The approaching men snickered and I shrugged. As the hard rocker singer in the background, who sounded as if he'd had a few too many cigarettes in his time, fought his way into his final high pitched screech of "Explosions!" there really was an explosion!
I ducked to the floor and grabbed for the rifle. Glass shards shot off everywhere as the hat exploded and in the midst of the delusion of water spilling out of the shattered aquarium onto the stage screams rang out.
I could well imagine why, but my focus was on my rifle. I quickly jammed half its length into a slot on the stage floor and then slipped an arm through its strap. I had barely just grasped onto it securely when the wave of water hit me. If it hadn't been for my anchor and the strap around me I would have been swept away like the rest of the men on the stage were.
A six foot long tiger shark shot by me and made a snap at my legs, which he thankfully missed. Others weren't so lucky though. Predatory sharks succeeded where wild flying bullets and gritty bloodletting had failed.
The unruly youth stampeded in screaming droves out the main entrance of the hall in panicked fear of the unbounded sharks. That was not my concern.
I got to my feet with some difficulty as the armor layers had soaked up the water and now I felt like I had gained a couple more of me in weight. I threw the coat off, which helped and stumbled toward the doors to either side of the busted open aquarium wall.
"Yikes!" I exclaimed narrowly sidestepping past a flopping sea snake.
They'd had those in the water too!
One nip from that baby and I'd be staying here for forever! No thanks! I busted through the door and immediately a hot weight hit me in the chest taking my breath along with its impact.
I reached back reflexively and pulled a machine pistol free from the gun harness on my back and hammered away with it as I took the guard out. He fell and as he did I fell against a filing cabinet as stars flashed before my eyes. Air made its way back in and I heaved it in with desperate gulps of urgency. I didn't have long before others might appear! I pushed forward even though I needed more time.
I shouldn't have taken the coat off! That bullet had penetrated me some. I didn't have a bloody froth in my mouth so a lung wasn't penetrated, but I think the force of the bullet had collapsed one lung for a moment. I fell into another room and brought my gun up as I took in the man, who held a gun to Kevin's head.