For my first two little stories I was just sort of getting used to this blog and what I was actually going to do. Now that I'm happy that it looks the way I want, I'm going to start applying these little prompts to characters that I already know well.
I've had a book series in my head for a couple of years now that has been slowly building and coming together. Now that I could probably write the books, I'm never in the right mood. So I thought I'd do a bunch of little short stories to get my characters out there before I finally sit down and write these books.
I love these characters and I know them probably better than I know myself. I hope I can do them justice in my writing. This is a big thing for me. I've never introduced these guys to anybody else before, and posting them on the internet like this is scary for me. I don't mind criticism, but being nice about it would be great!
Hale followed a moment later. He struggled a bit more than Anya, due to him being quite a bit bigger than her, but he made it. He landed with a soft thud and she shushed him. He rolled his eyes as he pulled out his gun and she followed him down the dark corridor.
She already had the plan of the building memorised. She knew where they were to go, but actually walking the corridors in the dark was completely different from looking at it on a piece of paper. They turned a few corners, not speaking a word, before coming to the first mark.
Hale held out his hand as he knelt on the floor and placed his gun gently on the ground. Anya reached back to her bag and unclipped the small box from the bottom. She gave it to him and scanned the area while he worked to set up the explosive. The corridor was lit with a soft glow from the windows. It left a lot of shadows in a lot of places where anything could be lurking. Monsters were hard to spot, especially when they lived their entire lives in the shadows and could disappear as quickly as Anya could blink.
"Got it," Hale whispered a moment later. Anya inspected his handiwork. She screwed up her face and shrugged in an it'll do gesture. Hale shoved her playfully and they continued on.
"First mark set up." Anya jumped at the voice. She had almost forgotten about her friends on the opposite side of the building. "On our way to the second."
"Ditto," Hale replied.
"Does it seem quiet to anyone else?" Anya whispered. The building seemed suspiciously Monster free.
"I thought I saw something earlier, but we haven't actually met one yet," Simone answered.
Hale glanced back at Anya and shrugged. "Maybe Kent decided to go easy on us?" He said hopefully.
"Unlikely," Zack piped up. The four of them left the conversation there. Hale and Anya's second mark was nearer the centre of the building. Anya wasn't looking forward to putting distance between herself and an exit.
She heard a noise then that made her turn. She had been checking behind regularly, but there were a lot of doors and corridors and she wasn't a miracle worker. Hale had stopped beside her and they both searched every corner - both on the ground and on the ceiling - for any signs of movement. She could barely hear over the sound of her heart beating in her ears, but she listened as hard as she could anyway.
Her hands were getting sweaty making it harder to hold her gun. Her hair stuck to her forehead and her bag pressed her t-shirt onto her wet back, making her uncomfortable. She didn't dare lower her gun, though. It might not kill anything, but it gave her enough time to get away from whatever Kent had sent them in there with. They had a limited number of Monsters they could use for training; they tried not to kill too many.
"I think we're clear, Annie," Hale said.
"I heard something." Anya was sure of it. She scanned what she could see of the corridor for the fourth time. There weren't as many windows here and the moonlight from outside was their only light source. It was difficult to see, but there had to be something.
Suddenly there was a crackle in her earpiece and she was distracted for a moment. That's when she saw a glint of light on the ground halfway down the corridor. As the sounds of Simone and Zack's scuffle played in her ear, she made out the dark silhouette of the Monster laying flat on the ground, its eyes catching the small bit of light from the window.
Everything became entirely focused on that black shadow. Her eyes seemed to widen. Her lips parted so she could take in deeper breaths. She was strangely calm, though. Scared? Yes. But calm. She nudged Hale and he glanced over his shoulder. He followed her gun to the Monster and tensed a little beside her. The fight in her earpiece ended and she heard the Partners check each other before Simone announced: "They're Vexbugs."
"Crap," Hale mumbled. The Vexbug could hit them over this distance. The poison they spit could fly for a couple of hundred yards, but at that distance they rarely hit what they were aiming for. With how close they were standing to it, it would almost definitely hit them.
"How far away is the door?" Anya asked him. The Vexbug didn't move. It just seemed to be watching them.
"We could make it. We're faster than it."
"Are you sure?"
"About 70% sure."
"That's not a hundred."
"Do you trust me?"
She didn't even have to think. "Of course."
"Then run." They both turned and sprinted towards the door that seemed further up the corridor than Anya expected. The Vexbug didn't bother with being sneaky anymore, she could hear the soft patter of it's many feet as it scuttled towards them. They were slow. They didn't need to be fast with that poison of theirs, but they were still fast enough that there was a possibility of it catching up.
Anya turned and shot her gun randomly down the darkened corridor. The tiny little ball was a bright blue spark in the darkness. It was enough to bring down even the biggest of Monsters, though the bigger they were the faster the effects wore off. She didn't wait to see if it hit the Bug, instead she turned to continue running. She did hear the feet stop for a fraction of a second as the Bug dodged the tiny ball of electricity. But it was running again in no time. "Almost there," Hale said.
