Ash Princess (The Deviant Future #6) - Eve Langlais Page 0,39

a stance by his side.

“As if I’m going to run,” snorted Lila at his back.

“You fucking morons. I’m trying to save your asses,” he snapped as the first ghoul lunged with spittle hanging from its slack chin.

Whirl, whack, he knocked it back and then jabbed the flaming tip at the rest. They might not see the light, but they did recoil from the burning heat.

“Let’s go, you stubborn shits.” Cam moved toward the next section of stairs, and they kept pace, obviously meaning it when they said they wouldn’t let him go alone. He walked backwards, swinging his stave when the ghouls started to get brave.

“How many are there?” Gorri huffed as he jabbed his stave toward the ones trying to flank them.

“Let’s leave it at a lot.” And more worrisome was the fact they’d plucked out their own eyes and destroyed the light on the bottom level. It indicated deviousness and an ability to plot. “Lila, take lead and keep an eye open for an attack from above.”

Her eyes widened, and then she skipped off.

“You sent her off alone!” Gorri exclaimed.

“We’re going to follow in a second. First, let’s give them something to worry about.”

He flipped his stave to the unlit end, the metal canister with a simple wick and a plug. He pulled the wick from the hole and began flicking the fuel. Gorri’s eyes widened as he understood and did the same. When the droplets stopped flying, the ghouls attacked en masse.

Cam only had to light one of them.

Whoosh. The dry creatures, sprinkled in fuel, ignited and burned. Their mouths opened on wailing screeches that had Gorri gaping. Now wasn’t the time to stop and stare.

Cam grabbed him by the arm. “Let’s go.”

They went up the next level to find Lila standing guard.

“Way to piss them off,” she muttered as they emerged, trailed by dying screams and strident cries of rage.

“Move!” Cam hustled them up to the next level, clear.

It wasn’t until the second-to-last floor that instinct had him suddenly flattening to the wall just in time as a ghoul hurtled from below at him! Its expression was crazed, parts of its body singed.

He caught it on the stave and shoved it back. Lila was quick with a dagger. But that was only the first one.

Emerging onto the floor under the main habitat, he turned to see ghouls racing up the stairs.

“Fuck me, they’re coming.”

Back to back, they fought the sometimes partially scorched and blinded bodies. The advantage they had being they could see and dodge. The disadvantage was the ghouls were plentiful and vicious. Gorri and Lila both bled from several places. Cam sported his own wounds, but they prevailed against the wave.

Cam held off the last one and angled his head. “I’ve got this. Get up to the main level and get ready to lock it down.” He hoped it wasn’t too late and that there wasn’t a group already gone ahead of them.

He blocked the stairway and swung the stave, his arms tired but his resolve firm. He’d rather die fighting than do nothing.

The last ghoul went down, and he almost sighed in relief. A movement from the side caught his eye. He’d missed one!

He didn’t raise the stave in time, and the monster hit him, taking him down hard to the floor, its dirty fingers scrabbling at him, its mouth open for a bite. Its eyes were a pale gray and alight with hunger.

And Cam might just be feeding it, given a second joined to help just as he managed to pull out his knife and gut the first. The slavering jaws of ghoul number two had drawn close when it suddenly sprouted a quarrel between the eyes.

Then Kayda was standing over him, looking fierce with her crossbow and barking, “Move if you want to live!”

Chapter 8

This is the end.

Kayda had not expected it to happen this way or this quickly. When Milo told her where Gorri and Lila had taken Cam, she immediately went to stand inside the stairwell chamber, pacing. Milo stood watch with her.

“I’m sure they’re fine.”

Then why did her instincts scream otherwise? “When was the last time someone checked the lowest chambers?”

“Given the rotation, it would have been six months or so.” He shrugged. “I’d have to look at the etchings to be certain.” The etchings being how Milo kept track of their harvesting. Too soon and food supplies might not replenish.

Six months. A long time, where anything could have happened. Walls were only as secure as their weakest