James Axler – Starfall

He ignored the caked feces on his face and body, and squirmed around to try to go back the way he’d come. Jak stopped him, his pale albino’s face corpse-white in the dim light provided by the lantern. “What the hell are you do­ing?”

“Not back,” Jak replied.

“That was Krysty screaming.” Dean felt the anger boil in him, and he came close for a moment to hitting his friend.

“She’s chilled,” Jak said, “what good you back there?”

“She’s not chilled.” Dean’s mind wouldn’t let him ac­cept that declaration despite the fear that had been in Krysty’s voice. “She may need help.”

“Best help we find other end of tunnel,” Jak told him. “We start back and they coming.” He shook his white-maned head. “No good anybody. All chilled mebbe.”

Reluctantly Dean saw the wisdom in the albino’s words. He made himself relax and turn, knees mashing through the offal beneath him. His back and shoulder ached from hold­ing up the lantern, but he forced himself to keep it up. He kept the Browning in his other hand and hated the way the blaster was caked. He kept crawling, following the twist of the tunnel around.

Then, in the distance, he thought he spotted a rectangle of daylight.

Chapter Twelve

“She’s not breathing!”

Ryan registered Mildred’s words, watching as the woman slipped her hand under the back of the redhead’s neck, tilting Krysty’s head back. Then a bullet slammed into the door beside Elmore’s head, the thunder of the shot following closely on its heels.

Elmore stood frozen, seemingly stunned by the events taking place in the building or the fact that he’d been shot at.

Knowing he was about to lose his only bargaining chip with the sec chief lying in wait outside, Ryan stepped for­ward and grabbed the back of Elmore’s shirt and jacket. He yanked, pulling hard enough to throw himself and the man onto the floor.

More rounds cut the air above them as they fell and knocked the shelves from the back wall.

Reacting automatically, J.B. kicked the door shut, then fired across the street, drawing more blasterfire. He moved smoothly away from the window long enough to reach out and bolt the door again. “Dark night, that was close.”

Ryan left Elmore where he lay, knowing the Armorer and Doc would keep the man covered. Crossing the floor in two long strides, Ryan dropped to his knees beside Krysty. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Mildred worked frantically, hooking a finger and running it down Krysty’s throat. “She acted like she had a seizure of some kind, then keeled over.” She brought her finger back out of Krysty’s mouth. Specks of saliva and blood showed on Mildred’s finger. “There’s no obstruction. As far as I can tell, the airway’s open.”

“Then why isn’t she breathing?”

“There’s no reason for her not to be that I can see.” Mildred brushed the prehensile red hair from Krysty’s mouth. “You hear me, girl? There’s no excuse I’m taking from you for you not breathing. You’re going to breathe.” She kept Krysty’s head tilted back, then looked at Ryan. “Need you to do CPR on her while I breathe for her.”

“Fireblast!” Ryan stared into his lover’s eyes. They were both open, pools of green gazing emptily up at the ceiling.

“We haven’t lost her yet, Ryan,” Mildred told him in a strong voice. “You hear me?”

“I hear you. Get on with it.” Ryan straddled Krysty and placed his hands together over her heart, measuring with his fingers the proper distance along her breastbone. CPR wasn’t anything new to him. He’d been taught by Trader while on War Wag One. A crewman got shot up or hit by electrical defenses on some of the redoubts they’d exca­vated and emptied didn’t mean the Trader was going to accept losing that man.

“Count it down for me,” Mildred ordered.

Ryan pushed against Krysty’s diaphragm, willing his lover to start breathing again. When finished his reps, he pulled back and let Mildred breathe for her.

“It’s that fucking witch,” Elmore said hoarsely. He re­mained on the ground and spread-eagled, evidently not wanting to chance any movement on his part as going for a weapon.