Saving Eden (Original Series book 3)

by Rachel McClellan

  I glance at Link. "Go!"

  He doesn't have to be told twice. He takes off running toward the plumes of smoke in the west.

  I shove Shred away.

  "I wasn't actually going to tell him," Shred snaps.

  "You threatened it!"

  "Can we discuss this later?" Jenna asks. "We have to get inside now."

  Shred turns to Jenna. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

  She eyes the building up and down. "Is there a way to get at it from above? Does the security field reach that high?"

  "Probably, but we could always drop you on top to see," he says sarcastically.

  "Shut up!" Jenna and I say at the same time.

  I shake my head and stare hard at the building. We can't get in through any of the side entrances, can't go from above, but… my gaze lowers to the street, and I whirl around. I hurry back the way I came searching the ground until I find what I'm looking for.

  "What are you doing?" Jenna asks.

  I roll a body off a thin metal covering to the tunnels below, lift it, and stare down into the darkness. I rear back when a stench, far greater than what surrounds me now, punches me in the face.

  Jenna comes up behind me. "You’re not actually thinking about going in there, right?"

  Shred laughs. "Don't you think we've considered the sewage tunnels as an option? They’re miles long, made bigger by the Institute as a form of security. The tunnels even connect to neighboring cities. There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of Junks down there. The Institute even feeds them to keep them close."

  "It's our only option," I say, my voice quiet. I hated the last time I encountered Junks, nearly died in fact, but I also know a section of the tunnel leads straight to the basement of Elise Tower. I doubt there's a door, though. I'll probably have to break through a wall or something. Do I want to take that chance?

  "I know you're all super and everything," Shred says, "but this is suicide."

  I straighten. "Not if we do it right."

  "And what is the right way to get past hundreds of deadly Junks?" Jenna asks, wiping her hand against her forehead. A red streak smears across her skin.

  I stare down into the hole. "We need to feed them."

  Shred laughs again. "I can't take this anymore. I'm going to go figure out a real solution."

  I look around at all of the stores hoping to spot a grocery store or some other place that might have meat, but even if there is one, it's burned up or buried in rubble. I lower my shoulders, my gaze falling…onto a dead body.

  "No," I say before I can stop the word.

  Jenna frowns. "No what?"

  I bring my hand to my mouth and shake my head. I can't believe I'm considering it. There are so many dead bodies all around me. Rafe wouldn't even hesitate, but I'm not Rafe. I glance down at my bloodied clothes. Maybe I'm worse.

  "What's going on?" Jenna asks, her voice growing louder.

  I point at the body and attempt to say, "meat", but I choke on the word.

  "Quit acting all crazy!" Jenna says and shakes my arm. "Talk normal."

  Clearing my throat, I say, "Meat."

  Jenna follows my pointed finger. "You can't be serious."

  I look up at her, my eyes pleading. "I don't know what else to do."

  "There's got to be another way," she says and walks back toward Shred.

  I step away from the hole and follow the line down the street as it goes back into the town. There's another entrance not too far away, and another one after that. If we could distract the Junks long enough, all I will have to do is sprint to the Tower, find a way in and then shut off the security barrier. Sounds easy enough, but as I bring up my fingers to swipe hair out of my eyes, my hand shakes.

  I walk back to the others. Shred and Jenna are arguing about what to do. He thinks our group should circle around back to meet up with Rafe. Maybe Rafe has an idea. Jenna thinks we should just leave and go help Colt and Tank with the Originals. We can attack Elise Tower later, and who cares if Ebony escapes with Fenoquel. We will find a way to get it later.

  "Enough!" I shout, silencing them. "Just help me. I'm going in."

  Shred's eyebrows lift. "You know you'd be going in alone, right?"

  I nod.

  He shrugs. "It's your life. What do we need to do?"

  I don't look at Jenna when I say, "We need to feed the Junks."

