Easternport Vol. 1, First Edition

Shell Games and Russian Roulette - Part 3

Steven

I protested and insisted that I should not go back over the bridge. But Miles was in a bad state and needed 'a hand' getting Cory back alive. "I wouldn't be of any help," I said. "I couldn't even manage to hit one of those... demon creatures when it was coming straight at me. I don't have the stomach for this, Miles."

"I just need someone there to watch my back and deter any Serpents from trying to murder me," he said.

"What?"

"Nevermind, just come on. You're a city cop; that makes you untouchable. No one and nothing is going to hurt you over there. And as long as I'm with you, then no one should mess with me, okay? All you have to do is walk with me. We're going to go get Cory and bring her back."

There was no arguing with him. He grabbed my arm in a grip so tight that my fingers went numb and started pulling me toward the smoke, all the while mumbling, "We'll just go get her and come back. She's probably fine. As long as she hung back like I told her to..." I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or not, but it became impossible to understand him.

We ran over the bridge and straight through the next intersection without seeing or hearing anything from the gatekeepers. If Miles even knew they were there, he certainly didn't show it. Several intersections later, I was out of breath and needing something to get the stitch out of my side. I didn't think I was out of shape, but the smoke in the air was making everything more difficult.

The gunfire grew louder and with it, the sound of raging fires and howling monsters, which, coupled with my light-headedness, made me feel like I was in a terrible nightmare. I started to question the reality of what was going on and wanted to wake myself up. But even Miles pinching my wrist with his tight grip didn't snap me out of it.

He never told me where we were going or what to expect. I became increasingly reluctant and slow to follow as the road we walked became flanked on both sides with burning buildings. But Miles dragged me on until the heat from the fire made me sweat all over. People's voices rose up over the noisy energy of the fires and the snap and crack of guns. Then Miles stopped and looked around, as if he, too, had just realized we were in Hell.

"We shouldn't be on the main road," he said--again mumbling so low that I didn't know if he was really talking to me or not. He looked all around us, searching for an opening for us to leave the street, but everything around us was burning and several of the buildings had already collapsed, closing off any space that might have existed between them and the next building. "She should be nearby," he said. "Somewhere..." he craned his neck as if to see over the two-story apartment buildings. "Maybe over there." He pointed to a small space between two buildings. One had already been burnt out, the roof collapsed in on itself. The other was about to reach that point--like a star about to turn into a black hole. "Quickly," he said and pulled me toward the space.

I resisted for a brief second and shook my head, but he didn't stop. Instead he let go of my arm and ran between the buildings to the other side of the street. I sighed and ran after him. The walls on either side of the small space were hot enough to burn me, but thanks to God, the building didn't collapse and I made it through to the other side without any serious harm.

"She should be around here," Miles said again, looking at the rooftops and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, which only put more soot and dried blood on his face.

The gunshots were right above our heads now, or at least they sounded like it. Every time one cracked the air, I ducked and spun around to figure out where it was coming from or where it was aimed at, but no guns seemed to be pointed my way. A few men in Serpent coats crouched behind a brick wall in front of me.