A moment later they were through the door and they both turned to push their full weight against it. The Vexbug crashed into it and the door opened a fraction, but they got it shut. Anya fumbled with the lock but it wouldn't go. "It's broken," she huffed. The Vexbug kept throwing it's weight into the other side of the door and they kept pushing it closed before it managed to get through, but they couldn't keep this up.
"Get your gun ready," Hale told her. She did and on the count of three he yanked the door open. Anya barely took time to aim before firing the bolt. It hit the Bug on the forehead and it squealed so shrilly that Anya had to cover her ears. It fell though and stayed on the floor, twitching a little. "Come on," Hale said, "before it wakes up."
It was completely dark here. Anya had to take out her torch to see. She swept it over the room and found nothing interesting. There were desks stacked up against the walls and a few broken chairs here and there, but no Monsters.
"Uh... guys?" Simone's voice was quiet.
"Yeah?"
"We have quite a major problem."
"Which is?" Anya heard a soft clicking then. She frowned and searched around, but couldn't find the source.
"We just finished setting up our second bomb and... uh... might have accidentally set it off." She paused. "It was an accident." Anya knew what the noise was now. She took out the second bomb and saw the timer had started. Each click was one second lost.
"I still have our second one, Simone!" Anya yelled, panicking. They had five minutes to get this bomb off her and get out the building.
"I'm sorry, Anya!"
"Move," Hale commanded.
"Anya and Hale, where is your second bomb?" Kent's deep voice crackled in her ear.
"In my hand," Anya replied as Hale led her through the rooms. She kept an eye out for Monsters, her gun in her other hand, but she was more worried about the fact that she was going to get blown up in four minutes and thirty seconds if they didn't hurry the hell up.
"Just leave it. Drop it where you are and get out of there. This isn't third year, those bombs are real and it will go off in four minutes."
"We're finishing the task, Kent."
"If you get blown up your uncle will kill me and Jensen will bring me back just to kill me again. Get the fuck out of there. And that's Professor to you."
"See you in a bit, Kent," Anya smiled. She picked up the speed. Her and Hale jogged through the building, looking but never really stopping to investigate. They could pass a Monster at any second and probably wouldn't notice until it attacked them. They were being stupid and reckless, but she'd rather have a scuffle with a Monster than be blown up by the package in her hand. They reached the mark as the bomb hit three minutes. Hale set it up quickly and nodded to her.
"Two minutes, thirty seconds," Kent growled.
"We're outside," Zack added.
"Run fast," Hale said. They sprinted as fast as they could towards the nearest exit. The ticking was gone now, but her internal clock told her how long they had. She was good with time and in this situation it was both a plus and a negative. With a minute and a half to go, they were almost outside. Then a Vexbug came round the corner. "Shit." Hale skidded to a stop. The thing reared back on it's back dozen legs, waving the other dozen in the air. It screeched and it's pincers snapped at them. Hale had to dodge to the side as it spit a blob of its horrible yellow poison at him. Anya heard him crash against the wall, probably harder than he meant to, and curse quietly. He then took out his gun and rapidly fired three times, too many times for the Vexbug. It fell with a thud on the floor and writhed horribly. "Bloody twat."
Anya picked her way over the convulsing body and watched Hale follow. He was rubbing his elbow but seemed okay. He was poison free, at least. "Half a minute," Simone's worried voice snapped into Anya's ear. They were right next to the exit, and jogged over. The moment they were outside they were hauled away from the building by a few of their classmates and they all ran towards the truck where Kent stood waiting. Now a safe distance away, Anya turned just in time to see the building explode. The bangs from the explosives hurt her ears and the flames still felt hot even from this distance. But it wasn't the first time she had seen something blow up, and it had lost its charm with her.
Hale put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "I think that went well," he said. Anya turned to Kent.
"I have to take care of the Vexbugs. Go write up a report in the truck," was all he said. The Vexbugs wouldn't have been killed in the explosion. Their tough hides made them almost impossible to kill with fire.
"He's cheery."
"I think he's just a bit annoyed that it was such a close call," Anya said.
"He's proud of us really," Hale added.
"You think so?" Simone asked, still worried after she nearly got her and Hale blown up.
"'Course I do." Anya smiled to her friend and pushed her towards the truck. "Kent knows we're amazing."
"Crap," Hale mumbled. The Vexbug could hit them over this distance. The poison they spit could fly for a couple of hundred yards, but at that distance they rarely hit what they were aiming for. With how close they were standing to it, it would almost definitely hit them.
"How far away is the door?" Anya asked him. The Vexbug didn't move. It just seemed to be watching them.
"We could make it. We're faster than it."
"Are you sure?"
"About 70% sure."
"That's not a hundred."
"Do you trust me?"
She didn't even have to think. "Of course."
