Sam sat cross-legged on the tunnel floor not far from the serpent's body that still leaked purple ichor. The smell of it mixed with gunpowder and copper.

  Across from him, Tess and Anna mirrored his position, the three of them forming a loose triangle around everything they'd scavenged from the dead soldiers: assault rifles, pistols, combat knives, tactical vests, a flashbang grenade, a smoke grenade, and a small first aid kit.

  Sam picked up two of the assault rifles and offered them across the space. "You each take one of these."

  Anna accepted hers carefully, the weight unfamiliar in her hands. "How is it supposed to be used?"

  Sam met her eyes. "I'm going to be honest with you. My rifle is the only weapon with ammunition. Everything else is empty."

  Tess frowned, confusion knitting her brows. "Then why hand them to us at all if they're useless?"

  "I said they are empty, not useless," Sam said, his voice dropping to a serious whisper. "Perception is everything. If we run into soldiers, just the sight of three people armed will make them freeze for a second. That crucial second gives me the opening I need." He patted his rifle. "Besides," he continued, looking at how they were holding their firearms, "it doesn't look like you know how to shoot anyway. So I hope this is fine for you, ladies."

  Tess looked at the empty rifle in her hands. Then at Anna. Something passed between them, silent and understood.

  They both set the rifles down and their hands moved at the same moment, reaching for the combat knives instead.

  "I don't want to pretend anymore," Anna said, her voice hardening.

  "Yes, we need to be able to protect ourselves this time," Tess replied, nodding in agreement. Determination replaced uncertainty in both their expressions.

  Sam felt a smile tug at his mouth. "Alright then."

  He reached for the tactical vests, checking their condition. They were bloodied and torn in places, but the ballistic plates were intact."We should get this gear on. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing."

  He moved to help Tess with her vest, showing her how to adjust it properly. As he worked, he spoke casually. "So what happened after you left me? How did you two end up together again?"

  Tess was quiet for a moment, her hands shaking on the vest straps. "We ended up in a stone cave full of giant bat creatures."

  Sam moved to check Anna's vest fit, adjusting the shoulder straps. "You got away?"

  "There were hundreds of them chasing me… I will never be able to forget their shrieks…" Tess's voice was barely above a whisper, her whole body was trembling now.

  She looked up, a faint spark returning to her eyes. "I don't know how he did it, but Mike saved me."

  Anna, trying to break the tension, hugged Tess's shoulder. "Since she woke up, she hasn't stopped talking about her 'Prince Charming.' She was looking for him everywhere before we found you."

  "Stop it," Tess snapped, though Sam noticed the flush of red rising to her ears, visible even in the dim light. "I'm just worried about him, that's all."

  "Whatever you say," Anna smirked.

  Sam let the banter slide. But the reality was grim. They had no idea how much time had passed since they "died", or if anyone else was alive.

  He handed them each a knife sheath to clip to their belts. "Alright, listen to me," Sam said, picking up his rifle. "If we see soldiers, you run. And if we see monsters like that serpent, you run even faster. Let's move now."

  ***

  They moved through the tunnels in silence, Sam leading with his rifle ready, Tess and Anna following close behind. The darkness pressed in from all sides, broken only by the occasional flicker of emergency lighting.

  Sam glanced back to check on them. They were walking side by side, each with a combat knife held ready in one hand. Their other hands were clasped together between them.

  "Your hand is freezing," Tess whispered.

  "Sorry," Anna said, starting to pull away.

  Tess's grip tightened, keeping their hands together. "No, don't. I like it." There was a pause. "It's refreshing."

  The tunnel curved ahead and three passages branched off in different directions. The emergency lights cast long shadows across the junction's pipes and cable conduits.

  Sam held up a hand, signaling them to stop while checking each passage.

  He closed his eyes, focusing on every faint sound reaching his ears. Water dripping in the distance, electric hum above his head, metallic sound echoing in the distance, and a small scratching sound coming from the left tunnel.

