Botanicaust

Haldanian. The man skewed his gun to one side. They want Tula alive . Doubt washed over Levi. Maybe Tula did want whatever they were doing to her.
    A loud click sounded as emergency lights came on. The doctor ’ s eyes widened in horror. He stepped back, hands up to defend himself. Of the doctor ’ s frantic words, Levi picked out, “ … Haldanians … free! ”
    A glance over his shoulder revealed the other Blattvolk stumbling through the antechamber. People in the hallway erupted into shrieks of terror. Dr. Kaneka shouted what Levi thought must be orders no one heeded. The man with the gun swung the muzzle wildly, unsure what to do, but not firing.
    Pulse thundering, Levi sprinted past the doctor. A moment of regret washed him as he spotted Rosalee ’ s inert form slumped on the hall floor. Of Michael, there was no sign. The crowd in the corridor consisted of Fosselite children. They squealed and scrambled over each other, out of Levi ’ s way. Behind him, Dr. Kaneka screamed orders.
    The rest of the hall lay empty before him. Dousing the flame rod, he hurried back to the room where he ’ d found Michael crying. Without hesitation, he continued in the same direction and hoped it led him to the massive entrance hall. When he came to a branch in the corridor, he paused, out of breath and at a loss. Once again the siren resumed its wail. Along one hall, someone poked their head out a door, and then slammed it shut.
    Levi chose the other hall. His legs burned with the extra weight of Tula over his shoulder. The residual sting of the blister across his back made him grit his teeth, but he pressed on. Nothing looked familiar. The hall ended in metal double doors with a lock system. Levi slammed against the handles. He ’ d left the card in the slot in the other room.
    Lumbering back the way he ’ d come, he prayed silently for God to intervene. To save them both from this place. Pursuing footsteps slapped the concrete as he reached the branch in the hallway. He shot a glance behind him and saw Dr. Kaneka with the guard approaching at a dead run. Turning down the second hall, Levi pounded the floor as fast as he could. The unencumbered pair edged toward him. A gunshot echoed off the white walls and Dr. Kaneka shouted in alarm.
    Levi didn ’ t look back.
    By the time he reached the antechamber and the doors to the bunker, his legs trembled with exhaustion. One step at a time . The recycled air burned his lungs. As he descended the stairs, he kept one hand against the wall for balance. His vision swam with the beating of his heart. Tula ’ s body resisted the descent. Confused, he twisted to see someone gripping her arms. His heart threatened to explode. Pivoting to jerk her free, he lost his balance and tumbled to the bottom of the steps, landing painfully on his side. Tula flew from his grasp to crumple in a heap several feet away.
    Rolling, he saw Dr. Kaneka holding a gun pointed directly at him. The man snarled something, his hands trembling in fury. No sign of the guard. A bullet ricocheted off the concrete to Levi ’ s left. Flinching, Levi didn ’ t wait for another shot. Arms outstretched, he jack knifed up the steps to place himself between Tula and the bullets. Kaneka cried out in alarm and stumbled two steps back, missing the step on the other landing. He pin-wheeled backward, swearing. Another shot pinged off the ceiling. His cursing ceased with a sickening crunch as his head hit the pavement at the bottom.
    Time stopped.
    Blood spread across the pale concrete under the doctor ’ s head into a pool more black than red in the dim light. His slippered feet twitched. In horror, Levi watched the light fade from the man ’ s upward staring eyes. “ Lord, have mercy. ” He didn ’ t know if he asked for himself or the man he ’ d killed.
    I killed a man .
    Numb, he returned to Tula. She was awake, but not coherent. He helped her to her feet and stumbled them toward the massive door at the entrance of the cavern. Get her out of here . Her fevered skin felt like a branding iron.
    A door slammed. Levi spared a glance back and saw Michael at the top of the steps. The giant looked down at the prone body of Dr. Kaneka and made a strange noise before lurching down the steps and crouching by the dead doctor. Again, horror at his own actions filled Levi. The doctor had been a monster, but judgment belonged to the Lord. Killing Dr. Kaneka made Levi no better than the Fosselites.
    He clenched his jaw and