Page 61 of Raven's Hunt
Off to the right, a figure detached from the shadows, slipping smoothly through the mist rising off the surface.
Dalton.
He shifted over, rifle lifting to his shoulder, gaze focused somewhere off to their left.
Tierney nudged Buck. “Damn it. He’s hunting. He’s going to drop one of them.”
Buck grabbed his flashlight, set it to the lowest level then flicked it a couple times. Dalton froze, gaze split between them and whoever he had in his sights. A few seconds passed, then a single, red flash of his flashlight.
Buck flickered the light, again, long and short pulses, until he stopped several moments later. A pause, then another single red flash.
Tierney stared at him. “Did you seriously just use Morse code?”
At least, she thought that’s what it had been. Something like help, no kill, wired.
Buck strapped his flashlight back onto his vest. “God, I hope so. It’s been a hot minute.”
“And Dalton understood?”
“Are you kidding? The guy’s old school. He could probably spell the warning out with freaking signal flags. Which just leaves Bodie and Nick.”
Tierney shook her head. “You’re just full of surprises.”
He grinned, then moved on, darting across another open section filled with decaying chairs and sofa cushions, a couple old television units hanging off the wall. A swirl of colder air breezed past their legs, the room beyond filled with an intermittent hum.
Buck stopped at the entrance, glancing back at her before pushing through a heavy set of plastic strip curtains, the long fingers slithering over her skin as she followed him through, veering off to one side. A slap of icy air froze her lungs, her next breath pluming white around her head.
Above, ancient, metal coils chugged on, starting and stopping, a few rattling to life only to die a moment later. Throughout the room, long chains hung from rusted, overhead tracks, dull metal hooks twisting on the ends. Slabs of ice coated the tips, more patches spread out across the floor.
Tierney moved in close. “Why would he have this section powered?”
Buck searched the shadows, small frozen crystals already forming on his stubbled jaw. “I’m not sure I want to know. Maybe it kicked in on its own when he strung the power for his cameras. Whatever lights he’s using in the center with Wade. Regardless, it’s creepy as hell.”
He stayed close to the wall, slipping a few times on patches of black ice, as they crossed the room, heading toward the exit on the other side. Buck stepped past an oversized compressor, the entire unit shaking and vibrating, rattling like an old fan with a few blades loose, when a figure peeled out of the shadows, catching Buck twice in the head with the butt of his rifle.
Buck tanked, tripping a few steps before hitting the ground, a cut along his temple already bleeding. Tierney avoided the guy’s next swing, landing two quick strikes to his head and neck, knocking him back. He hit the wall, bounced forward, arm sweeping the room, his rifle spitting out rounds.
She ducked, charging him while still crouched, and caught him around the waist, driving him up and into the compressor. He hit hard, slamming against some coils, steam hissing out the seams as they cracked, coughed out coolant.
The air clouded around them, fogging up the space, making it hard to see his next attack, the coolant icing up the floor as it spilled out. She slipped, took a hit to her chest as he lunged forward, connecting with her vest.
She tumbled back, rolling onto her feet and ducking behind a cart. He fired, bullets sparking off the metal rungs, whizzing past her head close enough she felt the wake breeze across her cheek.
Buck got off a shot, hit the bastard in the hand, ruined his next shot, though, based on how much Buck’s Sig shook, he’d probably been aiming center mass. Had hoped to simply knock him back. The merc shouted, drawing a knife as he turned toward Buck, lined him up.
Tierney jumped up. Not a chance in hell she’d let the asshole toss the knife.
She took two lunging steps, grabbed one of the hooks still twirling in the air circulating through the freezer unit, hurled it at the guy. The chain rattled, clicking along the old track, gaining momentum as it swung toward Grieves’ man, smashing into his shoulder.
The force threw him into the wall, head snapping against the concrete, his carbine clattering to the ground. He grunted when the hook bounced back, then hit him, again, the tip gouging a line across his cheek.
Buck surged forward a second later, smashing the guy’s head into the wall again, before getting behind him, forearm cinched under his chin, the other across the back of his neck. He squeezed, arching backward to get more torque, blood dripping down the side of his face.
The merc thrashed, landing a few hits to Buck’s ribs, probably making everything tilt, as Tierney joined in the fight, landing a hard cross to the man’s jaw. He twitched, eyes rolling back, body going slack before Buck released him, let him crumple onto the floor with a firm thud.
Tierney grabbed Buck, helped him regain his balance as he blinked a few times, bracing his weight on the wall. “Jesus, are you okay?”
He checked the guy’s biometric transmitter, kicked him when it pulsed green. “My pride’s hurt more than anything else. I didn’t even see him.”