  He opened his eyes, looking to his left, and a single rat emerged from the shadows, moving with cautious steps. It was tiny compared to the rat he'd fought with Mike. Maybe the size of a regular subway rat, though its limbs were slightly longer, and its muscles more defined than they should be.

  Its eyes caught the emergency lighting. A light purple color, almost lavender. He might have found it cute if not for its needle-pointed teeth stained with blood.

  Its teeny mouth opened to sniff the air. The rat froze, spotting them.

  "Perfect," Sam said quietly. His voice was calm. "This is a good opportunity so watch closely."

  He leaned the assault rifle against the wall and drew his combat knife. The eensy-weensy rat watched him, confused by this large creature that wasn't running away.

  "See how it's positioned?" Sam said seriously. "Weight on the back legs. It's preparing to jump."

  The rat's muscles bunched.

  "There."

  The rat launched itself at him and Sam sidestepped smoothly. The creature sailed past him, and turned to attack again.

  "Did you see that? You can easily predict its action if you read its body language."

  The rat jumped again desperately. Sam sidestepped the other direction. "Keep your feet balanced and quickly move out of the path."

  Another jump. Another easy dodge. Sam was shamelessly making fun of the rat's furious attack.

  "Now watch the kill strike."

  The miniature creature leaped a final time. Sam's blade came around in a controlled arc, catching the creature at the junction of head and neck. The rat hit the ground and went still.

  "That's how it's—"

  SRHIIIEKKKKKK!

  A roar cut through the tunnel, resonating in their chests and making Sam's teeth ache like nails scraping across a blackboard.

  Sam's head snapped toward the left passage.

  What emerged made him tighten his grip on the knife.

  A massive rat the size of a bull, easily two hundred kilos of muscle and fury.

  The huge creature saw the baby rat corpse still warm on the ground, and Sam standing over it with a bloodied knife. And it screamed again, making Sam's bones vibrate.

  Its eyes were deep purple, almost black and its body was asymmetrical. One shoulder bulked with muscle that didn't belong, making its powerful steps look lopsided. Its fur was patchy, revealing scaled skin underneath that looked reptilian.

  "Shit. That's the mother."

  Behind her, five smaller rats emerged. Each the size of a large dog, their eyes the same dark purple as their mother's.

  She roared a loud command and the five rats charged at Sam all at once.

  "Lesson's over!" Sam shouted. "We have to leave now!"

  He stepped back as he met the first two charging rats with his knife, his movements becoming faster and more aggressive. Killing them in one connected blow.

  But rats poured from everywhere, flooding the junction from all three tunnels, blocking their escape route. The chittering and shrieking became deafening in the place as more creatures joined the attack.

  "Shit! There's too many!" Sam killed another rat, but three more took its place.

  Sam gritted his teeth, blocking a snapping jaw with his forearm guard. He was losing control. The sheer weight of the swarm was pushing him back.

  A wave of rats surged past Sam's defense, flanking him. They weren't aiming for him anymore and five beasts lunged toward Tess and Anna, teeth bared, screeching for blood.

  The women froze in absolute terror at the creatures rushing them. Their eyes went wide, paralyzed by primal fear. They couldn't move. And Sam was too far to reach them anymore. They were going to die.

  "MOVE!" Sam's voice exploded through the station. It wasn't just a shout; it was a command. It bypassed their ears and struck directly into their nervous systems, vaporizing the panic and shattering the paralysis.

  Tess threw herself to the left in a clumsy jump and Anna dropped desperately to a crouch surviving the lunge by inches.

  "Blade up!" Sam commanded, his voice acting as an anchor in the chaos. "Tess, look to your right! Anna, get back to your feet!"

  Every word he spoke seemed to inject focus into their veins, steadying their trembling hands. They moved on his command, jerky at first, hacking wildly as more rats came at them. Tess threw herself to the side and Anna pivoted away from a sharp row of teeth. Their dodges were more assertive this time.

