Chapter 20: Under attack, Part 2

Suddenly her attackers came. She was unsure who they were. Vestarians, maybe, as the kid had said. They stepped out from behind the towers. There was as many of them as there were towers and they came towards her. Their footsteps crunched sand and rolled rocks, scattering echoes in every direction. To normal ears, it would be silence, but to hers, it was a parade commemorating her soon to be fight.?Her inevitable victory.

Alex cleared her thoughts again. Didn't she want peace? Did she really want to fight a horde of surface people? No. At this moment, she wanted their blood, she lusted for it. She stood holding her breath, fighting to slow her heartbeat, and watched them come in slow motion.

The auroras lit their faces in a green and purple glow. They wore white paint across their eyes. The moon glinted off their completely white eyes, ruined by sun damage. It was any wonder they could get around at all. Alex decided they must be using senses other than sight and sound to track her. Their clothes were worn and rugged, but their craggy blades looked sharp enough.

The first one reached the tracks a meter away from her. He crept forward like a zombie, his hand hung at his side, holding a machete. One eye had been gouged out, leaving behind a crisscross shaped scar.

"Hey now, let's talk about this." Alex said. "We could be friends."

The zombie like human lunged at her. He raised his rusted chipped machete over his head and let out the most horrible yowling sound Alex had ever heard, making her jump.

She extended the crowbar in a quick slash, sending Crisscross sprawling, turning the howl into a yelp of pain.?A barrage of daggers followed after him, hitting him solidly.

The others descended upon the train. The Vestarians jumped on the sides, rocking it back and forth as they climbed for the windows. Other Vestarians came for her. She slashed at them with her pry bar, splattering skulls against the night. They poked spears and shovels at her, but she danced away. She leapt from the train to keep from being cornered.

Alex heard a window shatter from the left side of the train. She could spare the windows, but she had to protect the door. The windows would be small and difficult for them to climb through, it should give Jack enough time to fend them off. She pivoted on her left foot and swept her right beneath a hulking man. As he fell, Alex jammed the crowbar through his head. It was a bummer her sonic gun didn't work on the surface. It would be handy right about now.

A flash of light lit the left side of the train. Jack must be awake and he would be an awfully cranky bear right about now. Multiple fireballs flew into the Vestarians, knocking them back away from the train. When one fell, two more took their place. She slashed at them, trying to draw them away as she backed away from the train. They followed, but more came, replacing them.

A Vestarian caught her by the arm with his dirty fingers. She chopped them away. Another pulled at her. More surrounded her. She nailed one in the head and he went down with a thud. The train elevated off its magnetic rails before her. The coil engines started to power up, lifting the train off its magnetic tracks.

Another Vestarian stood between her and the train. It was Crisscross. He grinned with broken teeth and blood streaming down his face. Alex went to knock that grin out when suddenly her world went black, her arms were pinned to her back, and her hands bound. Her captors shoved Alex away from the sound of the train. She kicked out with her legs, but they were quickly snatched by strong hands. They lifted and carried her away from the fight. She heard sirens and horns beeping. Flashes of red light filtered through the hood, but these flashes of light weren't hot like the fire from Jack's hand.

As the Vestarians carried her away, the pop of gunfire echoed through the desert. Men screamed in pain as bullets ripped through them. She squirmed and thrashed against the strong hands, but they wouldn't let go.

Gunfire rained in her direction. Several Vestarians hit the ground down around her, freeing their grip and dropping her down to the ground. Alex took her chance and rolled to her feet. She ran, not sure of which direction since the solar towers echoed every noise, she just hoped it wasn't straight for the guns.

Another blast of gunfire. Alex ducked and rolled, but wasn't quick enough. White hot pain seared through her thigh. She stumbled and fell. Strong hands snatched at her again. The stink of sweat and urine filled her nostrils. Six pairs of hands grabbed her and lifted. As one, the Vestarians carried her away, never letting her touch the ground.

The cold wind?sailed over her and agony ripped through her thigh as they jostled her on their trek. Where were they taking her and why did they stop their attack on the train? Alphas must be here if there was gunfire, but why kidnap her? If they did get away, it would be easier to escape the Vestarians than the Alphas. Alex quit struggling. It would be better to save her strength for when she had a real chance at escaping.