Primal Shift: Episode 2 (8 page)

She had been right. It was Nikki, lying naked from the waist down, on a bed of newspapers; she was swinging wildly with both fists to fight off the figure that was trying to rape her. He was reaching down between his legs as though the plumbing wasn’t working so well and right away, Carole knew it was the pilot whose balls she had crushed. He had intended to show them who was boss, but hadn’t counted on the lasting impact of Carole’s grip.

Without missing a step, she walked right up behind him and brought the homemade mace down on the top of the pilot’s head. The sound of his skull cracking open was clear and sickening, but what Carole hadn’t counted on was the scream that echoed from behind her. She turned just in time to see the pilot’s girlfriend charging. Carole made ready to swing her weapon when the woman’s neck snapped back and her legs kicked out from under her, sending her limp body crashing to the ground. Carole hadn’t done a thing. In the pilot’s mind, she was his property and as such, the bastard had chained her to the wall like a dog that had no idea how short its leash really was.

Nikki’s jeans were in the corner and Carole grabbed them and brought them to her.

“I’m so sorry, honey.”

Her daughter reached out and slid her arms around her mother, her body sobbing violently. She pulled away and her face was spattered with the pilot’s blood.

“Get dressed Nikki, we aren’t safe yet.”

The pilot wasn’t moving, but that wasn’t a big surprise, given that the back of his head was caved in. She winced at the sight, fighting the sudden urge to vomit.

Hold yourself together, Carole. If for nothing else, you have to stay strong for Nikki.

When her daughter was dressed, they entered the gift shop. Trying to be quiet and keep low, they saw two figures standing near the exit. The sound of their feet crunching the debris littering the floor, as well as Nikki’s continued whimpering, made stealth nearly impossible. They heard footsteps coming toward them and Carole and Nikki stood. The sling with the cast iron temple was still in her hand. She absolutely hated the idea of using any religious paraphernalia to attack another human being, but at the time she’d been a little short on options.

Nikki tapped her arm. “Mom, look behind you.”

Carole turned and saw the dull red outline of a fire extinguisher. She pushed the bloodied sling into Nikki’s hands and pulled the extinguisher off the wall. The hose was attached to the body by a clip and she yanked it free. The two men came out of the darkness and Carole saw right away that one of them was the Chip Eater, his gaze on Nikki as though he wanted to make her his. Carole aimed the hose, squeezed the handle and nothing happened. Panic rose up within her guts. She might have been lucky working those knots free and saving Nikki, but she didn’t think her luck was going to last much longer.

“The pin, pull the pin!”

Carole did and when she squeezed this time, a white billowing plume shot out of the nozzle. Both men reeled back in shock, falling to the floor. Carole gave them another taste, screaming as she did.

“Back off, assholes!”

They might not have understood her words, but the terrifying blast of high pressure sodium bicarbonate sent the men scrambling for safety.

“Hold on tight, honey.”

They left the gift shop surrounded by a mob of dishevelled figures. Carole knew these extinguishers didn’t have more than a few seconds of pressurized gas so she’d have to make every shot count. The sound of a discharge sent a shockwave through the crowd. Some ran away, others stayed, but everyone backed off, which was the intended goal. The two women, arm in arm, backed away from the crowd until they finally turned and ran.

Links

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