Darkness Rises(124)

Again, you know me well.
Seth appeared in their midst. Chris and the Seconds are in place. Time to go to work.
Stay sharp, David advised.
All nodded and drew their weapons.
Seth and David vanished. Krysta thought at first that they had teleported, then realized as sounds of their flight reached her ears that they were just so freaking fast that they had only appeared to.
Roland, Sarah, and Marcus shot off after them.
Melanie and Bastien followed.
Richart teleported.
Krysta, Étienne, and Lisette raced forward.
Ethan, Edward, Yuri, and Stanislov brought up the rear.
 

 

Anxiety filled Étienne as they whipped through the trees, feet barely touching the ground, making no sound that would alert the guards to their approach.
Krysta was a fantastic fighter and lacked nothing in the confidence department. But she wouldn’t be fighting vampires this time. Her ability to see auras would not aid her as they did with vampires and . . .
He just wasn’t sure how she would react to killing humans.
We’re at war, she thought, and lives are at stake. Immortal. Vampire. Gifted one. And human, if these people succeed in creating their army of supersoldiers. I’ll feel the same way killing them as I would if I were in the army fighting to defend my country.
How did you do that? he asked, nonplussed.
Do what?
Read my thoughts?
You were . . . what is it you call it? . . . projecting or broadcasting them.
Big-time, Lisette added.
And still he worried.
An explosion rocked the night.
The forest they navigated parted and a twenty-foot fence entwined with razor wire loomed.
Étienne leaped it easily and held his breath until he saw Krysta do the same.
An alarm sounded, wonk wonk wonking at deafening decibels.
Gunfire erupted as guards swung around to face the threat and fired blindly at the blurred figures racing through the yard.
Several soldiers cried out as Richart, Ethan, and Edward went to work eradicating them.
Bullets whizzed past and filled the air like swarms of mosquitoes. Étienne dodged as many as he could as he and Krysta followed Bastien and Melanie to the wooden structures beside the main building.
Étienne didn’t know how Seth and David had gained entrance to the main building, but the brick facade looked as though a wrecking ball had hit it several times.
Screams rent the air. The scent of blood thickened on the breeze.
Étienne saw crimson liquid spurt from Krysta’s shoulder and clenched his teeth.
I’m fine, she said. Stop worrying about me.
Easier said than done.
Ahead of him, Bastien swore foully as Melanie burst through the door of one of the barracks without waiting for him.
Étienne headed into another, Krysta right on his heels.
Merde. This must be one the damned day guards used because the fucker was full. Men in T-shirts and boxer shorts were already leaping out of bed and grabbing weapons, having been given a few seconds’ warning by the damned alarm that continued to blare outside.
Étienne never slowed. Swinging his katanas, he barreled through them like the bulls of Pamplona. Howls of pain ensued.
At the opposite end of the room, he stopped and spun around.
 

 

Krysta remained in constant motion, zigzagging from side to side as she cut down the soldiers and herded those still standing toward Étienne’s deadly blades.
Two more bullets hit her. Pain erupted in her side and her thigh.
Gritting her teeth, she powered forward, glad she had chosen to wield katanas tonight rather than the shorter shoto swords. The longer blades worked well against humans with guns and seemed to scare the hell out of them at the same time.
The humans’ auras took on a dark, muddied red as anger and fear seized them.
Krysta wished their auras would warn her when and where they intended to shoot, because those damned bullets stung!
She was so glad Étienne had transformed her. Had he not done so, she would be down on the floor, bleeding to death.
Étienne started working his way back toward her.
The scent of fear mingled with the strengthening odors of blood and death.
A tranquilizer dart whipped past, narrowly missing her ear.
Crap!
She singled out the shooter and . . .
Oh. She had meant to knock the weapon from his hand with a katana, but overextended herself and severed his hand.
Screaming, the soldier gripped his wrist and sank to the floor.
A bullet struck her in the shoulder.
She faltered.
Krysta! Étienne shouted mentally.
Right. She swung at the next soldier. And the next. And the next. Stepping over bodies as she methodically made her way toward Étienne.#p#分页标题#e#
Something stung her neck like a bee . . . and the world went black.
 

 

Étienne took out two soldiers with one swing and glanced through the shifting bodies that still fought to check on Krysta.