  Sam was killing rats as fast as he could to reach them, but the mutated rats kept coming at him. His blade cut through twenty of them already. But numbers seemed useless as more creatures poured from every tunnel.

  Tess and Anna scrambled together, their movements ceasing to be clumsy individual flailing and becoming a desperate, magnetic loop. They weren't thinking; they were reacting to the pull of each other's presence.

  When Tess swung too hard, leaving her ribs exposed, Anna was there, her movements fluid and slippery, the air growing heavy and damp around her. When Anna retreated, too terrified to advance, Tess stepped in, ignoring her own fear to protect her.

  "Don't just dodge!" Sam shouted. "You need to kill them!"

  But Tess and Anna stopped reacting to his words anymore. They weren't listening anymore. They were entering a flow state. They were moving with increasing synchronization through the chaos.

  Their movements began to flow like choreography. When Tess spun away from one attack, Anna filled the space she'd left. When Anna extended, Tess was positioned to cover her exposed side. They didn't look at each other. Didn't speak. They just knew where the other would be. Dodging everything gracefully.

  Sam's eyes widened. Tiny sparkles began to appear around Tess's hands as she moved. Condensation formed into rain droplets around Anna's blade, as if the air itself was responding to her movements.

  Sam forced himself to turn away, refocusing on the swarm as rats jumped at him from all sides. He killed them without slowing down, his knife finding throats, spines, and skulls as his eyes narrowed on a single target: the Matriarch.

  The mother beast stood at the edge of the swarm, her dark purple eyes fixed on him with a hatred glare. He had to kill their queen to turn the tide. The women could handle themselves for now.

  She roared and more rats poured into the junction. The floor was slick with blood and ichor as Sam reached the giant mother. She lunged without warning, her monstrous claws sweeping in a deadly arc. He barely dodged and her jaws snapped shut inches from his face. He felt the displacement of air, smelled her rancid breath.

  He rolled and came up fast. But not fast enough; she charged with impossible speed for her size. He sidestepped and drove his knife toward her spine. She twisted her massive neck and his blade skidded off her scaled hide, failing to penetrate.

  Behind him, over the chaos of combat, he heard a scream.

  Sam's head whipped around. A larger rat had its jaws clamped on Anna's forearm, blood running down her arm in dark streams. But even as it bit down, Anna drove her dagger up under the rat's neck with her other hand.

  Her first kill.

  The rat convulsed and exploded in a splash of water, as if the creature had been filled with liquid. Droplets sprayed across the tunnel floor, gleaming in the dim light.

  Tess saw the blood on Anna's arm and something snapped inside her.

  She screamed in pure, unadulterated fury, and threw herself at every rat near Anna in a rage.

  BOOM.

  The tiny sparkles around her strikes burst into miniature fireworks, as a blast of heat and light exploded from each impact. She was relentless, a whirlwind of violence protecting her partner.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Anna was back on her feet despite her injury, her blade finding every rat that came at Tess's blind spots. Water sprayed from her strikes now, trailing her movements like a razor-edged wake.

  They were battered, bleeding, and terrified, but they stood strong over the corpses of their kills.

  Sam was subjugated by their transformation.

  Tess was aggressive. Assertive. Her strikes came fast and vicious, full of strength and decisive intent. She didn't hesitate. When she committed to an attack, she followed through with everything she had, and those tiny fireworks guided her blade, exploding against the rats like bursts of light. Powerful blows that shattered skulls and broke spines.

  Anna was flowing like a river around obstacles. Where Tess delivered crushing strikes, Anna's blade moved in long curving slashes followed by trails of razor-sharp water droplets. The droplets lingered in the air for heartbeats before slicing through flesh. Death by a thousand cuts. Her movements were graceful, liquid, unstoppable.

  They were dancing together. Dancing on a battlefield swarming with mutated rats, forming a deadly harmony. They were mesmerizing.

  He tore his attention away from the women and tried to refocus quickly. But it was already too late. The Matriarch charged while he was distracted. Her massive bulk slammed into him like a freight train.

