[The Tempest trilogy: Book 3] After the fateful battle for Bifröst, Zoya lost everything, including her will to fight. However, the war with Nightingale and the Yeomen is not over yet and Zoya soon realizes she has what it takes to settle them for g...
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I already eliminated several Castaway thugs in the tunnel, but there are too many of them. My improvised shield protects me fairly well, but still, several bullets hit the spot. I'm sure it will hurt once the adrenaline overdose wears out.
To hell with the bullets that ended up in my flesh - I can ignore them. What concerns me are the shots that hit the bionic part of my back. Every bullet can shatter the vials inside and make my mission futile. That's why I try to expose my back as little as possible, even if it means giving them an advantage.
The best tactic is to incapacite them with a surge of steam, then hitting them with the edge of the door. I also managed to burn two of them before I ran out of fuel for good - the faint glow of fire is illuminating the whole scene and I'm not sure if it's for the better or not.
Where are the goddamn Wardens? I'm almost certain they decided to screw me over, leaving me on my own. Even though the enemy numbers are limited, I can't last forever. I already feel the taste of blood in my mouth and I'm not sure if one of my vital organs hasn't been damaged.
One of the outlaws proceeds to bang on my shield with his bionic arm, leaving a dent in it. With a battle cry, I charge forward, bashing the attacker with the shield and striking him down with a hook punch. The Castaway collapses on the ground, but one of his comrades took the chance and shot me in the shoulder as soon as I exposed it. I clench my teeth, trying to endure the burning pain.
I feel it again. The madness is making its way through, striving to take control. If I let it, it would do everything for me - it would defeat all these thugs not minding the pain. To imagine I could just let the beast emerge and let it literally tear the enemies to pieces... it's tempting.
But I can't. Not now.
However, the red screen is not asking whether I want its help. And to prove it, it makes me grab a nearby Castaway and smash his head against the tunnel wall. Squeezed by an immense force, the skull cracks like an egg and the outlaw dies before he even finishes his short trip to the ground. God... what am I doing? The palm of my bionic hand is stained with blood. The sudden outburst makes the rest step back.
I try to calm down, but it's not easy when there are enemies gathered around me trying to gun me down. But I'm aware that letting the madness take over would only endanger the vials.
If I decide to stay human, I will probably die here.
If I let the madness change me, I will probably lose everything I fought for - and not only the vials.
But if I emerge victorious without the madness' help, maybe I will be finally at peace with myself for... long enough to accomplish my mission. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to heal completely once this war ends. Can that omnipresent, lurking darkness be banished for good?
"Shit, that sucker isn't going down easily," I hear one of the thugs utter.
"He's like... invincible!" his comrade agrees. "What he received would already kill three men, but he's still standing. He's not normal, I tell ya."
