Kyle West - Extinction

Ashton went to the right while Anna dashed to the left, blade flashing. Makara got a few shots off as the Behemoth advanced forward, spraying the monster in the chest. The bullets had little effect because of its tough skin. Makara and I kept the monster’s attention while we backed away. The wall of the building touched my back, and I slid along its perimeter.

Ashton and Anna had circled around the creature. Anna sliced at the Behemoth’s leg, cutting deep before backing away. The Behemoth swiveled around with a pained roar, its arm extended. But Anna was far out of reach, nimbly backing away from the Behemoth’s attack.

That was when Ashton took his chance to fire into the other leg with his handgun.

The Behemoth bellowed as it dropped to its knees. Still, its white eyes focused on me, as if I had been the source of its pain.

Emboldened, Anna stepped forward, within view of the Behemoth’s eyes. She thrust her blade at the Behemoth’s chest. With lightning reflexes, the monster spun and bashed Anna right in the chest. Anna eluded some of the impact, but still, the attack knocked her back a few feet. The Behemoth turned on its knees, crawling forward for the kill.

“No!” I yelled.

I ran forward, firing into the Behemoth’s exposed back, but none of my bullets penetrated the chitin-like armor that grew there. As Ashton opened fire, the creature rolled into a tight ball so that all of its stone-like skin faced outward.

Anna scrambled away, obviously in great pain. The Behemoth uncurled just a bit, reaching out to grab Anna’s leg.

I was now so close to the Behemoth that I could reach out and touch it. I aimed my Beretta toward its neck, firing into the skin there, which wasn’t so thick. At this range, the bullets finally started doing some damage. The Behemoth gave a loud hiss, turning from Anna to focus on me. Its left fist fell from the red sky like a hammer…

Until Orion flew from above, firing a spray of bullets.

“Back!” I yelled.

As Orion swooped overhead, it unleashed its fury. We dove from its line of fire, and the Behemoth cried as the high-caliber rounds tore into its skin. Geysers of purple blood spewed outward, staining the dirt road. The light in the Behemoth’s white eyes faded as it crumpled onto the road, dead.

Orion circled, landing not far from the town’s central oasis. Everyone ran to the ship, but I ran to Anna, who was struggling to her feet.

I reached her and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Can you run?”

She nodded, leaning on me as I eased her up. She winced and her breaths came out ragged. I had no idea how badly she was hurt, but I had to get her to the ship. Samuel came to help me carry her. Together, we lifted, and ran as fast as we could toward the ship. Everyone else had already boarded.

We ran up the ramp. I could see Augustus standing in the wardroom within, his expression impatient. We went past him, setting Anna on the deck. She groaned in pain. Everyone stood in the wardroom, circling around her.

“We need to get to Perseus,” Ashton said.

“Jonas is going there now,” Augustus said.

The ship lifted, causing Julian and Michael to tumble to the deck. The rest of us grabbed the bulwarks as Orion made its crazy flight north across the oasis. Within half a minute, Sparks had landed the ship. The blast door opened, revealing Perseus a mere fifty feet ahead.

“Go, go, go!” Samuel said.

Everyone ran down Orion’s boarding ramp and up Perseus’s. Once again, Samuel and I toted Anna while the others made sure nothing attacked us from the fields. The coast was clear. Samuel and I were the last ones to enter the ship. As soon as we were on board, the door closed.

We laid Anna down on the deck, her eyes shut from pain. The ship took off.

“Where’s Ashton?” I asked. “He needs to look at Anna.”

“He’s piloting,” Samuel said. “I’ll have him switch out with Makara.”

Samuel left for the bridge.

“Let’s see it,” I said.

Anna raised her shirt up to her ribcage, revealing a deep bruising.

“Just a scratch,” she said.

“You’ve broken a rib,” I said.

“Whatever it is,” Anna said, “it doesn’t look like I’ll be fighting for a while.”

The ship circled as it blasted upward and outward. I had no idea where we were going or what kind of opposition we faced, or if the dragons would be falling upon us soon.

I just knew that with Anna’s injury, we had been dealt a horrible blow.

By the time I reached the bridge, we were high above the clouds, heading southwest. Augustus’s voice came through the speakers.

“Alright. We got out of there alive. Now it’s time for you to help with Black.”

“Copy that,” Ashton said. “We have wounded here.”

“While you have wounded, my men are dying on the battlefield,” Augustus said. “And those monsters aren’t far behind. There’s no time to waste.”

Augustus did have a point, but all the same, Anna needed treatment.

Ashton set Perseus to cruise, giving a nod a satisfaction. He stood, and Makara moved over from the copilot’s seat to take his place.

“Help me move Anna to the clinic, Alex,” he said. “That deck can hardly be comfortable.”

“Sorry,” I said. “We didn’t have time to set her somewhere more comfortable.”

“Don’t apologize to me, kid. Let’s move.”

Samuel and Michael followed Ashton and me off the bridge. Julian took up the copilot’s controls. Makara was taking this opportunity to teach him a bit about flying.

When we entered the wardroom, Anna was lying on her back.

“We’re moving you to the clinic,” Ashton said. “Up you get.”

Anna groaned, but she allowed herself to be lifted up. All four of us moved her, making sure her back remained straight to cause her the least amount of pain. As we entered the compartment, the automatic lights flashed on.

We eased Anna onto the bed. I took off her boots, setting them to the side. She closed her eyes, drawing shallow breaths.

“Hurts like hell,” she said. “Can hardly breathe.”

Ashton nodded, turning to the rest of us. “Let’s give her some space, huh? This shouldn’t take me long.”

“Is it bad?” I asked.

“Alex, I’ll be fine,” she said. “Go.”

We left the clinic. Ashton began to ask Anna some questions, but I couldn’t hear the words because we had already reached the wardroom and were on our way to the bridge.

“Broken ribs can take a while to heal,” Samuel said. “And sometimes, there can be more serious issues.”

“Like what?” I asked, stopping.

“Sometimes, the ribs can pierce a lung or an artery,” he said. “But don’t worry. If it was that bad, we’d know by now. She can at least breathe, even if it’s painful.”

“She needs to see Char,” I said.

Samuel nodded. “I agree. One thing is clear: she’ll be out of action for a while.”

“How long?” I asked.

“Six weeks, minimum.”

Samuel continued on to the bridge. I just stood in the wardroom, shocked.

Michael placed a hand on my shoulder. “Come on, Alex.”

Stunned, I followed Michael back to the bridge. Six weeks or longer. That meant Anna couldn’t fight anymore. In six weeks, we’d have either fought our final battle, or we’d all be dead.

I wanted to go to her, but Samuel pulled me to the bridge.

“Come on, Alex. Keep your head in the game.”

Once we reached the bridge, Makara turned her head.

“We have a problem. Augustus wants us to come straight back to L.A., but we also need to get treatment for Anna. The only person I can think of to do that is Char.”