  Sam went down hard. Hit the tunnel floor on his back, air exploding from his lungs. The mighty mother was on him instantly, her bulk pinning him down. Her jaws coming for his throat.

  Sam got his left forearm up just in time. Her jaws closed around the tactical vest's sleeve. The fabric held but he felt the crushing pressure of her teeth through the material. She was trying to tear through to flesh, to rip out his throat.

  His knife hand was pinned beneath her weight. He couldn't get the angle for a strike.

  More rats were closing in, sensing their commander was about to finish him.

  Behind him, he heard Anna scream his name. They could see him down, pinned, about to be torn apart.

  Sam's right hand strained and shifted hard, looking for an inch of movement.

  He forced his arm free while she was launching at his exposed throat. Her jaws opened wide.

  His knife drove up under her jaw before she could bite down.

  But the angle was wrong. The blade caught bone and deflected. It carved a deep gash along her throat but missed the killing strike.

  Blood poured over Sam's chest. The enormous mother roared, pulled back from the pain.

  He rolled out from under her and scrambled to his feet.

  The mother rat circled him, blood streaming from her throat wound but her dark purple eyes held only rage and revenge.

  He had to end this now.

  The mother charged at him with terrifying speed.

  He waited until the last possible second. He didn't dodge, didn't retreat.

  He moved inside her guard, and slid under her snapping jaws. His knife drove up under her mutated belly and cut her open.

  The mother rat roared. Thrashed. Her claws raked across his vest, caught the torn fabric, ripped it further. Sam felt the vest's ballistic plate crack under the force.

  But he held himself steady, his heartbeat pulsing hard in his knife's grip. He twisted his blade and drove it deeper.

  The mother rat's roar became a gurgle. Her dark purple eyes went wide with shock. The massive mother collapsed. Her massive weight would have crushed Sam if he hadn't thrown himself clear at the last second.

  The effect of her death was immediate.

  Every rat in the junction stopped. Their purple eyes went vacant. They lost focus and fled to the tunnels.

  Dozens of rats scattered in all directions, pouring back into the shadows they'd come from. Running with no coordination like mindless puppets fleeing the place.

  Within seconds, the junction was empty except for corpses.

  Sam stood over the mother rat's body in silence. His knife was slick with blood. His vest was torn and cracked. His body was showered by the rat's guts and gore. But he was alive.

  Behind him, he heard two bodies hit the floor.

  Tess and Anna had collapsed to their knees. Both were covered in blood and sweat, breathing in ragged gasps.

  Tess let out a shaky choke, her hand clutching at her chest. "I can't..." She sucked in air desperately. "Can't... breathe."

  Her face was flushed bright red, the color spreading from her cheeks down her neck like she'd been scalded. Sweat poured off her in rivulets, dripping onto the tunnel floor.

  "It's so hot," she gasped between desperate gulps of air, pulling weakly at her vest straps with trembling fingers. "I'm... burning... up."

  Anna's eyes went wide with alarm. "Tess? Tess, what's wrong?" She moved closer, her own pain forgotten. She reached out with her good hand to unfasten the buckles of Tess's vest. Her fingers fumbled with the straps.

  They pulled it off together, Tess barely able to help. Her shirt underneath was completely drenched, plastered to her skin. Small wisps of steam rose from her shoulders.

  "Better?" Anna asked, her voice tight with worry. "Talk to me."

  "No." Tess's breathing was getting worse, more desperate, like she couldn't get enough air no matter how hard she tried. "Fire... under my skin. I can't—I can't—"

  Anna's hand moved to Tess's forearm instinctively, checking for fever. The moment their skin made contact, there was a soft hiss, like water droplets hitting a hot pan.

  Anna reflexively yanked her hand back with a grimace. "God! You're burning up!"

  Tess's eyes went wide. "Wait," she grabbed Anna's wrist with surprising strength before she could pull away, her fingers desperate. "Don't... don't move." She gulped air. "Keep your hand..."

