The Black Tide (Outcast 3)

Look out!

Cat’s energy hit, shoving me to one side. The bullet that would have gone straight through my gut gouged a thick hole in the concrete to my left instead.

I twisted around, raised both guns, and fired nonstop through the steadily decreasing gap. The low-ammo signal began to flash on both guns, but I didn’t let up, not until the door had sealed. The scanner on the other side of the door beeped as someone punched in the code to open it, so I switched aim and blew up the control panel on this side.

They’d no doubt be able to force their way through in very short order, as it was nowhere near as solid as the main blast door, but even seconds might make the difference between escape and not.

I spun and raced back up the stairs. My head now ached so badly that the sunshine made my eyes water and seeing became difficult, though I wasn’t entirely sure the latter could be blamed on the bright light.

Jonas says hurry, Cat said.

I pulled the guard out of the doorway, let the door shut, and then once again destroyed the control panel. After I’d stripped the guard of his weapons, I asked Cat to gather whatever she could carry from the other two, and then staggered toward the hauler. I barely made it up the ramp before I collapsed.

“Rhea help us,” Jonas muttered, with a quick, concerned glance at me.

“Rhea has probably given us all the help we’re going to get.” I pushed backward on my butt until my spine rested against the hauler’s wall. The children were all strapped in and hunkered down low in the seats, and I hoped with everything I had it was enough. Hoped that Dream didn’t order the incendiary device placed under the boy’s chest to be activated—that she valued their worth and whatever progress they represented over starting anew again.

Cat whisked in and dropped two machine rifles and a couple of handguns next to me.

“Well done, Cat.” I reached for one of the machine rifles, checked the ammo clip was full, and then rested it across my knees.

Her pleasure spun around me, sharp and bright. But despite her high excitement, I could feel the tiredness in her. Carrying so much had taken a toll on her.

I glanced back to the stairwell door and saw a worm-like glow tracking up one edge of it. They weren’t blowing this one open—they were simply cutting through it with a laser saw.

“Can this thing get into the air with the ramp down?” I asked.

“Yes.” Jonas was still fiddling under the main control panel. “But it will slow us down.”

“So will them taking out our engines,” I bit back. “They’re almost through the door. You need to get this thing in the air.”

“Right. Done.” He straightened. “Everyone, hang on—this is going to be rough.”

I braced against the wall as best I could. As the engines came online and the big vehicle began to shudder and shake, I raised the machine rifle and sighted on the stairwell door.

The hauler lifted and slowly moved forward. The metal ramp scraped across the concrete, sending sparks and dust flying into the air. I ignored it and watched the glowing worm track through the last few inches of metal. A heartbeat later, the cut piece of metal was kicked out. I kept the gun sighted but didn’t immediately unleash hell.

A black metal ball was tossed through the hole. It bounced several times on the concrete and then raced deceptively fast toward the lumbering hauler. It took me a moment to realize it was some sort of tracking explosive device.

I sighted and shot it. Three bullets missed. The fourth did not. With a giant whoosh, the thing exploded, and a huge blast of hot air and flame rushed at the hauler. I leaned away from the door, and let the heat of explosion sizzle across the lower half of my body. Cat’s energy slapped at the smoldering material, dousing any potential threat of fire caused by the hot metal fragments that had hit me.

I sat upright again. Guards had poured onto the rooftop under the cover of the blast, and there was at least a dozen of them out there now, all of them wearing combat gear, all of them firing not at the hauler itself but her engines.

I cursed and returned fire, and though I hit multiple people, they were too well protected—and too well trained—to go down.

“Swing this thing around and protect our tail,” I said. “We’re not going to get out of here otherwise.”

Jonas grunted in response, and as the lumbering vehicle continued to lift and turn, I scrambled up and punched the ramp close button. Then I staggered over to the small port window, shattered the thick glass with a couple of shots, and continued firing at the men. When the ammo out light flashed, Cat threw me another gun.

Slowly but surely, we gained enough height to clear the roof. But the vehicle shuddered under multiple impacts and smoke began to taint the cabin air.

“Hang on,” Jonas warned.

I gripped the edge of the shattered window just as he hit the booster. The hauler shot forward and my fingers slipped. Glass tore into my skin and blood dripped down the edge of the hauler.

One of the smaller children made an odd sound, and I glanced around to see his head rise above the seat and stare at me, a bright, needy light in his eyes.

Rhea help him... and us.