Under A Winter Sun by Johan Dahlgren (ink ebook reader txt) 📕

their weapons pointed down the passage outside.

“Coming.” I turn back to Soledad.

“You're not such a rotten person, are you, Perez? I'm sorry we got off to a poor start.”

“I'm sorry you had to see me and Jagr. If it's any consolation, it meant nothing to me.”

“But it did. To me.”

There's the glint of a tear in her eye. “I know she only did it to bring you to heel, but it still hurt.”

Something crashes to the floor across the chamber. This place is not safe, and we need to leave.

“I never thought you had fallen for me like that, Soledad.”

Sometimes, I can be such a jerk.

I meet her gaze again. She stares at me. Then she gives a long, hard laugh that ends in a bloody cough.

“What?”

What am I missing here?

“It was never about you, Perez.”

I blink.

“It's about Jagr. I love her. I always have.”

“Oh.” I shut my mouth that must have fallen open in the last few seconds. “I'm such an arse.” I should have seen that. And saved us all a truckload of grief.

“Yes, you are an asshole, Perez.” She tries to smile. “You thought I'd fallen for you, didn't you? That I was jealous of Jagr.”

She gives another terse laugh that ends in more coughing.

When the coughing subsides, she looks me deep in the eye. “Perez?”

“Yes?”

“There is a way I could get out of here.”

“How?”

“You don't need to get all of me out.”

What is she on about?

“All you need is my head.”

She's right.

If I took her head and connected it to life support later, she could live. It wouldn't be much of a life, but they might be able to grow her a new body.

My idea to board the Naglfar got her into this mess. I should get her out again.

I touch my knife, and hope brightens her eyes like twin suns.

A lump rises in my throat and I close my fingers without removing the knife. I look away as the lump drops into my guts and spreads like a tumour. Then I lock eyes with Soledad again.

“If I do that, we can't blow the core.”

The hope in her eyes goes out.

She looks at the wires and then back up at me. Tears well up in her eyes.

“Fuck.”

“Yes. Fuck.”

She tries to smile, and the tears brim and roll down her cheeks.

“Well, it was worth a shot.” She snivels and wipes her face on her free arm. “I guess I have little choice then. Now go before I change my mind. I'll give you five minutes.”

She coughs. “Then I blow this fucking core.”

The brave soldier to the end. I grab her hand and squeeze it.

“Goodbye, Soledad.”

“Goodbye, Perez. Take care of her for me.”

“I will. And Soledad?”

“Yes?”

“You kill this fucking ship good, you hear me?”

I slap her shoulder, trying for old-school soldier camaraderie. “Blow those fuckers and their AI overlord to hell.”

She nods with gritted teeth. “Now go.”

I give her one last glance and half a smile. “We could have had so much fun, Soledad.”

“Fuck you, man.”

The smile on my lips falters and sputters out like a candle flame in a draught.

“Not gonna happen.”

She hacks a laugh.

I get to my feet with a groan. My body aches all over.

“Coming,” I call, and head for the exit.

On the way, I almost stumble over an inert power armour on the floor, and I stop to slide my arms under Rivera and lift him from the ground.

I don't look back as I make my way through the debris to the door. There's no way I can do this if I meet Soledad's eyes.

Tyrus stops me with a hand on my shoulder. He looks at the dead priest in silence. Then he reaches out his armoured glove and closes Rivera's unseeing eyes.

“What took you so long with Soledad?”

“We sorted out a few misunderstandings.”

“Good for you,” he says. “Now, let's go.”

He opens the door, and we stumble into the passage. Finn hangs limp between Tyrus and Jagr.

Tyrus closes the door and shoots out the controls. “That should keep them out for a while.”

Jagr grabs my arm. “What did she say?”

“Another time, Jagr.”

She looks pleadingly at me.

I touch her hand. “It was good stuff.”

She takes comfort in that, and some resolve returns to her face.

“OK, let's get this big guy back aboard the Sundowner before this place goes nova.”

Jagr and Tyrus haul Wagner down the hall towards the elevator while I make up the rear guard. So far, no Goliath zombies have spotted us.

When we reach the elevator Jagr pushes the button to call it.

Nothing happens.

“Shit, they have disabled the elevators.”

She looks up and down the passageway for another way out.

Tyrus opens fire. “Here they come.”

At least a full platoon of zombie Goliaths come charging us.

Unceremoniously, Tyrus and Jagr dump Wagner on the floor in the recessed elevator entrance. I take no more care with the dead priest, and then we open fire.

The shredder bullets go through the Goliaths like a meatgrinder. Limbs are blown off left and right, chests explode in a shower of gore, but still they come. The ones that have their legs cut off crawl. The ones with no arms try to get close enough to bite us. It's horrible.

“This is no good.” The elevator entrance provides little cover. “Braden, are you there?”

“Braden here.”

Her voice is weak and riddled with static, but she's there. “How's it going in there?”

“We lost Rivera.”

There's no need to tell her we're about to lose Soledad. There's time enough to tell her about that later.

“Oh, no.” She's silent for a bit.

I never knew she cared so much for the cleric. Sure, he was endearing, but he was a pain in the behind.

“Shit,” Braden goes on. “That means I'm the comic relief now. I'm so going to die.”

How can she have the peace of mind to crack jokes? Who knows what drugs the ship pumps into her bloodstream?

“We need to leave, Braden. Now.”

“I take it you've been compromised?”

“You could say that again.”

I fire another quick burst down the passage and a giant zombie explodes into red gore.

“No