The Tide (Tide Series Book 1) by Anthony J Melchiorri Read Free Book Online Page A

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    “They’re in here!” Jay yelled. “Faster!”
    Corey shuffled forward and reached out for the grate as the scratching and scuffling behind them grew louder. He tumbled out, Jay close behind. They landed on the hard floor and scrambled to their feet. For a moment, they stood frozen in a corridor filled with metal pipes and diamond-plate flooring. The clamor of the approaching creatures paralyzed Jay’s thoughts.
    Then a small rectangle of light flashed in the distance, followed by rolling thunder.
    “There!” Corey pointed.
    Jay directed the flashlight beam toward where they’d seen the lightning. A porthole—a sign they were almost out of this steel hellhole and the demons haunting it. They sprinted away from the monsters. The clanging of creatures spilling from the ventilation shaft sent a wave of adrenaline through Jay’s veins. At the porthole, they ran into a T-intersection. He spun, squeezing a volley of shots at the misshapen shadows in pursuit.
    He expected a cry of pain, a bloodcurdling yell of agony from a bullet tearing through flesh. No such sound rewarded his efforts.
    “Move!” Corey sprinted toward the right, striding ahead into the darkness.
    Jay flicked the flashlight forward again to illuminate his escape path.
    But it was too late. The beam landed on a beast, yards away from Corey.
    Corey skidded to a stop, scrambling to redirect his adrenaline-fueled momentum. The creature lunged forward.
    Jay squeezed the trigger. The spray found its target, slamming into a humanoid brute and pinging off the bony plates bulwarking its vital organs. It appeared as if the thing’s ribs had grown out from beneath its flesh to wrap around the beast like a cage.
    With a swipe of its hand, the creature stabbed its claws through Corey’s body and lifted him into the air. The beast smashed him into the floor.
    Jay’s finger found the trigger again, but his weapon clicked uselessly. He was out of rounds. The encroaching howls and yells filled the corridor. The pack was closing in.
    In front of Jay, the beast tore into Corey’s stomach, shredding the soft flesh and pulling out his innards. A long crimson rope hung between the creature’s malformed hands, and it smacked its lips as it chewed with jagged teeth.
    Jay cried out as he watched blood pour from Corey’s wounds. The contents of his own stomach raced up his throat, churned on by the grisly sight.
    Blood bubbled from Corey’s mouth as his eyes glazed over. Then the creature stabbed its claws into the flesh under his chin and wrenched it backward. A loud crack filled the corridor. Corey’s head fell off his body, hanging by a sinewy thread.
    There was no saving his friend, and the pack of creatures was closing in from behind. Jay had no choice. His heart thrashed against his ribcage. He sprinted forward, praying the beast was distracted enough from its first kill. He raced straight at the creature and Corey’s disemboweled body, aiming to squeeze by and escape outside.
    The beast, blood on its claw-like hands, looked at Jay. It seemed to catch his gaze, to sense his fear. Jay swore its lips almost split into a demonic smile, pleased at the destruction it caused. At the last second, as the beast reared its arm back, Jay dove to the floor like a runner sliding to home base. The beast’s bony fingers swung across his face, one skeletal nail scraping his cheek.
    Warm blood seeped from the cut, but he was alive. Jay pushed onward. Lightning illuminated the dark ocean outside again, bathing the passageway in an ephemeral glow. It was a door to salvation. His lungs burned, his muscles shook with the effort. He burst outside, and rain immediately drenched him. The humanoid creatures followed him, slipping and sliding as they rushed after.
    He rounded down a set of wiry stairs, catching sight of the Zodiac illuminated by another crack of lightning. The crash of thunder resounded across the water, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the predatory calls