The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) by Gwyndolyn Russell (e reader txt) 📕

that it crushed through his spine and rib cage. The bones were snapped and split apart, protruding out like a grenade frozen in time at its earliest explosion point.

Ruby was gagging at the sight of it, trying to look away, but too afraid of stepping on the body accidentally. Sparrow backed away to the wall furthest from it, watching the wall as she stepped on by.

We were met with a good sized door. The same hand prints that made up the arrow now spelled "STOP." A pool of black blood rested against the door.

"Stop?” I questioned.

"There's another door down there." Sparrow pointed out.

"But why stop?" Reaper lowered his rifle to his side.

"We can find out." Mjolnir approached the service panel. It was actually lit up as if the door was still operational. When he hit the button, it beeped and flashed red. The door refused to open.

"Are you sure about that?" Ruby stood next to the ardrizi.

"Open it up. It could be hiding on the other side," Reaper ordered.

My gut twisted. Something was wrong. The door still had sufficient power, yet a safety protocol was active on it.

"Wait, maybe we-" I was too late. The door slid open.

The opening created a powerful suction like a vacuum. All the air inside, where we were, rushed outward through the door. It carried along loose objects, including the corpses that littered the hall.

We were not safe from the vacuum either. We were all pulled through the door. Luckily, I was quick enough to activate the maglocks of my boots. I stayed in place in the door frame, yanking my rifle against my chest to keep it from going anywhere.

Sparrow did not get the mags activated. She went flying right past me. I tried to grab her, my fingers hooking into one of the pouches on her leg. I did everything in my power to hold on, but the suction was too strong. My fingers slipped, and Sparrow went screaming.

Mjolnir was clutching the door frame with half his body, his claws punctured the metal. Ruby was clinging onto him, holding on for dear life.

Mjolnir snatched Sparrow by her belt, barely able to keep her from flying out the door.

I didn't see Reaper. He wasn't next to me anymore. I darted my eyes all over, looking for him.

There he was on the floor, kneeling. His maglocks were on, so he was mostly fine. He must have tried to hold on to Sparrow and ended up on the floor in a puddle of blood.

Mjolnir was headed out, his grip waning. Ruby got his maglocks on, yet still could not get back to the service panel.

The flashing red light signaled the door was going to shut itself.

"Everyone out!" I could barely hear Reaper call, even through the radio. The rushing air was deafening.

He waved his arm at me to go. So, I ran as quick as I could without the suction taking me. I rushed through the door in slow motion and grabbed Sparrow to pull her down.

Reaper grabbed Ruby's shoulder to pull him through the door.

It shut, the sound vibrating through our suits.

All I could hear was the soft whirs, and clicks my armor made. The soft valve openings with each breath. It felt like my ears were plugged and would explode if I swallowed.

We were outside the ship.

A massive hole had been blown through, ripping out five whole levels. The other side looked a mile away.

Sparrow's maglocks were activated, and she was on solid ground, yet she clung onto me. Her arms squeezed the breath out of me. She was sobbing, wheezing with each breath.

I held her.

We almost lost her. If she went flying out, I wasn't sure if we would have been able to recover her.

"Is anyone hurt?" Reaper said into the radio.

No one said anything.

I looked Sparrow over.

"We're good, Cap'." I answered.

"There's no going back through there. We have to find another way."

Ruby stepped over to put a hand on Sparrow. She was too afraid of looking away from my chest, and even more scared to let go of me.

"Babe, it's me. It's all right. You're safe now."

I looked at Reaper. I knew what needed to be done, but I didn't have the heart this time. What would he do? What would his old partner do?

"Private Fletcher," Reaper said it with a tone that commanded her attention, yet still wasn't harsh. "The mission is our top priority. We don't have time to cry. Or to be afraid. There are lives on the line and we need you with us."

She sniffled, peeling herself from me. She nodded her head. Took a deep breath. Reached for her rifle.

"Oh, no…" her voice cracked.

"What happened to your weapon, private?" I asked.

She patted herself, spun around in place. "It must have flown off…."

"Stay close to me," Ruby touched her arm. "I'll keep you safe."

"I think we can get back on track over there." Mjolnir pointed.

A good walk away, debris had collapsed, creating a ramp up to the top floor. The door looked functional from here.

We moved.

Out here, there was no sound. It was silent enough to deaden. All I could hear was what vibrated my suit. Namely, the maglocks. Each step produced a series of clicks, whooshes, clicks, and thuds.

I trained for this. We all did, yet even I had never done this before. We were always tethered and under ideal conditions. Our suits weren't perfect. Nothing manmade ever was. I had seen guys float off because their maglocks malfunctioned. Guys stuck against the hull of the ship until they were cut from the locks.

Here? We had no tethers in case our locks failed. We had no way of cutting someone free if they were magnetized to the hull of the ship.

We moved slow, not just for our safety, but also because of how slow the magnets were to release. It was a balancing act. You had to walk a certain way, stand a certain way to make it do what you wanted.

I didn't bother counting the minutes.