"Gotcha!” the Creeper snarled as he jumped forwards.
His soiled hands, lined with long, yellowed fingernails snatched for me and I screamed as I did the only thing available to me and fell backwards into the elevator shaft.
I swung out into the wide, open space and my gut swooped. Before I could scream again, the vines tightened and caught me, crushing my stomach and knocking the air from my lungs.
I wheezed to get my breath back and started to hoist myself up the rope as best I could. As I'd thought, I didn't have the strength in my arms and I slipped. The vine rope burned my hands as I tried to stop myself from falling but I jerked back down to the end of the vines regardless.
The Creeper was standing in the doorway, reaching out towards me as I swung in a slow circle and tried not to look down. He was getting more and more agitated.
“Get you, get you, GET YOU!" he screeched as he snatched wildly towards me, nearly falling over the edge several times. It was only a matter of time before he attracted the attention of more of them and my pulse thundered at the thought of it.
I heaved my weight backwards. The rope swung me a little and I shifted to continue the momentum, kicking my legs forward and then back. On the third swing I managed to move a foot or so towards the Creeper and I felt his filthy fingernails scrape the length of my boot. I heaved backwards again and my soles connected with the wall behind me. I kicked against it as hard as I could and swung my legs up in front of me as I barrelled towards the repulsive creature. His eyes widened with surprise.
My feet connected with his midriff with a sickening thump and he was lifted off of the ground and thrown backwards down the corridor where he landed in a heap.
I swung wildly back and forth, listening to the protesting creaking made by the vines as they rubbed against the edge of the hatch above me. I looked up to see Coal, Laurie and Alicia peering down at me.
“Are you finished?" Alicia called, looking like she was trying not to laugh.
“If you feel like helping me out, now would be a good time," I growled.
After a few moments I felt myself inching up towards the hatch.
"Maybe we should just leave her down there, I bet she'd be able to climb it with enough motivation," I heard Laurie grunt from above.
"Hey!" I shouted back irritably.
“Well, if you aren't going to work on your strength training maybe you can go on a diet before our next mission," Alicia joked.
“I'll be up there in a minute and I bet you won't say that to my face," I called.
"I would. I doubt that you can run as fast as me with those little legs," she called back and I laughed.
I looked back towards the corridor just as the Creeper got to his feet and shook his head, staring in my direction. He let out a feral scream and ran straight for me, not pausing as he reached the doorway but leaping out into the shaft, his arms reaching and fingers grasping.
I gasped and tucked my legs up. His fingers brushed the buckle on the side of my boot and then he was falling, falling and - bang! He didn't even scream on the way down.
I reached a hand up through the hatch and felt Coal's warm grasp enfold it within his strong, calloused hand. He hoisted me out and set me on my feet. My cheeks flushed scarlet and I quickly looked away as I remembered the heat of that kiss.
He released my hand and used his knife to cut the vines from my waist.
“Are you okay?" Laurie asked as she drew her pistols.
"Yes," I nodded.
“Good. We need to run," Alicia said. She had her machete back in hand and looked like she was ready to wage a one woman war.
We were standing on the summit of a large hill, the top of which was covered in concrete. There was a winding road leading away down the hill and into the distance, the valley that we had arrived through dropped away to our left.
“How will we get back?" I asked, looking at the steep drop and climb to our left. "We can't get back up that hill."
"There's an old bridge behind those trees." Laurie pointed with her gun. "We found it when we were getting the vines."
A shriek echoed up from the hatch and we looked down to see a Creeper woman pointing up at us from the top floor and howling. Coal kicked the hatch shut and cut off her noise.
“They know this area better than we could ever hope to, they'll be after us in minutes," Alicia breathed. "We have to move."
We ran so fast that it felt like my feet were off the ground more than they were on it. We tore through the damp undergrowth heading for the bridge, Laurie taking the lead. Our boots slipped and stuck in the thick mud but we ploughed on heedlessly.
A flash of lightning threw the forest into sudden and brilliant definition, followed immediately by thunder that rumbled loudly above our heads.
Enormous drops of rain began to hit us and within moments we found ourselves in the middle of a torrential downpour. I was drenched almost instantly. My hair was saturated and the cold, which had seemed harsh before, took on a penetrating chill that pierced me to the core.
The forest floor became a torrent of water and mud that flowed up and over my boots. Little rivers formed on the huge leaves above us and tumbled their way to the ground in mini waterfalls.
"I can see the bridge!” Laurie called from the front of the group and we put on a burst of speed.
There was no sound from the surrounding forest beyond the splashing and splattering caused by the tide of water. It thundered off of every surface and made it impossible to hear anything else.
The water fell so heavily that it obscured my vision too. Shadows loomed and threatened to become any kind of terrifying thing. I had no idea how Laurie could know where she was going.
We burst through the trees and skidded to a halt in front of the bridge. It was huge and reached out over the abyss like a pointing finger. Vines had snaked their way up and around the supporting struts. The metal floor of the bridge itself was pocketed with holes and rust, the crumbling mess of what remained in place looked ready to fall apart. We paused and stood staring at it while the heavy rain pounded against the bridge so hard that it vibrated.
