Chapter 8 - Hudson
Black keeps fading in and out of my vision.
Every fiber focuses on just taking one more breath. I just need to hold out long enough that I can heal…before I die.
Fire starts to eat at the tips of my fingers giving me a glimmer of hope.
It’s better than a few moments ago when I couldn’t feel anything except the surge of anger at Jenny’s betrayal.
Maybe I shouldn’t blame her. I hid the truth from her for decades.
And she’s right, I watched her suffer countless times, all while keeping my silence.
But she didn’t have to break my fucking neck!
Pain blooms over my palms and the soles of my feet while I manage to turn my head a fraction of an inch back to normal.
Then another.
The first full inhale gives me a rush of oxygen after nearly suffocating for the last…how long?
If anyone finds me like this, I’m screwed on so many levels.
One more grunt, and my chin finally falls square with my shoulder sending a shock wave through my limp body.
But at least I’m aligned again.
It takes longer than I wanted to gain full control of myself. I can’t believe I let her do this to me.
I have to find her.
What would I do? Hate her for wanting to escape?
I’m so damn conflicted. Let’s start with getting dressed.
Her smell inundates my every pore, so I wipe the remnants from my lips on my sleeve, then take a shuddering pause.
Where would she go? All the years of knowing her, and I still don’t have a clue which direction she would run.
Shit.
The door falls shut behind me.
Uh oh. Where’s my ID?
Ash will help me. He knows I’ve been pining over Jenny for years.
I’ll just have my old one deactivated.
When I step around the corner towards the main hall, distant screams echo off the concrete from the VIP wing.
What the hell?
Breaking into a trot, then a full blown sprint, I rush into a scene of blood, bodies, and yelling doctors.
“What happened?” I grab the shirt of the nearest orderly, forcing him to look at me.
“The half-breed escaped,” he stammers, holding up a dismembered hand.
Oh no.
That was her plan. She used my card to get him out.
Pushing through the carnage, I nearly slip in a puddle of congealing organ fluid, then burst through the back exit.
Of course. It’s the path of least resistance.
“Simmons!” my boss barks my name from across the parking lot, then stomps towards me. “Get a team together, we gotta track them down.”
“On it. Do we have footage of which direction they headed?” I want to find Jenny before anyone else does.
I just don’t know what I’ll do when that happens.
“Yes, due west. We lost track of them past the boneyard.” He gestures towards the far field scattered with wrecked vehicles.
It’s been our scavenging depot since production on new cars is still sketchy with how few humans are left.
The wolves don’t exactly drive. And they’re smart enough, especially with the half-breeds, to attack most facilities that do try and start back up.
We’re all still in a struggle for survival.
Jogging inside, I try not to look at the gore still smeared across the room.
“Ash, I need your help.” I push the small security door closed behind me and move to the wall of monitors he’s watching over.
He twirls in his chair, a smirk chiseled across his clean-shaven face. “Musta been a wild ride, she left you like twenty minutes ago.” Then his mouth drops. “You shoulda seen what that fucker did,” he whispers. “Just raw power. Ripped right through anyone in its way.”
I’ve seen what the monsters can do, way more than I ever wanted to.
This one holds a special place in the cockles of my heart for what he did to Jenny right in front of me.
“I’m going to find him, cut off his wolfy red rocket, and make him eat it,” I mutter. “I need to see the feed on the cameras looking over the boneyard.”
He nods, spinning in his chair. “On it. Last clear shot was…here.” He taps a button to bring up a grainy image showing only the rear half of the creature in question. “It’s on a motion capture. That asshole is fast. This is all I got.”
Glowering at the screen doesn’t make the picture any clearer.
Where the hell is Jen? Was she with him?
My stomach sinks. Did he hurt her?
Eat her?
No. I distinctly remember him saying the word “mine” after he violated her.
“West it is. Grab your pack, we’re on the hunt.” I smack his arm and turn.
“Wait! I’m not a field guy—”
“Tough shit. You made the mistake of being the only person in this place I trust.” I toss him a scowl, then dart out the door. “Be in the squad bay in five!” I shout behind me, already in a full sprint towards the armory.