The Prisoner of the Dead by Megan Mackie

Author:Megan Mackie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 4 Horsemen Publications, Inc.
Published: 2023-07-21T17:03:32+00:00

Chapter 18

He had no idea what started the fight. Baron never did.

Someone bumped him from behind, knocking him into Calder, and now it was happening again.

Just when Baron saw a different future, that maybe he had found a place he could belong, with people who could wanted him …

He had been foolish. The enflamed anger on Calder’s face reflected in everyone around him, even Katie. This time, there was no way Baron could run. He was truly trapped, but in his heart, he realized he didn’t care anymore. He couldn’t do it again. Couldn’t … didn’t want to survive another rejection.

What was the point anyway?

He saw Calder’s punch coming but did nothing to avoid it. It clocked him across the jaw, and Baron’s vision blacked out, then sparkled back into color. He was on the ground now and there were bodies rushing all around. Somewhere there was a scream and crashing. Hands pulled at him.

“Get up!” Calder shouted.

But it wasn’t Calder attacking him.

Wild eyes and wet gnashing teeth grappled toward his face.

Black eyes.

He reacted, shoving the creature and rolling away up to his hands and feet.

“Someone hit the alarm…” Eos screamed.

He got a glimpse of Thalia grabbing her collar and shouting something as it ignited with a sharp golden glow. It was all he got before the creature moved again. It was mostly intact, once a male, older and balding. Its black ichor splattered everywhere as it hissed and spit, then scrabbled on all fours toward a skirt.

Toward Katie.

Baron leapt, seizing it around the waist and bringing it down just inches from her, its blackened, clawed hands ripping at the earth.

“Baron!” she screamed.

“Run!” he shouted back as he tried to bring his arm up without losing his grip, to aim the gauntlet at its head.

“I can’t leave you…” Katie said, terrified and torn, like she wanted to run, but was … afraid for him?

That idea gave him strength, strength he didn’t know he had. He climbed up the creature’s back, pinning his knee into its spine. Something gave, but he wasted no time worrying about it. The creature didn’t feel pain anyway.

Thalia was there, shoving Katie clear. “Hang on, Baron!” she shouted, as she pulled a long dart out of a box she abandoned to the ground. A wicked long needle flashed in her hand, its middle filled with the same milky liquid as the bullets she gave him in the town.

“Hold him still!” she shouted as she dropped to her knees barely inches from the danger zone, bringing the long needle down with her momentum.

At that moment the thing bucked with unyielding strength, throwing Baron off-balance and into Thalia. The needle plowed into the torn-up turf of the mess.

“Everyone back away,” Calder shouted, aiming a long black gun at the creature. The weapon caught the creature’s attention. It charged with a broken squeal toward Calder, galloping on all four of its limbs. He fired, stopping the thing dead on the ground. It shuddered, curling in toward itself like a dying bug, and was still.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.