"Maybe we should just leave her down there, I bet she'd be able to climb it with enough motivation," I heard Laurie grunt from above.
"Hey!" I shouted back irritably.
“Well, if you aren't going to work on your strength training maybe you can go on a diet before our next mission," Alicia joked.
“I'll be up there in a minute and I bet you won't say that to my face," I called.
"I would. I doubt that you can run as fast as me with those little legs," she called back and I laughed.
I looked back towards the corridor just as the Creeper got to his feet and shook his head, staring in my direction. He let out a feral scream and ran straight for me, not pausing as he reached the doorway but leaping out into the shaft, his arms reaching and fingers grasping.
I gasped and tucked my legs up. His fingers brushed the buckle on the side of my boot and then he was falling, falling and - bang! He didn't even scream on the way down.
I reached a hand up through the hatch and felt Coal's warm grasp enfold it within his strong, calloused hand. He hoisted me out and set me on my feet. My cheeks flushed scarlet and I quickly looked away as I remembered the heat of that kiss.
He released my hand and used his knife to cut the vines from my waist.
“Are you okay?" Laurie asked as she drew her pistols.
"Yes," I nodded.
“Good. We need to run," Alicia said. She had her machete back in hand and looked like she was ready to wage a one woman war.
We were standing on the summit of a large hill, the top of which was covered in concrete. There was a winding road leading away down the hill and into the distance, the valley that we had arrived through dropped away to our left.
“How will we get back?" I asked, looking at the steep drop and climb to our left. "We can't get back up that hill."
"There's an old bridge behind those trees." Laurie pointed with her gun. "We found it when we were getting the vines."
A shriek echoed up from the hatch and we looked down to see a Creeper woman pointing up at us from the top floor and howling. Coal kicked the hatch shut and cut off her noise.
“They know this area better than we could ever hope to, they'll be after us in minutes," Alicia breathed. "We have to move."
We ran so fast that it felt like my feet were off the ground more than they were on it. We tore through the damp undergrowth heading for the bridge, Laurie taking the lead. Our boots slipped and stuck in the thick mud but we ploughed on heedlessly.
A flash of lightning threw the forest into sudden and brilliant definition, followed immediately by thunder that rumbled loudly above our heads.
Enormous drops of rain began to hit us and within moments we found ourselves in the middle of a torrential downpour. I was drenched almost instantly. My hair was saturated and the cold, which had seemed harsh before, took on a penetrating chill that pierced me to the core.
The forest floor became a torrent of water and mud that flowed up and over my boots. Little rivers formed on the huge leaves above us and tumbled their way to the ground in mini waterfalls.
"I can see the bridge!” Laurie called from the front of the group and we put on a burst of speed.
There was no sound from the surrounding forest beyond the splashing and splattering caused by the tide of water. It thundered off of every surface and made it impossible to hear anything else.
The water fell so heavily that it obscured my vision too. Shadows loomed and threatened to become any kind of terrifying thing. I had no idea how Laurie could know where she was going.
We burst through the trees and skidded to a halt in front of the bridge. It was huge and reached out over the abyss like a pointing finger. Vines had snaked their way up and around the supporting struts. The metal floor of the bridge itself was pocketed with holes and rust, the crumbling mess of what remained in place looked ready to fall apart. We paused and stood staring at it while the heavy rain pounded against the bridge so hard that it vibrated.
“There's not another, better maintained bridge around the corner is there?" I asked, pushing my drenched hair back over my shoulders.
I was shivering and my fingers were trembling. Water ran over me in a never ending cascade and I couldn't imagine feeling warm ever again.
“Let's just take it slowly, there's no sign of the Creepers yet." Coal stepped forward and placed a foot tentatively onto the bridge. It held. He took another step and then another. "Come on, it feels fine," he called back to us as he continued forward cautiously.
Alicia went next, taking a different route on the other side of the bridge, using the metal barrier as a support. Laurie clapped me on the arm bracingly before setting her own route. I bit my lip to try and stop my teeth from chattering as I hesitated.
I stood with my feet in the mud, looking back at the menacing forest for signs of the Creepers and as I watched, the rain blew aside, momentarily giving me a clear view of the trees.