Page 82 of Red Demon

Battle on the Third Hill

Ilooked up, following the path of the arrow that lay lodged in Havoc’s brain. I saw nothing: the visor’s heat detection was useless with so many trees to block the scope.

The dizziness faded enough for me to stand. I had to clear my head, get to Ash, tell him everything. We needed to walk the narrow path to survival together.

I waited as long as I could, counting to sixty, one hundred twenty, one eighty. I kept my body low in the brush as I peeked out at the ridge.

“We’re under attack. Havoc is down,” I said to Command. “Shot right beside me.”

“Roger that,” said Command. “Did you see the attacker?”

“Just a flash of movement through the scope. Didn’t get a clear view.” I heard a scream from farther up the forest: the perimeter guard in a nearby sector.

Fuck, she was still killing.

“There’s a second man down. Stay low, backup is on the way,” Command said.

More footsteps behind me, then nothing. I looked back to see three soldiers, dropped low to the ground with their crossbows out. I recognized Eight, Scar-arms (whatever his name was), but not the third helmeted soldier.

“We’ll cover your retreat, Biohazard. We’re pulling back patrols,” Scar-arms said, flicking up the visor to speak. “Stay low.”

Turning back, I saw a flicker of her through the visor, her scarred skin and green eyes peeking out behind a tree. Why was she still here? I couldn’t aim at her when she saved my life again, even if she appeared to. She assessed her shot before her arrow flew, whizzing past me.

Scar-arms, right in the eye.

“Fuck,” Eight said, breathing hard a body’s length behind me. “She’s fast. I can’t aim that fast.” He called Command. “Capri is down, caught with his visor up.”

“And Jesse Eirini?” I heard in my headset.

“Biohazard’s alive,” Eight said. “The Red Demon can match our range.”

“You got visual?” Command said.

“That’s why I said Red Demon, Ma’am.”

“Stay covered, Eight. We’re sending Mahakal’s squad.”

When I peeked over the hill again, I saw no sign of her, no heat on the visor.

Before long, a squad of ten soldiers approached from behind us. Clad in full battle armor: Chaeten leather, black helmets and chest plate. They came from behind us, covering our retreat with their bodies so we could turn back to camp. I stood, my legs shaking a bit with each step.

We reached Mahakal, his face grim. He levied a hard, calculating stare at me with those creepy black eyes.

“Jesse,” he said, his voice tight. “Keep up, or go back to quarantine.”

I dragged my hands down my face, my heart pounding. After Havoc, I decided I was safest in a group, with witnesses. My breathing heaved as I trailed Mahakal’s quick strides across camp.

Mahakal’s personal squad circled us, prowling like a pack of lions with their full gear and raven wings on the arms of their uniforms. We reached the other side of the camp and beyond and kept walking down the valley.

“Sir?” a soldier asked. “We’re going out at night?”

“We’re the ambush, Huan, not her,” Mahakal rumbled.

“What’s the plan, sir?” Huan asked.

“She’s alone; we have the numbers to take her down. We’re joining Navarro’s unit on the third hill, in case she makes a move. Ren and Ovid’s units are circling to take her from the back of the second,” Mahakal said, gesturing to the hill where she’d attacked from. “Foul’s squad will cover the front. The rest hold camp on hill one.”

“Her last position?” Huan asked.