The Metahuman Agency: The Superhuman War

Hunted

The door was kicked door. It smashed against the floor, a cloud of dust flying across the waiting room. Jason tensed. He licked his lips. Okay. They were going to come in a second. Then he'd...jump down. Take them by surprise. Yeah. He'd leaped into groups of thugs with guns before. No problem. He could do this. Easy. Easy as pie. Yeah.

Jason knew he was lying to himself. He was scared shitless. But what was the alternative? Run away? Let the medical staff in here get massacred? No. No choice. He had to stand and fight.

But the soldiers didn't come bursting in through the doorway. Jason cocked his arms, his single arm holding him against the ceiling starting to tingle. Come on guys...come on! He was going to lose his grip if they didn't come in right away. What were they waiting for?

Then an object sailied through the doorway and landed in the center of the room. Jason looked down at it. He gasped. It was a tear gas grenade.

The grenade exploded and tear gas engulfed the room. Jason raised his bad arm in front of his gas, trying to protect his face. But it didn't work. The gas wafted over him like a wave.

Jason immediately felt his eyes explode in pain. He screamed, as his eyes burned. They felt like they on fire! The world around him became murky, disjointed, blurred. His throat began to burn too. He screamed again and his voice came out as a choked rasp. He couldn't breathe. He was choking. His single arm slipped off the ceiling and he plummeted like a stone.

Jason tumbled through the air before slamming hard against the floor. He let out another choked scream that sounded more like a raspy gurgle. The world around him was out of focus. He could vaguely make out a shape looming over him. Jason thought it might be the front desk.

He gasped, trying to force air into his lungs. His eyes continue to burn, the effect worsening. Jason gurgled, feeling nauseous and dizzy. The world twisted in and out of focus. He heard noises coming closer. Footsteps. A lot of footsteps.

The soldiers...the soldiers were coming to kill him.

He groped at the air. Fumbling for the desk. He missed. He gasped for air. The footsteps felt like they were right on top of him. He tried to stand. His legs felt like jelly.

A figure stepped over him, looking like a murky black outline. Even so, Jason could tell it was one of the enemy soldiers. The man pointed an assault rifle down at Jason, taking careful aim-

A shot rang out. Jason screeched, raising his hand. His ears rang. His throat burned. But...but there was no pain. No nothing. He hadn't been shot. Then he heard a muffled yell and a thump. He lowered his arm and saw the soldier lying next to him, clutching an arm, clearly in pain. Jason tried to look around, squinting through his watery, burning eyes.

He heard a yell. "Run!" It sounded like the security guard. It was coming from the door that led further into the medical ward. More gunfire roared through the air, flashes of bullets tearing through the top of the desk. Chunks of debris rained down on Jason.

He pushed himself hard with his good arm, managing to rise to his feet. The world around him spun like he was on a rollercoaster. He felt sick. Like he was going to faint or throw up. Or both. But then he heard yells behind him. The click of guns.

That motivated him. Jason thrust himself forward. He saw an outline of a man standing against the wall, before the open doors. Jason darted past him, his features becoming clearer up close. It was the security guard. The guard pointed forward and yelled, "Go, go! I'll-"

Another shot rang out. The security guard's head jerked back and he slammed against the wall, sliding to the floor. Something wet hit Jason's face. Oh god. It was blood. It had to be. The guard had been shot dead. Jason ducked low and charged through the open doors. He heard them hiss automatically shut behind him.