Finding the Fallen

Chapter 13

Kala had iced the floor behind her as she went, allowing herself the extra time she needed to reach the doors. Behind her, the guard fought to maintain his upright position but failed miserably. Struggling to rise from the floor, he reached out for one of the flimsy tree branches only to fall flat on his hind end once more. As Kala threw open the door, she glanced back in time to see the guard staring forlornly at the broken branch of the phony tree he was still holding in his hand.

At that moment, the stairwell exit door blew open and the lobby became a roiling nightmare of wind, debris, and electricity. Kala dove through the door, landing directly in the arms of a waiting guard. He was quicker to act than she, spinning her around and dropping her to the ground roughly. She hit her forehead on the concrete as she bounced off the floor. Nausea rose up from her stomach but she tried to lift up on her bloodied hands despite the pain and sickness. The guard maintained his advantage, dropping his knee in the middle of her back with his full weight behind it. He pulled her arms behind her in preparation for binding them. Kala cried out under the strain.

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Merik had been able to enter the parking structure without incident. Cars still littered the garage, and here and there evidence of the Cleansing could be seen in the form of cracked support columns, crumpled concrete, and even the occasional collapse down into the basement level below. As he moved toward the tower entrance, he thought he heard a shallow cry ahead of him.

Moving quicker now, he scanned the vehicles as he passed, sticking to the walls whenever he could. Nearing the entrance doors, he ducked instinctively behind a parked truck as a man appeared seemingly from nowhere. The man must have been kneeling. One moment it was clear, and the next he was there. Watching through the cracked glass of the old Dodge, Merik was surprised to see the man, who was wearing what appeared to be a uniform of sorts, drag Kala up from the ground as well. Her arms were bound behind her back with some sort of twine and she appeared to be pretty beaten up. Her head lolled forward as the presumed guard lifted her over his shoulder, preparing to carry her back inside.

Merik moved quickly around the truck toward the unsuspecting guard as the man turned his back on him and began to make his way to the doors. Approaching him from the rear, Merik was literally inches away before the guard had any clue someone was behind him. He kicked the man hard at the knees, causing him to crumple like a rag doll. Kala landed on top of him in a heap.

Merik flipped his shotgun over his shoulder and twisted out of the strap. As the guard shoved Kala to one side and pushed up on all fours, Merik brought the butt of the shotgun down on his neck just below the fifth cervical vertebrae. The guard went down again, only this time he didn't attempt to get back up.

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Kala groaned as she felt warm hands untying her binding. Her head was a fog of water, wind, pain, and anger...and it hurt like hell. Strong arms pulled her up to a seated position and began examining her head, neck and shoulders. With only a couple of lanterns burning above their heads, the light in the garage was dim, but she could make out Merik's features with little effort. Of course he had followed her. She expected nothing less.

"Stop poking me," she tried to say, but her voice sounded garbled.

"So you are alive," he replied sarcastically, but it didn't end there. "This was a great idea, Kala. Looks like you really taught the bad guy a lesson. I'm sure all of this..." he gestured to her entire frame, "is just for looks, right?"

"Shut up, Merik," she answered vehemently, spitting the words more than speaking them.

"You're welcome...again," was all he said in return as he lifted her to her feet. "Can you walk? We need to get the hell out of here before reinforcements arrive."