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69 Dead Men Walking

  Jess floats us down with air bubbles clinging our heads, past sunken homes and streets as Puppers flails desperately against the strong current. She tries to say something, but we can't hear through the water. She rolls her eyes and our air bubbles merge together, she pops her head in, "Once I break you in, you're on your own. I'll get you out if you can get out." She floats towards Thadius and hugs him tight as Puppers fights to gain some footing in the water by himself, "Come back safe, ok?" Thadius looks at me and I smile, "She likes you." Before he could say anything, we all get separated from one another.

  A large brewery with the numbers 1904. She peeks in and a harpoon flies past her. She whooshes inside as I swim inside. She stabs a diver with a tank on his back. He lies suspended with a knife still in his hand. Everyone gets swept inside and she takes us down to the basement. She swoops down and grabs a heavy door, the type they had on Lady Liberty. A small airlock? Scott grabs his head, his eyes stare at the wall. He shakes his head as a terrible feeling comes on. How many of them are down here? How much equipment or monsters? Beyond this airlock is a gate to hell itself as far as anyone is concerned. I have to stay with Scott, just in case I was wrong. After a wave to Jess, she merges our air bubbles once again.

  "What's up?" My lips press together, "We need to be extra careful now. Scott, you stay in front of us." He nods, "Thadius, you're on defense." He grumbles and looks at his hand, covered in a thick plate of metal. "And Puppers-" We all look at him doggy-paddling wildly to find gravity. "He'll do something useful." As we float into the airlock, an orange glow comes down the stairs. She looks back and her jaw quickly drops. It's a large glowing fish, giant jaws. Dark scarring on it's flesh only implies there's something worse. Air bubbles escape her mouth towards us as the fish swims towards her. I pull a lever and the door starts to close. Scott tries to swim towards her, but Thadius grabs hold of his ankle. The fish shuts it's jaw in one reckless thrash, but Jess manages to get away. As the doors finally shut, our air bubbles float upward. Scott gags and takes on water, then pinches his mouth and nose closed with wide eyes. Thadius lets go and he quickly swims up towards the air at the top. Puppers, Thadius and I shrug as seconds tick by.

  Seconds and more seconds. I point as air bubbles come out my mouth, "That! Turn it to the right!" Thadius squints, I point at him, then the door. He skips across the floor as Scott struggles for air. He turns the valve and the door gives, the door swings open and the three of us wash up onto the floor, Scott coughs as I take a breath. Looking around, there are no guns trained on us, no welcoming committee. A machine sputters to life as the water slowly trickles into vents in the floor. Thadius marches out of the airlock.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  A weak huff comes from my shaking hands. They grab onto the grenade launcher. I stomp and force myself up to my feet. Markus and Thadius stare at me, I jerk the gun in my hands and march past them. Puppers prances up to me, looking up with his tongue out as we march. All my body's strength escapes me, but I'm going to walk anyway. I gulp as we step onto a cargo elevator. As Thadius stomps on, the brakes give and we start falling. I sit myself down and hold my launcher tight. Pupper's body stretches to anchor us, but it just splits apart, Markus freezes up as Thadius drags his fists against the wall. We're all dead already. In someone else's world. A trap, sprung perfectly. At my lowest, he struck. Weak. There it is again. Like something in your peripheral that's shy when you try to perceive it. I have to kill him, while I still have my wits. Puppers wraps around us as all our weapons fall, we are yanked back, suspended in thick and wet blackened hair.

  Markus shouts, "You ok!?" With a light groan, I look up at him, "Just great." As we reach the bottom, all our ammunition is not loaded into magazines, it's all just empty boxes, bullets scattered. Bullets whiz past us and they all get to cover. Marching forward without any regard for my safety, I pull the trigger and the explosive shell rips soldiers apart. Shouting draws nearer as they all shout behind me. I load another shell in. I chuckle, "My life is over." A soldier peeks out and pulls away, but it's too late. The recoil impacts against my wrist as the shell explodes. Markus shouts as I turn the corner, a thousand angles from where soldiers guns flash at me. I get yanked back and Markus shouts at my ringing ears. I smile wide with a chuckle. Thadius shrugs and drops an automatic rifle into my lap. Markus shouts at him, but he just turns the corner. Light flashes as casings fly out at Markus.

  I force myself to my feet and look from a safe angle. Multiple floors and we're at the top, minus a tower. I bolt out as Thadius shoots and take cover. I peek down and at the bottom, Carter's looking for something. Rose and Mama look up at me. A great force hits my chest, forcing me to the floor behind cover and grab at my vest. Damn it. I jerk myself up and fire off a shell. As the shell explodes, everyone runs for cover. Bullets rip into them until they do. As I load another shell behind cover, someone runs to my right. I point and once I see the green tipped hair, that jacket, a child ghost rushes past with a sniper rifle. He heads down the stairs without even saying a word. He didn't even look at me.

  I slam the bolt forward and fire blindly at the ceiling, Markus takes cover as I bolt down another flight of stairs. I growl as Carter still looks around without any care of the situation. He wanted all this. I push myself away from the ledge and march down the stairs. I slam another bullet in and pull out a knife. I walk up towards Mama, she squints as Carter's back is turned. When close enough, I hand her a knife and whisper, "Cut her loose and get out." She quickly turns and cuts at her straitjacket. Mama pats my back, but Carter turns around. "Wish you didn't do that."

  I glare at him.

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