Clair de Lune

30. Old friend

An owl hooted nearby, one of the many sounds that permeated the thick night air. I was sitting in the shack above the bunker, leaning back against the doorway and enjoying the humidity. It was way too stuffy downstairs, but up here, it was just perfect.

I let out a sigh, turning my head towards the ground. It was nights like these that I'd stay up with Nolan until late into the morning and sit at the bay window, gazing out at the stars and talking about what we planned on doing with our lives. My fingers itched to grip his, but they also curled away at the thought. There was someone else here who wasn't dead, at least in the same way, and I have to admit, that was more relieving than hanging onto the thought of someone who was gone for comfort. I was considering going back downstairs and waking him up, but the moment I went to stand up, I froze.

"Fifty three percent through Silver Forest northern sweep, come in Frederick, over."

"Come in Sergei, forty six percent through Silver Forest southern sweep. Any trace of the missing subjects?"

"None, we'll keep searching."

"Over."

My stomach dropped to the floor as I curled back around the wall and stayed there. The voices were in the distance, but I was downwind, so I could hear them as if they were right next to me. I had to think quick, because if the PASCI agents found the shack, there was nothing keeping them from getting to the agents below. Except for me, of course.

I poked my head back out, doing my best to look over the hill. Someone's light shined towards me and I pulled back, feeling my breathing begin to hasten. A plan formulated in my mind, and while it was dangerous and stupid, just about everything having to do with these guys is. I stuck my head back out again and crawled forward on all fours, feeling the straps of my harness tighten around my skin as I moved. I stepped carefully, climbing up the hill as quickly as I could without making noise. I could see two men coming up the other side of it, and as they neared the top, I let out a sound similar to the crackle of fireworks as my entire body was engulfed in a deep blue fire. This was my family I was protecting, and I wouldn't let these two ruin it.

"Who's there?!" One of them called, and I leapt. I tumbled over the other side and crashed right into him just as I'd intended to and latched on tight, listening to his screams and random gunfire as we went rolling the rest of the way.

"Samson!"

"HELP ME!"

The moment we landed I pulled a hand back and ripped off the man's mask, slamming my open palm onto his face as I threw the contraption to the side. The other agent fired shots at me as his partner screamed, the bullets melting before they could even touch me. The molten lead seeped into my legs, but the pain only made me attack harder.

By the time the agent beneath me had stopped screaming, the other one had drawn near enough for me to turn on him. His mask was pulled off, revealing fear and animalistic terror. I laughed and held my hands out, raising them up slowly as they curled around orbs of fire. The man looked around himself and began to scream as the flames licked his suit, climbing up his legs. He dropped to the ground and flailed aimlessly in an attempt to put them out, but it wasn't working, and it hadn't been my plan to kill him. Instead I dropped down to his side and pulled his radio out, slapping a hand over his mouth as I held it above his head.

"You're going to tell whoever is searching the south end that a subject was seen fleeing away from the lake and towards the town," I said sternly. "Do this, and you get to live. Got me?"

He nodded frantically, grabbing the radio in shaky hands as the fire dispersed on his lower half. I helped him to hold it steady as he pressed the button down and took a deep breath, attempting to find the words to speak.