Post by Ashe Kandor on Apr 21, 2010 15:33:51 GMT -6
Crouching in the shadow of a building, gun held at the ready, Ashe watched the helicopter slowly descend on the Plaza. It was big and bulky, strangely like a beetle with its shiny black sides. Dust flew up from the ground as it touched down, and Ashe ducked farther behind the building. The soldiers who dropped off supplies probably wouldn't shoot her, true--but the keyword there was probably. And in her experience, it was always safer to avoid being seen.[/blockquote]
The soldiers began unloading boxes, their motions mechanical and swift. They glanced around every chance they got, heads swiveling on their shoulders. The guards gripped their automatic machine guns tightly, eyes darting up and down the street rapidly instead of with calm focus. Something had them spooked.
About then, Ashe's instincts started sounding off. These guys were clearly not newbies. The government--what little of it was left--would only send professionals, seasoned men, into the cities. These guys were better trained and equipped than Ashe about nineteen times over... and they were shaking in their boots. Yeah, that's my cue to leave.
Ashe had started to rise from her crouch, glancing around to make sure all the ways were clear, when she saw the Infected.
It was lurking in the shadow of a building, kitty-corner across the square from her. Its rangy, matted fur was a dull brown, claws dirty and long and sharp. Her heart hiccupped, then slammed into double-time as it sniffed the air. She reached out for the shadows frantically, feeling them wrap around her and praying it would be enough.
And it was enough, for her at least. The soldiers had no such protection.
With a howl, the Infected tore out of the shadows and into the Plaza, barrelling at the helicopter. The soldiers screamed and fired, letting panic determine the path of the bullets. But the beast was a tank of fur and flesh, and they barely dodged in time to avoid it. The Infected crashed into the helicopter; metal buckled and glass shattered, and a soldier caught underneath it wailed in agony.
Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit. She had to get out of here. Staying was asking to die. Ashe knew that, but at the same time she felt her arm raise as she lined up the sight on her semi-automatic with the Infected's skull. Stupid conscience. Trying to get her killed and somehow making her feel good about the decision to stay.
Ashe squinted and the world got diamond-clear. Every speck of dust, every wrinkle of clothing pulled into sharp focus. She saw the countours of the Infected's skull, saw the fragile parts where her bullets could punch through. She exhaled, locked her wrists, and pulled the trigger...
And the bastard moved, the bullet glancing off its shoulder instead. Its bestial eyes swung over to her hiding place, feral rage redirecting itself. The soldier's arm that it had been mangling dropped from its bloody maw. It bellowed, and Ashe felt her bones vibrate with its force.
Brilliant, Ashe. Just. Bloody. Brilliant.