The Runaway {Hunter} (WATTYS 2022)

Chapter 65

Here we go!!

~

The lights in the hall flickered off, darkness consuming them. They pulled the lights from their hips, trying to shine a light to their way out. The sound of the storm outside was clouded by the explosions and heavy blaster firing as it shook the hallway. A hallway suddenly gave way as Hunter stopped running. Sparks went flying as wired hung from the walls. The once bright and clean facility was now turning into a dust of rubble.

"We need to find cover!" Hunter yelled over the buzz of the loose wires.

Turning back the way they came, another explosion sent the group flying back. The bright white, mixed with blue and red blinded Cora as she fell back from the force of the explosion. Her head hit the ground as her ears started to ring, the muffled sounds of blaster fire was heard as the creaking of metal sounded below them. The room smelled of oil and smoke, no longer clean.

Everyone slowly got to their feet as they looked around, making sure everyone was okay. Cora coughed a few times, trying to get air into her lungs but failed from her broken bones. Before anyone could take another step, the hall ripped a hole through the middle, an explosion blasted next to them again. Debris fell from the ceiling above as everyone began to slid as the whole facility started to tilt below their feet.

Sliding down faster and faster, Cora tried to reach for Omega but she quickly slipped past her. Cora grabbed a piece of metal, trying to hold herself from falling even further. Hunter hung next to her, Omega further up.

"Hunter!" Omega cried out, her eyes wide.

Sudden wires buzzed to life and snapped, causing the door between the rest of the group, and Omega and Crosshair to shut in front of them.

"Omega!" Hunter reached forward but he couldn't do anything. The door closed, sealing his brother and sister on the other side.

Things felt peaceful for a moment. They were back on normal level, no longer hanging so they wouldn't fall. Their heads hit the ground with a thud as they tried to regain their balance on normal gravity.

"Hunter? Do you copy?" Omega asked over comms. "Cora? Tech? Is anyone there? Echo? Wrecker?" Her voice was quick and frantic.

Hunter held his hand over his helmet, shaking it as he stood to his feet. "Yeah, kid." He mumbled out. "Are you okay?"

"Not really. The room is flooding. And Crosshair's stuck." Omega said.

Hunter helped Cora to her feet as she flashed her flashlight out, looking to the door in front of them.

"Tech, get that door open." Cora turned to Tech who was already nose deep in his data pad, trying to help Omega on the other side.

"All compromised compartments are sealed to contain the flooding." Tech looked to the group. "I cannot override the protocols from here."

It was only now that Cora realized that water could be heard. It wasn't the rain which normally sounded in the facility, but the ocean water. Slowly, it filled the rooms around them, the room where Omega was trapped in.

"I can." Wrecker pulled his large vibroblade and stalked towards the door.

He plunged the knife into the crack in the door and started to pull to his right, trying to pry the door open. Tech got on the other side and started to pull back as well. Wrecker groaned as did the metal door. Water dripped through the cracks, the water rising quickly as he tried to pull the door open. Cora looked around quickly, the sounds of the metal groaning was coming from all around. Her heart was beating too quickly. She didn't want to loose Omega. She was like a daughter to Cora, and loosing her because of her silly mistakes on Daro was the last thing she wanted on her consciousness for the rest of her life. Water dripped quicker from the door as Tech and Wrecker continued to strain themselves, trying to pull it open. More water spilled out as they heard knocking from the other side.