Dusk of Defiance (The Era of Ensemble Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

humans, things, creatures, beasts, savage cannibals... Luke could have extended the list. If one of those things came for him, he didn’t know if he would be able to hit it. The revolver trembled violently in his grasp. The abominations were getting closer. Luke stepped back against a wall and leaned on it for support. It eased his legs and his body. His breathing increased in volume and in speed as the noises from the feral beasts approached his vicinity. Luke gulped at the dryness in his mouth, the hairs stood tall on the back of his neck, and if he wasn’t already leaning against a wall, he probably would have collapsed by now. He shook his head. I have to focus .
    One of the things jumped through a door at the other end of the corridor. Luke squinted and focused on the abomination. It glanced around the corridor until it spotted him. It shrieked loudly in a deafening high pitched tone, and then ran at full sprint in the direction of him.
    “ Stay back!” Luke shouted at it. The savage didn’t reply, it never strayed from its collision course. “I’m warning you!” Luke continued. “Stay back or I’ll fire!” The thing ignored Luke’s warnings and continued its sprint towards him. He closed the eye closest to the revolver in anticipation of the bang that would surely ring throughout his ears. He fired wildly, more of a warning shot than actually trying to hit the abomination. Luke felt the recoil of the revolver. He should have prepared himself better. The thing squealed loudly in an even higher pitch than before. It turned away from him and ran back from where it came. He could hear the squeal for a while before it slowly faded away. Luke closed his eyes and breathed slowly to regain some control. He couldn’t stop wondering whether he had hit the abomination or not, he didn’t know if the blood on the walls, floor, or ceiling was from the thing he fired at or from something totally different.
    Afte r he had regained his composure, he carried on following the signs to the tram. Although he took extra care to be quiet this time. He cautiously checked every door, and crept stealthily. Unfortunately the metal soles of his shoes didn’t help this endeavour. He knew he wasn’t far from the tram. Memories of using it started to flood back. He remembered the first time he had used it with his sister, Megan and his girlfriend, Elizabeth. They were checking out each others living quarters. Megan was ‘seriously impressed’ with theirs. They couldn’t say the same thing about hers though. Her apartment was small, Elizabeth later described it as 'claustrophobic'. She was exaggerating, it was fine... Cosy if anything . He missed his sister. They were so close growing up. Their parents were on a voyage of their own, and they left Luke and Megan on their grandparents’ farm in the country. They spent most of their time playing games together, or exploring the nearby forest. Back when things were simple. He sighed deeply, and then regained focus on making his way to the tram.
    He made his approach to a balcony that led away from the corridor. The balcony overlooked one of the many tram stations. Luke smiled briefly, as he had nearly reached his destination. He glanced to either side of the balcony and looked for a way down to the level below him. A door opened to his left, he ducked and stared over to it. There was nothing. The door closed. He made his way to the right hand side of the balcony, away from the door which had just previously opened. He checked the nearest door to him. It was an empty office. He checked the next few. All offices, all deserted.
    Luke eventually found the stairwell that would take him down to the level below. He slowly walked through the doorway, checked his corners, and then lowered his weapon once he was satisfied the flight of stairs was clear of the savage brutes. I can’t wait to find my sister . It was the only thing that spurred him on.
    As he walked down the first few steps, a