“Fuck me,” Julia said before hopping off the edge.

There came a thump and the cables wobbled.

“I’m okay,” Julia said.

Evelyn grabbed Clara and dropped as well. The impact of both women hitting the platform caused everything to shake violently. It was enough for Julia’s eyes to widen while her fingers went white from holding onto the railing.

If not for the vampire’s strength and balance they might have fallen off entirely. But Evelyn managed to keep Clara steady, even as the angel’s legs wobbled.

“Steady, ma chère,” Evelyn said. “I got you.”

“Go!” Clara ordered.

Evelyn did not hesitate; she grabbed one of the room’s chairs and sent it through the opening. It cleared out most of the remaining shards, permitting her to get to the edge. From there she grabbed Clara’s hand, while steadying herself against the frame.

The fog was thick enough that Clara barely made out  the platform.

“Fuck me,” Julia said before hopping off the edge.

There came a thump and the cables wobbled.

“I’m coming with—” Evelyn said.

“It’s daytime!” Julia protested.

“Do you see the—(sun?)” Evelyn countered.

Clara fired off six shots at the window. Four struck near a corner, while the other two went through the centre of the pane. Cracks propagated throughout before shattering entirely after the ninth.

“Go!” Clara ordered.

“Over here!” Evelyn said.

Clara managed to get on her feet, tired, but otherwise able to stand on her own. Julia helped her to walk inside.

Four long cables were hanging on the other side of the window. One did not need to be Doctor Frankenstein to realise what Evelyn had in mind… One small step…

“You’re not fuck—(ing serious?)” Julia said.

“It’s three stories down,” Evelyn said. “We’re out of options.”

The grim truth hardened all their faces. Clara turned a shade paler as her heart kicked up a notch, but her body fought back the attempt. She clenched her chest, and Evelyn’s jaw dropped.

They did not linger for long. Clara found herself once more upon Evelyn’s shoulder as they ran to the opposing staircase. The crew from behind broke through the stairwell door as they were about to clear the hallway.

Clara shot off half her magazine to distract them, but somehow managed to drop another two men… At this range I should have missed every shot…

Through the ventilation shafts there came blood curdling screams along with sustained gunfire. It did not take much for Clara to realise that several intruded on the confined Marc… they unleashed the bloodthirsty creature…

Clara’s heart sank, but the level of activity around them was far too coordinated to be a mob. Teams were converging on them from multiple vectors, many of them running in lockstep.

Evelyn looked up from her victim who left the world with a smile on his face. In a single feeding she  regained her youthful appearance and was utterly refreshed… Ready to take on an army…

“Quoi?” Evelyn asked. (What?)

“Nothing…” the others said in unison.

“I haven’t fed in weeks,” Evelyn said with a grin.

“Remarkable restraint,” Clara said.

Julia blew through that door and found herself staring at three armed men. They may have worn torn and dirty clothing, but they had the bearing of soldiers… those combat boots are a dead giveaway…

“I need one alive,” Evelyn said.

The werewolf did not hesitate. While their kind were not as formidable in human form they did have tweaked reflexes. Her shotgun roared to life three times, leaving two bloodied and dying from being struck by buckshot to the chest…

The third was bleeding from the leg, but did not have time to make a sound. Clara found herself transferred to the werewolf, just as a room door blew out.

“What the?” They said in unison but pushed on.

When one appeared from the stairwell a flight down, Clara took aim and fired. While aiming for the shoulder, the shot pierced the right eye and splattered brain matter all over the stairwell… I hope this gives anyone following us a reason to pause…

“Horsefeathers!” Clara yelled. “I didn’t mean to kill—him.”

“Fuck,” Julia said at the same time. “My fucking ears!”

Neither heard the other, but they saw signs of return fire. The bullets scarred the white paint over the concrete, but a couple tore out chunks as they impacted… that’s not regular ammunition!

“Putain!” Evelyn said. “I hate it when I’m right… Take this door.”