Page 81 of Feast

“We have to stop them before they get inside,” Ika cried.

Thusar appeared beside the driver seat with a rifle in hand.

“How does this thing work?”

Gunnar had seen the nith using these weapons before, and he had some idea how to fire one. He pointed at the gun.

“Point that end at what you want to kill. Pull that thing to fire.”

“Got it.”

Thusar steadied the rifle against the top of the vehicle’s windshield and took aim. While Muk might have the best eyesight of the pack, Thusar had the steadiest hands and the best aim, at least when it came to a bow and arrow or a sling. A nith rifle was a slightly different matter, however.

“Try not to hit the top part of the vehicle,” Gunnar warned. “The shot may penetrate through the metal, and if Rolf is inside, it could kill him.”

“What am I aiming for, then?”

“Try to aim for the thrusters,” Gunnar said. When Thusar gave him a quizzical look, he added. “The bottom part of the vehicle. Aim for the bottom part.”

Thusar nodded and lined up his shot.

The weapon barked and a sizzling red energy beam zapped off into the distance. The shot was wide. Very wide. It missed the vehicle ahead of them by a good ten paces or more, sending up a geyser of snow broth.

“That was just a test shot,” Thusar grunted.

Ahead of them, the vehicle had almost reached the entrance to the slaughterhouse, which was now blotting out the sun.

Thusar fired again, a three shot burst this time.

Three more spouts of muddy snow erupted, but this time the shots landed closer to their target, and the vehicle was forced to swerve to avoid getting hit.

“Almost got ’im.”

They vehicle was only yards from the slaughterhouse entrance now. This would be the last chance. Thusar aimed again.

But this time there was a problem.

Dozens of black-clad nith were pouring out of the facility now. The creatures were armed with rifles of their own. They fanned out in two broad lines and took aim at the oncoming ukkur.

“Rot!” Gunnar roared. “Everybody get down.”

A volley of energy bolts hit the vehicle like a rain of fire. Gunnar tried to swerve, but it was useless. There were so many shots being fired that no matter which way he turned the vehicle, they were going to get hit. Snow and sparks exploded all around them. The windshield spiderwebbed with cracks from multiple rounds. Flames erupted from the engine compartment.

Gunnar felt the vehicle slipping out of his control. They were going to crash.

“Shit! Hold on to something.”

The front levitation thrusters gave out, and the nose of the vehicle angled downward, digging a broad furrow in the ground and sending up twin spumes of snow on either side. The back end of the vehicle jolted upward, and Gunnar could feel himself being flung out of the craft.

For a moment, he was weightless, and time seemed to stretch and slow down.

Gunnar had no thoughts of his own safety. His only concern was for Ika.

The only thing that mattered was her survival.

Gunnar sensed her small body flying past him, and with lightning reflexes, his arms snapped out and caught her limp body. He tugged her against his front and twisted his body to protect her from the impending impact.

Gunnar’s back hit the ground with a heavy thud. His body rolled, and he used his arms and legs like a protective cage to keep Ika from getting hurt. After three or four barrel rolls, his body skidded to a stop in the snow with Ika cradled beneath him.