“…roof. Get to the roof. We’ll land…pick you up from there.”
He looked up. “We can make it back to our ledge but not to the roof.”
The first of the zombies reached the lobby. Some were growling, others moaning. Niklas and Nera both shot their laser pistols. Soon thick, black blood coated the tiles.
“I can get us to the roof.” She grabbed her grappler. It had a weight limit, and with Niklas’ big frame, that limit would be tested. She shot two incoming zombies in the head. They didn’t have much choice. She aimed the grappler. “Niklas.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist.
The grappler hook shot through the dome with a crash. Broken pieces of glass rained down around them like some sort of lethal confetti. Niklas was still shooting at the mass of creatures, but they were getting closer.
Come on.She willed the grappler hook to find purchase.
A zombie came within arm’s reach, swiping out at them. Niklas yanked a thermo knife from his belt and slashed at the creature. It yanked its arm back and howled.
Clang. The grappler line went taut, wrapping around a beam. “Got it.” She pressed the retract button.
Nothing happened. Her gut cramped. They were too heavy.
Then the line retracted and they were jerked upward. The ascent was slower than usual, but soon they reached the hole the grappler had made in the dome. Using her elbow, she smashed more glass to make room for them, and a second later, she was climbing onto the roof, Niklas beside her.
“Damn.” He sat there for a second, his eyes closed.
“Close call,” she murmured.
He opened his eyes. They burned bright blue. “When we get back to the ship…” A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Just be warned, I plan to fuck you. Hard.”
Her pulse tripped, far crazier than when she’d faced the zombies. “I don’t think so.”
He went still. “No?”
She retracted the grappler. “Because I plan to fuck you hard first.” She leaned in and nipped his ear.
She saw the flash of fire in his eyes as she stood.
“You drive me insane,” he mumbled. “Why couldn’t I be attracted to some schoolteacher?”
“Or a perky astro-archeologist like Avril?” Nera wondered if he heard the edge in her voice.
He grabbed the front of her armor and jerked her close. “I don’t want Avril. I don’t want anyone but you.”
“Same goes, Niklas.” The words slipped out and she saw savage satisfaction cross his face. She shook her head. “Come on, let’s get to the rendezvous point.”
They started out across the vast roof, skirting around holes made by the passage of time.
“Careful,” she warned. “It doesn’t look very stable.”
He nodded and leaped over a gaping hole. “Got it.”
They jogged and jumped their way across. Ahead, she saw four dark shapes up in the sky. “What the hell?”
He paused and lifted an arm to shield his face from the bright morning sun.
She studied the black shadows. They looked like large birds. They had a huge wingspan and a sleek, compact shape.
“Gryphon aeropacks,” Niklas said.
“I’ve never heard of them.”