  Shred rolls his eyes. "I already told you—"

  "—with bodies," I finish. I'm doing what needs to be done, I think. Just like Rafe.

  His mouth drops open and several people behind him murmur their disapproval.

  "This is our only shot," I plead.

  He puffs air through his lips. "You heard the lady. Everyone grab a body, not one of our own!"

  I personally take hold of the collars of two guards and drag them to the second entrance. The others are slow to follow.

  "Hurry!" I yell. This makes them move faster.

  I gather at least a dozen bodies at my entrance and order Shred to do the same at their entrance down the road.

  He jogs back to me. "Now what?"

  "I need something that will make an explosion, as many as you have."

  "Um," he pats his uniform until he feels something on his left hip. He reaches into a pocket and removes a small disk the size of my palm. "It's all I have. Press the center for three seconds, then get the hell out of the way."

  I take it from him and tuck into my suit. "Anything else?"

  A man behind me steps forward. "I have a wind blaster that still has a charge on it. You can use it."

  "Thanks," I say and tuck the gun-like weapon into my empty holster.

  A few others step forward and hand me a few knives and guns. I only take one of each because the others may need them once I turn off the security field. I have no idea how many guards are still inside.

  I glance down at Shred's long machete. "I would like to take that, though."

  His lips purse together, and his hand tightens around the black handle. "Just don't lose it down there. It's my favorite. Oh, and you're going to need this." He hands me a headlamp.

  "Thanks." I secure it around my head and look up. "When I say, start dropping bodies into the holes and keep adding more if it looks like Junks are leaving."

  I jog back to the first tunnel entrance. Jenna comes with me.

  "Are you sure about this?" she asks.

  "No."

  "Then don't do it!"

  "Someone needs to get in there to shut off the security field!" I drop onto all fours and peer into the open hole, sucking in air between my teeth when beady red eyes greet me. The creature hisses.

  "Let me go with you then," Jenna insists. "It's not like those Junks are wearing ear plugs. My super scream could really hurt them."

  I turn away from the Junk, trying to ignore the knots in my gut. "Or maybe it won't. Depending upon their level of degeneration, they might not even have eardrums anymore. I'm not going to take that chance. Not with you." I glance up at her. "Besides, I need you to help keep the others safe. They need you."

  She crosses her arms to her chest. "They don't need me, but thanks for saying so. Just be careful."

  "I will." I look up at Shred and call, "Drop the bodies!"

  The sound of metal sliding against metal makes my stomach hurt even more as the manholes are opened. They shove the bodies into the tunnels, one after another.

  "Junk left," Jenna says.

  I glance down. It wasn't just him, but dozens of them are scattering below rushing toward the smell of meat.

  "It's clear," I say. I lock eyes with Jenna. "See you on the other side."

  I don't wait for her response before I jump into the hole, my arms crossed over my chest. I land in a crouch and look up. In the distance, there is swarm of movement like a giant ant pile surrounding a dead frog. The familiar sound of ragged breathing, choking, tearing and slashing bring back all the nightmares I had tried hard to forget.

  Just then, my light reflec
ts off the eyes of at least three Junks. They've spotted me.

  I turn the opposite direction and run, pumping my arms as fast as I can.

  Junks are coming. I can hear them. There's so many that I can't make out individual footsteps, only the roaring and clawing of a great beast.

  The light shines in front of me, but I can only see so far. The tunnel is narrow and not that high. There would be nowhere for me to escape to other than to go forward.

  Seconds past. Any moment I should hit a basement wall or something. It should be here! I keep running, staying as far ahead of the Junks as possible.

  Something's wrong. I shine my light all around. I should be directly under the building now. In fact, I know I am. The tunnel must go directly through their basement like it's built into their walls somehow.

  Just ahead I spot a long pipe crossing the top of the tunnel and beneath it is a narrow metal plate. That's got to my entrance and probably the only one.

  I glance over my shoulder. I won't have long.

