The Hornet's Nest by Rory B Byrne

Author:Rory B Byrne [Byrne, Rory B]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781952134074
Publisher: Chestnut Treehouse Publishers
Published: 2020-02-29T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Darkness had a way of making things appear dangerous when they were nothing more than shrubs or stacks of bricks and a few tires. Every object on the ground, even when it wasn’t trying to end my First Life, felt like another barrier I had to overcome. I felt the sting of panic bubbling up from my guts. I had a full bladder. I had a throat so tight that it made it impossible to take a deep breath.

I had seven people to worry about all at once because I felt it was wholly my responsibility to protect them, no matter their skill levels. I took Mia away from her father and the safety of RowOak. I forced Liam to abandon his teammates to face the unknown with me because I was selfish.

I had my best friends up to their necks in a crisis that they were ill-equipped to face. We were overwhelmed and outnumbered by attackers. My friends followed me into the wilds, beyond the borders of our safe zone, only to give up their First Lives for nothing more than me struggling to keep control.

“Where are they?” Eli asked in a huff.

I don’t know if he asked about our friends or the players lurking throughout the sacrificed city.

He ran with me through the dark on my left. Roach stumbled on my right. Twice I had to reach down and pick him up again. He succumbed to more trip hazards than Eli or me.

Much of what we saw lay in burnt wreckage. The people who made dwellings from desolation weren’t people who valued their First Lives. They disregarded celebrating their existence. They threw away their humanity.

“In there,” I said. I saw the twisted corner of the overhead door that led into the blackness of the garage. The tangle of old power lines with the utility pole had collapsed against the building. The structure wasn’t safe, but we needed a break from the running.

“Can they see in the dark?” It was a question I expected from Roach. Eli wasn’t prone to an overactive imagination. Given the circumstances, I didn’t blame him voicing the irrational fears.

“No,” I said, panting. “They know the area. When they can’t find us in the dark, they’ll start lighting fires.”

We huddled at the mouth of the garage. Behind us was the open space of the structure. The utility pole had collapsed against the business side of the building to our right.

I had to squeeze my knees together. It was unfortunate timing that I had to pee. Sometimes bodily functions didn’t care about environmental situations.

I pulled back and pressed Eli and Roach shoulder to shoulder at the opening. They continued scanning the outside for the others and the players. I turned and used the slivers of moonlight that crept through the weakened structure joists. I held the claymore in front of me. If anything came at me from the dark, it’d get the business end of the sword.

Inside, the place smelled of Old Ones. It was a unique scent in Open-World.

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