SDIV El Juego Chapter 27 Part 1

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Cursed Hills
Zone IV

One by one Alana’s men fell. They gave their lives dearly, yet the outcome was inevitable; Viker’s Angels had regrouped, pulling all of their mutated followers in line and body by body, they were gaining the upper hand.

“Alana, it appears our guests decided to bring reinforcements.”

Shin’s message was unwelcome, but not unexpected. Viker meant to have his revenge and he would not shy from the death toll necessary to achieve his ends. She killed her latest opponent and used her jets to jump back, clearing her personal space for just a moment. On her HUD, the newcomers were more than apparent. It seemed as though Viker had used his power liberally, creating more of his winged followers who now he threw into the fray. Well, she had not expected to survive this encounter only to sell her life the most expensively that she could.

“Regroup,” she transmitted, “fall back on me…”

Winged shapes plummeted downwards into the rear of the Angels, claws tearing and rending, shocking Alana into silence.

“The demons,” Shin said on an open channel, “are they here to help?”

“That I think is unlikely,” replied Alana, at last seeing a potential chance of survival.

“Retreat!” she called urgently. “This is our opportunity.”

“But..” began Shin.

“Move it!” snarled Alana, blood lust was one thing, but stupidity another.

Discipline kicked in and the survivors, the pitiful few left from her original men and Johns’ people, disengaged. It was easier than expected as the Angels turned to meet this new attack, bestial ferocity against cunning and numbers. The few too slow to ascertain where the new threat came from gave Alana’s people something to assuage their unspent rage upon, but soon enough they were free and clear to reform upon her position.

Alana gasped in shock as she counted heads. She knew there must be more, but Shin confirmed her worst fears as he struggled up the hill towards her.

“I am the last,” he said matter-of-factly, “where do we go now?”

“Away from here,” said Alana, “somewhere to lick our wounds and plan our escape.”

“What about Viker?” asked the exhausted man, “When do we deal with him?”

Alana winced at the harsh tone in Shin’s voice. Was it condemnation of her own action in retreating? Or was it just exhaustion, grief and excess of adrenalin? She shrugged off her self-pity. There was little use for it now.

“There will be another day,” she promised, surprised at the certainty in her own voice, “we have not finished with him yet.”

Four armoured suits ignited their jet packs, hovering momentarily before shooting away towards the forest in the distance. Ngulu watched them, but chose to ignore their escape for now. Spilt blood drew him to the fight  below and this promised to give him and his brethren a feasting to remember. It seemed as though the world and order in itself had returned to its rightful place, with him as its leader.