Labyrinth of Death | Chapter 15

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15


Barras and Raenen leapt back. Barras slipped on the wet floor and fell again. “Ouch!”
Raenen scrabbled with her blaster as the wampa stepped forwards with another roar. Its massive claws caught Raenen on the arm, tossing her against the wall. She hit with a thud and groaned, sliding down to the ground.
Barras grabbed the twisted vent from the ground and smacked it on the wampa’s shoulder. Its attention turned to him, and he gulped, backing off into a corner. “Raenen! Shoot it!”
She didn’t stir. Her eyes were closed.
Barras looked up into the wampa’s black pits of eyes. He pulled out his dagger and gripped the handle tightly. A pitiful defense, but it was better than nothing.
The wampa growled and swiped at his head. Barras ducked and jabbed at the monster’s foot. His blade came away wet with blood.
A roar issued from the wampa’s mouth, and something smacked across the back of his head, flooring him. He crawled away as the wampa stamped its injured foot, roaring again.
Something caught him by his ankle.
He twisted and stabbed at the wampa’s hand.
A shot rang out. Two. Three. The wampa groaned and fell on top of Barras.
“Oof!” Pinned beneath the creature, Barras groaned. “Get this thing off me!”
A grunt from Raenen sounded. “He’s very heavy.”
Barras tried to push up, but the wampa’s weight stopped him from moving. “I can’t budge.”
The weight rolled off, and Barras sat up, rubbing his sore shoulders.
“What’s that smell?” Raenen asked, her nose wrinkling. “It’s horrible.”
Barras sniffed. A sickly sweet smell pervaded the room. One arm contracted. “It’s the virus! Run!”
Raenen turned and ran into the darkness. Barras followed, shining his light ahead of Raenen. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“I came down this way with the captain!” she yelled back. “It’s not too far from outside!”
They skidded to a stop at the dead end. Barras’ light illuminated the symbol. A sickle crossing a curved tooth. “This is it!”
Raenen placed the blaster’s barrel against the door and squeezed the trigger, melting a hole in the door. “Get your knife and get us out of here!”
Barras’ hand shot to his thigh. “Oh no.”
“Tell me you didn’t leave it behind!” Raenen yelled.
“The wampa fell on me…I never thought to pick up the knife again.” Barras slapped his leg, angry with himself. “Give me your blaster.”
Raenen passed the blaster to him without complaint. Barras dropped it on the ground and stamped on it.
“What—”
“Trust me, Raenen,” Barras said, gritting his teeth. He snatched up the blaster, ripping off the damaged side plate, and peeled off a shard from the side of the break. “This is how I improvise.” He inserted the thin shard and wiggled it around. “Get the blast canister out of the blaster. We can use it again.”
Raenen picked up the entire blaster and holstered it. “I hope this works. Else, we’ll have wasted a blaster and gained nothing but our deaths.”
Barras froze. “We can’t go out there.”
“Why not?” Raenen asked. “We have to, Barras, or else we’ll die!”
“But you’re all wet!” Barras spun to face her. “You’ll freeze out there!”
He closed his eyes and lowered his head. “Radoth, if I ever find you, you’re going to get what’s coming to you.”
Raenen grabbed his hand. “Give me that shard.” She snatched the shard out of his hand and waggled it inside the melted hole. The door slid open. A freezing gust of air washed over them.
“What have you done?” asked Barras as Raenen grabbed his hand and pulled him outside. “What are you doing?”
Raenen struggled three metres away from the laboratory and began scooping at a snowbank. “Start digging!”
“What? Why?”
She cast a look at him without letting up her frantic excavation. “A snow shelter! Get over here and help me!”
Barras ran forwards, shivering in the cold, and knelt in the snow to dig. He glanced at her. “Your hands are bare! Where are your gloves?”
“I left them behind,” Raenen said, her teeth chattering. “They’re stuck to the roof.”
Barras stripped off one of his gloves.
“Don’t bother about chivalry! Just dig!”
“Yes, ma’am.” Barras shoveled snow away with both hands. “I hope we survive this.”
Raenen glanced at him. “So do I. This had better work.”
“You’re the one who forced us out here,” said Barras.
“I had to. We were going to die in there anyway. Out here, we have a better chance of surviving.”
Barras stayed silent, working madly.
Raenen groaned, slowing. “I’m tired.”
“Dance a jig!” hissed Barras. “Now!”
Raenen glared at him. “No time for comedy!”
“Get your adrenaline rushing again! Your body’s freezing, and you feel sleepy because of that!”
Raenen abandoned Barras to dig by himself and carried out his command.
Barras clawed at the snow with both hands, his breath coming out in white puffs. I will succeed. I will!

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Dmitri Pendragon
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