“We go in, there’s no one else to save us, unless you want me to call the rest of the squad.”
“No backup.” Jeffrey kept his concentration on his phone screen. “Last time, we lost too many people, besides this job needs one person.”
Jeffrey patted the cylinder nestled between his legs.
“Are you gentle with her?” Cassie smiled at my puzzled look.
“Did you give it a name?” Jeffrey cocked his eyebrow.
“Maybe.”
Cassie laughed, a soft, delightful sound. She wasn’t bothered by the bewildered expression on my face. Dyer chuckled and shook his head.
“I bet you can’t wait,” Jeffrey said.
“No, I can’t. Stay in the car kids.”
Cassie positioned infrared goggles over cheeks. A smile lingered on her lips. Jeffrey placed the cylinder in welcoming palms.
“All set.”
“I’m going with you,” I said.
“We don’t need to join forces for this one.”
“I’ll keep a lookout. I won’t slow you down.”
“No way. I’m sorted.”
“Guys, we can’t let her go alone.”
Dyer grunted his agreement.
Her smile faded and she shrugged. “I’m not in the mood to argue. Put these on.”
Elastic slapped the back of my head. The goggles displayed a spectrum of colors in the dark. Night vision and hypervigilance made little difference against this kind. Their forms built to withstand any kind of physical onslaught. I trailed behind Cassie’s glowing red form with a revolver secure in my grip. Another suicide mission, I wondered what we were thinking battling incredibly strong creatures salivating for our flesh. I trudged after her. I stopped and strained my hearing. A familiar rough, rumbling sound stilled my steps. My heart pumped at a rapid rate. She stood too close to the edge of the pit.
“C’mon. They are down there. They can smell us or something.”
“Wait, dammit…”
A chrilic stalked in my direction. Behind me, loud grumbles were not so far away anymore. The revolver in my hand forgotten, I trembled with adrenaline. The creature made one step and it hunched over me.
“Blow its brains out!”
It knocked the revolver out of my hand. Cassie dropped the TNT and dashed toward a snarling monster. Light drizzle floating in the air quickly turned to heavy raindrops. The explosion sent my body in the opposite direction. I cramped up on the ground, my ribs locked and I stuck my palm inside my shirt where a slow ache spread to the rest of my body.