Korryn
Ann shoved the cart to one side. The door to the cage holding the Dentolura Korryn had tranquilized popped open, and some of the creature's whip-like tail uncurled like fingers opening. Korryn didn't have time to focus on the thing, but it didn't look like the fall had awoken it, which made her relieved. The last thing she wanted was to have that lura awake and cranky. Not only that, but a damaged creature wouldn't be as lucrative as an undamaged one. All of these thoughts clicked through her head as she dived toward the still-spinning gun. That she would be worrying about profits and xenoforms at this moment was strange for her, but she decided, as her body slammed against the ground and skidded toward the weapon, that it was good to have something beyond what she was currently doing. Future goals, that sort of thing… Korryn arrived at the gun first, but Ann slapped it free, sending it beyond Korryn's reach. Ann managed to get to her feet before Korryn, which necessitated the childish-but-useful technique of tripping Ann to keep her from securing the gun. Korryn crawled on top of the Chief of Security, pulling herself along toward the weapon, only to get a vicious elbow into the side of her face. Stars sparkled in front of her eyes and she yelped, rolling off Ann's back. Maybe it was best to focus only on the Chief. Despite the ringing in her ear, Korryn pushed off the ground, using the glass door of the Brig as a launching pad to throw herself into Ann. As the Chief bent over, Korryn slammed into her, sending her sprawling a meter and the gun clattering to the ground. Breathing heavily as much from the adrenaline as the exertion, Korryn scooped up the weapon and turned, only to catch Ann's shoulder in her own torso. Air rushed from her, but Korryn had enough presence of mind to keep the gun in hand. They collided against the glass door of the cell in which a small cage was kept--it was Karl, Korryn felt almost certain--and she could hear a keening sound through the speaker. She glanced at the larger lura, worry springing through her. Did she see the tail move? No time to consider that, she had to deal with an incensed Ann. The Chief pulled back, pinning Korryn's left arm against the wall--and the gun with it--and rearing back for a punch. Korry brought her leg up, striking Ann uselessly. The Chief didn't seem to notice, but it allowed Korryn to push back, forcing Ann's punch to fall short. It landed hard against Korryn's leg. A thud of pain dropped through her, but it wasn't too bad. Wrestling as hard as she could, Korryn worked to get her left hand free, bringing her right hand up to try to switch the weapon over. Ann read the movement and started doing the same. "Get off!" grunted Korryn as she and Ann began a tug-of-war with the gun. Korryn bit down on Ann's hand, pain lancing through her teeth as she applied more pressure. Ann screamed and let go, stumbling back--and releasing her weapon. Korryn steadied herself and pointed the gun at Ann's surprised face. "It's done, Ann," she said and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Ann jumped forward, grabbing Korryn's hands, pulling her close. "Maybe having aedee-only weapons isn't such a bad idea." "What?" Instead of answering, Ann, her face streaming with perspiration, kicked out one leg, then twisted her body, throwing Korryn hard to the ground. She landed on her back and shoulder blades, but the shock of it sent her still-fragile breath out in a loud whoosh. It was only at that moment that Korryn started to think that maybe she had made a mistake. Ann wrenched the gun painfully from Korryn's hand, finally gaining full control of the weapon. Before she could level it at Korryn, however, the colonist lurched forward, snagging Ann's coveralls and tugging them down. Ann, obviously surprised, didn't expect the full-scale attack on her, and Korryn managed to rake more than few deep scratches across her face and neck before Ann flung her off with a harsh punch that nearly knocked Korryn unconscious. She slumped against the cell door. Behind her, the cage of Karl rattled. A gurgling sound came from the speaker. The adult lura twitched. Korryn hardly noticed any of it. The taste of blood distracted her. Was that her blood? Was it from the bite? Had she simply not remembered? It was hard to know. Everything was too hot; waves of heat came out of the collar of her coverall. Sweat got into her eyes, stinging as it dripped. It took a second for her to realize that, in the course of her attack, the polyps that were stuck to her coveralls had burst. Some of the smell was the now-familiar sewer stink permeated the air. The adult lura made a distressed sound. "You're…under…arrest," said Ann. She palmed open the door that Korryn was leaning against. A stench wafted over Then the Chief of Security kicked the defeated Korryn into the room. She crashed against the cage, which caused the now-louder gurgles to transform into an alarmed squawk. Korryn coughed, cradling her ribs. The last kick had been vindictive, totally uncalled for. "I'm…" "We'll get this sorted out later. Once I get things back under control," said Ann, her shoulders heaving with the exertion of getting her breath back. "For now, you can keep Doctor Trapp company." Korryn opened her mouth to protest when a noise drew her attention to the cage she'd upended. The metal plating of the cage bent outward. The bulge grew as the loud sound of ruined metal ended with a metallic screech and Karl burst out of the hole. Korryn stared in open mouth shock. Out of the periphery, she could see Senton screaming something, pounding on the glass of his prison with his one good hand. She couldn't hear him--the speaker wasn't turned on in his cell--but she got the sense he was trying to tell her something. She looked over at him, then rocked backward as the small Dentolura plowed into her. Karl's jaws, flowering open wide, caught her by the neck. The hot press of its teeth seared through her, the bite unnaturally large. She could feel dozens of fangs pressing in on her, severing her flesh from her body. The infant Dentolura flew off of her with a yelp, but landed on its feet. Through pain-hazed eyes, Korryn saw that Ann stood, her weapon pointed at Karl. The lura gurgled aggressively, its blood-stained jaws dripping. Karl looked sickly, a faded color scheme from what she'd seen the first time. Its tiny mouths on its skin were working overtime. The smell of the creature filled the room. The weight of the adult Dentolura landing on her startled her out of her dazed analysis of the milieu. The too-long snout caught a chunk of her cheek, nearly blinding her with the suddenness of the pain. Its tails whipped out, and she heard Ann cry out. The Chief fell back, away from the door. Obediently, the glass door to the cell snapped shut. Korryn was locked in with two Dentolura. Screams were insufficient. The last thing Korryn ever saw, as she pressed against the glass, tears and terror on her sweaty face, was Ann, a massive gash in her side, trying to get up, to get to the door in time. A mist of blood--her blood, she knew, but she couldn't believe it, not really--splattered the door. Then pain. Then nothing. |
What is this?This is a NaNoWriMo project that publishes, day by day, the chapters I'm writing for 2017. If you're confused, go to Chapter 1 Ann and start there. ArchivesCategories
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