Short Story Fiction Contest May 2014 | Page 200

The head was directly behind her. I yelled Hank’s name. The door, old-fashioned and metal, flew open and sent Alicia sprawling. Annoyingly, she held on to her weapon as she rolled across the floor. Hank threw himself on top of her and tried to wrestle it away from her hand. He was twice her size, but still no match for her speed and skill. Alicia kicked straight back, knocking him a couple of meters away. Then she aimed her gun at me.

I’ve heard about time slowing down. Her thumb jammed down on the butt of the weapon, her forefinger moved toward a red button on its grip. She looked straight at me and said one word: “Down!”

I threw myself to the grungy floor. A particle beam zipped past my ear as I fell. I felt the tingling in the air as it passed. My head jerked back involuntarily and I saw the target of Alicia’s beam. A Federation SecPol collapsed to the floor, his hand clamped on his gun and his head a charred mass.

Rolling toward the corpse, and fighting the urge to vomit, I pried his still warm fingers from his gun, then held it tightly in my hand. I glanced back at Alicia who was furtively searching for more SecPols to shoot.

Hank was still breathing hard from where Alicia had kicked him. Blood drained from his face as he stared at the dead man. The smell of the burnt flesh filled the corridor.

“Now that’s what I call a welcome.”

I swerved. Instinctively I pointed my new possession in the direction of the voice.

“Sorry, Captain,” Alicia said to the Spacer as she lowered her gun. “He was going to shoot..., I couldn’t...”