  Anna frowned in pain, her eyes focused on Tess's hand holding her wrist. Where they touched, tiny beads of condensation were forming, running down in thin streams.

  Anna didn't hesitate. She brought both hands up immediately, cupping Tess's face, her palms screaming in protest but she didn't care. Her palms pressed against flushed cheeks.

  The hissing sound was louder this time. Small wisps of steam curled up between Anna's fingers where skin met skin.

  Anna's whole body went rigid. Her face went pale and her jaw locked tight. Sweat broke out across her forehead almost instantly. She was biting the inside of her cheek so hard Sam could see the muscles working in her jaw.

  But she didn't make a sound. Not a grunt nor a gasp. Nothing that Tess might hear.

  "I've got you. Just breathe." Anna said softly, her voice remarkably steady despite the pain written on her face.

  Tess's eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into the contact with a shuddering exhale of relief, her breathing finally starting to even out.

  Anna's arms were shaking now. Her hands trembled against Tess's face. Sam watched sweat run down Anna's temple. Her knuckles had gone white. Every muscle in her shoulders was taut with tension.

  Finally, the loud hissing began to fade. The heat was diminishing. Tess's desperate flush had retreated to something closer to normal. Her breathing evened out completely.

  "Better?" Anna asked softly, searching Tess's face with worried eyes.

  "So much better," Tess murmured, her voice already drowsy with exhaustion.

  Anna held on a moment longer, making sure. Then carefully, she withdrew her hands. She cradled them against her chest hiding the angry red welts covering her palms. She didn't even look at her hands, her eyes focused on Tess's face. "You really scared me there for a second."

  "I scared myself," Tess admitted, her voice still shaky but stronger.

  Finally, Tess opened her eyes. Anna's face was inches away, watching her with concern. Both of them were battered, bleeding, covered in grime and rat blood. Their clothes were torn, their skin was scratched and bruised everywhere.

  They looked at each other and Tess laughed, the sound almost breaking. "We're a complete mess."

  "Absolute disaster," Anna agreed, relief flooding her voice despite everything. A smile tugged at her lips.

  Their laughter built, became slightly hysterical with relief and exhaustion and the weight of what they'd just survived. Their legs gave out simultaneously. They fell backward onto the tunnel floor, lying side by side, hands finding each other again naturally.

  Sam moved to his vest and pulled out the first aid kit. Opened a bottle of antiseptic and poured it over his hands, scrubbing them clean of rat blood and gore. The chemical smell cut through the tunnel's stench.

  He dried his hands on a relatively clean section of his shirt, then knelt beside Anna with the kit. "Let me see your arm."

  The moment broke. Anna reluctantly let go of Tess's hand and held out her injured forearm. Blood still seeped through the torn fabric of her sleeve. Sam opened the kit and pulled out antiseptic. "This is going to sting."

  Anna nodded. When he poured the antiseptic over the wounds, she hissed but didn't pull away.

  Sam worked efficiently. Cleaning, applying antibiotic ointment, wrapping gauze, securing it with tape. "Keep pressure on it. It'll need proper stitches when we get somewhere safe."

  Then he reached for Anna's burned hands.

  Anna glanced at Tess, eyes still half-closed with exhaustion, then back at Sam. There was something in her expression. A silent plea to keep the secret between them.

  He held her gaze for a moment, then gave the smallest nod. He examined the burns without comment. First-degree, second-degree in a few spots. He applied burn gel carefully, then wrapped them loosely in gauze.

  "These are going to hurt for a while," he said quietly. Then he looked at both of them. "That was impressive work back there." His voice was warm but measured. "Both of you."

  Anna settled back down, too exhausted to move. Tess's hand found Anna's again, holding it gently. She was already half-asleep, too drained to notice the gauze wrapping Anna's palms.

  Sam looked over at Tess, scanning her for injuries beyond the obvious exhaustion. Scratches on her arms. Bruising forming on her shoulder. Torn clothing. Nothing that needed immediate attention.