  As soon as I reach the plate, I punch as hard as I can, denting the metal. I punch again and again, but only more dents. Trying to steady my shaking hands, I use my knife to pry at the edges, trying to get my blade underneath. It bends a little. I hit it again.

  The Junks are super close now and closing in fast. There are so many of them that they are practically running on top of each other. The sound of them barreling down on me is deafening.

  I withdraw the wind blaster, point it toward them, and fire. The shock of it knocks over the entire group, and they fall to the ground twitching and shaking. This will only stun them for maybe a minute, and it couldn't have gotten the whole group. There could easily be many more coming behind them.

  Instead of hitting the metal grating again, I kick at it. Over and over as hard as I can. This seems to make more of a difference. I use the blade again and pry more of the edges up.

  A growling, gurgling sound stops me. I glance over. The Junks are getting up. Using all my strength, I kick at the grating one last time. It explodes inward.

  The Junks are almost upon me!

  I scramble inside the hole. It's a long, rectangular duct that barely fits me. I army crawl forward, my heart pounding within my chest. I glance back. A Junk climbs in after me, its claws scraping against the metal flooring. Scooting faster, I look ahead. There's another vent covering. If it doesn't give like the last one, I could be dead.

  Withdrawing the gun, I point it backward and fire. It catches the Junk in his already rotting face, but when he drops to the ground another one climbs over him, bile spilling over his half-missing jaw.

  I fire a few more times at whatever I see moving, then turn and continue to scamper to the end. The faintest of light spills through the grates in the vent. I'm almost there!

  The narrow duct vibrates with all the motion happening behind me. I reach the grating and punch almost all the way through it. Thank goodness the metal here is thinner.

  I punch again and break it wide open. I slide into the room and onto the floor where I rotate quickly onto my back, the gun pointed at the opening. I fire many times when several small heads, flesh peeling from their faces, appear.

  My other hand fumbles for the explosive disk in my pocket. As soon as I have it firmly in my grip, I press the center button as instructed and toss it hard into the tunnel.

  And then I run.

  26

  I almost make it out of whatever room I'm in before the disk explodes, knocking me straight into a wall just outside the door. I hit it hard and slide to the floor. Stars blur my vision and almost fade into blackness, but I will myself to stay conscious. The explosion will alert everyone in the building to my intrusion. I need to move quickly.

  The hole I've escaped through is gone. All that remains is a pile of rubble. Rivers of red trickle their way through dozens of cracks.

  I pull myself to my feet and keep my hands against the wall for support as I stumble down a long hall. My vision is still blurry, but it looks like I'm in some sort of office area. The lights are bright, and I pass several desks. In the distance, I spot a sign above a door that says "EXIT".

  So far I have yet to encounter anyone. Rafe was smart to insist on an attack on Sunday. At first, I thought it was because he was eager for a fight, but maybe it was because he knew there would be fewer employees. Maybe he isn't entirely the monster I think he is, only partly.

  By the time I reach the exit, my vision has cleared. I open the door and peer into a stairwell that goes up several stories. I'm slow at first, but I hurry up the steps as fast as I can. Pressing my ear to the first-floor door, I listen for sounds. There's a group of hurried voices on the other side talking at once. They're preparing to investigate the explosion. Only one thinks we've gotten inside. The others think it is impossible. When I hear them near the door, I quickly dart up the stairwell and hide around the corner.

  The door bursts open and several footsteps rush down the stairs. By the sounds of them, I guess it was five people. As soon as it's safe to descend, I return to the door and slowly open it. It's a short, empty hallway. I slip inside. To my right is another door, but to my left, the hall curves. I go that way because that's where more voices are coming from.

