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Chapter 64: Back up

  I had to get my ass down there and help. There was nothing left for me up here if everyone ended up dead. We would just be sitting ducks for the Praxis Security forces to roam in and gun us down. There had to be something to help, something to do here. I needed to think.

  My hand shot to my mouth, and I began to nibble on my nails. My eyes shot around the room. There were no more weapons left. My own guns were gone, useless, and all I had left was my knife.

  My eyes scanned over Echo. He still had some guns strapped to his vest. His shotgun was lying on the floor next to him. Something stuck out on his chest. It heaved gently as his stressed breathing continued. There it was, the answer. A small yellow vial with a respirator attached.

  Huff. Damn that stuff, but it did produce results. I snagged it from his vest and held it to my mouth. The thoughts of the subway tunnel came flooding back. The lost souls dragging their feet about in the darkness, giving into the addiction for this yellow mist. I hesitated.

  My eyes shot over to the monitors. I could see Uwu and some militia workers running down a hall, getting set up for the next assault. Dread was building up inside of me. I couldn’t just sit back and watch this happen. That’s not who I was, and I ain’t gonna bitch out now.

  I pressed the button and inhaled some Huff. Instant energy shot through me. No more fatigue, no more pain, no more hurt ankle. Smell of mildew from the basement hole, smoke from the fire down the hall, gun smoke, it all rushed into my nose at once. I gagged and wretched as the taste hit my tongue. How anyone could do this recreationally was beyond me, but everyone was hard up for something to numb the pain these days.

  I saved most of the vial, watching my intake. I wanted to give some to the lump in the chair. If he ain’t dead, he can get off his ass and help too. I looked down on his body with sadness though. He was in no shape to do much of anything, but knowing him, he would kick my ass if I let him sleep in.

  I stuck the Huff applicator in his mouth and smashed the button, ejecting the whole thing deep into his lungs. He wheezed in, his eyes shooting open, almost bulging from his head. Echo shot forwards, hacking and convulsing, spitting out until he took another deep breath in. He shot to his feet, grabbed his shotgun, and stared me in the eyes, “Who we gonna fuck up this time?”

  I stood with my eyebrows raised. This is one hell of a drug. “Uwu and the others are in danger. Praxis security forces just fucked them up big. We’re the st reinforcements they got. You good to go?”

  “You bet your ass I am!” Echo was shouting now, probably without knowing it. He was hoping up and down, popping his neck side to side. “Let’s get fucking going, yeah? Woo!” He started walking off to the elevator, leaving me behind.

  I shrugged. This was it now. We succeed and get out of here alive, or we all die trying.

  Echo hit the button and the elevator descended into the pnt below.

  Ding.

  The doors opened and we stepped out into an active war zone. Gunshots rang out in the distance, followed by quick shouts, more gunshots, then silence. Praxis was everywhere now. That damn slug repeater, and explosive rounds to top it off. They really didn’t want to give up the pnt. They wanted to send a message to all the rebels.

  Echo held his hand out, stepping ahead of me, “I’ll take point. This pce is my specialty.” He smiled at me as his ears twitched about. “Come, this way.” He waved me on as we stepped over some pools of blood, occupied by a few bodies.

  I snatched a submachine gun from one of the bodies and checked the ammo. It was half full, but it’d have to do.

  He crouched at the corner of the hallway. His ears twitched about. His mouth opened and high-pitched squeaks shot out, “Eee. Eee. Eee.” His ears twitched again. He side-eyed me, “Four of them ahead. Basic automatic rifles. They’re facing the opposite wall, bunched together in the middle of the room. We can take them out easily. On my move, we strafe to the right catching them in a blind spot, mow them down.”

  My eyebrows shot up, “Impressive.” I forgot that the Anthros weren’t just people covered in fur. They had specialties, things like Echo’s sonar that nded him in the dreaded asteroid mines. It was a fucked-up part of his life he shared one drunken night. Poor guy.

  “Now.” Echo dipped out. I followed right on his heels. We cut right, and sure as shit, there were four Praxis goons standing in the middle of the room. We opened fire, spraying them down with our guns.

  Boom, Boom! Ratatatata!

  Echo’s shotgun cut them in half, spraying blood and guts about as my machine gun cut into them, making sure they wouldn’t get up again.

  We were standing in some sort of cafeteria room, filled with metal tables and chairs. Not a cushion or pnt in sight, just more vid screens pying ads, some riddled with bullet holes. Just another drab room for the workers.

  “Eee. Eee.” Echo snapped his head at me, “Get their guns, we got thirty seconds before reinforcements get here.”

  I ran forward, tossing my gun aside. I snagged the rifle in working order, tucking the extra magazines into my waistband. I jumped when a loud crash hit from behind. Echo was flipping a metal table over.

  I ran over to him, jumping the table. My ankle should be throbbing by now, but I felt nothing, just a strange euphoria. Huff was a double edged sword. “Which way?” I questioned him.

  “Left.” Echo reloaded his shotgun. “Five of them, same getup. They’re professional. They’re gonna sweep left and right before they enter, covering all their bases. Stay down, once they enter and let their guard down, we fire.”

  I nodded at him, slumping down into cover of the table. I crossed my fingers, hoping the table would stop any bullets. It was a limp hope at best.

  The tapping of boots came from the right entrance, exactly like Echo said.

  “Eee.” He shook his head at me.

  The boots stomped around, finally stopping at the middle of the room.

  “Eee.” He nodded at me and we both stood.

  Our guns bzed, fire spewing at metal as we cut down two of the security forces instantly. The other three dove for cover. Sparks cshed off the metal tables around them. We ducked back down and started to reload. They returned fire, loud cngs shook my ears. I could see Echo holding down his own ears, his eyes wincing in pain.

  I rolled out of cover, aiming at the nearest Praxis goon. I tapped my trigger a few times, spraying bursts of bullets at him from below. His arms shot up as he tumbled down, blood squirting from his thighs up to his chest.

  Bullets struck all around me, chipping up the concrete floor. Echo sprayed back from behind cover, dropping one of the goons. The st one turned to fire at Echo, but I caught him with a burst to the neck, dropping to the floor, gurgling as he tried to press the blood back in.

  We quickly reloaded and watched for anymore Praxis security. It was quiet.

  “Any more?” I took a cautious step forward, looking down the halls.

  Echo sonared out again. “Not that I can find.” Echo joined me.

  We jumped as the sound of Leopard’s roar echoed about the halls, quickly joined by more gunfire.

  We both turned to each other, “Speck!”

  I started running off down the hall, “Uwu might be there too, hurry!”

  Echo joined up behind me. This was it. The calvary was coming to the rescue. I just hoped we would get there in time.

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