War Dog

Chapter 29

I precede Soap down the hallways, being fairly confident in my ability to navigate the halls after the last couple of days of following Shaista everywhere all day. I heard someone around the corner breathing heavily and the heavy scent of metal in the air. The tang hit my tongue and I knew whoever was around the corner was dying very rapidly. It wasn't a scent I recognised, so I pushed past, stepping over the cooling blood without a second thought. Soap though hesitated behind me, and his intentions were to check. 

"Dead, move on Soap." I say without turning back. Soap's hand hesitated mid-air before stretching his longer legs to keep up with me.

"Damn, Lassie, you're cold." His muttered words held no reproach in them, only a statement of fact.

"You have no idea, Soap." I respond

"I suppose, if you chose cold heartless Ghost as your handler, I have no doubt you'll manage to live up to his frigidness just fine," Soap teased me, his accent coming in thickly.

"Ah, but you forget Soap, I am the sunshine to his winter exterior. So  however cold you think I can be, don't forget Ghost is colder, I doubt anyone could match him if they tried."

"I'll grant ye that lassie." 

My ears perked forward as I heard footsteps running down the hall, we came around a corner face to face with the owner of the footsteps. I step out wide avoiding the gun that came level with me and I leap forwards, teeth clenching on the arm holding the gun hard. I use my momentum and my hand closest to the soldier hooking around his waist and hip throwing him down to the floor, his shoulder dislocating as I'm still holding onto his arm in my mouth as he gets thrown. The scream echoes down the hall muffling additional footsteps coming up behind me. Soaps gun however fires neatly three times taking out the person coming up behind me. I finish off the soldier, my claws hooking in and around his windpipe. I yank hard, creating a gasping wound in his throat, pulling just enough of his wind pipe out to guarantee his death before I move on. 

As I step away from the body, I can feel Soap side eyeing me, a considering look to the gleam in his eye. I flick my hand, spatters of blood spraying across the wall and continue moving on.

"You know," Soap begins thoughtfully, "I honestly have no idea why Ghost is even worried about you. You can handle yourself just fine."

"You know Ghost." I respond vaguely, "he thinks he has to be the hero all the damn time." 

"Mhhmm," Soap says unconvinced. I wasn't out here trying to convince him on anything, my job solely to help him get Shaista back to the helo, and then find my way back to Ghosts side.

"There's four in this room here," I say, gesturing to a door on my left. 

"Are you sure?" Soap asks. I look at him and lean back arms crossed as I glare at him for doubting me. I gesture for his gun, which he refuses to give me. I gesture again with a frown and he refuses again. I huff at him for being a pain in my ass, kick the door in and leap at the man closest to the door. My teeth sink into his neck and I use my momentum to turn us so his back is facing his comrades. I feel a bullet hit his vest right as I do so, another hits him in the head spraying bone and brain matter all over me. I drop the body from my jaw and leap towards the next person, only for three shots to ring out from behind me. I trust Soap doing his job in having my back. Would have been easier if he'd just given me the damn gun. I slashed at the next persons throat, claws barely skimming skin, mostly tearing cloth. The soldier steps back in instinct, and I send an uppercut towards the womans head, except my fingers are extended. My claws pierce through under her chin, pinning her lower jaw to her upper jaw. She goes slack in surprise and Soap has shot the last person in the room, my back clear of enemies. The force of my hand slamming into the womans head lifts her off the floor and I use that momentum to slam her against the wall, my claws driving deeper into her.