Earthfall: Retribution Read Online Free PDF Page B

sudden, almost primal fear.
    ‘We should pull back,’ Rachel said. ‘Whatever that is, we can’t fight in these conditions. We need more cover.’
    ‘Agreed,’ Sam said with a quick nod.
    ‘What about in there?’ Jay said quickly, jerking his head towards the frontage of a department store.
    Sam quickly weighed up their options. It would be dark in there and they ran the risk of getting trapped, but they had their night-vision goggles and they were far too exposed out here on the street. From somewhere off in the darkness there was another shrieking howl and Sam quickly made a decision.
    ‘OK,’ he barked, ‘everyone inside. We find a good spot and let whatever’s out there come to us.’
    The four of them dashed across the street and inside the gloomy store. They were surrounded by displays for cosmetics and perfumes, all now covered in a fine layer of snow, relics of a lifestyle that seemed like very distant history. They ran past the gaudy displays, weapons raised, heading deeper inside, constantly scanning for any sign of movement or threat.
    ‘Head upstairs,’ Sam said, pointing over towards the stationary escalators in the middle of the ground floor.
    ‘You sure?’ Rachel asked, glancing over her shoulder anxiously as more unearthly howls came from outside. Whatever it was that was out there was certainly no pack of feral dogs. ‘We could get trapped up there.’
    ‘If there are enough Voidborn outside, we could get trapped anywhere,’ Sam replied. ‘We need to find a good firing position, somewhere we can hold out until this storm passes.’
    ‘Sam’s right,’ Jay said with a nod as they approached the escalators. ‘We don’t stand a chance out there. We need to hunker down.’
    ‘Well, let’s find some cover fast,’ Jack said, swallowing nervously. ‘Because whatever it is, it’s getting closer.’
    The four of them sprinted up the immobile metal staircase, taking the steps two at a time. The next floor was filled with dust-covered racks of clothes and the slightly creepy humanoid silhouettes of mannequins frozen in mid-pose. They ran between the displays, hunting for a place to take cover.
    ‘There,’ Sam snapped, pointing at the far end of the floor where they could just make out the tables and chairs of a café. Sam led the others through the dining area, leaping over the stainless-steel counter and pushing the swing doors that led to the kitchen open just a crack, enough so that he could see what was on the other side. He surveyed the empty kitchen quickly and then turned back to the others.
    ‘OK, we set up here,’ he said, gesturing back towards the escalators. ‘If anything comes up, we should have no problem spotting them. If it looks like we’re going to get overrun, then fall back to the kitchen. There’s plenty of cover, and stairs on the other side that give us an escape route if we need it.’
    ‘Stairs work both ways you know,’ Jack said with a frown as he unfolded the bi-pod from beneath the barrel of his sniper rifle before resting it on top of one of the display cases filled with the grey, desiccated remains of the snacks that the café used to serve. ‘We don’t want to get trapped in here.’
    ‘I know,’ Sam said. ‘I’ll watch our backs – just get ready to fight.’
    Sam fought to keep the nervousness from his voice. He had no idea what was out there, but he did know one thing: it was nothing they’d seen before. If they were going to get out in one piece, they were going to need to keep their heads clear. From somewhere below them they heard a muffled crash, and Sam felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It had only been a few months since they had last fought the Voidborn, but that didn’t stop the slight tremor in his human hand caused by the sudden rush of adrenalin that was surging through his system.
    ‘OK,’ Sam whispered as the others took cover behind the counter, their weapons trained on the escalators fifty metres away.