Every few minutes, she had been firing a few shots into the wall to deter the tunneling, and she was about to do it again. Another option kept tempting her, though.
Her eyes went to the switch that activated the emergency siren. If she shut it off, maybe the beasts would scatter back into the jungle.
Or they might go after X and Miles…
She opted to keep the siren blaring while she finished gathering up the rest of the equipment in the expandable duffel bag she had stuffed into her cargo pocket.
The banging and scratching at the main entrance made it hard to focus. She knew what those tusks and hooves would do to her flesh. But so far, the door and window hatches were holding the monsters back. It was the one burrowing into the control room that had her worried. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one.
The spider that had taken refuge in the concrete rubble reemerged, furry legs scuttling toward Magnolia.
She stomped it into mush under her boot, then scraped the sole against the concrete, leaving a trail of goo.
“Gross,” she whispered, bringing her rifle up to her shoulder. She aimed at the collapsed wall, waiting for the real monster to present a target.
The chunks in the bottom right of the rubble pile were starting to move. She could hear the rapid breathing coming from below.
“Kid, do you copy?” X said.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yeah, copy. Where are you?”
“Almost back. Sit tight, kid.”
Easy for you to say…
Still, if she couldn’t sit tight, she could at least stop screwing up. She finished loading the rest of the radio equipment but left her battery unit plugged in to keep the emergency siren going.
Hunching down, she aimed the rifle at the rattling hunks of wall where the hog was digging.
“Come on, show me an inch of that ugly mug,” she said.
The creature out there was digging harder now, knocking several rocks loose from the wall. One dislodged; then a second hit her in the shoulder.
She tried to back up, but fell on her butt just as the deformed face she had taunted earlier filled the opening. The jaw parted, a rope of saliva drooping between tusks.
The beast snapped at her right boot, but she pulled back just in time to keep her foot. Lining up a shot, she pulled the trigger and heard the click of a jammed round.
So much for not screwing up. She just couldn’t catch a break.
Magnolia scrambled for safety as the creature fought to get free of the hole. By the time she made it back to the entryway, the front legs and shoulders were through the broken wall. The furry, slavering abomination swung its massive head, shaking rocks and dirt loose. It had to weigh over three hundred pounds, and the fur covering its thick hide seemed to be metallic.
She went to close the door between herself and the beast, then saw the loaded duffel bag lying next to the radio equipment. Her spare battery unit was still plugged in to the dashboard. She could see only two options, both of them crazy. One, free the jammed round and blast this fucker, or two, snatch the bag and battery and then run into the other room. Either action required more time than she had, and every second of delay worsened the odds against her.
The thud of bone on the front door helped her decide. The only way out of this was to fight, not hide and wait for X to save her ass.
Magnolia pulled the curved blades from her back.
“Okay, shithead,” she growled. “You’re gonna have to work for your supper.”
The hog snapped at her, slinging snot and spittle. It struggled to free its muscular torso and haunches, which were still jammed in the hole it had dug.
Magnolia danced around the kick of a foreleg and another thrust of the head. She kicked the warty pink muzzle with her steel-toed boot, and it felt like kicking a rock.
The impact forced her backward, pain racing up her leg. She planted her left foot and brought her blades down at the same time, aiming for the thick neck, hoping to behead the monster.
Her blades scraped against what felt like sheet metal. In the amount of time it took her to bring them down on the neck, the fur had gone stiff and lain flat, forming a sheet of armor that sent sparks flying, and a stinging recoil that raced up her forearms.
She stumbled backward a second time, staring at the chipped blades in her hands. The sound of falling rubble brought her eyes up as the beast hauled its body free and lumbered out of the hole.
Magnolia backed up until she hit a wall. She raised the damaged blades as the monster gave out a deep animal rumble. Now she got her first good look at the full length of the creature, including the other side of a face missing an eyeball and half a tusk.
The saggy lips drooled more saliva mixed with blood.
This was the creature X had shot earlier, and judging by the glare of its remaining eye, it wanted payback.
She tried to block out the sounds of the other hogs, the emergency siren, and a new message from X and focus on what she could do right now.
Once again she had her back to the wall because of her own stupid mistakes, and this time she was going to get exactly one more shot at saving herself.
It came a second later.
As the beast lunged, Magnolia flattened her body against the wall and moved to the side while swinging the blade in her left hand sideways. The tip caught in the ruined eye socket.
The hog missed its target—her chest—and the snout slammed into the wall where she had stood. She darted backward, ducking low as it twisted to snap at her. She came up swinging at the closest target: the monster’s right hind leg, beneath the fur line. This time, the sharp edge sliced through the sinew and caught on bone.
The hog let out a long, piercing howl of pain.
She pulled the blade free, blood spattering the floor. Another hack cut deep into the bone. The beast had sidled away by the time she sliced the air a third time. Its tail and hindquarters slammed into the desks and computer equipment, knocking her battery loose.
The emergency siren waned and faded to nothing, leaving Magnolia with the sound of the panting creature and her own labored breath.
This was it, her final moments.
The right hind leg gushed blood, but it managed to remain standing. This beast was one of the most magnificent products of evolution she had ever seen. A shame it had to die.
As it charged, she pulled the blaster from her holster and waited a beat until she had the face in her sights. Both shotgun shells fired, their pattern covering the entire head.
Blood, bone, brain, and pieces of the blade stuck in the eye socket cut through the air, flecking the desks with gore. She jumped out of the way as the creature hit the floor.
Magnolia checked the blade. A glance confirmed what she already knew: it was ruined. She quickly moved away and gathered the duffel bag of equipment, stashing her battery unit inside.
Gunfire cracked outside the facility. She picked up her rifle, worked the jammed round free and pocketed it, and ran out to the other room to unlock the door and help X.
She stepped out into the night, weapon sweeping the field for contacts. Insects chirped, and the screech of a vulture echoed in the distance.
Another flurry of shots drowned out the noises, and she followed it to the other side of the building, moving cautiously.
Heel to toe, heel to toe. Just like a soldier. No more mistakes.
Hearing a bark, she moved faster, fighting the impulse to run.
She paused at the crumbling foundation of the building to listen, then peeked around the edge to sneak a glimpse. X stood in the other field over a carcass. Miles turned in her direction, but she was tracking movement in the high weeds and foliage fifty feet from the dog.
Bringing up her rifle, she zoomed in on the ripple spreading across the top of the weeds. This wasn’t from the breeze.