Page 94 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse
CHAPTER 30
When we got there,we found police barricades all around the perimeter of The Scourge. We tried several routes before we abandoned Eric’s car and went on foot. We approached one of the barricades and watched from a distance.
Thunder rolled behind heavy clouds, obscuring the sun and enhancing the ominous feeling.How appropriate!
The sound of bullets reverberated in the distance. As we sat there trying to decide what to do, a couple of patrol cars with their sirens blaring came to a screeching stop in front of the barricade.
One of the drivers exchanged a few words with the men guarding the blockade, then the barriers were pulled aside, and the reinforcements sped through, their tires spinning for a bit and releasing acrid smoke into the air before taking off. As the policemen were distracted replacing the barriers, we slunk along the side of the building, crossed the street, and then pushed through the back door of a Chinese restaurant. Jake guided the way, looking like he knew exactly where he was going. He’d told me a bit about all the businesses Knight Industries owned, but if he’d mentioned K-Tech, I couldn’t remember. The man had his hands full, for sure.
Crouching, we crossed through an empty kitchen with no signs of activity, except for the abandoned food items resting on the counters. There were vegetables on a cutting board, a large bowl filled with dark sauce, a wok with a half-cooked meal on the unlit stove, and several whole fish resting on brown paper, their round eyes staring emptily.
Pressing past a double door, we entered the customer area, which was also empty. I imagined the lunch rush-hour customers had gone out the back door as soon as all hell broke loose.
We exited the building through the restaurant’s front door. The gunshots sounded louder, and now I could also hear battle cries as well desperate screams. Jake urged us forward. Rosalina was hot on my heels, wearing her leather trench coat, which she’d stuffed with guns and ammunition to the hilt. I glanced back to find that Eric was already in his wolf shape, bringing up the rear.
But where was Damien? He’d warned us he might go off on his own.
I was about to say something when I spotted him just exiting the restroom. He was lagging several yards behind, but he wasn’t hurrying. The man didn’t believe in walking in any way that wasn’t dignified. He was too cool to skulk, sprint, or even crouch.
We followed the sounds of battle, weaving in and out through several alleys and going through two other private businesses. One of them was a tattoo parlor, where we found the workers and customers huddled in a corner, sitting on the floor. They startled when they saw us come in, but Jake set them at ease, making pacifying gestures with his hands to reassure them we meant them no harm.
I could smell their fear in the air and also a scent that let me know at least one of them was a werewolf. The other two gave out no scent, so I assumed they were vampires.
“Nice!” Rosalina whispered with a smile, pointing toward some very cool-looking tattoo designs displayed on posters on the wall.
“Thank you,” a guy with a bushy beard mouthed.
Leave it to Rosalina to be nice even during dangerous circumstances. She would probably have compliments for people during the apocalypse.
“You guys can leave through the back alley.” I pointed the way we’d come. “It’s clear. Just head south and be careful.”
They seemed hesitant at first, but when the guy with the beard stood, the others followed.
An electronic bell chimed when Jake pushed the front door open. He eased his tall frame halfway out to check if the coast was clear. The sounds of battle grew even louder. Glass breaking, something that sounded like a chainsaw, growls, and shouts.
Maybeit wasthe apocalypse.
“Where’s Damien?” Rosalina asked.
I searched for him, but he’d already abandoned us.
Rosalina frowned, worry forming lines across her forehead.
“He’ll be fine,” I said.
After glancing left and right, Jake waved, and we tiptoed behind him. He pointed a finger down the street, directing our attention toward the battle.
We stood at the fringes of full-on war. The troops had been getting ready for this, and now they were here. For as far as the eye could see, chaos reigned. Hybrids, werewolves, vampires, witches, mages, and even a few Fae were engaged in a battle royale. It was all Skew, even the ones wearing badges and uniforms. This was no place for Stales. They wouldn’t last a second in The Scourge—not even on regular days, much less during Armageddon.
A thick cloud of smoke hung above. Flames lapped out of buildings and cars. Heat radiated outward, making the air waver.
I scanned the chaos. “No sign of Mekare.”
There were plenty of hybrids to go after, and as much as I would’ve liked to kill every single one of them, they weren’t our target. If you cut the head of the snake, the body would follow. We had to gether. And a more urgent reason to find her? Damien had gone to her without us.
