Read Online Vengeance (Twenty-Five Percent Book 3) by Nerys Wheatley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nerys Wheatley
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tall metal cages was rolling away from him.
It was better than nothing.
After a few seconds of graceless clambering, he managed to make it inside just as the first of the eaters reached him. They barrelled into the cage, sending it skidding across the concrete floor to smash against the wall and jarring Alex painfully against the metal bars.
“I thought we had an agreement,” he said, rubbing his sore back. “I hate to say it, but I think this is going to create some major trust issues in our relationship.”
The eaters slammed into the cage, scrabbling at the suddenly very flimsy looking metal mesh sides and moaning frantically. Alex felt like a diver in a shark cage. Breath passing across weeks of unbrushed teeth enveloped him.
“Seriously, guys,” he coughed, trying not to gag, “a little oral hygiene goes a long way.”
The back of the cage screeched, scraping along the wall behind him. In front of him, the mesh warped. One of the corner uprights buckled. With a popping crunch, the cage began to compress.
Alex backed up against the wall. Crushed to death or torn apart, what a choice. Why was he in this mess? Why hadn’t he just waited for Micah to come and get him? Was he trying to get himself killed?
Was he?
He shook his head. He didn’t want to die, especially not at the hands and teeth of hundreds of eaters. Although at this point it was looking like he might not have much say in the matter.
The now familiar sound of a loading door opening broke through the cacophony of eater moans and his heart beating in his ears. An engine revved. What followed was something Alex never ever wanted to see again. The horde had no concept of danger, especially the danger posed by a sixty tonne tank bearing down on them. After a few seconds, Alex closed his eyes, not opening them again until a voice said, “Need a lift?”
He looked up at the tank towering in front of the cage, its huge bulk keeping the eaters at bay. He very carefully didn’t look at the carnage the tank had left in its wake. Micah, who was leaning out of the hatch, wasn’t so prudent. His face paled and he snapped his eyes back up.
“Don’t look,” he said.
“I’m not looking. Why did you look?”
Micah winced. “I didn’t think it would be quite that... visceral. What are you doing here anyway?”
Alex folded his arms across his chest and leaned casually against the twisted side of the cage. “Oh, just hanging. You?”
“Oh, just saving your arse. Again.”
The cage was severely warped and it took Alex an awkward half a minute to struggle up out of it and onto the tank. Micah returned to the driver’s seat and drove to the far end of the warehouse where Alex opened the door before what remained of the horde followed. Once the Challenger was outside he threw the eaters a wave before shutting them in.
The seven teenagers, plus baby, were waiting a little way away, looking around fearfully. Five bodies lay outside the warehouse, the holes from Micah’s skull-spiker clearly visible in their heads.
“Is that why you took so long to come and get me?” Alex said when they were both out of the tank.
Micah pointed back at the warehouse in exasperation. “You said you had it in there. I didn’t want the rest to get out. I wasn’t expecting you to do something stupid.”
“It wasn’t intentionally stupid. It just turned out that way.”
A voice shouted, “Hey!”
They both turned to see the group of teenagers huddled together with the boy who’d challenged Alex in the warehouse standing in front of them, glaring.
“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess they weren’t too happy to have their hideout invaded by hundreds of eaters,” Alex muttered as they walked towards them.
“And I thought your deductive skills were lacking,” Micah replied.
“You’d better have a good explanation for messing up our hiding place, white-eye,” the boy said, with the misplaced bravado of sixteen-year-olds everywhere.
Or what? Alex
It was better than nothing.
After a few seconds of graceless clambering, he managed to make it inside just as the first of the eaters reached him. They barrelled into the cage, sending it skidding across the concrete floor to smash against the wall and jarring Alex painfully against the metal bars.
“I thought we had an agreement,” he said, rubbing his sore back. “I hate to say it, but I think this is going to create some major trust issues in our relationship.”
The eaters slammed into the cage, scrabbling at the suddenly very flimsy looking metal mesh sides and moaning frantically. Alex felt like a diver in a shark cage. Breath passing across weeks of unbrushed teeth enveloped him.
“Seriously, guys,” he coughed, trying not to gag, “a little oral hygiene goes a long way.”
The back of the cage screeched, scraping along the wall behind him. In front of him, the mesh warped. One of the corner uprights buckled. With a popping crunch, the cage began to compress.
Alex backed up against the wall. Crushed to death or torn apart, what a choice. Why was he in this mess? Why hadn’t he just waited for Micah to come and get him? Was he trying to get himself killed?
Was he?
He shook his head. He didn’t want to die, especially not at the hands and teeth of hundreds of eaters. Although at this point it was looking like he might not have much say in the matter.
The now familiar sound of a loading door opening broke through the cacophony of eater moans and his heart beating in his ears. An engine revved. What followed was something Alex never ever wanted to see again. The horde had no concept of danger, especially the danger posed by a sixty tonne tank bearing down on them. After a few seconds, Alex closed his eyes, not opening them again until a voice said, “Need a lift?”
He looked up at the tank towering in front of the cage, its huge bulk keeping the eaters at bay. He very carefully didn’t look at the carnage the tank had left in its wake. Micah, who was leaning out of the hatch, wasn’t so prudent. His face paled and he snapped his eyes back up.
“Don’t look,” he said.
“I’m not looking. Why did you look?”
Micah winced. “I didn’t think it would be quite that... visceral. What are you doing here anyway?”
Alex folded his arms across his chest and leaned casually against the twisted side of the cage. “Oh, just hanging. You?”
“Oh, just saving your arse. Again.”
The cage was severely warped and it took Alex an awkward half a minute to struggle up out of it and onto the tank. Micah returned to the driver’s seat and drove to the far end of the warehouse where Alex opened the door before what remained of the horde followed. Once the Challenger was outside he threw the eaters a wave before shutting them in.
The seven teenagers, plus baby, were waiting a little way away, looking around fearfully. Five bodies lay outside the warehouse, the holes from Micah’s skull-spiker clearly visible in their heads.
“Is that why you took so long to come and get me?” Alex said when they were both out of the tank.
Micah pointed back at the warehouse in exasperation. “You said you had it in there. I didn’t want the rest to get out. I wasn’t expecting you to do something stupid.”
“It wasn’t intentionally stupid. It just turned out that way.”
A voice shouted, “Hey!”
They both turned to see the group of teenagers huddled together with the boy who’d challenged Alex in the warehouse standing in front of them, glaring.
“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess they weren’t too happy to have their hideout invaded by hundreds of eaters,” Alex muttered as they walked towards them.
“And I thought your deductive skills were lacking,” Micah replied.
“You’d better have a good explanation for messing up our hiding place, white-eye,” the boy said, with the misplaced bravado of sixteen-year-olds everywhere.
Or what? Alex
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