  He was about to lay down and rest his eyes for a second when he realized something.

  He hadn't checked himself yet.

  Sam looked down at his hands first. They should have been torn up as he'd killed dozens of rats with his bare hands and knife. But the skin was smooth. Unmarked. He turned them over, checking his palms, his knuckles. Nothing.

  He pulled at his sleeve, examining his forearm. His tactical vest was shredded in places, the fabric torn and punctured where rat teeth had found purchase. He could see the holes clearly. But underneath...

  The skin was perfect. Smooth as a baby's.

  Sam's breath caught. Since the fight with the Serpent, he'd known something had changed. He was stronger than he'd been even in his youth. But this? This was different.

  His whole body went still as his enhanced hearing caught something in the distance. It wasn't footsteps; these men were too good for that. But he had lived in the army long enough to recognize the sound of equipment shifting, magazines being loaded, the faint high-pitched whine of capacitors charging.

  There was no doubt in his mind. They were elite soldiers. And they were already here, setting up a perimeter in the darkness.

  Sam put a finger to his lips and Tess and Anna stopped breathing when they saw him grab his rifle.

  "Up," he whispered. "We need to run now."

  Tess tried to stand up and fell back to the ground, her legs trembling like jelly. "I... I can't control myself..." Tears of panic started forming in her eyes.

  Sam looked at Anna; her eyes had absolutely no trace of leaving without Tess. And for a fraction of a second, he could recognize the same determination from his old squad team.

  There was no way he would abandon them; he'd already made up his mind.

  He turned around, analyzing the situation. The soldiers were coming from the front tunnel. The best option would be to run, choosing the right or the left tunnel. But there was nothing indicating which tunnel was the best option.

  He might not have a great sense of orientation like Mike, but what he had was more valuable right now.

  "Cover your ears and close your eyes!" Sam hissed before standing up and fired a three-round burst at all the emergency lights mounted on the ceiling. The lights exploded in showers of sparks and glass and everything was drowned into darkness.

  Sam closed his eyes and focused on his hearing. He could visualize their exact positions based on the sounds. He could hear the sharp rustle of fabric as hands reached for equipment pouches. The distinctive scratch of Velcro opening. Multiple units accessing their gear simultaneously.

  Finally he detected the sounds he was looking for. The tiny electronic beep of night vision goggles powering on. Three, no four of them were already activated and a fifth soldier was still adjusting them on his head. He could picture the scene perfectly in his mind. He'd done this himself thousands of times during his own service.

  He counted in his mind for ten seconds. Letting the soldiers' eyes adapt to the darkness. He pulled the flashbang grenade from his vest and yanked the pin.

  Sam threw the flashbang hard toward the soldiers.

  He heard one soldier's breathing change in a sharp intake. The man had certainly spotted the object in his night vision. His breathing accelerated as he turned, trying to signal the others.

  But there was no time.

  The flashbang detonated with a crack that punched the air from the tunnel.

  In the darkness, the flash hit the soldiers' amplified night vision like a hammer. The electronic whine of multiple units auto-gating, shutting down automatically. They were now blind in the dark with dead optics equipment.

  Sam pulled the smoke grenade next. Activated it and threw it in the center of the junction.

  The smoke began hissing immediately, building its thick gray cloud.

  Sam grabbed Anna's arm and carried Tess. Leading them into the right tunnel, away from the chaos. Behind them, he could hear the soldiers recovering. The squad leader shouting orders to regroup and organizing the pursuit.

  Anna was already breathing hard. She was trying her best to keep up but she 'd been exhausted before this started.

  Then Tess's breathing changed into a sharp panic choke.

  "Tess?" Sam looked at her. "What's wrong?"

  Tess's hands went to her mouth. She made a sound, half-gasp, half-whimper. "They're coming," she whispered. Then louder. "They're coming."

  Sam could hear the soldiers behind them. Maybe fifty meters back. 'Shit! They took the right tunnel.'

  "It's okay," he said. "Stay with us. Focus on my voice."

