The New Humans

Chapter 31

Rachel snorted: "Untie me, let me check."

Ash untied then the ropes. As soon as Rachel was released, she touched Miriam's carotid artery and brought her ear close to her nose to hear if she was breathing.

She began to perform C.P.R. on her, but Miriam showed no sign of life.

I killed her. Ash closed his eyes so as not to show that he was about to cry. I brought her here and she died. Crane, may you die suffering like a beast.

"Take her out," Ash said. "Call an ambulance and the IDAN"

"And where are you going?" asked Herbert.

"To kill Crane."

He ran back, even though Rachel yelled at him to stop. He came to the entrance of the armory. A column of fire still burned in the center of the room. Ash took a step forward just as something ahead suddenly ignited, the blast throwing him back. He staggered and rolled. There: the rifle he had used before with Owen six feet ahead of him. The passage where Crane had exited was on the other side of the room. If he ran, he could grab the shotgun and be out in less than five seconds, but those nanotechnologies would not pave the way for him. Maybe if he concentrated as Adam taught him, he could get through them unharmed. He closed his eyes and contracted his muscles. He imagined his skin hardening. He heard a burst, the wood crackling in the fire, and opened his eyes again. This wouldn't work if he couldn't concentrate; he'd have to find another solution.

I have to get wet. He went back into the room with the animal carcasses and jumped into the tub of water near the fireplace. It was hot and he barely fit, but he managed to wet every part of his body. Then he dumped out all the water and carried the tub to the room with the fire.

In order for his plan to work, he'd have to walk straight. He lifted the tub over his head to cover himself, like a bell. It didn't weigh much, it was thin aluminum, but it partially inhibited his movements. He took a deep breath and launched himself blindly forward. Immediately the roar of the fire enveloped him, the heat becoming unbearable and the metal overheating and burning his hands. After a few paces, he found the rifle. He took it and held it vertically so that the tip touched the tub instead of his hands.

He kept running until he crashed into something. He fell and took the tub off. He had managed to enter the earth tunnel and had crashed into a bend. The fire was behind him. His hands, shoulders and feet were burned. He looked at his palms; he had lost a lot of skin.

He didn't have much time, but he would have to heal his hands in order to carry the rifle. He concentrated, sending a flow of energy to the skin on his palms until they were restored. Then he ran along the tunnel, ready to shoot. Some of the wooden beams that supported the structure were on fire and lit the way. The whole cave could collapse. He was dripping with sweat; the heat was stifling. His feet sank into the mud, and the fire almost struck him now and then, but where was Crane? Before he had time to react, he was attacked by a shadow that appeared out of nowhere, and with a punch as hard as cement, it knocked him to the ground, making him lose his grip on the rifle.

He remained on the ground, one hand on his jaw as the gigantic figure of Crane came out of the darkness.

"You are a boy who doesn't give up, Asher Mack," he said. "This is a quality that may save your life in many circumstances. Right now, however, you're just a nuisance for me."

Ash grabbed the rifle, but Crane crushed his arm with his foot. His bones cracked against the ground. He screamed. With the same foot, Crane kicked him in the face, rolling him over.

"You haven't told me yet how you managed to find me." He gave him another kick in the belly. Ash doubled over and spat blood. Each blow was like being hit by a cannonball.