Vicious Memories

Chapter 96

"What gun?"

"It came over the wall." I turned to Arun. "We need to get it before the water seeps inside."

"I didn't see anything."

"I did," Alice said, and I could immediately tell from her tone that she was covering for me. A precious second slipped away as Arun looked back and forth between us.

"We get the gun," I said, "we save lives. We don't, we probably die. I'm going."

We all turned back to the barricade where, like a monster rising from the depths, a huge piece of corrugated metal appeared. Behind it I could see the arms and shoulders of several Strangers, using it as a shield to get over the barricade. Throwing a spear now would be as effective as using a slingshot on a tank.

Our window to get to the side passage began to close swiftly.

"Wait."

I stumbled, already half a step out into the open.

Arun looked at me thoughtfully, grudgingly. I had seen so many sides of his personality by this point that I didn't think geometry even had a shape to describe him. Between blinks he could try to kill me, then turn around and accept my opinions as gospel. We could shift from mortal enemies to partners in a single conversation. His emotions were constantly at a boil, but I knew they all stemmed from a savage need to protect what he felt was his responsibility.

He took a deep breath and picked up one of the last spears from the bundle on the wall. It took me a moment to realize it was his, marked by the carvings running up and down its length.

With his free hand he pointed at my chest.

"You and Alice are the better shots. You go get the gun." He gestured toward Scott, who stepped forward reflexively. "We'll hold them off."

I nodded as he tilted his head back and, with a harsh shout, charged directly at the barricade. Scott followed on his heels.

"Let's go," I said.

Lightning flashed rhythmically, a strobe light illuminating our sprint for the gun.

Flash. The water in the middle of the clearing sucked at our feet, trying to slow us down. Flash. Arun and Scott reached the barricade, running directly into the metal sheet shoulder first, toppling the Strangers behind it to the ground. Flash. One of our own spears came sailing back over the barricade and split the air two feet to my right. Flash. Alice nearly slipped as we turned the corner into the side passage. Flash. It was darker between the narrow walls than I'd expected. Precious seconds ticked away as we searched the floor. My chest felt like it was burning as I listened to the grunts and screams of humans trying to end each others' lives.

Flash. Matte black sitting on the ground like a deadly spider. Flash. Neon blue lightning picked the pistol out against the background. Flash. The grip was wet but reassuring in my hand. I prayed that the water hadn't penetrated the bullet shells and reached the powder within. Gabriel had all the extra round of ammunition with him.

Flash. A taunting female voice floated over the nearest wall, skipping through the darkness to reach me. "A present for you, Ollie," it said. Flash. Alice stared up at the wall, letting me know she had heard it, too. Flash. Thunder accompanied this most recent burst of brilliance, a sound so loud it made my lungs seize. I coughed. Flash. We turned to the cave's rocky foyer, struggling to keep our footing.

Flash.

I surveyed the scene in a single heartbeat.

Three injured Strangers lay on the wet stone, their injuries varied, their lack of movement a common thread. The sheet of metal they'd used as a shield lay discarded to one side. More Strangers sought to clamber over the barricade, their heads visible.

To our right two assailants remained on their feet, trying to get past Arun's circling spear. Behind Arun, Scott lay on the ground. He tried and failed to get up even as I watched. One of the Strangers lunged forward, trying to slip a knife below Arun's guard. He sidestepped the knife and brought his spear down on the Stranger's head—

—but his sidestep carried him directly into a second Stranger's path.

A vicious hunting knife swung in a long arc toward Arun's neck.

I said a silent prayer to Alice's spirits, begging for forgiveness even as I prayed for my aim to be true. It felt as if a hundred other moments and people flashed before my eyes, a hundred other times I'd dispassionately taken lives, and in that microsecond some part of me knew that this time was no different, no matter what justifications I allowed myself to make.

The gun felt like an old friend as I brought it up, sighted down the barrel, and squeezed the trigger without hesitation.

Flash. A crack blasted out of my hand and whipped through the caves.

The Stranger before Arun crumpled to the ground, a hole burned in the back of his skull.

Time stood still as everybody stared at the dead man, trying to figure out what had just happened. The Strangers broke free from the trance first and backed away quickly.

Arun's closed his eyes and heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Thank god," he said.

"Ow." Alice had her hand over her right ear. "Warn me next time."

I swung the gun toward the main barricade, where the visible faces promptly dropped out of sight like retreating prairie dogs.

"How is he?" Alice and I hurried over to Scott.

"I'll be fine."

It took some help, but Scott managed to get to his feet. A bad gash ran down one of his legs, and a worse one scored his ribs. Alice stooped to tie them both off.

The metallic tang of blood filled the caves again, refusing to be washed away by the storm, stitching itself into the air along with the scent of flowers and earth, a red thread running through everything around us.

"We need to catch up to everyone," Arun said. "Let them know we got the gun back."

I looked down at the bodies lying all across the floor.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked for the second time.

"Fine."

"Are you sure? You—"

"Later," I said, reaching out blindly to take her hand in mine. My skin tingled where it pressed against hers.

"Let's go," Arun said, looking down the path to the east gate. "Now."

He slung Scott's arm around his shoulder and took the lead. We followed a second later, wondering if we'd find answers at the end of this path or just more dead friends.