The New Haven Incident - Part Seventeen

Harding stared hard at Sebastian, who matched his expression. Though the agent was a full head shorter than Harding, Mendez was reasonably certain his captain would not have an easy time if they fought. He watched Harding carefully, knowing that Harding was making the same calculations as he observed the shorter man.

The measuring contest ended abruptly to the sound of shattering glass and the piercing screams of the survivors in the room next door. Sebastian moved first, a lightning-fast reaction that no one else, save Lilith, could match. They were both out the door before Mendez had even turned. Cursing to himself, he raised his rifle and followed. Carter was immediately at his side, having exited the communications room moments before, but the rest of both teams, who had gathered there for their final check while waiting for the civilians, were prevented from following as three Dark Ones crashed hard into the window of their room, tumbling through. They were followed by several more.

Chaos followed. Mendez and Carter fought side by side trying to get to the survivors. They took their shots carefully, unwilling to risk hitting the survivors in their charge. The room was filled with the zip of insect wings as countless dark bodies streamed in from the broken window. Mendez and Carter managed to get to the group, standing in front of them as they pressed themselves as hard as they could into a corner of the room.

With the scientists safely behind the pair, neither were compelled to reserve their bullets. Lilith and Sebastian fought together in the centre of the room, drawing off a great deal of heat from the group Mendez and Carter now defended. Lilith’s swords flashed in the morning sun as she danced between bodies, taking limbs and heads. Sebastian’s movements did not have her ethereal grace, but there was no mistaking his training as he combined the sidearm Mendez had given him and his knife in a remarkable fighting style that confirmed to Mendez that Harding would not have fared well if the pair had fought.

The stream of Dark Ones flying in seemed limitless. Mendez paused and watched in horror as one of the targets he had dropped, a bullet hole right between its eyes, twitched, then clambered awkwardly to its feet.

“What the —”

“They won’t fucking die!” Sakata screamed from the other room, making the same discovery.

Mendez gathered himself and fired again, hitting the creature in the head again, this time just below its right eye. The head snapped back and it dropped again, twitched, and rose once more.

“What the f—” A hard hit from his side sent Mendez sprawling. He slid, hitting awkwardly against the wall. Pain lanced up his right side.

Three of the creatures had gotten through and plunged into the group of survivors. One scream pierced the others. Hannah shrieked as the Dark One pulled her from the group.

Lilith saw and broke from the Infected she faced to attack the one dragging Hannah across the room. She engaged, forcing it to release the girl. Hannah screamed again and dropped to the ground, covering her ears. Mendez scrambled to his feet and ran to her.

“Got you,” he said, lifting the girl and running back towards the survivors, who were now defended by Carter, Sakata and Franz, who had made their way over from the other room.

Mendez felt a clawed hand grab him by the collar. “Catch!” Mendez yelled to Sakata, tossing Hannah over as he felt himself get yanked back. Sakata dropped his weapon and ran forward, catching Hannah before she hit the ground.

Dark Ones closed in around Mendez. He lost sight of his team in the press. He pulled out a handgun from his boot and shot blindly, giving himself some space. There were too many. Mendez was grabbed and thrown again. Pain shot through his left hip as he landed hard on the ground with a grunt.

Sebastian saw Mendez land heavily on his left side, the large Dark One responsible striding over to stand over him. This one was a head taller than the others, and many times broader. Its ropy muscles shifted beneath dark grey skin as it lifted a hand to strike. Sebastian sprinted forward and leapt, tackling the thing to the ground. It threw him off. Sebastian rolled and stood, facing it. Closer now, Sebastian realized he had underestimated its size. He grimaced, lifting his gun and readying his knife. With a shriek, it leapt forward. Sebastian fired into its chest. It barely paused, rushing him in a frenzy. All the training in the world could not have helped Sebastian under its onslaught.

Mendez watched Sebastian’s fearless confrontation from the ground. The agent was not faring well. Mendez rolled up to his feet and ran for the Dark One. He tackled it to the ground, straddled its chest and fired twice into its face. It shrieked, but did not die. Grabbing Mendez by his tactical vest, it heaved him bodily into the air, lunging after him.

Mendez had no time to recover. Unable to do anything else, he raised his hands in defence. The strike never landed. Sebastian grabbed him and spun him out of the way. They tumbled together, rolling to a stop at the feet of another Dark One.

Sebastian grunted, gritting his teeth against the searing pain on his left shoulder blade. On his stomach, he attempted to push himself up. Resistance stopped him short. He lifted his gaze to the creature whose legs he now rested against.

