Tunnels

Sprinting through the tunnel, I could hear them behind us. Loud snarls and deep growls kept echoing around us as the distance shifted, bringing them closer or taking them farther away. Joan twisted around ahead of me and fired off a few shots, his rifle’s recoil almost stumbling him from the awkward firing position before he turned back around, continuing his sprint.
I took the time we had gained to glance over my shoulder, regretting it almost immediately; I could see their eyes shining in the darkness behind us, full of hunger and ferocity. They were far from what the church said they were; they were animals. Savages evolved from the radiation that covered our home years ago.
Tearing away my thoughts, I decided to save the reminiscence for later; now, I’d rather focus on making it to later.
I quickened my pace, gaining speed until I was right next to Jack, matching him stride for stride almost. I gave him a sideways smirk, leaning into the run, ready to sprint ahead of him when I heard a loud thud behind us. I stopped short in my sprint, everyone else following me, and we raised our guns; my revolver, Joan’s rifle, Jack’s long-barrel shotgun, and Quinn’s SMG. Before we even looked to see who fell, although it was obvious, we opened fire into the pitch-black darkness, every round we fired off being returned with a pained screech.
Eventually, I heard my revolver click, hungry for more slugs and death, but I refused it. Slipping it into my holster, I ducked under the others’ sights and kneeled down next to our fallen friend. “Hey, Em’, get up! We need to go; now!” I grabbed her shoulder, hoisted her up to her feet, then caught her when she almost fell back down, face twisted in agony.
Looking down, I quickly realized why she couldn’t walk; her foot was twisted completely around, a piece of her bone sticking clearly out of her ankle. Moving my eyes back up to her face, I wiped her tears away and lifted her up, running up next to Quinn. “We have to get her out of here; she snapped her ankle!”
He fired off another burst from his SMG, giving me a quick nod, then motioned toward Jack. “Get him to go with you; we’ll watch your back.”
Nodding to him, I made my way over to Jack, tugging his shirt. “We’re going ahead; we need to get Em’ to a medic, she snapped her ankle!”
Jack gave me a quick glance, clicking his shotgun closed after loading two slugs, and motioned for me to start running. I took off at a quick jog, trying not to move Ema’s ankle as much as possible. I heard the firing behind me become quieter, until all I could hear was Ema’s soft sobbing, my footsteps, and the faint footsteps trailing behind me.
“Em’, look at me; stay awake, alright? You’re gonna be fine.” She turned her face to look up at me, wincing in pain every other step, but gave me a weak nod, smiling.
I picked up my speed when I saw the spotlight on our gate shine on me. Almost there…just a little farther.
The gate creaked open, two or three guys in body armor and gas masks to pile out, their guns raised. “Get inside now!” I didn’t hesitate, bolting past them with Ema clutched tightly against me as I made a beeline for the medical area.
I heard firing at the gate, Jack quickly catching up with me, a horrified expression on his face, speaking between breaths. “I don’t think Quinn or Joan made it; the fuckers got to the gate ahead of them. We’re barely holding them off up there; the few we saw chasing us was just the tip of the mutated iceberg.”
I slowed my pace, letting my breathing come under my control before I tried to respond. “I can’t believe that they would die; Quinn knew how to handle himself, and Joan has been in worse situations. They couldn’t have died…”
Before Jack could even open his mouth, the alarm went off throughout the station, and the intercom crackled to life with a deep, male voice. “All personnel with weapons are to report to the front gate now! We need all the manpower to assist our guards; we’re being overrun!” Jack and I exchanged glances, and he gave me a nod, taking off at a sprint for the front gate.
I watched him disappear around a corner before I took off in the opposite direction, keeping to a quick jog. “Em’, stay with me; you still awake?” She nodded. “Alright; just look at me. Don’t pass out; focus on looking at me.”
She looked up at me, then ahead of us. “Where’s…my brother?”
I looked down at her. “I don’t know, but I know he’s okay. Don’t worry about him; you need to worry about yourself right now Em’.”
Turning a corner, I felt some hope well up in me. Ahead, in bright, red paint on a door, was a cross. I picked up my speed, turning before I got to the door, driving my shoulder into it. I felt it give as it slammed open, and I turned my body, my back to the doorframe. “Hey! Johnson, where are you?”
I quickly laid Ema down on a soft cot, scanning the room. “Johnson? Are you here?...”
A loud, ear-bleeding crackle rang out, the male voice from before sounding weak and dying. “They made it through the gate… All hands are to evacuate the station.” As to solidify this, a loud, deep growl sounded from where I had just come from.
I slammed the door closed, pulling a small dresser in front of it, and worked on moving a cabinet to the door. Ema, still conscious, looked over at me. “What’s going on...?”
Giving up on the cabinet, I walked over to her, laying my hand on her cheek. “Nothing. Everything’s fine; just lay your head back and rest, Em’.” She did lay her head back and closed her eyes, but I could tell she was still awake.
Sighing, I took this time to look at her ankle. It wasn’t bleeding anymore, but the bone was still visible out the side of it. I pulled my belt loose, tying it around her upper leg, and cut off a small piece. “Em’, I want you to keep this in your mouth; this will hurt a lot.”
She took the piece of my belt, lightly biting down on it, and leaned up to see what I was doing. Tightly grabbing her calf, I gripped the bottom of her foot, gritting my teeth as I twisted her foot back into place. I glanced back at her and almost stopped right there; her teeth were clamped down on the belt piece, eyes screwed shut in agony.
Grabbing some stuff I had seen Johnson use before, I disinfected the area around her now-bleeding wound, forced the bone back in, and wrapped it in a bandage.
As I was wrapping up a metal splint around her ankle, I heard something slam into the door. Panicking slightly, I finished wrapping the splint. “Em’, if you’re still awake, stay quiet; don’t make any noise.” I slid my arms underneath her, carefully picking her up, and carried her over to a cabinet.
“I’ll come back for you; I promise. Just stay in here and stay quiet.” I set her down in the cabinet, covering her with a blanket, and closed the door. As a last precaution, I turned the cabinet against the wall, blocking the door. “I promise I’ll be back, Em’. Just wait for me.”
I turned to the door, drew my revolver, and waited.