she was leaving behind. Between those and the blood she'd left on the fence, they'd know she came in this way. She needed to find a way to hide her tracks.

She quickly made her way to the entrance of the alley, then peeked out. There were no signs of anyone having been in the area recently. The sidewalks were cracked and warped, grass and dandelions springing up sporadically. Clara mounted the hard stone, stepping carefully to avoid crushing the vegetation or disturbing any patches of dirt that would give away her direction. As she passed several more empty houses, she felt herself beginning to flag. She couldn't keep this up much longer. Every part of her body cried out for relief, her head pounding as every step caused it to spin with dizziness. She needed to find a place to hide sooner or later.