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Dammit, it was heavy. I was pinned to the floor. I fired again. The creature was hopping around, and raced at me. It rammed into the carbine and sent the gun flying.

Fuck.

I tried to pull my legs free. I was trapped, dammit.

“Jess, I need?—”

The creature leaped at me. I whipped my hands up, pressing my gloved palms to its torso. Its jaws snapped at me, and with a huge heave, I pushed it back. It did an ungraceful somersault on the floor, struggling to right itself.

“Come at me again,” I growled. “I’ll break your neck.”

If the damn thing exploded on top of me, I’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble.

It snarled and launched at me again.Fuck. I threw my hands up.

Carbine fire erupted.

The creature made a gurgling noise and fell beside me with a thud.

Thank God. I sagged back. It had been a precision shot, which had missed the acidic goo on the creature’s back.

I looked up at Jess.

She hurried forward, swung her carbine onto her shoulder, then gripped the shelves. She bent her legs and heaved. I helped as best I could. The shelves moved and I finally slid my legs out. Jess held out a hand.

After a second, I took it and let her pull me up.

We looked at each other.

“Thanks,” I said.

“You’re welcome.” Her lips quirked. “I guess that makes us even now.”

CHAPTER THREE

Jess

“Jess needs the infirmary, not me.”

I hid a smile at North’s grumble. We’d returned from the mission, but Jameson had been firm. I was going to the infirmary and so was North.

“You’re getting checked out,” Jameson said. “No arguing.”

The men were walking behind me as we headed down the corridor. We were in the old underground base beneath Dawn—the Enclave. I’d read all about it in the reports on the alien invasion. It and Blue Mountain Base had been the main two bases the human survivors had utilized in the Sydney area.

The walls were concrete, and despite the artwork and really good natural lighting system, it still felt like a base. Ahead, I spotted the doors to the infirmary.

Trips to the doctor were never my favorite thing, but the burns on my side and back were stinging like hell. Whatever painkillers North had given me were sadly wearing off.

“I’m not injured,” North clipped out.

“Really?” Jameson snorted. “Despite fighting a monster and having heavy shelves tipped on top of you.”

“Yes.” A mutinous tone.

“Then why are you limping?”

North went quiet.