Chapter 48

  They sat in silence, the minutes crawling by until finally footsteps crossed the ceiling, heading toward the basement door.

  Adam's mouth went dry and his heart start to pound. "Sam, when they start shooting, just stay behind me, okay? Is everyone ready?"

  A quiet chorus of nods met his question and he took a ragged breath, trying to center himself. Even after the monsters, the existential horror, and the chaos of the last few days the idea of being shot at twisted his stomach into knots. It felt real and immediate in a way he couldn't quite deal with.

  The basement door creaked opened and Marcus walked down the stairs. Adam could hear Amir speaking above, but couldn't make out the words.

  "It's time," Marcus said. He sounded like someone about to put down a dog.

  I'm sorry buddy, but it's time. It's time for you to go fuck yourself, Adam thought.

  Marcus frowned, glancing at each of them until his eyes landed on the empty space where Hector should have been. His eyebrows climbed slowly as he scanned the barren room. "Where's the other one?" Adam could hear a hint of rising panic in Marcus' voice.

  He shrugged, eyeing the same spot. "I dozed off. I don’t know.” Adam tried to keep his voice neutral while his heart pounded against his ribs like it wanted out.

  "Bullshit." Marcus stepped back toward the stairs, reaching for his crowbar. "Hey, one of them got out, he's not down here!"

  "Behind you" Natalie said, nodding past him.

  Marcus turned just in time for Hector to slam into him, driving his shoulder into Marcus' chest and lifting him off his feet. They hit the concrete floor with a bone rattling thud. Natalie was on him a moment later, her legs wrapped around his chest and neck as she squeezed savagely, while hector pounded hammer blows into his stomach.

  Adam was already moving, sprinting at the stairs before his mind caught up. He threw a hand out pulling the crowbar toward him and praying Samantha was ready as he hit the stairs. Looking up he stared straight into the barrel of Rashid's shotgun. With a roar that was equal parts rage and terror, Adam charged, taking the stairs two at a time.

  The shotgun erupted with a blast of fire and noise, the sound was deafening in the confined space. He stumbled, stunned, as Samantha's shield flared to life, deflecting the pellets and saving his life. The stumble cost him a precious fraction of a second. He hit the top of the stairs just as Rashid fired again, this time point blank.

  Samantha's shield shattered. He felt the pellets punch into his chest like swarm of rocket propelled bees. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead was all he could think as he raised the crowbar and brought it down on a wide-eyed Rashid.

  It struck right between the man’s neck and shoulder. A brilliant spark of energy traveled down the length of the bar and into Rashid's body. The surge of raw power burst from the side of his neck, spraying the white wall in arterial gore, as the crowbar smashed through his collarbone and folded him inward. Adam's momentum carried him forward, smashing into Rashid and the wall.

  Layla shrieked, the sound muffled in Adam's ringing ears. She raised Natalie's gun and fired three times, the sound battering Adam's eardrums until everything faded into a bright whine of nothingness. He felt a bullet rip through the meat of his upper arm and he collided with the wall, going down in a heap on top of Rashid's unmoving body.

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  Adam lay on the floor, his cheek pressed against the tile of the hallway. He watched Layla approach, the gun shaking in her grip. Rage warped her face, stretching it into something inhuman and perverse. The barrel stared down at him like an empty eye socket. Adam took a deep breath and made his peace with the end.

  Samantha stepped into view, her right hand outstretched, fingers rigid. Layla started to raise the gun and Adam flicked his eyes between the two women. A marble-sized ball of flame spun into existence at Samantha’s fingertips, flashing with swirls of orange and yellow fire. Without warning it raced forward like a shooting star, burning a trail of light across Adam's vision.

  The sphere struck Layla in the chest, sinking through her sternum with a bubbling hiss. She shuddered, and the gun went off in her grip, the bullet smashing into the tile inches from Adam's face. He watched Layla's eyes widen in disbelief as the smell of cooking meat filled his nostrils. She looked down at the hole in her chest, muttering something Adam couldn't make out, and then she came apart. Fragments of bone and gore erupted from the woman's chest like she'd swallowed a grenade, painting the ceiling in a burst of red.

  Adam snatched the gun from the spreading pool of crimson and forced himself upright. Samantha's hands clamped on his upper arm, and the sudden flash of pain reminded him he'd been shot.

  "You're really bleeding. We need to stop it before you pass out." Samantha ripped strips from her overshirt and wrapped them tightly around Adam's upper arm. The pain made his stomach lurch.

  "I don't see Amir," Adam rasped.

  As if on cue, Amir stepped around the corner, grimacing at Layla's corpse. "That's disgusting. Did you have to make such a mess?"

  He’s really lost it.

  Adam raised the gun and pulled the trigger without hesitating, aiming for Amir's face.

  Click.

  He pulled again.

  Click.

  A thin trickle of water leaked from the barrel and Amir met his eyes, a wolfish grin spreading across his face.

  Amir jabbed his finger at him and Adam felt a titanic pressure deep in his chest. The urge to cough made him double over and the gun clattered to the ground. A continuous stream of water leaked from his nose and mouth. Adam heard Samantha say something, but his mind couldn't process the words over the rising panic as he started to drown. He reached for Amir and willed power into his hand, snapping arcs of electricity dancing between his fingers.

  Amir lightly stepped away and laughed.

  I'm dying and he's laughing at me, it's all just a game to him.

  Adam fought down the panic the best he could, vomiting out a gout of water and dragging in a tiny ragged breath. He saw Samantha tumble backwards down the stairs, clawing at her throat as she fell, beginning to drown for the second time that day.

  Another violent cough doubled him over, spewing a line of water onto Amir's shoes.

  "Oh, that's cute," Amir said, shaking his soaked foot in annoyance.

  Adam grit his teeth and slapped his hand into the growing puddle of watery gore. The electricity in his hand discharged, shooting through the water like dozens of tiny sharks searching for prey. They found Amir's shoe and arced up and into his leg. He went rigid, seizing so hard he appeared to vibrate in place.

  The flood of water into Adam's lungs abruptly stopped and he choked down air in greedy gasps. He fought to focus and watched Amir topple forward, landing in the puddle with a jarring thud.

  He crawled backward to the stairs. Samantha laid halfway down, gasping for breath and she gave him a weak thumbs up. All Adam could manage in response was a half-hearted wave and another wet cough.

  A hand clamped around his ankle, dragging him away from the stairwell.

  "That's a neat trick," Amir said, and dropped a knee into Adam's gut. He felt the air driven from his lungs and water flooded in to replace it.

  Adam thrashed, trying to dislodge the smaller man, but his vision was already darkening, aided by Amir's hands locking around his throat. He tried to fight back but his limbs felt like they were full of lead. Adam was distantly aware of his arms falling limp and he let his eyes roll backward to the stairwell, spots dancing across his darkening vision.

  He wondered why Jessica was standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at him. She wore a strange expression on her face and Adam thought she might be studying him. He watched her lunge forward and then the pressure on his neck was gone.

  Natalie appeared next to him as his vision faded. She leaned down in slow motion and slammed her palm into his stomach. He felt the urge to cough but nothing came out. She hit him again and cursing, put her mouth over his and filled his lungs. He felt his heart kick in his chest like a car struggling to turn over. Natalie exhaled again, and again his heart kicked, and then he was on his side, coughing up water and sucking down breaths as fast as he could.