Convergence - The Last Science #2.1 - In Plain Sight

B2: Chapter 10 - Allies of Coincidence - IV

  Jeremy struggled to his feet. He'd managed to hang onto the gun from the force of the shockwave. The girl was also back on her feet, pale-faced and looking worried. If that girl's worried... shit.

  Her friend Zack looked like he'd given up on standing. He started crawling for the back as fast as he could, refusing to look over his shoulder for any reason. As Jeremy looked up at the front door, blinking away dust and grit, he saw it.

  A seven foot tall, blank-faced human-like thing. It seemed to be made of asphalt and concrete, without a head or anything resembling legs. It had torn the front off the building. As Jeremy stared, his mind simply not comprehending what he was looking at, the monster slid over the threshold, plowing debris out of the way like it was nothing.

  "What the fuck is that thing?"

  "Just don't get near it!" the girl shouted, backing up a few steps. She turned and grabbed the nearest table by the edges. With a grunt and a heave, the girl tore the slab of wood clean off of its steel foundation.

  Jeremy gawked at her. The girl couldn't be more than a hundred and thirty pounds. She had muscle, sure, but this was ridiculous.

  She hurled the table straight at the monster. It struck directly in the center with a sickening crunch. The impact drove it back a dozen feet through shards of glass and wood splinters, straight outside and into the street.

  "Get everyone out through the back, now!" she shouted. Jeremy didn't need to be told twice.

  He thumbed his radio. "We're bringing the hostages out the back right now. Hold fire."

  "Copy that, holding fire. Over."

  "Ashe, what the fuck is that thing?" screamed the lieutenant.

  "Get off the net, you ass-wipe motherfucker!" Jeremy snapped.

  The monster was slowly making its way back inside. Jeremy ran and grabbed the person nearest the door, who'd frozen in terror. After a few moments' attempt to shock her to her senses, he gave in and lifted her. Thank god she's light. Carrying the woman on her shoulders, Jeremy bolted for the back door, while the girl stood her ground in the center with another table at the ready.

  A drumline of gunfire echoed from the front door, peppering the monster from behind. Most of the bullets simply struck it and fell down to the ground, if they didn't ricochet off at terrifying angles. Jeremy clicked his radio back on awkwardly with one hand, trying desperately to hang onto the woman he was carrying at the same time. "Stop fucking shooting it! You aren't doing anything!"

  The gunfire continued heedless. Motherfucking amateur Tacoma P.D... Jeremy made it to the back door, where a few of the other former hostages took the woman off his hands. He shouted a thank you as he turned around and went back to the main room.

  He returned just in time to see the girl slam the monster with another table, driving it back once again. "Can you kill that thing?"

  "No!" she shouted over the continuing gunfire. She was staying well out of the direct line of fire, just in case, but they both winced as another bullet bounced off and struck a bar stool. "Can you get those idiots to stop shooting?"

  "I tried!"

  "Is everyone out?"

  "Yeah!"

  "Then screw it! Let's bail!"

  The girl reached down and scooped up her friend with one arm, as easy as if she were lifting up a feather. Jeremy wasn't even surprised anymore. As the monster relentlessly pursued them through the bar, they sprinted for the back, leaping over the groaning would-be gunmen still laying about the place. As the impromptu trio made it out the backdoor, they emerged into chaos.