Bitemarks 1.7

Bitemarks 1.7

Skarletta lay in the snow and listened to the sound of the second helicopter landing. She couldn't see but she could hear their heartbeats, feel their pulses. Six of them were nervous, poised to leap from the metal contraption as it neared the floor. The other was the pilot. That career choice was the only reason he would survive the next few minutes. The helicopter touched down and she heard the crunch of six pairs of boots hitting the snow.
"Go go go." she heard one of them yell. And so she did.
She flipped herself up from her hiding place beneath the snow and launched herself into the air. Even as the soldiers turned to face the sound she was passing over their heads to land on the floor behind them. Six assault rifles whirled round to fix on her position. One was too slow. She kicked the weapon from the hands of the nearest soldier and punched a hole through his gut. Panic took over the remaining men. In a flurry of confusion they fired. Skarletta felt a torrent of bullets riddle her chest and howled. She jumped again, landing in the centre of the group. The soldiers had no choice but to stop firing lest they hit each other and in the seconds that it took them to reformulate their plan and try to reposition themselves she killed two more, snapping their necks like twigs. The weapons they had had hurt her but she had weapons of her own. Fear and surprise were evident on the soldiers cries as they questioned aloud why she still stood, dripping blood from the many bullet holes. She saw them making the most of their comrades death. Watched the expert way they circled until the three remaining men all stood facing her. The weapons were rising again and she had no desire to take a second barrage. She moved with all the speed she could muster, grabbing the closest soldier and sliding behind him. Even as the other soldiers fired she held her captive in front of her as a shield. Some bullets made it through and struck her but the burst of fire was brief as they realised their mistake. It was still too late. Their mistake had cost them their lives. She threw their betrayed comrade at one of the remaining soldiers and vaulted over to the other. She landed behind him, snapped his neck and dashed to the last. She could hear the helicopter taking off and had little time. He'd managed to dodge the lifeless ragdoll of his teammate and raised his weapon against her. Skarletta snarled and snatched the gun from his grasp. He was too scared to put up a fight and she swung the weapon round, clubbing him across the head with the butt. He fell and Skarletta tossed the rifle aside. She stopped only briefly, to bend down and drink deeply from his neck then turned back to the chopper. The bullet holes in her chest began to close over as she watched the chopper climbing higher into the sky. She crouched, tensing her muscles as tightly as she could and launched herself into the sky. She timed it beautifully, landing on the windshield of the chopper without striking the rotors and grinned at the panicking pilot. She pulled back a fist and punched the glass. It didn't break. She stared at the pilot through the window. He stared back. Skarletta smiled and forced the Thrall upon him.
"Fly" she commanded him mentally, "Return to where you came from." and dutifully the pilot obliged. Skarletta sighed deeply and manoeuvred herself along the side of the chopper until she could open the side hatch and clamber inside. She lay in the back of the chopper, breathing heavily as her wounds healed. She didn't like these uniformed Dherroine. Their weapons were powerful and accurate and dangerous. Moreso than any she'd previously known. In number they could be her death. It was time for her to swell her own ranks...