One day, in the sewers...

[Stephanie Wylde]

"Man. Why is it always us patrolling the damned sewers? The bloody suckers are mostly up top any ways."
"It's orders, Jacob. Can't we just do one patrol without you complaining?"
"I'm not complaining. I'm just saying, is all."
"No. You are complaining. Again. Every night with this ****. It smells down here. That rat is looking at me. I stood in something squishy"
"I don't even sound like that, Melvin. Just... Shut up." Jacob, the shorter of the two bald men grumbled.
"Every time...."

The voices echoed down the dank tunnels, growing louder as the two men got closer to Steph. She was hidden under a pile of trash, trying to sleep. Trying being the operative word. The voices were disturbing her, more than the constant screeching of the rats. Doing what she always did, when she was being disturbed, she threw a can in the direction of the noise. Cursing herself, as she did each and every time, when the can clattered loudly several times down the tunnel.

"What was that?"
"I don't know, but it came from down here." Melvin whispered, slipping his rifle from his shoulder, motioning further down the tunnel.
"Hey. I don't know about this, man. We should get some help."
"What are you? some kind of chicken? Get a move on."
"I still say we should bring some back-up."

The two men got no more than fifteen feet before a sudden flurry of garbage sprang from an alcove in the sewer wall. Bringing her arms up, gripping Uzi's in both hands, she unleashed a volley of gunfire at the two men.

"Just.. Let... Me... Sleep!" She screamed at the startled men. Several bullets thudding wetly into the shoulder and left arm of the shorter man, causing him to scream like a girl, stumbling to the wall.

"What the **** is..." Melvin yelped, ducking for cover from the hail of bullets, smashing holes into the brick wall sending plumes of white dust into the dank air. Diving into the shallow flow of rancid water, just as the explosive noise of the machine pistols stopped. Scurrying on his hands and knees he rolled behind an upturned shopping cart, for cover. His rifle lying out of reach in the dirty water.

Shaking her empty guns, growling madly, Steph ejected the magazines of her guns. Turning her head to Jacob, holding his bleeding arm, whimpering softly. Steph's eyes seemed to emanate an hypnotic green glow, searching the injured man's thoughts for anything to confuse him.

"We should have gotten help." He sobbed, glancing up at Stephanie, catching her eyes, lowering his gun. "Grandma?" He whispered, blinking his eyes rapidly at the suddenly frail old lady, snapping full magazines into her Uzi's.

A sudden bang made them both jump. More white dust exploding from the brick wall behind Steph. She and Jacob both looked towards where the sound originated. Melvin stood with a handgun aimed at Steph.

Another two loud bangs thundered in the enclosed space, causing Steph to yell in protest. Again the shots narrowly missed the howling woman, covering her stringy dirt encrusted blonde hair in white dust.

Snarling, Steph pushed off against the very wall the bullets had just slammed into, flipping herself in the air as Melvin let off round after round, yelling at the top of his lungs. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" the short section of tunnel filling with a white cloud of brick dust as the gun's slide slid back, locking in place, empty.

The dust settled, revealing an uninjured Steph standing with her Uzi's pointing at Melvin. Two bursts of fire lit up the barrels as the tunnel once more was filled with the roar of machine gun fire. several bullets finding their mark, slamming into the shoulder and upper chest of the taller Hunter. Just as Melvin screamed, twisting to the side as he fell to the ground, Jacob fired his rife.

The bullets pierced Steph in her knee and thigh. Her leg bucking, she dropped to her knee screaming obscenities at the shooter. Dropping to the ground, she rolled onto her back, emptying the clip of one of her Uzi's at Jacob. A bullet catching him in the chest. His gun falling, splashing in the water. Throwing her empty gun aside, Steph took aim with her remaining Uzi, pulling back the trigger, she squealed with delight as the head of the Hunter exploded in a red haze of blood and brick dust. Falling to the ground, his body trembled through it's deathly convulsions.

"Jacob... No!" Melvin, croaked, badly injured and fast losing blood, watched horrified as his friend's head decorated the tunnel wall. He ejected his magazine, struggling to retrieve another from his jacket, he shuffled himself to the brick wall, propping himself against it. Finally slamming the magazine into his gun, the side clicked forwards, loading a round in the chamber.

Steph got to her feet, balancing gingerly on her injured leg, then was suddenly twisted to the side. The bullet from Melvin's gun ripping through flesh as it tore through Steph's shoulder, leaving more gore on the walls.

Slumping down the wall, Steph, looked up at the dying hunter. "**** it." She groaned, pulling out a glock from a holster on her thigh, she unloaded the clip into Melvin's chest, shredding his vital organs. A sickening gurgle came from his mouth as death took him.

Steph dropped her empty gun to the ground with a metallic clack, resting her head against the sewer wall. "Silence." She whispered. Even the rats had gone, frightened off by the loud gun battle that had just been waged.

Closing her eyes, she felt herself letting go. Finally drifting off to sleep.