The Gods Will Bleed [ON HOLD]

OUT OF TIME

-CHAPTER 2-

Dust billows behind the big eight-wheeled transport as Edgar stares in awe at the falling mangled taskmasters. The ruins behind them still bursting and thundering from the explosion. The cruel autonomous custodians, who're supposed to keep the workers in line, were raining down in pieces. Camille is in the driver's seat with her hand pushing against an already maxed out throttle. The skies are darkening as the merciless sun relinquishes its time above to the wild denizens of the night.

"We have to get there, we have to get there," Camille repeats in a hushed mantra. Sweat dripping from her eyelashes and stinging her vision. Her dirty red hair matted and sticking to her brown face like it was painted on.

"Ohhh man, Camille did you see how frickin high that rust bucket went? Too bad they cant feel pain, eh." Edgar cheered. Miming a big explosion with his arms. His blue eyes brilliant in the setting suns rays, filling with tears from the adrenalin rush and shave with death.

"Don't get too excited Edgar. Once night comes, your pasty skin won't do you any favors, you're gonna stand out like a phosphor in the ruins. So you better get up here and start praying to Gara we get to the gate in time."

"Oh come on Mille, how often do we get to stick it to the bots. Never, that's how often," Edgar exclaimed. "Besides, if Antwon said the door at the gate will be open, its gonna be open. He was right about the ruins wasn't he?"

The transport cut across the last stretch of desert separating the Wildlands and Polis Titanis. Its wheels rumbling and its hull whining under the stresses of speed mixed with it integrity being compromised in the shock wave. With the gigantic wall of the outer ring beginning to tower over them, its shadow moved in to cover their approach.

Edgar crawled up to the passenger seat and flopped down with exuberance. Drumming on the dash with his hands and creating a crescendo as the gate came into view.

"There it is Mille, almost home. Look at the lights, that must be Antwon welcoming us back." Edgar said pointing, practically jumping out of his seat.

Camille squinted to make sure she was seeing what she was seeing. "Dammit Edgar, that's not him welcoming us, that's him warning us!"

As soon as the words leave her lips, a screech that pierces the hull of the transport sounds through the empty desert. Or, it was empty a second ago. Camille and Edgar both wince in pain at the sound, and Edgar covers his ears.

"Okay Mille, I'll start praying to Gara now."

The gigantic winged monstrosity swooped down toward the transport. Screaming its vaguely metallic song of violence. Proclaiming its dominance of the night and all that dared to occupy it. They called it a Helltrix. The creature was a result of failed experiments. Its primary function to patrol the skies as sentinel and keep excursions like the one Camille and Edgar were on from happening. But they were too unmanageable, their fail safes corrupted by the organic and machine combinations. Some kind of reaction to the sunlight and its optical circuits causing the creature to panic and wail. Causing no end of grief for the overseers of the Outer Ring. They were banished from patrolling the walls in the day. But at night, beyond the walls of the Rings was its jail-house, and it, the warden.

Camille turned the transport a second before the Helltrix would have sent them rolling. Their pursuer missed the mark, its taloned metal feet tearing long gashes in the earth where the transport once was. The gate still in sight, Camille is now driving parallel to the wall and not directly toward it. She needs to get rid of this thing before they can make it back. Another shriek comes from the frustrated beast, as it flaps its massive wings to gain altitude for a second attack.