Capital Falling | Book 4 | Sever Winkless, Lance (most popular ebook readers TXT) 📖

a rack positioned on the closest wall opposite me, the beast partially hidden by the boxes the rack holds. With no headshot, I drill the creature’s torso with bullets, a deathly scream blasts out through the opening as the creature is catapulted back against the rack on the back wall and it begins to slide down to the floor. As it comes down, its head comes into view and the M4 spits two more bullets out to kill the creature.

I am now at the opening to the storage room, its door frame above me. A creature rushes at me from the hidden depths inside, my trigger finger reacts in reflex before I have registered the attack, bullet’s rip into the Rabid, spiralling up from the M4. One hits it in the chest; the next rips into its neck and the third cracks through the bone of its forehead, killing it instantly. The body falls onto the pile just inside the door, where the bottom beast is still fighting to release itself.

Ignoring the creature’s protests, I step past the pile of bodies, my M4 trained right to aim down into the storeroom. The length of the narrow room is no more than five meters, and at the end, one more figure stands, with its head down.

The female Rabid stands almost motionless, dressed in beige slacks and a dark brown frilly blouse. Deep red blood stains the crotch and thigh area of the beige trousers, blood that I assume also soaks the dark brown blouse but is hidden by the blouse’s colour. Not wanting the desperate creature to reveal their torrid features to me, I take aim and fire a single bullet. Blood and brain are ejected out of the back of the Rabids head, and the creature falls to the floor in a heap.

Something touches my ankle and I look down to see the hand of the Rabid at the bottom of the pile of bullet-ridden creatures trying to reach for my leg. As much as it tries to stretch to take hold of me, only its fingertips manage to brush the material covering my ankle. With the storage room cleared, I turn and look at the face of the forlorn beast, its head jutting out from the bottom of the stack of bodies.

Weary, I relax my arms, letting the M4 swing down to my side. I look down at the Rabid, its irate anger scrunching up its features, transforming its face into a ball of quivering skin. I wonder if anything other than a hunger for human flesh and blood is going through its mind as my arm tenses to swing the M4 up, to point it directly at the beast’s forehead. Probably not, I tell myself as I squeeze the M4’s trigger.

Chapter 17

Stepping back across the now motionless pile of Rabid bodies, I know that the M4 should be up and at the ready, and I might regret letting my guard down as I leave the storage room behind. My tiredness as the adrenaline seeps out of my bloodstream is overpowering though, and I take the risk.

Casually, I step across the lime green carpet that has a new sparkle added to it from the shattered glass that sprinkled down inside the building to nestle into the fabric. I am completely aware of my surroundings, I haven’t taken complete leave of my senses, my arm is ready to lift the M4 at a moment’s notice.

Wind blows air through the new opening in the Cheesegrater tower, and I go to meet it. The air cools my overheating body, evaporating the sweat that has formed over my skin, and I hardly notice the smoke contained in the refreshing air and welcome it washing over me.

After I have taken one last look around the large office space, I step up to the edge of the floor before it drops down ten or so storeys to the ground below. I am still not entirely sure how many storeys I am up from the ground because of the confusing entrance, despite this one being classed as floor ten.

My left hand takes hold of the vertical runner that held the glass in place before my bullets shattered it and I look over the edge. I don’t think that I am even one-third of the way up this tower, but the ground is still a long way down. A crumpled body seeps blood onto the surrounding concrete directly below me, surrounded by shards of shattered glass.

My head suddenly goes dizzy, and I sway dangerously forward. Thankfully, the runner in my left hand stops me tipping beyond the point of no return to add to the splattered blood below, and I quickly step back from the edge.

I don’t move away from the precipice completely though, but I don’t continue to look down. Instead, I look across London, which brings balance back to my inner ear, the depressing sight does little to re-energise me to turn and continue with the mission. I could quite easily sit down on the overpowering carpet, rest my back against something and close my eyes for half an hour or so, or maybe more.

My eyes catch a glimpse of the Thames in the distance, and I feel a spike of energy when I think about Josh and Alice waiting for me on the river. The small amount of energy gives me enough strength to release the runner and move my hand to my radio.

“Josh. Come in, over,” I say into the device.

“Receiving, over,” Josh replies almost immediately.

“I’ve cleared floor ten and I am just about to retrieve Karen and Jim. Do you have anything to report? Over,”

“Nothing to report. Holding station and awaiting your arrival. Do you have an ETA? Over.”

“Not yet. Will check in when we leave floor ten. Out.”

“Copy,” Josh confirms that he understands. My eyes leave the far-off river, my head turning towards the offices on the other side from me.

Feeling slightly better