“There's not another, better maintained bridge around the corner is there?" I asked, pushing my drenched hair back over my shoulders.
I was shivering and my fingers were trembling. Water ran over me in a never ending cascade and I couldn't imagine feeling warm ever again.
“Let's just take it slowly, there's no sign of the Creepers yet." Coal stepped forward and placed a foot tentatively onto the bridge. It held. He took another step and then another. "Come on, it feels fine," he called back to us as he continued forward cautiously.
Alicia went next, taking a different route on the other side of the bridge, using the metal barrier as a support. Laurie clapped me on the arm bracingly before setting her own route. I bit my lip to try and stop my teeth from chattering as I hesitated.
I stood with my feet in the mud, looking back at the menacing forest for signs of the Creepers and as I watched, the rain blew aside, momentarily giving me a clear view of the trees.
A flock of birds suddenly took flight from the forest to my right and I watched their quick ascent until my lashes filled with drops of rainwater.
I looked back at the bridge but the others were just fuzzy shapes in the mist. I pulled my boots from the sticky mud which sucked and pulled at them in resistance and started to follow them across.
The metal felt flaky and insubstantial under my boots but it didn't seem to be about to give way any time soon. Each step I took made the bridge vibrate and the gravelly texture under my feet made me slip.
I was more than used to heights after living in the city and was almost pleased to have a familiar danger to face. Once I felt sure the whole thing wasn’t about to collapse, I picked up the pace and jogged to catch up with the others. The vibrations of my footsteps thunked through the metal structure beneath my feet but the bridge held firm.
Coal had stopped ahead of me and was waiting half
way across the bridge.
“What's the holdup?" he called as the rain tried its hardest to stop the sound of his voice from reaching me.
“Just making sure we aren't being followed yet!" I yelled back as I closed the distance between us.
Coal started to get something out of his pack. It looked like he was unwinding a coiled wire, but it was hard to make out through the haze of falling water. My teeth chattered harder and I reached out to take hold of the barrier next to me while I waited for him to finish what he was doing. The metal was slick and smooth under my numb fingers and I knew that if I fell there was no way I’d be able to maintain a grip on it.
Strangely, the thought didn't scare me. I would happily take a plunge into that abyss over a lethal encounter with a Creeper.
I glanced over the edge at the huge drop below us. Years of living in the city had made me immune to any fear of heights and I regarded the view with interest. The valley, filled with greenery of every shade, stretched away beneath me. Where the hills rose up again on either side, they kept climbing until they disappeared into the low hanging clouds and were hidden from view.
“What are you doing?" I asked, moving closer to Coal.
I had to raise my voice close to a shout to be heard over the rain that rang noisily against the metal bridge.
“Making sure they can't follow us." He attached the wire to a brown block wrapped in plastic and placed it by the supportive strut, next to the barrier.
I peered back across the bridge to the bank we’d just vacated, looking for signs of movement.
Coal crossed the bridge and placed another identical brown block by the support on the opposite side. He jogged back to join me and we ran to the far side of the bridge together where Laurie and Alicia were already waiting. He uncoiled the rest of the wire behind us as we went.
"What are we waiting for?" I asked through my chattering teeth.
“I have to finish this," Coal said.
A look passed between him and Alicia that screamed of trouble. He was still fiddling with the wire and anticipation coiled in my gut.
A strong wind gusted around us and the rain was driven across the valley in a sheet, increasing our visibility.
A shriek announced the arrival of the Creepers and I watched in horror as around thirty of them poured from the trees. Their greasy hair was flying out behind their filth-smeared bodies as they ran bare foot through the mud, showing no signs of slowing down for the bridge.
Their screams of rage blended together to create a terrifying song of dread which set my nerves on edge. It made me want to run and hide and do anything at all except stand still and watch them come for us.
I took a step back, then another, but Alicia reached out and grabbed my arm to stop me. I glared at her but she wasn't paying any attention, just maintaining an iron grip on my wrist.
“Come and get us!" Coal roared at them and he burst out laughing as they teemed onto the bridge, screaming their rage at us.
I was sure he'd gone mad, or maybe he knew it was no use and we were dead anyway. I tugged at Alicia's grip on my wrist again but I knew I wouldn't be able to outrun that hoard.
"Buh-bye," Alicia laughed, waving at them with her free hand as Coal slammed his fist onto the detonator.
A deafening boom went up from the bridge. A flash of orange light bloomed into a fireball high above our heads and a wave of hot air blew around us, making my hair fly back and warming my face uncomfortably for a moment as I was knocked back a step. It was so hot that the rain sizzled out of existence in a cloud surrounding us for a few seconds.
I stared in a state of disbelief as my brain struggled to process what had just happened. For a moment there I'd known that I was going to die. I'd known it so certainly that I was having trouble admitting that I was still very much alive.
Coal and Alicia were whooping and cheering and I couldn't help but join in. Coal grabbed me and spun me in a circle before setting me back down on my feet and throwing his arm around my shoulders as we watched the devastation unfold. And I had to admit I really liked the way I fit beneath his arm.
