The Girl Who Kicked Ass (Death Fields 3)

Rowe continues, “The only way out is through the tunnels leading to that room.”

“That’s the only way out? Seriously?”

“Take your pick, Alexandra. You can go back upstairs and join them and by join them I mean become one of them. Or you fight it out with me and we meet up with your sister and get the hell out of here.”

“Become one? They’re transforming everyone into Hybrids?”

“That’s the plan.”

I eye him skeptically. “How do you know?”

“Because I’ve been collecting intel from Chloe’s team of rogue fighters for a while now.”

“You’ve been playing both sides?” But I knew there were others. The Resistance was aware of spies—people like Wyatt. With zero hesitation, I take a gun from the fallen Fighter and pry the bloody blade from his hand. He tried. I’ll try harder.

“My sister is waiting for us?”

“On the other side of the tunnel.”

“The tunnel, I assume, is on the other side of all those Eaters.”

“Affirmative.”

I look to the ceiling and brush my hair out of my eyes, muttering a sarcastic thanks, because God forbid she make this easy on me. “Whatever,” I say to Rowe, who is eyeing the incoming Eaters like it’s just another day in his life. “I’m ready when you are.”

One thing is for certain, I think as I follow him toward certain death, I’m determined to get to the end of the tunnel just to kick Jane’s ass.

*

I take an elbow to the jaw and dirty hands claw at my arms. Everything is too loud, the never-ending alarm, the bone chilling howls of the Eaters and the painful ringing in my ears from the explosive device Rowe detonated so we could get through the door.

“Get off!” I scream, kicking a filthy Eater. She looks ancient in her housecoat and curlers, but who can tell anymore. There’s nothing but a haze of monsters between me and my destination. The woman flings backwards, toppling over the feet of the Eater next to her and I stab her in the temple, the knife pushing into her brain and the murderous light extinguishes from her black spidery eyes.

“I told you to leave me alone,” I mutter. In a quick move, I slash the throat of the lunging man behind her and then the same to two others.

It’s merely a drop in the bucket and assessing the space between us and the tunnel leading to the ring, the odds aren’t looking good. My muscles ache and my stupid shoes slip on the floor. I don’t have pockets and my pants are held up by elastic. I ran out of bullets five minutes ago. If Jane wanted me to get out of here alive she could have dressed me for the occasion.

“I’m fading,” I yell at Rowe, who’s fighting like a machine. He spins and points his gun at me.

“Down!” He shouts and I duck as he fires twice over my head. Two Eaters fall hard to the ground, one tipping into me, and pinning me to the ground.

Rowe tosses a body off of me and helps me off the ground. “Get to the cage. I’ll cover you.”

An Eater’s veiny hand reaches for his shoulder, grabbing him from behind and in a flash he’s back in the fight, elbowing the man with a sharp crack to the face.

My feet slide, looking for traction, but I run as fast and as hard as I can. The Eaters are slow moving and there are so, so many, but I hear the crack of Rowe’s gun taking them out one by one. They fall like amusement park targets and I jump over arms and legs and decapitated heads strewn on the floor. I don’t know how long he can last—how far his bullets will go—but I’m determined not to waste his effort. The cage is close and I just have to get to the doors on the side.

“The ladder,” Rowe shouts, his voice urgent. He’s right behind me and I frantically look for the steps that lead into the ring.

“It’s not there!”

“Shit.” He pushes past me, dragging him with me. The Eaters are less now. Rowe did a good job of cleaning them out and with the bodies blocking their path it takes them longer to get to us. We have a minute. Probably only a minute, but I’ll take it.

“Once we’re inside,” Rowe says, breathing heavily, “the tunnel is in the back. It’s been cleared and it’s a straight shot down to the docks.”

“The docks?” He offers me a boost and I put my foot in his hands. He lifts me to the small ledge leading to the door.

“Yep--right out on the river.”