Poisoned. (BOOK 2/2, THE POISON SERIES)

CHAPTER 1: LAUGHTER ROOM, SLAUGHTER ROOM (DAN)

"The decadent international but individualistic capitalism in the hands of which we found ourselves after the war is not a success. It is not intelligent. It is not beautiful. It is not just. It is not virtuous. And it doesn't deliver the goods."
-JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES.

The crackle of the fire beneath me is the only thing keeping me holding onto the red hot handle.
The metal cube hangs 15 feet above the flames now.
I'm sobbing, and coughing. I'm going to die. I'm going to burn alive. I'm going to scream.
Maybe it won't hurt. Maybe it'll be quick, quick like Ed.
But what about Dash. I love her, if I die I'll be alone. If I die I'll never stop Brad, I'll never save anyone. That's what I live for now. Not for myself. For others. I'm not important, others are, others I need to save. If I die, it will be no loss to me, only others. I live to love others, not myself, saving myself isn't important, only others.
That's why I survive. I fight for others. Unlike Brad, he fights for himself.
Am I really debating morals before I'm about to die?
I can feel my burnt bleeding hand slipping from the sizzling door handle.
Will it hurt?
I'll fall any moment.
Will anyone care?
The smoke from the flames make me choke.
Will Dash care?

My finger slips...

BOOOM!
The wall of the entire slaughter room explodes open, the fire below me is instantly snuffed.
"Sh*t!" I scream as the hanging metal box crashes from it's suspensions to the hot metal grill floor.
I land on the floor where the fire had once been, my face touches the metal grill and I feel my skin burn. I gasp in pain.
I'm bleeding even more now, I feel like I'm bleeding out!
"DAN!" I hear a voice yell, "RUN! COME WITH ME!" It's silver fox.
I moan and force myself to my feet, she offers her shoulder to lean on and together we sprint out of the hole that the massive explosion caused.
*
I hear the fire alarm, and the sprinklers offer some relief to my burns. When we get out of the Laughter room we are in s corridor, workers budge past us, the huge crowd of panicked people hiding us from the soldiers who Shepard the group towards a fire exit.
"What happened Dan?" Asks Silver Fox.
"Some crazy sh*t happened Sally." I stutter.
We see an empty corridor and bolt down it away from the main group.
"We need to find a fire exit nobody's using!" Whispers Silver Fox.
We run round a corner and at the end of the corridor is a fire exit door.
We run towards it!
BANG!
A gunshot resonates behind us. I turn on my heel and see the stalker with two other soldiers.
"SH*T!" I yell.
"Time to die." Growls the Stalker.
"RUN!" Yells Silver Fox.
We turn and run as we are showered with bullets.
We push open the fire exit and rush out into the pouring rain. It's late in the evening, and thunder rumbles quietly.
We see the Stalker and the other soldiers follow us.
"I parked my motorbike about a mile away!" She yells.
"We won't get there in time!" I shout!
"Not in human form." She grins.

I know what she means.
We run through the busy parking lot outside the citadel, full of evacuated workers, and we shift at the same time.

I feel the searing pain as my body reshapes, my clothes sink into my skin and become grey fur, my mouth and nose stretch forward into a snout, and then I'm a wolf.
*
Me and Silver Fox sprint side by side in our shift form. Silver Fox in her red fox form, me in my wolf form.
We charge through the busy streets of the central. When we are sure we've lost the Stalker we shift to human form again.
We bustle out way through the late night shoppers towards where Silver Fox parked her bike.
She sits on the front part of the dodge tomahawk, and I get on the back of the bike.
She grabs her backpack, and rummaged through the bag for her keys. She grabs the motorcycle helmet that she clipped over one of the steering handles.
"Do you want to wear the helmet? You're more important than me." She smiles.
That's why I like Silver Fox. She's one of the kindest people I know.
"No, you wear it, you are driving." I state.
Suddenly, I look up. I see a helicopter, with a blazing search light.
"THEY'VE FOUND US!" I yell.
"What?!"
"DRIVE!" I scream, pointing at the helicopter.
Silver Fox blast starts the engine as the bike is flung from from its parking space.
The search light moves to highlight us, and the helicopter follows in full pursuit!
The helicopter is fast but the bike is way faster! Silver Fox weaves between cars, that seems to give us cover from the light!
Then a shower of bullets hammer in our direction.
"COVERING FIRE!" She yells at me.
I turn, blinking away the heavy rain that lands in my eyes. The spotlight dazzles me.
"I don't have a gun!" I yell.
"What did you say?!" Yells Silver Fox.
"Brad took my gun!"
"Oh, take mine!"
I grab her SMG from her bag. I turn and shower the helicopter with bullets.
"GOD DAMN!" I shout, as I notice the helicopter has bullet proof Windows and metal.
Lighting flashes in the night sky.
"WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOSE THEM!" I yell.
"I HAVE A PLAN!" Shouts Silver Fox.
"WHAT?!" I ask.
"JUST DISTRACT THEM!"
She zigzags the bike side to side through cars. I look ahead of us and see a bridge that goes over the road and across the Thames.
I continue shooting at the helicopter as Silver Fox pretends to drive down a road to the left but quickly turns and goes under the bridge.
The helicopter pilot turns away from the fake road on left but instead, without paying attention crashes into the bridge!
BOOM!
The helicopter explodes along with the bridge.
"WHOA!" I can't help but yell.
"I KNOW RIGHT! NOW LETS GO BACK TO LIBERATOR HQ!" She yells.

I survived the Slaughter Room...
Next time, I might not be as lucky...