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We sped on, only sparing a glance to make sure it wasn't getting back up again. The twists and turns in the room seemed endless. Something moved by one of the consoles but Alicia spun, her machete whirling in her hand as I tore past and she took it out. Nothing pursued us as we hit the elevator.
Coal jammed his knives back into his belt and braced himself against the elevator wall, cupping his hands in front of him. Alicia didn't slow her pace at all, she sprang forward, her boot landing in Coal's grasp and he accelerated her momentum up through the hatch in the elevator's ceiling so that she practically flew out of view.
"Laurie!" Coal demanded as she hesitated a moment before following Alicia up and out of the hatch.
I was ready and as soon as she disappeared I ran to jump up too, my eyes meeting Coal's dark gaze for a second before I was flung into the air after the others.
Alicia was waiting to pull me out of the way on top of the elevator and she threw herself down to lean back through the hatch as I watched Coal take a running jump to follow us. Alicia grabbed his arms and heaved to get him through.
Coal cried out as a Creeper grabbed hold of him from below and Alicia screamed in defiance, jamming her heels into the lip around the hatch and pulling with all of her strength. A muffled grunt told us that Coal had kicked the Creeper off and Alicia yanked him up on top of the elevator beside us. Laurie had her guns drawn and she aimed them back down the hole but the Creepers backed out of view.
“We still shouldn't take shots if we can avoid it. If there are any more of them upstairs they'll come running at the sound," Coal advised as he inspected his leg where the Creeper had grabbed him. "The mongrel bit me."
“Really?" Alicia looked horrified as she looked at the bloody wound on his calf.
"They're like rabid animals," Laurie said, shaking her head in disbelief whilst maintaining her aim down the hatch.
“We have to keep going," Coal replied, yanking his trouser leg back down over the bloody wound.
"This says there's an emergency exit at the top of the elevator shaft," Alicia said, pointing at a sign on the wall next to the access ladder.
A keening screech echoed down to us from one of the corridors above and we all fell still as we looked up.
“I think they know we're here," I whispered.
"Get up the ladder." Coal gave me a shove towards Alicia and took over Laurie's position, aiming his assault rifle down the hatch.
Alicia started climbing, her machete holstered on her hip again. Laurie
went next and I watched as they moved nimbly up and up, rung after rung. I hesitated a few moments and glanced back to see how Coal was doing. He gave me a reassuring nod and I started my assent.
The ladder ran parallel to the elevator doors on each floor. Some stood open while a few were firmly shut. The first was closed and Alicia and Laurie powered past it.
I looked down to see Coal take a running jump onto the ladder and start hauling himself up behind us.
He was closing the distance between us fast and I doubled my efforts at speed as I continued my climb. I was staring intently at the rungs in front of me so I didn't realise Laurie had stopped until my head collided with her boot. I slipped and almost lost my footing, my heart leaping as I clung on.
“Why have we stopped?" I hissed.
“Alicia says the next door's open. She thinks there's something up there," Laurie whispered back.
I ventured a look down and spotted three Creepers already in pursuit, scrabbling at the base of the ladder and shoving each other aside in an attempt to be the first up. Their fighting had helped us to gain a better lead but it wouldn't last if we didn't get moving.
Alicia was leaning up to look over the edge of the doorway above us. She moved carefully up the ladder to the side of the opening, motioning for us to stay back.
The Creepers below had sorted out an order and began climbing the ladder beneath us. We didn’t have much time to waste.
Alicia hooked her right arm through the side of the ladder and threw her weight towards the gap in the wall suddenly, reaching out with her other hand.
She jammed her boot against the wall and flung herself backwards, still maintaining her hold on the ladder. Her free hand twisted into the fabric of a Creeper's filthy tunic and she hurled him out into the shaft with a grunt of effort. The Creeper screamed, his arms cartwheeling madly in mid air as he plunged downwards past us and my lips parted as I watched him fall.
Alicia was already moving again and Coal caught up to me as we pushed onwards. I tried to ignore the echoing thump that the Creeper's body made as it hit the bottom and his screams were abruptly cut off.
I reached up again only to grasp at air as my hand failed to catch the next rung and I peered up to find it was missing. We’d reached the point where the rung had broken earlier and there was a double width gap left in its place. I tried not to think about the possibility of that happening again and set my jaw as I moved on.
I climbed higher, reached above the gap for the next metal handhold and heaved myself past the opening. The broken metal snagged my pants as I climbed by, cutting into the skin on my thigh. I bit back a curse as I felt blood slipping over my skin and kept moving.
My arms were aching as we passed the door leading back to the corridor where we’d first entered the shaft. We’d climbed five floors and the view below us was dizzying. I glanced into the corridor and spotted a large group of Creepers prowling in the dark passage. They must have followed us in through there and I just hoped that Kaloo was okay outside.
