Gudsriki by Ari Bach Page B

sent him through five more men before her, through their stomachs. She punched into the cavity of the first and flipped him by his own duodenum. She clawed at the wound of the next and threw him to the ground. She pushed in and ripped out the third’s diaphragm. The fourth was trying to run. The coward. She recalled her blade and cut off his head before stabbing so deep into the skull of the last that Bob had to turn insect to pry his way out.
    She caught her breath. Dripping with blood and panting heavily she turned back to the UKI troops who stood in shock.
    The second Wolf pogo was about to land but, upon seeing the carnage, rose back up into the air and hunted for another landing spot. Vibeke walked up to the lieutenant and flicked some blood from her Tikari onto the ground.
    â€œI need a fucking boat.”
    The officer was stunned. She rammed her Tikari back into her chest, blood, gore and all. The officer considered.
    â€œThere are three waves incoming. Help us hold the island against all three, and when it’s over you can have a boat.”
    â€œThank you, sir,” she stated flatly. “Where are the barracks?”
    â€œLast tent on the right, down that way,” he said, still astounded.
    She walked to the tent and barged in, coated solid in blood punctuated by chunks of flesh and skin.
    â€œRain lockers?”
    The soldiers stared. One pointed to the water showers. She walked over and pulled off her suit. Showered off. Ejected Bob and let him wash off in the sharp spray. She was rubbing the gore from her hair when she realized how long it had grown. It was a tangle, a liability. She held it out in strands and had Bob cut it short again, then rubbed the gunk from her suit. When she switched off the shower she turned to find about fifty men staring at her.
    She couldn’t fathom why. Her nudity? Her unorthodox haircutting procedure? Her annihilation of the Wolves?
    â€œWhat?” she asked.
    â€œWhere can we get one of those knives?”
    She looked down at Bob, sitting next to Nelson. She kicked Nelson at the soldier.
    â€œHere’s one. Keep it.”
    Nelson flew back to her feet. The soldier just stared. She looked at Nelson angrily and kicked him again with her bare foot. As the wing sliced into her, she wondered how it hadn’t the first time. She didn’t care. She kicked again, and again, cutting her foot to ribbons. The crowd was starting to filter away. Only a few remained to watch her.
    â€œWhat the fuck are you looking at?” she demanded.
    â€œYou’re fucked up,” said the soldier who had asked for a Tikari. He shook his head. “Who are you?”
    She marched up to him and delivered a kick to his chin with her shredded foot, knocking him onto the ground. She straddled him, still wet and naked and accompanied by two Tikaris. She grabbed his head and held it to the dirt and leaned in close to his ear, and she whispered.
    â€œI’m your new roommate.”
    She stood. Without a word, she headed back to Niide to take care of her foot, anticipating his lecture about wasting resources on noncombat injuries.
    Vibeke stayed for two more days as pogo after pogo of Wolf troops cut landing spots into their artillery coverage. She was always on the front line of each landing to shred the incoming forces. And then she was always the center of attention in the barracks. Soldiers avoided her but stared constantly. The only person who would speak to her casually was Niide, but aside from a few small repairs he was too busy to see her socially. Not a loss as she couldn’t speak to him without thinking of Violet’s heart, sitting uselessly in a stasis field.
    And that meant thinking of Violet, who she tried to stay active enough not to consider. She could throw herself into every fight on the shores and in those sublime moments of slaughter Violet was usually away from her mind. The Wolves quickly turned to fire on her specifically before landing,