black labyrinth like an immovable force attempting to hold back the unstoppable tide.
He glanced right to see Susan still clutching the woman’s leg.
A fearsome bellow of noise gusted through the chamber. This is it , Hilt thought, refocusing on the passage ahead. No more running. No more hiding. No more chasing. It ends here, one way or another .
The last surviving members of his recon team came steaming out of the dark.
‘It’s right behind us!’ one of them shouted.
Hilt flicked the switch on his reserve rifle to full auto and the shimmering blue-green light burst from the black.
‘FIRE!’ Hilt roared.
Weapons blazed. Bullets and beams of energy tore into the light, but the creature shrieked and flew on.
Hilt dived right and kept firing as two of his men disappeared in an explosion of blood.
The creature attacked again and Hilt slid a mine into its path. The detonation rocked the ground beneath his feet, but the light persisted. Hilt rolled aside as the creature smashed one soldier from his feet and then pinned another to the ground, before dragging him screaming into the labyrinth.
Hilt signalled to one of his men. The man nodded and loaded a tactical missile into his rifle’s launch mechanism.
‘As soon as it reappears,’ Hilt said through the com, ‘take it out.’
‘Sir,’ the soldier said, ‘no one will survive the blast.’
Hilt glanced at Susan and the three civilians. ‘It’s for the best,’ he said, with a heavy heart, ‘this thing can’t be allowed to return to camp. Director Goodwin would understand.’
The soldier nodded and took aim.
♦
Sarah watched in horror as the Darklight soldiers fought the creature and died without even slowing it down. With over half his force massacred, only the leader and less than twenty of his unit remained. And when they’d fallen, there would be just four, unarmed civilians left to face it alone.
Sarah hoped – prayed – for another miracle and her hand clasped Trish’s locket in unconscious desperation. A lull in the fighting allowed her short relief before the light came again.
♦
The creature reappeared inside the entrance before blinking out of existence. Hilt cursed and the man with the missile launcher glanced in his leader’s direction before a gush of blood burst from his lips.
The dying form of his lieutenant was lifted into the air and Hilt’s helplessness turned to rage.
‘SWORDS!’ Sprinting forward, Hilt drew forth his thermal blade.
The light vanished again and the mangled corpse slumped to the ground.
♦
Sarah saw the Darklight leader slow to a stop, his glowing eyes turning this way and that as he sought their hunter. In his hand, a bright shining blade pulsed in the dark like a weapon forged by God. Around him seven other swords shone out with the same white brilliance.
Sarah held her breath, but as the seconds ticked by only darkness stirred.
‘Where is it?’ Trish said, her voice shaking.
Sarah didn’t know.
After a minute of deathly silence the Darklight leader separated himself from his unit and approached.
‘Has it gone?’ Trish said.
‘For now.’ The Darklight man switched off his white hot sword, retracted his mask and held something out to Sarah.
She opened her hand and he dropped her two pentagonal pendants into her palm.
He then passed her the Anakim parchments, before withdrawing the orb from another compartment. ‘What is this?’ he said, holding it up for inspection.
‘Just an artefact,’ Sarah said, making sure she kept her tone as bland as possible.
He studied the orb before tossing it to her. He glanced at Trish. ‘She seems to like you,’ he said, indicating Susan, who cowered behind her. ‘If you can keep her from running off, I’ll do my best to get you safely back to the USSB.’ He removed a small pouch from his armour and held it out to her. ‘For the arm.’
Trish reached out and accepted the offering.
‘You haven’t told us who you
He glanced right to see Susan still clutching the woman’s leg.
A fearsome bellow of noise gusted through the chamber. This is it , Hilt thought, refocusing on the passage ahead. No more running. No more hiding. No more chasing. It ends here, one way or another .
The last surviving members of his recon team came steaming out of the dark.
‘It’s right behind us!’ one of them shouted.
Hilt flicked the switch on his reserve rifle to full auto and the shimmering blue-green light burst from the black.
‘FIRE!’ Hilt roared.
Weapons blazed. Bullets and beams of energy tore into the light, but the creature shrieked and flew on.
Hilt dived right and kept firing as two of his men disappeared in an explosion of blood.
The creature attacked again and Hilt slid a mine into its path. The detonation rocked the ground beneath his feet, but the light persisted. Hilt rolled aside as the creature smashed one soldier from his feet and then pinned another to the ground, before dragging him screaming into the labyrinth.
Hilt signalled to one of his men. The man nodded and loaded a tactical missile into his rifle’s launch mechanism.
‘As soon as it reappears,’ Hilt said through the com, ‘take it out.’
‘Sir,’ the soldier said, ‘no one will survive the blast.’
Hilt glanced at Susan and the three civilians. ‘It’s for the best,’ he said, with a heavy heart, ‘this thing can’t be allowed to return to camp. Director Goodwin would understand.’
The soldier nodded and took aim.
♦
Sarah watched in horror as the Darklight soldiers fought the creature and died without even slowing it down. With over half his force massacred, only the leader and less than twenty of his unit remained. And when they’d fallen, there would be just four, unarmed civilians left to face it alone.
Sarah hoped – prayed – for another miracle and her hand clasped Trish’s locket in unconscious desperation. A lull in the fighting allowed her short relief before the light came again.
♦
The creature reappeared inside the entrance before blinking out of existence. Hilt cursed and the man with the missile launcher glanced in his leader’s direction before a gush of blood burst from his lips.
The dying form of his lieutenant was lifted into the air and Hilt’s helplessness turned to rage.
‘SWORDS!’ Sprinting forward, Hilt drew forth his thermal blade.
The light vanished again and the mangled corpse slumped to the ground.
♦
Sarah saw the Darklight leader slow to a stop, his glowing eyes turning this way and that as he sought their hunter. In his hand, a bright shining blade pulsed in the dark like a weapon forged by God. Around him seven other swords shone out with the same white brilliance.
Sarah held her breath, but as the seconds ticked by only darkness stirred.
‘Where is it?’ Trish said, her voice shaking.
Sarah didn’t know.
After a minute of deathly silence the Darklight leader separated himself from his unit and approached.
‘Has it gone?’ Trish said.
‘For now.’ The Darklight man switched off his white hot sword, retracted his mask and held something out to Sarah.
She opened her hand and he dropped her two pentagonal pendants into her palm.
He then passed her the Anakim parchments, before withdrawing the orb from another compartment. ‘What is this?’ he said, holding it up for inspection.
‘Just an artefact,’ Sarah said, making sure she kept her tone as bland as possible.
He studied the orb before tossing it to her. He glanced at Trish. ‘She seems to like you,’ he said, indicating Susan, who cowered behind her. ‘If you can keep her from running off, I’ll do my best to get you safely back to the USSB.’ He removed a small pouch from his armour and held it out to her. ‘For the arm.’
Trish reached out and accepted the offering.
‘You haven’t told us who you
Similar Books