"Then run." They both turned and sprinted towards the door that seemed further up the corridor than Anya expected. The Vexbug didn't bother with being sneaky anymore, she could hear the soft patter of it's many feet as it scuttled towards them. They were slow. They didn't need to be fast with that poison of theirs, but they were still fast enough that there was a possibility of it catching up.
Anya turned and shot her gun randomly down the darkened corridor. The tiny little ball was a bright blue spark in the darkness. It was enough to bring down even the biggest of Monsters, though the bigger they were the faster the effects wore off. She didn't wait to see if it hit the Bug, instead she turned to continue running. She did hear the feet stop for a fraction of a second as the Bug dodged the tiny ball of electricity. But it was running again in no time. "Almost there," Hale said.
A moment later they were through the door and they both turned to push their full weight against it. The Vexbug crashed into it and the door opened a fraction, but they got it shut. Anya fumbled with the lock but it wouldn't go. "It's broken," she huffed. The Vexbug kept throwing it's weight into the other side of the door and they kept pushing it closed before it managed to get through, but they couldn't keep this up.
"Get your gun ready," Hale told her. She did and on the count of three he yanked the door open. Anya barely took time to aim before firing the bolt. It hit the Bug on the forehead and it squealed so shrilly that Anya had to cover her ears. It fell though and stayed on the floor, twitching a little. "Come on," Hale said, "before it wakes up."
It was completely dark here. Anya had to take out her torch to see. She swept it over the room and found nothing interesting. There were desks stacked up against the walls and a few broken chairs here and there, but no Monsters.
"Uh... guys?" Simone's voice was quiet.
"Yeah?"
"We have quite a major problem."
"Which is?" Anya heard a soft clicking then. She frowned and searched around, but couldn't find the source.
"We just finished setting up our second bomb and... uh... might have accidentally set it off." She paused. "It was an accident." Anya knew what the noise was now. She took out the second bomb and saw the timer had started. Each click was one second lost.
"I still have our second one, Simone!" Anya yelled, panicking. They had five minutes to get this bomb off her and get out the building.
"I'm sorry, Anya!"
"Move," Hale commanded.
"Anya and Hale, where is your second bomb?" Kent's deep voice crackled in her ear.
"In my hand," Anya replied as Hale led her through the rooms. She kept an eye out for Monsters, her gun in her other hand, but she was more worried about the fact that she was going to get blown up in four minutes and thirty seconds if they didn't hurry the hell up.
"Just leave it. Drop it where you are and get out of there. This isn't third year, those bombs are real and it will go off in four minutes."
"We're finishing the task, Kent."
"If you get blown up your uncle will kill me and Jensen will bring me back just to kill me again. Get the fuck out of there. And that's Professor to you."
"See you in a bit, Kent," Anya smiled. She picked up the speed. Her and Hale jogged through the building, looking but never really stopping to investigate. They could pass a Monster at any second and probably wouldn't notice until it attacked them. They were being stupid and reckless, but she'd rather have a scuffle with a Monster than be blown up by the package in her hand. They reached the mark as the bomb hit three minutes. Hale set it up quickly and nodded to her.
"Two minutes, thirty seconds," Kent growled.
"We're outside," Zack added.
"Run fast," Hale said. They sprinted as fast as they could towards the nearest exit. The ticking was gone now, but her internal clock told her how long they had. She was good with time and in this situation it was both a plus and a negative. With a minute and a half to go, they were almost outside. Then a Vexbug came round the corner. "Shit." Hale skidded to a stop. The thing reared back on it's back dozen legs, waving the other dozen in the air. It screeched and it's pincers snapped at them. Hale had to dodge to the side as it spit a blob of its horrible yellow poison at him. Anya heard him crash against the wall, probably harder than he meant to, and curse quietly. He then took out his gun and rapidly fired three times, too many times for the Vexbug. It fell with a thud on the floor and writhed horribly. "Bloody twat."
Anya picked her way over the convulsing body and watched Hale follow. He was rubbing his elbow but seemed okay. He was poison free, at least. "Half a minute," Simone's worried voice snapped into Anya's ear. They were right next to the exit, and jogged over. The moment they were outside they were hauled away from the building by a few of their classmates and they all ran towards the truck where Kent stood waiting. Now a safe distance away, Anya turned just in time to see the building explode. The bangs from the explosives hurt her ears and the flames still felt hot even from this distance. But it wasn't the first time she had seen something blow up, and it had lost its charm with her.
Hale put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "I think that went well," he said. Anya turned to Kent.
"I have to take care of the Vexbugs. Go write up a report in the truck," was all he said. The Vexbugs wouldn't have been killed in the explosion. Their tough hides made them almost impossible to kill with fire.
"He's cheery."
"I think he's just a bit annoyed that it was such a close call," Anya said.
"He's proud of us really," Hale added.
"You think so?" Simone asked, still worried after she nearly got her and Hale blown up.
"'Course I do." Anya smiled to her friend and pushed her towards the truck. "Kent knows we're amazing."
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