BREATH . OF . LIFE . ~ { ReGenisis Chronicles Book I }

Chapter Fifteen [Part 4/5]: I choose...

                      -Kate Andersen -

My sister, moving like a dance of violet lightning, dashing about Daniels, making his large frame seem surrounded. He was just fast enough to catch her swings and send her back. Not quite an even match, but almost with her so angry. I could hear her breath catching in her throat, her lungs murmuring tears. She was in pain, I could feel it stab through me, but it wasn't physical.

The sounds of feet coming in our direction, the vibrations of their movements, disturbed Griffin and I. We turned to look over our shoulders in unison. "I think we've got company."

"A lot of it." I shivered, lifting the sword that was in my un-held hand. Griffin's fingers reluctantly slipped out of my grasp, which desperately tightened.

"We're going to be fine, if we do this together." He assured me, wide onyx eyes where the blue had peeled back to let him see through the darkness. "Whatever comes."

I ran my sword into a belt hole in my trousers and pulled from my pocket his little penknife. "I choose, to stand and fight with you... but, to disable, not kill. If I'm lucky." I felt myself trembling again, some of those coming had irregular heartbeats filling up my ears, one foot heavier than another, breath that rasped in their lungs.

A subtle, sad smirk pulled up one corner of Griffin's mouth. The adrenalin running through my veins, making my skin buzz, was enough to get me onto my tiptoes. I carefully kissed that smirk, and after one more glance, stared towards the end of the corridor, ready.

He tore the sword from my belt hole and stood there with both blades poised. "We're going to survive this, so I can repay you for that kiss." He barely flinched his eyes in my direction and back to the dark shadows, shapes of those about to attack us.

The last second before the fight seemed to stretch on, the group of shapes moving in slow motion as they came into range. Then it was gone as if time had rushed for them to be face to face with us.

A large Scavenger, by the smell of him, was swinging for my head with a hand the size and weight of a small boulder. I ducked and punched my hand forward, drawing blood on the penknife. A blade swiped in front of me, taking one of the Nocturnals arms off, as Griffin span away and took the head of another agent with the other blade.

I tried not to lose my focus, and balled my head and shoulders down to throw all of my weight into the Scavengers hulking frame. It sent him back into three more behind him, flopping over them like human dominoes. Griffin was there, taking his head and stabbing through the others, two stabs at once, then the last. Whilst I found myself up against a skinny girl, she looked sickly, skin almost green she was so deprived of sunlight and nutrition. I fumbled a step back in shock. I couldn't fight her, she was in no condition to...

She grabbed my arm and revealed sharp teeth she was about to dig into me. I used my other fist to punch her face away. I heard the crack of her cheek bone break as much as I felt it against my sore knuckles. She launched herself at me again, I ducked under her and caught her leg on the way. I threw her over me into a wall. I didn't have time to see if she were dead or simply knocked out as there was another coming at me, but she didn't seem to come back for another try.

I barely avoided a fist to the face, bending backwards and ending up on the floor in the process. Griffin was doing a little better but, "THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM!" I screamed, using my feet to catch my attacker in the stomach and throw them over me. He landed near Swan's fight with Daniels and she made quick work of him. Like throwing a wounded fish among pirana. 

"I think we've got reinforcements on the way." I could hear the smirk in Griffin's voice as he slashed through another one. I flinched.

Pepper, I could smell pepper. Hope filled me up. Jake was coming.

He rounded the corner with Hudson, who was opening fire on the operatives who had just turned it with them on the way here. Jake was doing his best to cut through the resistance, Jennings with him and two I hadn't met before. But they were with us, opening fire on enemies, at least slowing them down or stopping them long enough to be dealt with.

"Don't get distracted," Griffin snapped, running a human agent through as he came towards me.

"Sorry," I blushed, getting back to the fight, and shaking off the death as much as possible. I had to not think. Thinking was a problem.