  Just around the corner, the space opens up into a monstrous atrium-like room with the ceiling at least four stories high. The other floors have metal railings and can look down to where I am. Across the way is a small reception area. To my left is their security center surrounded by a glass wall. Three men sit inside watching lit up screens showing what's going on outside. One of them shows Rafe at the rear of the building. He's got some kind of large, square contraption shooting sparks out its round top near the invisible barrier. If I have to guess, I'd say he is trying to electrocute the field in hopes of short-circuiting it. One of the guards laughs at him.

  I glance at another screen. I can see Jenna near the opening of the hole I jumped into. So they saw that. They must have thought me so dumb to go into the tunnels. I quickly glance at the other screens. There is no clear view to where we dropped the bodies into the other holes so at least they didn't know our full plan.

  Beyond the glass-encased security room are two sets of staircases. One goes up to the second floor and the other ends at an elevator. If possible, I need to get on that elevator. It will take me the closest to where I think Max is being held.

  I risk sticking my head out a little more to find the entrance into the glass room when I spot something that makes my heart stop. Myers is slumped against the glass, his head down, and his chest covered in blood. A gun rests in his open palm.

  I press against the wall breathing fast. They killed him. His plan to gain access to security had failed, and they'd killed him for it.

  I clench my jaw and curl my fingers to my palms. I need to act quickly.

  Since I'm already covered in blood and wearing a suit similar to the guards who were outside, I drop to the floor and begin to drag myself around the corner, gasping for breath.

  "What is that?" one of the guard's asks.

  Another: "Go find out."

  A moment later I come into view. "Help me."

  The door flies open and the guard rushes to my aid, but before he reaches me, I jump to my feet, run him through with a knife, and catch the door just before it closes.

  The two remaining guards, one a Pecarrian, the other I'm not sure about because she wears an eye patch, withdraw their weapons, but before either can discharge it, I toss the bloodied knife in my hand directly at the Pecarrian. It sticks in his head. His eyes widen and his mouth drops open before he falls backward onto a chair and slides to the floor.

  The woman with the eye patch fires her gun. I dive out of the way, but it catches me in the shoulder. At this close range, it breaks through my suit and pierces my skin. She points to shoot again, but I dive into a somersault and swipe her legs out from under her. The gun explodes upward taking out a ceiling light. Before she can cause any more damage, I drive my el
bow into her face knocking her out cold.

  While lying on the floor, I drop my head back and groan. The pain in my shoulder is severe. I sit up and attempt to rotate my arm, but can only move it halfway before it catches on whatever was shot into me. The metal jacket of the bullet must be positioned just right, preventing full movement. I reach up and grimace as I push into the wound. I can just barely feel the casing, but at least I can feel it. That's going to have to come out, especially if there's more fighting to do.

  First thing first. I need to shut down security, destroy the whole thing if I can.

  I pull myself to my feet and drop into the chair in front of the computers. I wave my hand across the desk producing a hologrammed instrument panel. I see the voice command button and push it.

  "Shut off security field," I order.

  "Voice not recognized," a man's computerized voice answers back.

  I curse, thinking hard.

  "Use fingerprint," I say.

  Nothing happens.

  I try again. "Identify."

  The outline of a handprint appears in front of me. I take hold of the nearest guard and lift her arm. I press her hand to the image. A blue light scans over it then disappears.

  "Security field off," the voice says.

  I lean back into my seat, a great sigh escaping my lungs. Now to get rid of the bullet.

  It doesn't take me long to find a first aid kit tucked into a cupboard beneath the desk. I won't have long. Rafe and Shred's group will be charging in here any second.

  I grab a pair of tweezers, grunting as I shove it into the wound, digging around until I have a grip. I rip it from me, just as the front doors near the reception area fly open and Shred and Jenna come running in followed by the others.

  Jenna shakes her head at me. "You did it!"

  Rafe appears from a hallway on the other side, along with at least a dozen men. I hope the rest of his group is outside, maybe even helping Link and Tank. There's a cut across his cheek and his eyebrows are drawn together. I hurry out of the glass room, pressing a bandage to my shoulder.