Read Online Mortal Kombat: Annihilation by Jerome Preisler - Free Book Online
Authors: Jerome Preisler
Ads: Link
state.”
“And just how am I supposed to do that ?”
Nightwolf was still manipulating his tomahawk like an expert baton twirler.
“Well,” he said, “there’s a slow way, and there’s a fast way.”
Liu’s fists trembled. “We don’t have time for the slow way!”
A smirk touched the corner of the stranger’s lips. “That’s what I thought you’d say,” he said.
Liu started to launch into an angry response, but he had scarcely gotten a word out of his mouth when the young man flipped the tomahawk at him so that its blunt end crunched against his forehead.
Sparks exploded between his eyes, rapidly turned cinder-gray, then blackened.
The young Indian’s grin slanted further up his face as he watched Liu crumple to the ground, unconscious.
“Sweet dreams, champ,” he said. “See you when you wake up.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
They plunged through the jungle wilderness, moving as quickly as they could, Jax’s strength-amplified arms sweeping out in front of him to clear a path through the dense clutter of vegetation. Behind him, Sonya tried not to let her bad leg slow her down as she struggled to negotiate an obstacle course of vines, stumps, root tangles, and sucking marl. A single misstep would throw her flat on her face, and with the Outworlders sticking close at their heels, even a brief setback could be calamitous.
All around them, gray streamers of mist were creeping up from the ground and killing the leaves on their branches, turning them from vibrant green to sickly yellow, wilting them before their eyes. Sonya was sure this was another thing that could be charged in full to Shao Kahn’s account – the poisonous atmosphere of Outworld was infiltrating their own like some deadly herbicide.
As if to confirm her thoughts, a coarse Outworld idol suddenly became visible through the screen of foliage ahead of them, its gruesome visage frozen in a stone-carved growl.
“This is the sixth one of these damn things,” Jax said breathlessly. “And each one gets uglier.”
“It’s the merger of the realms,” Sonya said.
Jax frowned in annoyance. “You keep saying that, Sonya. And it doesn’t mean squat to me.”
“I told you,” she said, pushing ahead past the idol. “It’s the end of the world.”
Jax suddenly grabbed her from behind by the arm.
“Goddamnit!” he grunted. “You’re talking to me like I’m some kind of idiot! Take a minute to think about how I feel, would you?”
She looked at him, nodding to indicate she was listening.
“You drag me out of the hospital with some lunatic killers on our ass, put me in a spinning ball, and take me halfway around the world,” he went on. “If I’m gonna die today, at least tell me why!”
“Nobody told me why Johnny had to die. Shit happens, Jax. You’re a big boy. Deal with it.”
Jax searched her face, but her stony expression revealed nothing. “Who the hell’s Johnny ?
She turned away, leaving him more confused and exasperated than ever.
“I’m your partner, girl,” he said. “If you can’t trust me, who can you–?”
Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a sudden, violent blast of thunder. Jax felt something sting his face and slapped at it.
“Ahh, damn, what was that?”
They both looked around in growing horror and dismay. Noxious purplish-black raindrops were drizzling from the sky, causing the undergrowth to wither and rot on contact, collecting in oily, steaming pools at their feet.
“Nature’s dying,” Sonya said in a barely audible voice.
“Maybe this is the end of the world,” Jax said.
When Sonya turned to him, he saw that her lower lip was trembling.
“Time’s running out, Jax,” she said. “It could all be over in a few days.”
They looked at each other for a moment, their faces somber and heavy. Then, from the very near distance, the sound of brush being thrashed and trampled reached their ears.
“We gonna keep running, or do you want to go out swinging?” Jax
“And just how am I supposed to do that ?”
Nightwolf was still manipulating his tomahawk like an expert baton twirler.
“Well,” he said, “there’s a slow way, and there’s a fast way.”
Liu’s fists trembled. “We don’t have time for the slow way!”
A smirk touched the corner of the stranger’s lips. “That’s what I thought you’d say,” he said.
Liu started to launch into an angry response, but he had scarcely gotten a word out of his mouth when the young man flipped the tomahawk at him so that its blunt end crunched against his forehead.
Sparks exploded between his eyes, rapidly turned cinder-gray, then blackened.
The young Indian’s grin slanted further up his face as he watched Liu crumple to the ground, unconscious.
“Sweet dreams, champ,” he said. “See you when you wake up.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
They plunged through the jungle wilderness, moving as quickly as they could, Jax’s strength-amplified arms sweeping out in front of him to clear a path through the dense clutter of vegetation. Behind him, Sonya tried not to let her bad leg slow her down as she struggled to negotiate an obstacle course of vines, stumps, root tangles, and sucking marl. A single misstep would throw her flat on her face, and with the Outworlders sticking close at their heels, even a brief setback could be calamitous.
All around them, gray streamers of mist were creeping up from the ground and killing the leaves on their branches, turning them from vibrant green to sickly yellow, wilting them before their eyes. Sonya was sure this was another thing that could be charged in full to Shao Kahn’s account – the poisonous atmosphere of Outworld was infiltrating their own like some deadly herbicide.
As if to confirm her thoughts, a coarse Outworld idol suddenly became visible through the screen of foliage ahead of them, its gruesome visage frozen in a stone-carved growl.
“This is the sixth one of these damn things,” Jax said breathlessly. “And each one gets uglier.”
“It’s the merger of the realms,” Sonya said.
Jax frowned in annoyance. “You keep saying that, Sonya. And it doesn’t mean squat to me.”
“I told you,” she said, pushing ahead past the idol. “It’s the end of the world.”
Jax suddenly grabbed her from behind by the arm.
“Goddamnit!” he grunted. “You’re talking to me like I’m some kind of idiot! Take a minute to think about how I feel, would you?”
She looked at him, nodding to indicate she was listening.
“You drag me out of the hospital with some lunatic killers on our ass, put me in a spinning ball, and take me halfway around the world,” he went on. “If I’m gonna die today, at least tell me why!”
“Nobody told me why Johnny had to die. Shit happens, Jax. You’re a big boy. Deal with it.”
Jax searched her face, but her stony expression revealed nothing. “Who the hell’s Johnny ?
She turned away, leaving him more confused and exasperated than ever.
“I’m your partner, girl,” he said. “If you can’t trust me, who can you–?”
Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a sudden, violent blast of thunder. Jax felt something sting his face and slapped at it.
“Ahh, damn, what was that?”
They both looked around in growing horror and dismay. Noxious purplish-black raindrops were drizzling from the sky, causing the undergrowth to wither and rot on contact, collecting in oily, steaming pools at their feet.
“Nature’s dying,” Sonya said in a barely audible voice.
“Maybe this is the end of the world,” Jax said.
When Sonya turned to him, he saw that her lower lip was trembling.
“Time’s running out, Jax,” she said. “It could all be over in a few days.”
They looked at each other for a moment, their faces somber and heavy. Then, from the very near distance, the sound of brush being thrashed and trampled reached their ears.
“We gonna keep running, or do you want to go out swinging?” Jax
Similar Books
