You say you’d like to read something *else* from Final Dawn: Archangel Rising? Okie dokie. Here’s another unedited excerpt! (Note that it hasn’t been edited yet so please excuse the dust and typos. They’ll be ruthlessly stamped out before release.)
Leonard turned and dashed down several steps until he was at eye level with the floor. Another creature dashed through the door, rolling and tumbling over the bodies of its comrades in an effort to dodge any shots. As Marcus turned to head down the stairs as well, Leonard fired on the creature, and it fell to the floor, its body writhing and smoking. Falling back in their staggered fashion, Marcus and Leonard soon reached the bottom of the staircase. Creatures continued advancing down the stairs, doing their best to avoid being killed, but the tight confines of the small room and narrow stairs made it easy for Leonard and Marcus to eliminate them.
“Now what?” Leonard shouted at Krylov as Marcus fired a burst from his weapon.
“This!” Krylov held aloft a small black device with a button on the top and a rubber-covered piece of metal sticking out of the bottom. He squeezed the handle on the device and pressed the button. The explosives that had been placed in the room at the top of the stairs detonated, blowing a hole in the top of the arch and sending plumes of dust into the sky and down into the faces of the rescue team. Huge chunks of debris fell onto the stairs, and within a matter of seconds the path was blocked.
Unprepared for the explosion, Marcus and Leonard coughed in the dust, their ears ringing from the noise. After several seconds the shaking flashlight beams in the darkness were replaced by a steadier, brighter source as Krylov pulled out a small electric lantern from his pack and placed it on the floor.
“Krylov,” Marcus said, choking out the words in between fits of coughing, “if you ever do that again without telling us first, I’m going to make sure the creatures don’t find enough intact bits of you to experiment with!”
Krylov’s white teeth shone bright in the light of the lantern as he smiled slapped Marcus on the back. “I am sorry, my friend. I had explosives placed at the entrance in case we ran into trouble and was about to tell you, but those bastards attacked us before there was time.”
“Oh don’t get me wrong, it was fantastic.” Marcus looked over at the pile of debris that covered all but the last few steps. “I’d just rather know ahead of time.”
“Yeah,” Leonard gasped, “me too. Nice work, except now we don’t have an exit.”
“One thing at a time, my friends. For now, let’s take some solace in the fact that we are safe.”
Marcus mumbled under his breath as he pulled out a pair of water bottles, passing one to Leonard. “For now.”
Leonard drained the water and tossed the empty bottle aside. The echo of the noise carried far into the distance and Leonard suddenly realized that they were standing in an open area. “Krylov, where are we?”
Krylov picked up the lantern and directed their attention toward the chamber they stood in. “Gentlemen, welcome to the Magadan metro.”