A cloud of grey dust billowed up and lumps of metal were thrown into the air only to plummet down into the valley below. I caught a few glimpses of Creepers being flung down too and laughed with relief.
The dust cleared and I could see the mangled edge of the bridge, still attached to the rocks in front of us. There was a similar lump on the other side of the gap but it was too far to jump. A cluster of Creepers, howling with frustration, lined the opposite bank baring their teeth and snapping their jaws at us.
A huge, filth-smeared man with a bare, heavily muscled chest covered in scars stepped forward. He shook a filthy mane of black hair away from his face, splattering water outwards like a dog shaking its fur as he raised a hand and pointed at us.
“You're dead already," he snarled and the sound carried across the abyss between us as if he were standing just feet away. "It's just a matter of time." He turned and headed back into the forest, followed by the others, the weight of his words sending a shiver of fear through me. The wall of rain fell harder than before and obscured our view once again.
"Is that their King?" Alicia asked, looking to Coal for her answer.
“Looks like it. We should move, I don't think that's them giving up somehow," Coal said and he turned to head into the forest, releasing me as he held his assault rifle ready.
“Do we know where the truck is?" Laurie asked, looking from side to side as she tried to get her bearings.
Alicia flipped out the GPS. "Follow me," she said, leading the way into the cover of the trees, shoving huge leaves aside as she went.
It seemed like we were out of danger for now, but I’d only relax once we were back in the truck and driving the fuck away from this place.
The truck was sitting right where we'd left it, covered by the camouflage tarp at the end of the dark track. It took us a few moments to spot where it was hiding, shrouded in the shadows. Coal pulled the tarp off and we all jumped in. Kaloo still hadn't made an appearance but Coal reassured me that she would turn up.
Alicia threw the truck into reverse and we started the bumpy journey back towards the road. She cranked up the heating and I wrung my hair and clothes out as best I could, trying to force some feeling back into my numb limbs. I threw my coat down into the footwell with everyone else's; it was too wet for it to have any prospect of keeping me warm anymore anyway.
Coal scooted across the middle seat to sit next to me and threw his arm around my shoulders. I sighed, relaxing back into the chair and rested my head on his chest, shamelessly taking advantage of his body heat and not minding the opportunity to enjoy the feeling of his body pressed up against mine. After a while I was able to stop shivering and I let my eyes fall closed as exhaustion tugged at me.
The bumping and jostling of the truck was strangely reassuring and I felt myself begin to drift off, listening to the steady thud of Coal's heartbeat. We were safe at last and I’d soon be back with Taylor too. Maybe he’d woken up already and would be waiting for me with a cheesy grin and a bad joke to make me laugh.
My thoughts drifted and I was running through the forest, my feet gliding rather than touching the ground as my hair blew around me softly. I was chasing something and as I turned a corner, I saw that it was a huge cat with golden fur and a long mane.
"It's a lion," a deep voice informed me as I reached a hand out towards the beautiful monster.
The cat opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar.
My eyes snapped open and I spotted a huge, yellow vehicle careening towards us between the trees to the left of the truck. It had a big scoop on the front of it, lined with ridges like teeth. I caught a glimpse of wild eyes behind the steering wheel as it shot straight for the side of the truck.
Coal's arms were wrapped around me and I clung to him as I screamed and the scoop closed the gap between us, smashing straight into the side of our truck. It flipped us over as easily
as the wind would blow a leaf.
The truck tumbled over and over and I slammed heavily into the roof and back into the seats as pain crashed through my body. Coal was wrenched away from me and flung over to the other side of the cab. Laurie was screaming and it was all I could do to try and cover my head to protect myself. The windows smashed, littering us with glass which sliced my face and arms where the skin was exposed.
I was thrown like a rag doll back and forth. Finally, the rolling ended and Coal was launched back towards me. The truck skidded to a halt on its roof as it hit a gnarled tree trunk and we were propelled around as the truck rotated.
I fought to grab hold of anything to stop myself from sliding amongst the pile of broken glass and we finally fell still.
Coal was on top of me and he hissed in pain as he rolled aside and pulled a long slither of metal from his thigh.
"Are you okay?" he asked me, ignoring the fact that blood was pissing down his leg.
"I think so," I said, doing a quick check and not feeling anything too serious. I tried to catch my breath and ignore the thin trails of blood running down my arms.
“Then move." He shoved me towards the shattered window and I pulled myself out on my stomach, wincing as more pieces of glass found purchase in my skin.
I rolled aside and Coal followed.
"Over here," Laurie beckoned from behind a tree a little further into the surrounding woodland and we scrambled over to her as we tried to catch our breath.
"Alicia?" Coal asked in a low voice but Laurie shook her head.
“She was thrown through the windscreen, I think I saw her get up though."
There was a thick thorn bush next to us and Coal shoved his way inside, holding the foliage back to let us in too. We sat still, holding our breath as the first Creeper came into sight.
Laurie had blood running down her face from a wound hidden in her hair. She wiped it away from her eye and pulled a pistol into her lap.
“Tick, tick, tick, boom," a scraggy looking female muttered as she circled past our hiding place.
Rebel Rising: A Dystopian Romance (Cage of Lies Book 1) Page 30
