Frenzied Flight of the Femmes Fatale by DS Barbee (different e readers txt) 📖

wouldn't be able to hold them back much longer.

Emily maintained a twenty-foot perimeter.

The truck started to turn over then died.

“Piece of trash I would thou wert a Rager; Then thy brains I could bash,” the princess screamed

Emily’s Rager perimeter shrank to nine feet.

The Ford almost started a second and third time, but to no avail.

Three feet.

No more bullets.

“No! Why cans’t thou just go!” the princess howled.

The monsters were on them.

“You have to leave without me Princess,” Emily called, drawing her short-swords and slamming the blood-slicked blades into the noses of two attacking Ragers.

Emily roared and jumped into the fray. She fought like a dragon, stabbing, kicking, killing. Every second she could buy for the princess could be the difference between life and death for the girl. The sea of Ragers enveloped Emily knocking her down and piling on her. She guarded her neck and the Kevlar protected her chest, arms, and legs but their gnawing teeth still hurt.

They were eating her alive.

The truck came to life. Relief washed through Emily. The princess could still get away. Emily ignored the panic pressing against her as the suffocating fleshy darkness squirmed over her, crushing and biting her body. The stinky soiled bodies snuffed out the harsh spotlight from Sinamor's helicopter. It would all be over soon.

The truck door opened.

“Demon spawn thou shall not my guardian touch. Thy rancid bones I shall crunch,” the princess screamed.

The princess would die trying to save her. "Please run Princess!" Emily screamed into the pile of bodies stifling her words.

Heart splitting sorrow stormed and shattered Emily’s sanity. She writhed and sobbed under the piles of fetid flesh biting at her. There would be no redemption. Every good thing she had ever tried to do ended in tragedy. The bounteous hope the princess gave her evaporated in noxious grief. How had she have ever believed she could be better than filth? The sour seed of incessant sorrow, centered in her soiled soul’s sins, blossomed in her chest and tore out of her mouth in a series of sad scornful shrieks.

Shock routed horror when a Rager was lifted off Emily’s head and thrown through the air. Emily did not quite believe her eyes. Another flew over her, crashing into a Rager crowd. She turned her head. Hunters and Soldiers fought the Ragers. A Hunter picked up a woman in an expensive but ruined business suit, and hurled it through the Ford’s windshield. Four Ragers attacked a Hunter only to have their bodies torn and mashed. Emily tottered to her feet. The harsh throbbing pain of the rager bites pulsed throughout her body. Fortunately, they hadn’t penetrated her Kevlar.

A group of Soldiers surrounded the princess. They were protecting her. What was going on? Eventually the Soldiers and Hunters eradicated the Ragers. The sobbing princess broke away from the Soldiers and plunged into the safety of Emily’s embrace.

“Me thought thou they would kill! Thy precious crimson blood spill,” the princess shuddered.

Emily tightened her sore arms around the princess. She ran her fingers over the girl’s head and down her back while she tried to stifle her own tears. Her precious princess was safe. There was still hope.

The scores of Soldiers surrounding them stayed in place while three Hunters lined up side by side in front of Emily and the princess. The powerful beam of the spotlight lowered until it the helicopter touched the ground. The Hunters, each of them bald and adorned in a black trench coat and gloves, stared them down until a tubby man with an obnoxious smile pushed himself in front of them.

“Damn this place is cold!” Sinamor complained, blowing onto his fingers. “I know the little princess here hasn’t known any better, but Emily you’ve got to admit that this place sucks.”

“I’ve found Corpacia to be quite pleasant actually,” Emily replied.

Sinamor shook his oversized head. “Whatever floats your boat,” he said. Sinamor let his gaze wander up and down the length of Emily and the princess’s clinging bodies. “Emily I‘m very impressed,” Sinamor beamed, pressing his thick glasses up the bridge of his pug nose.

Emily pushed her tears deep inside her. There was no way this ass wipe would see her cry.

“You’re a real spit-fire! You’re probably wondering why I saved you,” he grinned.

The princess tried to turn her gaze to Sinamor and his army of butchers.

“Close your eyes princess,” Emily whispered, nudging the girl’s head back to her shoulder and planting a kiss on her crown. The princess shivered against Emily, wetting her protector's neck with her hot breath and tears.

“I wouldn’t say you saved me,” Emily answered. “I had the situation under control.”

Sinamor burst out with laughter. Then he turned to the Hunters behind him. “Well laugh you fools,” he commanded. “We’ve got some real comedic talent here.”

Inelegant laughter left the lips of the looming giants. Their breath misted against the winter cold. Even though their mouths moved, their expressions remained vacant.

“Oh Emily, I do like you! I like you so much I'm going to hire you. After all, you are just a mercenary, and the princess isn’t really in a position to pay top dollar anymore.”

Emily cringed at the accusation. Emily wasn’t a mercenary anymore. She was something better. Maybe not something good, but she was something better. She was!

“The only thing you need help with is pulling your head out of your giant ass,” Emily beamed, “And there’s not enough money in all of Corpacia for me to do that.”

Sinamor’s guppy grin withered in fury. “Don’t screw around with me!” he shouted, sending the princess into hysteria.

“Stay calm princess,” Emily whispered, running her fingers along the girl’s spine. “Stay calm.”

"Death, I feel its foul breath," the princess whimpered, trembling against Emily as she clung to her.

"Keep your pretty head in the game, Princess," Emily cooed, "Stay with me, stay calm."

The princess nodded against her shoulder and the girl’s trembling waned but didn't stop. How would the princess ever feel safe again?

