Addy flinched at the sound of a gunshot echoing between the buildings. She stood silently in the open doorway, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
The roar of Millipede's engine spun down like a slowing jet engine shutting off. One-by-one the heavily armored segments of the machine thumped to the ground revealing an upright Parker standing with the creature's head in one hand and his pistol in the other. He held the smoking weapon just beneath the motionless monster's chin. "That's for killing Broadway."
Parker pushed the Mega Bug to the side and stepped over its body. He stumbled, but Addy was there to catch him.
"You know you are freaking stupid, right?" Addy said.
"Yeah, I know. I should've just let the damn thing kill me and end it all. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore, Addy. Something just told me to put a bullet in its head." Parker pointed toward a rusting bench. "I need to sit down."
"Mroowww!!!'
Parker and Addy froze in their tracks.
"Did you hear that?" Parker asked.
"Yeah. Sounded like a..."
"Cat!" they said in chorus.
"Mrrrooowww!!!"
Parker forgot about the pain in his side and stumbled toward the sound of Broadway calling out to him. "I think he's under here! Help me lift this!"
Addy bent down to assist Parker with moving one of Millipede's Stompers. "How in the name of the Darkness is that stupid cat alive under there, Parker?"
"Dunno...don't care," Parker said. "Ready? Lift!"
The Stomper groaned and squealed as it began to slowly move vertically.
Broadway's cries grew in volume with each millimeter the Stomper moved skyward.
"Ready?" Parker asked through gritted teeth.
Addy could not speak, choosing instead to nod in affirmation.
"NOW!"
The Stomper fell over with a boom, exposing a hole hidden just beneath it. Parker knelt down and peered inside. He found a pair of glittering eyes looking up at him from the dark.
"Mrooow."
Parker set his face to the asphalt and began to weep. "Stupid ass cat fell in the sewer drain."
Addy knelt down and placed a hand on Parker's shoulder. "You want me to get him?"
"Yeah," Parker said with a sniff. He sat up and slid his nose over his jacket sleeve, observing Addy as she yanked a manhole cover from the street and jumped down into the opening.
"Dammit cat, you clawed me!" Parker heard Addy exclaim, her voice echoing from the hole. "I'm trying to save you, now, stop it! Ow!"
Parker laughed.
As if it were a scene from a superhero comic, Addy shot from the hole like a missile, flew several feet in the air, and then landed in front of Parker, Broadway in hand. She presented the cat to him with an outstretched hand and a smile. "One stupid ass cat, as requested."
"Mew."
Parker grinned widely as he held the dirty kitten to his face. "Hey bud."
YOU ARE READING
Voynich Shift - Season One (COMPLETED)
Science FictionParker Raymond recently inherited his estranged grandfather's large plantation home in Savannah, Georgia. The Spanish Moss hanging from the estate's large oaks, its massive gardens, and a near endless bank account were, in the end, not what captured...
