The Wastelands (Part II of the Runner Series)

Chapter 47

Will and I fight back to back, spinning in circles as we battle the unending Mech army. Spurts of black goo fly back and forth, drenching us and staining the ground below. I jump and dodge, continually kicking back anyone who gets too close, but the tide of Enforcers never seems to let up. Each enemy I slay is immediately replaced by another, an identical pair of dead, unseeing eyes focused on me, gunning for my blood.

It doesn't take long for Will to notice.

"What's going on?" He shouts at me through clenched teeth as he shoves an Enforcer free of his sword. The freak of nature falls to the ground, staring blankly up at the rain as the gear on his chest ticks steadily backwards.

"I don't know." I tell him honestly. "They've taken a liking to me." I shove my blade through someone's neck. "It must be my good looks."

"That, or the Madam knows something about you." He glances up at the tower in the distance, shuttered tightly against the rain and the fight.

I bite down hard on my lip, tasting blood as I jump and bring my elbow down on an Enforcer's gear, finishing him off while the mechanical implement slowly ticks down to completion. There is no doubt that the Madam has taken a vested interest in me, but I couldn't care less about the reasons for her attention.

I just want to go home. Whatever that means, be it the City or the Wastelands, I simply want to be away from this; the constant, unending cycle of horror and death. I finish off yet another Mech Enforcer and make a silent vow to myself, that this callous, cold-hearted version of the Runner will stay behind in Babel. If we ever make it out of here, I will live quietly and love openly.

I glance over at Will. He is grim-faced as he fights, never more than an arm's length from me. I keep one eye on my enemy and one eye on our commander, needing to be certain that he is safe. He does the same and together we remain perfectly in synch; deadly and untouchable.

It is difficult to be sure, but it seems as though the enemy is dwindling. The swell still presses in around me, forever vigilant in their determination to strike down the Runner, but they are no match for our soldiers. The Mech Enforcers may possess a brute-like force, but we have something stronger.

Hope.

When the radio at my waist crackles to life, I don't immediately notice. Confused, I look to Will.

"It's Gus." He indicates that I should retreat up to the grid. I nod, sheathing my sword and accepting a boost up onto the scaffolding.

It is a moment before I am able to quell the shaking in my hands long enough to press the talk button on the radio. I plug one ear, still keeping my eyes trained on the fight and Will. The scene below is reminiscent of one I witnessed just prior to Rowan's death. I shake off the too-fresh memory and concentrate on Gus' voice.

"Are you done?" I ask.

"...nearly. We are just clearing the last level." The Babel tech sounds tired, but satisfied and I breathe a sigh of relief. We're almost through.

"How much more time do you need?" I keep my questions short, eager to return to the battle.

"...no more than twenty minutes. Can you hold off that long?"

"Yes." Whether or not I believe it to be true, does not matter. We are damn well going to try.

"...you can tell Will...now is the time to blow up the Irrigator." Gus' voice cuts out and I can't be certain that I've heard him correctly.

Looking below, I manage to lock eyes with Will. A guilty expression crosses his face and I know instantly that once again, I've been left out of his plans. It only takes him a minute to climb up onto the grid, but that is long enough for the full weight of his decision to hammer its way home. Fear and rage reverberate through me, and it takes every ounce of restraint I have to not shove him off the grid when he appears at my side.