  But Tess wasn't listening. Terror was written across her face as she screamed. "They're coming! Oh God, they're coming!"

  The sound echoed through the tunnels. Every soldier knew exactly where they were now.

  "Anna, what's wrong with her?"

  "I don't know!" Anna replied, barely breathing.

  There was no time to understand. Sam heard the soldiers react to the scream as their approach accelerated. He could see the tunnel ahead branched into different paths only a few meters away. But the soldiers were closing fast now, no longer worried about stealth. He heard equipment being shifted for the final approach. Weapons coming up to aim.

  Anna's foot stumbled on the rail track and she lost her balance. Sam, still holding her hand, pulled harder, almost lifting her from the floor. His legs pumped one final time and they jumped into the left passage as gunshots were fired at them.

  It was a dead end. Just a small dead-end alcove barely large enough for the three of them. "Shit! Where is Mike when you need him!" Sam grunted in frustration as he could still hear the soldiers running at them.

  Sam set both women down carefully. Tess was still whimpering, hands over her ears, tears streaming down her face. Anna held her, rocking slightly, trying to comfort her.

  Sam pulled the rifle from his back. The soldiers had no idea this was a dead end. They were running at them, trying to catch up to them. As soon as they made the turn, they would be facing Sam's rifle. Contrary to them, he was ready for the surprise, his finger tightened on the trigger.

  Then Tess's whimpering stopped. Her hands dropped from her ears. She looked up, her eyes wide and knowing and filled with absolute certainty.

  "THEY ARE HERE!" she shouted in terror.

  Sam felt it then, a humming vibration more than a sound at first. Quickly transforming into a loud buzz. Sharpening into a shriek that made his teeth ache and his bones hurt from the resonance.

  The soldiers at the tunnel entrance heard it too. Their approach stopped. Sam heard confusion in the subtle shift of their positions. One soldier's breathing accelerated. Another shuffled his feet. They were looking back toward the sound.

  Then the tunnel filled with wings.

  The bats came from behind the soldiers. Hundreds of them. Thousands. Their wings beat the air into a storm. Their bodies filled every available space, turned the tunnel into a living mass of flesh and leather and claws.

  Sam heard weapons fire in panic and undisciplined bursts. Then came the screams of terror and pain.

  Sam dropped his rifle to the ground as the bat creatures came his way. He turned and threw his body over Tess and Anna. His arms wrapped around them. His broad back and shoulders created a wall, making himself as large as possible to hide them from the chaos.

  The bats reached their alcove. Swarmed around Sam's hunched form. Their wings buffeted his back. Their claws scraped at his shoulders. Their bodies pressed against him, searching for flesh.

  Teeth found his shoulders, his arms, anywhere they could reach. Sam felt them bite down hard with vicious, powerful jaws. He felt the pressure of their claws meeting his skin.

  But his skin didn't break.

  The bats bit harder. Multiple creatures attacking the same spots. Trying to penetrate. To feed. Their claws should have torn through muscle and bone already, but Sam's skin was like metal. Thick and unyielding. The bats' teeth couldn't even put a scratch on him.

  His clothes weren't so fortunate. Fabric ripped and tore. His shirt shredded. His vest's straps snapped under repeated assault.

  After several seconds of futile attack, the confused bats abandoned him. There was easier prey still screaming in the tunnel. They swarmed back toward the soldiers with renewed hunger and rage.

  Sam stood back up. He was shirtless now, his muscled upper body exposed. As he reached for his fallen rifle, he heard footsteps behind him.

  Instinct took over. Sam spun, his combat knife already in his hand, blade driving toward the threat behind him.

  He stopped the strike a fraction of an inch from the man's throat. The tip of the blade touched skin, leaving a thin red line.

  Mike stood there, covered in sweat, dust and blood. His whole body was scratched and bruised. His clothes were torn and his hair matted with grime. But his eyes were bright and alive, and he had a huge smile on his face.

  "Good to see you, Sam."