Dead Earth (old version)

Chapter Thirteen - Thorne

Thorne poked her head out of the room again, checking to make sure no one was there. 

Scarlett and Alyxx had left to take care of the lovely little room full of dead people, and Damon had stayed behind. 

"It would probably be for the best if you kept that door shut." He said carefully in his peculiar accent, eyeing her weapons. He was standing by the window, just out of sight of anyone out there, keeping watch. 

"I can't sit in here and do nothing."

"It has been four minutes, not a week. Sit down, please, Miss." He went back to looking out the windows. 

Thorne glared at his turned back and sat down next to Natasha. She was still shaken by Natasha's clash with death. She glanced down at her best friend's closed eyes, eyelashes barely tickling her pale cheeks. 

Thorne looked back up at Damon. "Why can't we just leave? There's been no gunfire for at least ten minutes, haven't your people gotten rid of them all?"

"There are secret passageways and room across this whole compound. There could still be Rizen about looking for revenge. They could have killed, as you call them, 'my people'. I will not take a civilian onto a potential battle field, no matter how well trained that civilian is. Not even because the apocalypse happened. I will not have innocent blood on my hands." Damon didn't turn around during his whole spiel, which was rather irritating. 

"No one's innocent anymore," Thorne responded, thinking about when she was just Thorne, the Thorne that was bored with everything. The Thorne that was a picky eater, who wouldn't do her chores because 'she didn't feel like it'. That was the innocent Thorne. What would her past self think of her now? 

A killer, 

A scavenger.... 

A survivor.

Lost in the past, she was startled out of her daydreaming when the door banged opened mere moments later, Alyxx ran in closely followed by a rather pale Scarlett. 

"We were too late. They're out." Alyxx panted, hands on her knees. They were both struggling to catch their breath. 

Damon didn't say anything, just nodded and spun, shooting at the window. Not even a crack was made in the glass. 

"It is bullet proof. We are going to have to run through the building." Damon reported. 

"We'll be lucky if we make it without losing at least half of our numbers." Alyxx added. 

"Well you're a little ray of sunshine, what's the good news?" Thorne asked sarcastically. 

"That is the good news." Alyxx looked at her solemnly. 

"The bad news, then?"

"There's approximately 300 dead in the building, along with about 10 or so of the Rizen. The longer we wait makes it more likely we're going to get trapped."

"We are not leaving Tasha." 

"Your friend doesn't have much of a chance anyway." Alyxx said none too gently.

"I'll carry her myself if it kills me."

"It probably will."

"That will not be necessary, we can build a stretcher. Thorne and myself shall carry her." Damon interjected. He walked away as if the matter was settled and started collecting pieces of rubble from the ceiling. 

Once the makeshift stretcher had been built, and Natasha placed gently onto it, they yet again went over how they were getting out. 

"Go left down this hallway, turn right, turn right again, skip the next two turns, then go left. After that you should see a door, that goes to the outside. It has an alarm on it, but it won't matter much now. If someone is killed, we do not stop. They will be left behind." Alyxx was yet again explaining how to escape in case she didn't make it. 

"The remaining transport is about a quarter of a mile away, as far as I could tell," Scarlett added. 

"It might not be there though, it could have been taken by the fleeing Rizen, or anyone of your group that survived," Alyxx countered. 

"Thank you, you little ray of sunshine," Thorne muttered almost inaudibly. She hoped no one was killed, mainly because no matter who was killed it brought down Natasha's chance at survival. 

"I'll lead. Scarlett, I want you in the back. You two," Alyxx looked at Damon and Thorne in turn. "keep Natasha safe, and stay between us."

Scarlett shouldered her gun, Alyxx flicked the safety to 'off' on her pistol, and they headed out the doors.