Sebastian froze. If their previous opponent was large, this one was a giant. The Dark One cocked its head down at him, one clawed hand pressing on his shoulder. It reached down and closed its clawed hand around his throat. Sebastian struggled as the giant lifted him clear off the ground.

“Hey!” Mendez barked. He scrambled to his feet and rushed the creature. Unfazed, it lashed out to grip Mendez around his throat. Mendez and Sebastian both found themselves dangling in the air.

“Fuck this,” Sebastian rasped. He threw one leg up, bracing his foot on the top of the Dark One’s shoulder. He threw a hard knee with the other leg, striking at the elbow. The joint snapped. Sebastian dropped, the hand around his throat suddenly useless. He steadied himself then lunged forward in an effort to free Mendez.

The Dark One snarled as Sebastian slammed into it, tossing Mendez aside as if the six-foot-two man weighed nothing. Mendez hit the ground and rolled until his back slammed against the rails of the balcony. Hands grabbed at him, slamming him repeatedly into the bars.

Sebastian rolled to his feet, gun in hand. He fired twice, and twice heard the depressing click of an empty magazine.

“Fuck!” He ducked as the Dark One swung at him. Noises from outside grabbed his attention and he glanced over, noting Mendez on his feet, bleeding from a wound on his head, but fighting back against several regular-sized Dark Ones. He would have to hold out. There was nothing Sebastian could do for him at the moment.

The Dark One lunged again and Sebastian twisted away, noting the long sharp protrusion that now extended from its right wrist. It narrowly missed his stomach as he danced out of the way. Striking out with his knife, Sebastian expertly cut at the tendons that should exist in the wrist, hoping to disable the weapon. He managed well enough; but the advantage lasted less than a second. Before Sebastian’s eyes, the wound closed, ropy tendons regrowing and reattaching. Too annoyed now to be afraid, Sebastian growled low and prepared to engage again.

Bullets hit the giant as the rest of Teams Two and Three finally made their way into the room, clearing some space for the beleaguered teammates to improve their positions.

“Shit!” Mendez’ cry turned Sebastian’s head as the giant Dark One stumbled back. Mendez clung to the banister of the narrow balcony outside as several Dark Ones, their wings buzzing too quickly to be seen, hovered in the air past the balcony, pulling at him, trying to pull him off.

The giant shrieked at the new combatants before turning and sprinting for the balcony. It leapt, reaching out to grab Mendez by the back of his tactical vest and yanking. Mendez’ grip failed and he vanished over the edge.

“Mendez!” Harding bellowed.

Sebastian moved before he could think. He sprinted through the fighting crowd of Dark Ones and jumped, pushing off the banister to give him extra height and distance. He landed one the giant Dark One’s back, plunging his knife deep into its neck. It shrieked, fighting against the new weight and the pain to remain airborne. Reaching behind, it grabbed at Sebastian, but was rewarded with the loss of its hand as Sebastian slashed up in defence.

Mendez, still in the creature’s grip, struggled futilely. He looked down, noting the ground rapidly approaching.

“Oh shit!” he said as his boots scraped on the road.

Seeing their descent was now the safest it was likely to ever be, Sebastian switched hands and dug his knife hard into the shoulder joint. He pulled at the hilt, pulling the arm out of its socket. The Dark One shrieked again and lost its grip on Mendez. He fell harmlessly onto the road, stumbling with wildly swinging arms until he found his balance.

He straightened as he watched Sebastian and the giant Dark One crash onto the pavement. The Dark One, arm dangling uselessly, scrambled up to its feet. It reached around to push its arm back in. The joint restored, the wound healing almost instantly, it hissed at Sebastian and prepared to lunge.

Mendez reached to the small of his back for his last remaining gun and pulled it out. He aimed and fired thrice. The Dark One spun and roared, charging at Mendez. Mendez stepped backwards, continuing to fire until he heard the gun click.

“Fuck!” He threw the weapon at it, striking it between the eyes. This gave enough of a pause for Sebastian to catch up. He kicked the back of the creature’s knee, bringing it down to his height, then plunged his knife into the back of its neck, splitting the vertebrae easily. Sebastian worked the knife back and forth until the entire head came off with a sickening squelching sound.

Mendez stood, panting, as he watched the head roll slowly from the thing’s shoulders onto the ground. Thick spurts of black blood created a grotesque fountain that lasted until the body pitched forward. Mendez met Sebastian’s icy eyes.

Sebastian’s gaze slipped past him and up. The colour drained from his face. He lunged forward and grabbed Mendez by the front of his tactical vest and yanked.

“Run!” he yelled.

“My team…” Mendez protested.

Sebastian yanked again. “You can’t help them if you’re dead. Now run!”

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