Page 113 of Dragon 7

The twins pressed against the railing on the left side. Aki—or Yuki—grabbed his brother's arm to keep him from sliding off the edge.

The plane rose, and so did we.

And soon the fucking grass below was ten feet away and getting farther.

Reo fought two men at the top of the stairs. The plane's movement threw his balance and he adjusted, widening his stance, driving his blade upward into a man's armpit. The Tsuchigumo mask showed nothing. His body showed everything—the ribs that Nyomi's cheese had supposedly healed were taking the punishment and his weight favored his right side.

We have to change course.

I looked down.

The Claws and Fangs had nearly cleared the soldiers at the base of the staircase. Only a handful remained between them and open ground.

Good.

Because the plane wasn't climbing slowly anymore.

Every heartbeat stole another foot.

"Jump off the stairs!" I yelled. "We’ve got this from here!"

None of them jumped.

Kaede buried his blade in a man's throat.

Daisuke drove his shoulder into another and threw him beneath the landing gear.

Rin took a step up.

“Don’t be suicidal, Kenji,” Yoichi growled as Satoshi got next to him.

Toma didn't even look up. "We stay together. Always."

"No!" I slammed another round into the hatch above us, getting a man who had just stepped out. "You won't make it and this staircase won’t hold all of us."

The plane lurched higher. The grass no longer looked close enough to trust. I knew the moment was coming when jumping stopped being an escape and became a gamble with broken backs and snapped necks.

"That's an order!" I roared. "Jump while you still can!"

Hiro yelled, “NOW!”

“You fucking assholes.” Kaoru looked down at the shrinking ground. “Jump with us!”

“No.” I reloaded. “This ends here for us. For you, jump off and finish anyone down there.”

Cursing, one by one, they grabbed the railing, shoved away from the staircase, and threw themselves into open air.

Kaoru spiraled through the air and hit it hard.

Toma and Daisuke fell and rolled.

Satoshi dropped and then crashed shoulder first.

Kaede disappeared into the smoke before hitting the ground and staggering back to his feet.

They made it.

Barely.