Kicking It(25)

The deadliest creatures were often the most beautiful, and that certainly held true in this case.

As the heat built, a Fractogast lifted his arm and slammed a tool on the glowing metal. More sparks sprayed out, and beside her, Brighton shifted in agitation.

“That’s the hammer,” he whispered.

Simone looked closer and sure enough, in the fist of the ’Gast was a sturdy hammer. It looked more like a child’s toy in such a giant grip, but with each pounding strike, the metal section being added to the ring bent easily under the hammer’s force.

After only a few seconds, the hammering stopped, leaving the final section of the ring in place.

One of the shells picked up an armful of discarded, tangled wire and headed their way.

Simone pushed Brighton back, out of the way of the swinging doors. As soon as the shell passed, she darted forward, slipping through the door on the backswing.

They both made it through, but the disruption of the motion of the door was obvious.

One of the ’Gasts tilted its head to the side. Its tiny black eyes focused in their direction.

Simone held her breath, willing the gaze of the ’Gast to pass over them. Brighton’s thumb stroked across the back of her hand, silently offering her reassurance.

She knew they couldn’t see her, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t figure out she was there.

She checked the ground at their feet, searching for anything that might give away their presence. The dirt on the floor was too scuffed and smeared for her to make out any one distinct set of prints. If she and Brighton veered off into the dusty, unused areas, that might give them away, but as long as they stayed in the well-traveled areas, they would be fine.

She hoped.

The ’Gast let out a string of clicks, and several shells stopped what they were doing and shambled toward where she and Brighton stood.

Simone knew that if they stayed put, eventually one of the shells would bump into them by sheer chance.

Time to move.

She tugged on Brighton’s hand, pulling him forward, closer to the ’Gasts. By the time the shells made it to where she and Brighton had been standing, they were ten feet closer to the hammer. And to the Fractogasts.

She waited until the ’Gasts were convinced that all was well and went back to work before she rose up to whisper to Brighton. She was close enough that her lips grazed his skin as she spoke. “Boom in ten.”

He mouthed the question. Boom?

She put a single finger to her mouth, nodding.

Tension radiated from his body. Whether he was nervous because of the impending boom, or if it had more to do with him fighting his urge to save those poor souls, she couldn’t be sure. And she wasn’t about to speak more than absolutely necessary to find out.

The pair of small detonators in her purse were easy to reach, even one-handed. She flipped open the safety cover on the leftmost one and pushed the button.

A second later, a deep, rumbling boom shook the ground beneath her boots.

Brighton’s arm came around her, his grip strong enough to drive the air from her lungs. He spun her body, putting his own between her and the blast.

Immediately, shells began hurrying toward the noise on the northern side of the building. Both ’Gasts abandoned their post, shoving their human puppets aside as they funneled out of the room.

Within seconds the space was empty.

“What was that?” asked Brighton.

“Safety net. We’ll only have a few seconds before they figure out it was just a distraction.”

“You get the hammer. I’ll get the people.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but it was too late. He’d already let go and was at the side of the young man, unbuckling the metal bands holding him in place.

Simone released the effort it took to remain invisible so Brighton would be able to find her. She sprinted for the platform and grabbed the handle of the red-hot hammer.

He lifted the kid down and held him on his feet while he regained his balance. He tried to talk, but no sound came out.

“Just hang on,” said Brighton. “We’ll be out of here in a second.”

Brighton thrust the kid at Simone, forcing her to set the hammer down by her foot so she could hold the kid up without burning him.

He clung to her, and the desperation in his grip was one she remembered all too well.

Brighton stopped in the process of freeing the older woman. “She’s gone,” he said.

“Not for long. They’ll start her heart and lungs back up again as soon as they see she’s dead.”

The Fractogasts would reanimate her body, just like they had all the rest.

“Can you stand?” she asked the kid.

He nodded and braced his feet apart.

“Did you know that woman?” she asked.

He shook his head.