I met the throwers, who’d picked up their wounded man to drag him to the wall. Chucky let go, swinging his rifle around and following Frankie into the cavern.
The man in my arms slid down the wall. I could hear him gasping and pulled his bullet-proof vest open. He was hit right where the vest opened on the side, probably as he raised his arm to throw a grenade. I ripped open his shirt, forcing him to his side. “I think it hit a lung.”
I folded his fingers back over the wound, feeling a ring. He was Bound. Someone was waiting to see him again. “We’ll call a team to come and get you. We have to go.”
“Go. Go.” He tried to wave me away, without losing his grip. We’d been doing this long enough he knew the risks and that we had a higher obligation. I gathered myself and stood up. Someone was already calling for a triage team. For him and for anyone else wounded as we attacked.
The next round of grenades was my signal. I pulled out my knife and the rest of my team followed.
Smoke made it hard to see, but I felt the enemy ahead of us. They were in pain and confused, the grenades did the job intended. I found the pile of rocks, their cover. I hit the first boulder and jumped, seeing five men collapsed on the ground as I came down on the other side. None of them the man who’d stopped us the first day. No Maxa’xak.
No, that energy came from the hole these men were left to protect. My whole body was on fire. Two men conscious enough reached for their weapons. They didn’t have time. From above a rain of bullets struck them. Their bodies jerked with each impact, until they were still.
I stepped over the body between me and the next cavern. Before I got another step, I heard a sound, a growl and something metal against stone. Then I was struck from above and knocked to the ground.
It wasn’t one of the enemy, no one infested. I rolled and then saw Casey’s face. He rolled as well, carrying us both to the back wall of this nook in the rocks. The ricocheting of bullets pinged above and around us.
“You don’t walk into a hole like that!” Casey snapped at me, trying to look over his shoulder, but we were barely covered by the boulder we’d landed behind. “Stop acting like you’re iron-clad. Part of you is still human and I don’t want to lose you.”
“Sorry!” I could see what was going on. My team were still behind the barricade, firing into the cavern I was so willing to walk into. “Cover!” I reached for my ears as I saw a grenade fly through the air towards the black cavern. A light cube went with it.
“Damn.” Casey got his hands to his head, but winced.
The explosion and the deep vibrating thump was deafening. This close it sucked the breath out of us. I gasped to get it back as I pushed Casey off me. Only then I saw blood spreading down his sleeve and his shoulder looked wrong. “Damn it!”
My Beth side struggled to help him, but I couldn’t. Over the rock came the rest of my team. Ci’in going for the downed enemy to finish off their larvae. Chuck appeared and saw Casey was shot. He grabbed two Kwia. “Take him back to the tunnel, now!”
My hand was slow letting go. Chucky jerked me to my feet. “Get yourself under control. We got seconds before they start shooting again.”
Casey let out a teeth-grit groan as one Kwia grabbed his feet, the other the straps of his vest and lifted him up. They took off, back around the rocks and towards the tunnel.
Chucky shook me again. It was all I needed. I focused on the two larger prey waiting inside. Waiting for me.
CHAPTER
35
I took a deep breath. Two strong Ci’in on either side of me, a row of Kwia in front, we entered the dark chamber. The zombie soldier who’d fired on us lay at the entrance, body riddled by bullets. Light cubes flashed to life ahead of us, opening us to a scene straight out of some dark fantasy.
Coiled at the back of the cave was the Maxa’xak, hissing and spitting in rage. The truncated arms were curled up close to its body, but the claws clacked loud. The slimy flesh glowed, just as we Ci’in, but a sickly color under the light of the cubes. His eyes blazed like fire, glaring at me.
“This will end, here!” I spread out my arms, releasing my full Ci’in, shouting in the language we’d preserved from our birth.
“A chosen Ci’in.” It raised its head and hissed, but the sound was pleasure. “It has been long since I have feasted on the blood of one so high.”
“Do not salivate for her flesh yet. She isn’t alone.” From behind us came Daniel’s voice. He stepped up behind me, Frankie with him, Chucky among the Kwia in front me.
The pleasure disappeared in the Maxa’xak’s hissing. In a flash that huge head lunged for me, but I was prepared. My Ci’in were prepared, their hands each grasping my shoulders as I thrust a hand outward.
Fed by their energy, a bright burning light flashed in the face of the beast and it let out a scream. The Kwia with us opened fire as it thrashed to clear the mass of energy clinging around its head. With the Maxa’xak’s power disrupted, our bullets penetrated the protective shield wrapped around its hide like a second skin.
It screamed and I thrust another bolt into his face, my power boosted as two more Ci’in joined us. My brothers kept pace as I moved forward, their weapons
