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contact with her nose and she forced her wounded arm through the sleeves, she pulled a belt from her
closet. The belt became a sling as she strapped it around her waist, trapping her left arm inside the loop
and snugly tightening the limb to her side.
Feeling considerably better, she reclaimed her weapons and walked back into her office, pausing at the
door to snatch her sombrero from its hook before stepping into the hall.
Tension thickly saturated the interior of the lab as Percy relentlessly continued to calmly punch numbers
into the keypad. Anxiety rising sharply and then falling off minimally every time the entry light flashed red,
denying him access.
We re gonna have to let him in, McNeely said resignedly. We can t just sit here and wait for him to
chance upon the right code and we should do it before one of his friends show up.
We ll need some bait, Alvarez said grimly. I suggest someone expendable and therefore nominate
Watkins.
I second that, Ring said quickly and hesitant chuckles sounded off around the room.
Fuck all of you, Watkins said ardently. I m not moving from this spot.
Knock it off, McNeely chided sharply, shooting a glare around the room and then smiling slyly.
Besides, with any luck it ll go for him first.
The resulting snickers turned quickly into nervous laughter and even Corky joined in. The echo of a
gunshot penetrated their moment of mirth and the laughter subsided swiftly. Eight more reports sounded
off in quick succession and then silence reigned again.
That s got to be the Commander, Alvarez said quietly.
I know it is, Corky said with certainty.
Did those rounds sound any closer? McNeely asked.
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Hard to tell inside, but they seemed louder, Hanson replied.
It didn t seem to bother our friend out there, Reynolds pointed out.
Indeed, Percy hadn t paused in his mission and continued to persistently key numbers into the door.
Could they be using weapons out there to break the seals on the doors? Lenard asked.
We don t have a weapon in inventory that could break the seal on those doors, Reynolds answered
quickly.
Could any of our weapons break through this glass? Lenard asked, gesturing to the transparent
partition separating them from the foyer.
The Chief looked at the glass thoughtfully. I seriously doubt it.
But you re not sure?
There s a slim chance that concentrated fire could weaken it, why do you ask?
Not to rain on anyone s parade but the chances of Lovecraft being still among the living is remarkably
slim, Lenard said regretfully. These things have shown signs of astonishing intelligence, perhaps they re
experimenting.
Malory is alive, Corky said resolutely.
I hope so, Doctor, Lenard said sympathetically. But we should be prepared for just about anything at
this stage.
Well, gee, Watkins muttered. The thought of those things with weapons gives me a warm fuzzy.
Watkins, McNeely rumbled threateningly. If we didn t need the extra gun so badly I d feed you to
those things myself. Do yourself the favor of remaining quiet unless you have something productive to
add.
Watkins rolled his eyes and leaned heavily against the wall, McNeely eyed him carefully for a long
moment.
Sergeant Major, Lenard said. You said we have some explosives. Could they use those to penetrate
the room?
Yes, McNeely answered swiftly. But to use them requires a knowledge I would assume no one else
has, except for myself and possibly Mr. Alvarez, he added with a look at the Tech Sergeant, receiving a
nod of confirmation.
Even the Commander? Lenard asked.
McNeely paused thoughtfully. Possible but doubtful, he admitted.
Have any of you considered the notion that if Lovecraft is one of those things, Watkins began
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condescendingly, she has the knowledge to effectively destroy us all? She could walk right up and open
this door or bring the entire complex out of lockdown.
Malory is not one of those things, Corky growled hotly.
McNeely shared a look with Reynolds and nodded.
Corky cast wary eyes on both of them. What are you doing? she demanded.
Doctor, McNeely sighed. Unfortunately, Watkins has a point. We have to, at the very least, change
the door codes again.
No! she protested loudly. She won t be able to get back in.
That s the whole point, Watkins said coldly.
She is not one of those things! Corky insisted vehemently. She s out there fighting them, you ve all
heard the shots!
Doctor, if she falls, McNeely said sympathetically. She could endanger us all.
You don t know anything! Corky yelled desperately. She would kill herself to keep from being taken
by those things!
That, is unarguably true, Dr. Rivers, McNeely agreed quietly. But even if she were to do that, we ve
all seen the dead get up and walk.
Corky opened her mouth to reply but ended up bringing a hand up to cover a sudden sob. She quickly
turned away from everyone and faced the wall, her shoulders hitching.
McNeely watched her sadly for a moment and then turned to the Chief. Do it.
Malory walked boldly down the hall, making no attempt at stealth. Her emotions traveling back and
forth between moments of bleak pain and vicious intent. She fought bravely through occasional bouts of
wooziness that she knew were the results of internal bleeding. When she found her attention wandering,
she hummed out loud in an effort to keep herself grounded, often softly singing the words to the few
songs she remembered snippets from.
Her steps came to a faltering halt as she rounded a corner and found the remains of several bodies in the
distance. Lips twisted into a snarl and her shotgun came up in preparation as she advanced unwaveringly,
noticing movement as she got closer to her destination.
Jones was so intent on his meal that he was unaware of her approach until the last second. He raised his
head from the grisly hole in Terrel s belly with an expression of morbid surprise, only to find the barrel of
a shotgun three inches away from his face. A ravaged piece of meat fell from his mouth in shock as his
eyes rose to meet a pair of blue almost as insane as his own.
Let me wash that down for you, she growled nastily.
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Jones would ve found the blast deafening if he had retained the necessary anatomy. Grim intent fueled
the next eight rounds and Malory paid no attention to the blood that splattered her from indulging in the
close range massacre. When the gun was empty, she casually shook the worms and tissue off of her
boots as she reloaded the weapon.
The sound of a footstep caught her attention and she turned to find Tanaka approaching stiffly from a
few dozen yards away, one side of his head crushed in comically and the blood on his clothes still moist.
She watched his advance indifferently as she chambered a round and inserted another shell to load the
shotgun to full capacity.
Another sound from behind alerted her to the presence of Dobson and she gloomily assessed her
situation; she couldn t drop them both in time to prevent one from reaching her. It was going to have to
be a running battle. She smiled.
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