Page 22 of Chosen By the Alien King
“Ready, Rain?”I whispered into my mic.
“The power’s out,” she said into my earpiece.“Good luck.”
Well, I guessed we’d soon find out if we could trust her or not.
I hefted open the bunker door, and sure enough, nothing but a black pit waited below.No sound floated from inside.
With a nod, Darc and Mosely made their way down the ladder first, only the top of it lit by moonlight.
“After you, Queen Nera,” Maxx whispered with a wave of his hand.
I snorted softly.“Yeah, that’s going to take some getting used to.”
Mostly by feel, I carefully stepped down the ladder toward Darc and Mosely, who reached up helping hands to guide me down.Maxx closed the hatch door, and once the four of us were inside, Darc and I turned on our flashlights, careful to aim them away from Maxx and his glimmering scales.
The bunker appeared empty so far, and quiet.Hopefully, everyone was sound asleep.
When we came to the first bend in the long hallway, a strong gust of air blasted from the right.
“Secondary airflow for when the power’s out,” I explained.“We wouldn’t want everyone to suffocate, would we?”
Mosely and Darc shrugged.
We turned left, downwind from the strong breeze.
“Where is the nearest computer for decrypting?”Maxx whispered.
I was about to answer when something rattled behind us.A door, like someone was trying to force it open against the surging wind.Then it burst open with a loud slam.
“Scatter!”I hissed.
I dodged for the nearest door, yanked it open.The wind ripped the knob from my hands, but before it shut, I leaped inside.
By myself.The other three weren’t with me.
“Shit,” I mouthed.
I twisted the knob and fiddled with the lock, but both were worthless.I didn’t dare start pounding on the door and announce that I was trapped in here.
Trapped and alone in the wolf’s den, separated from the only allies I had here.
To make matters worse, my flashlight dimmed and blinked, dimmed and blinked.I smacked it against my thigh, willing it back to life.
Panic rose like bile in my throat.
I leaned against the cold metal wall, fighting for a breath from my cemented lungs.
Focus, Nera.You have to find Pete.
My heart hummed in my ears.I had to trust Maxx and the others would find their way back to me before anyone knew we were here.There was no other choice.
Forcing a shallow breath, I pushed myself off the wall and shined my blinking flashlight around the room I was in.An empty office, it looked like, different than the one where I’d fought with Lieutenant Avery and my ex the last time I’d visited the bunker.The air felt heavy and stale, but I breathed it all in to ease my roaring panic.
“Please,” I whispered into the darkness, “let us make it out of this alive.”
“Nera, what’s happened?”Rain asked urgently in my earpiece.
“We got separated.I’m on my own, and my flashlight’s decided to be a little bitch.”