“What exactly do you want me to do…sir?” Emily asked in as subservient a tone as she could muster, almost choking on the last word.

“Now that’s the kind of talk I want to hear from you,” Sinamor harrumphed. Sinamor’s lips shifted back to the smile that somehow managed to be even uglier than his scowl. “You see Emily, I’ve been forced to do some…restructuring,” he explained. “Which has led to an employment opportunity for you. I need someone to oversee my non-exposed personnel.”

“Sounds fun,” Emily said.

“Working for him will cost you your soul,” the princess whispered against Emily’s throat.

“You're the only soul I have,” Emily muttered back. “Now shush.”

“And we’ll have the princess doing a …” Sinamor’s ran his tongue over his fishy lips. Desire danced in his eyes. “a special assignment in the lab.” His puffy hand reached for the princess and Emily batted him away. The Hunters roared down on them. The princess cleaved closer to Emily and started crying again.

The Hunters screamed down on them.

“I’ll kill you all!” Emily screamed back.

Sinamor retreated behind a Hunter.

“Run princess,” Emily ordered forcing the girl behind her and hurling herself at the Hunter between her and Sinamor.

Emily landed three lighting strikes on the Hunter’s throat. Its enraged roar exited its crushed esophagus as more of a wheeze and it threw a punch at Emily. She side-stepped the punch and was about to tear Sinamor’s eyes out of his petrified face before something clammy and strong wrapped around her neck and lifted her off the ground. The Hunter yanked Emily close enough to its mouth to count its yellow teeth and bathed her in the stink of rotted meat and blood. Emily boxed its ears, prompting it to put the distance of its gargantuan arm between them. Emily chopped at the Hunter’s elbows, but she knew her air-starved lungs would give out before she broke the Hunter.

A golden blonde flash launched at the Hunter and hammered at its pasty face and neck. “Release her from thy grip before thy skin from thee I rip!” the princess shouted.

Emily uselessly kicked her dangling feet at the Hunter. “No, princess!” she gagged.

The Hunter wrapped its massive fist around the princess’ delicate neck and suspended them both three feet in the air at arm’s length. The princess’ gasped and clawed at the Hunters horrible hands. Her eyes swelled until they looked as they would burst from their sockets. Emily reached for the princess but her limbs refused to obey. A dark circle encroached on her vision. This couldn’t be happening! Then the princess’ hands slipped to her sides. Then her feet twitched a bit and she was still. The Hunter’s scowl slid into a smile.

“Don’t kill her you moron!” Sinamor howled. He did a hurried waddled to the Hunter’s side and stood on tipped-toes to deliver a slap to the Hunter’s chin. “Let her go!” Sinamor demanded. The Hunter complied and the princess fell to the ground.

“I swear by all that is holy if you killed the little bitch I’ll put you on the dinner menu!” Sinamor threatened. The Hunter’s face was impassive, but it did ease its grip on Emily’s neck enough to allow her to breath.

Sinamor knelt down and patted the princess’ cheek. “Hey wake up,” he called.

“Princess!” Emily gasped.

“I think you killed her you moron!” Sinamor shouted.

“Let me see her!” Emily gagged.

Sinamor twisted his smiling face to Emily. “You two really do love each other,” he observed.

“Please let me go to her.”

He pushed his glasses up and pointed his stumpy finger to Emily. “If you even so much as look at me dirty I will make you watch the Hunters chew your pretty princess’ cute little toes and fingers to the bone,” he scowled.

“I just want to see her.”

“Let her go you moron,” Sinamor commanded the Hunter.

The Hunter released Emily and she scrambled to the princess. Please be alive. Please be alive. Please be alive.

“Princess wake up baby,” Emily choked, unable to hold back her tears, but still managing not to sob. “Please please wake up.”

The princess’ chest gently heaved up and down. And she stirred. How could Sinamor think she was dead? He was a doctor for hell’s sake.

“Tricked ya!” Sinamor giggled.

Emily drew her fist back. It was going to feel good to pop his squishy little head right off his neck.

Sinamor flinched behind his arms. “Remember what I said about that little slut’s toes,” he squeaked. The Hunters, less the one with the crushed esophagus who lay dead at Sinamor’s feet, approached. Emily turned away from all of them and gathered the princess close.

“My attempt to save you was futile,” the princess cried. “My utility to you is less than nothing. You would be free I were not a barnacle to you.”

Emily urged the princess to her feet. They would need to be mobile. “Hush now,” she whispered, “You freed me from a worse kind of darkness. I will be indebted to you forever.”

“Such sweetness,” Sinamor whispered to himself. “Such yummy sweetness.” The fervor of his words sickened Emily. “Now, that we have established who’s in control,” Sinamor continued, his tone all business, “I think we can get on without any further problems. Emily will go back to the garrison with the Soldiers, and the princess will fly back to the lab with me.”

“The princess stays with me,” Emily demanded.

“You disappoint me Emily. The royal brat has made you soft and stupid. That will have to change. Besides, you're not exactly in a position to make ultimatums. Take the mercy I have extended you and be grateful.”

Emily remained silent a score of seconds, sliding her fingers through the princess’ messy hair, while she considered the best course of action.

The princess broke away from Emily and stepped back. “Accept the offer Emily,” she said.

Emily wondered if the clattering of the princess’ teeth was due to the biting cold, or terror.

“It is futile to proceed on a path in which both of us parish when given the opportunity to take the path in which one may live. Moreover, he is correct. I am not in a