THE ANOINTED 3: PROPHECIES OF FIRE by Dale Ridley Read Free Book Online

he started to erupt a steady spray of needle darts. The Pallida Mors in the lead was pin cushioned in darts, one sticking squarely from one eye. Its steps slowed as the drugs quickly took effect, it stumbled, tripping to the ground rolling as it did so to land in a puddle of rainwater.
    The second one, now aware of the effective weapon, dodged the projectiles by hopping from wall to wall, not staying in the same spot. It was a disregard for gravity. Kimiko saw its razor sharp teeth bare momentarily before stepping forward to meet the raging Pallida Mors. It leaped like a stalking leopard into the air as a stream of darts started to embed themselves in the wall behind it.
    It roared in fury as its claws swung, searching for blood. Kimiko jumped up to meet it, putting one of her blades through its neck. She hit the ground and clicked a button on her RES. The blade she had left went all the way through and felt to her hand. Magnetic bracers. Twisting the blade in her hand, she threw it, cutting through the rest of the skin of the beast’s neck. Calling the blade back, she then went over and cut off the head of the first one that had fallen. A howl sounded somewhere in the night. It was answered by, perhaps, a dozen more.
    “This is mission team leader, all squad member units that can hear me, move back to the extraction point. The mission is a trap. You have forty-five seconds before the extraction is complete.”
    She knew they had to retreat now. If they stayed here, Pallida Mors would eventuality pick them off until they were all dead. If most of them were not already. The trap had probably caught most unaware, especially with this new trick of dropping their body heat.
    “Data Support, this mission team leader Hatoyama. I need you to advise first strike team that the target are traps.”
    She and the last guard retraced their steps back the way they came.
    “Data Support, did you copy that last transmission?”
    “Yes, mission leader Hatoyama, I’m trying to raise the first team now. Their signals are transmitting but I’m receiving no contact. I have alerted a response team to their area.”
    Kimiko was calm on the outside as they made it back to the truck, signaling the driver to start the engine, but on the inside, she had a nervous feeling in her gut. She knew what had happened to the first strike team. They met the same greeting that her team had encountered moments ago. Each team member was linked to Data support, so if it couldn’t raise them…
    “Data Support, please inform the possession leader that the entire first strike team has been killed or captured. This whole mission was a setup.”
    The rain started to fall a little harder with her words.

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Cold water jarred Sam awake as the coldness leached the little warmth from her body that had been left to her. Her eyes blinked rapidly against the lone source of light in the room. It took her a minute to see that it was a light bulb with an old-fashioned pull chain that hung from the ceiling. Her head followed her wrist above her and she realized that she too hung from a wooden beam that cut across the top of the room.
    Her wrists were wrapped in a thick steel chain that was looped around the beam. She shivered as her whole body was covered in goosebumps. Directing her attention downwards, she ignored the water thrower as she saw that she was completely nude. Thick manacles secured each of her ankles with a thinner chain that ran down to latch themselves into twin rings embedded into the floor.
    Where was she?
    She shook her head, trying to remember what had happened as they had stormed the horse farm. Her memory was a bit fuzzy, but she could remember the shapes raising out of nowhere like deadly wraiths seeking the blood of the living. Her memory improved a little and she recalled the screams of her men as Pallida Mors tore through them.              
    Their infrared technology had not detected them until they were right on top