Bruno, without saying a word, walked over to the nearest backpack, pulled out a short shotgun, and racked the slide.
With a few quick movements, the weapon was ready. The sound was very loud in the silence.
Ethan stood up and slowly looked at the others.
"We're leaving," Flash began.
"Right now. No talking, no unnecessary movements."
"We exit through the rear hatch, then through the service corridor into the neighboring hangar. If it starts, we don't stop, we run."
Gideon nodded.
"Who's covering the rear?"
"Me," Bruno said. His voice was calm, almost sleepy.
Flash stood up, still holding Bullet in his arms. She had stopped screaming; now she was quietly whining on a single note. That sound was worse than any barking.
Ethan walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If she breaks free and runs, don't stop her. The main thing is we get out as fast as possible."
Flash nodded. His lips were pressed into a thin line.
They shouldered their backpacks.
Bullet let out one short, sharp bark, like a gunshot.
And at that exact moment, somewhere high above, near the roof, came a faint metallic sound.
As if someone had very carefully, very slowly shifted a piece of sheet metal.
The four men froze.
Then Ethan whispered, almost soundlessly:
"He's close…"
In the same second, Bullet tore herself from Flash's arms.
She darted toward the ventilation grate, scrambled up a pile of crates, and began tearing at the metal with her teeth and claws, letting out an inhuman, terror-filled screech.
Up above, in the darkness, Morwen tilted his head slightly.
And very quietly, to himself alone, he murmured:
"Interesting."
Flash acted quickly, almost instinctively, like a man who had rehearsed this moment many times in his head.
He slipped his hand into the side pocket of his jacket, his fingers finding a small canvas pouch tied with a leather cord. He untied it with his teeth in one motion. He poured a handful of tiny, almost black dried flowers into his palm, wisteria, dried and ground so finely it looked like dark sand.
Without a word, he brought his palm to his mouth and swallowed it all at once. His throat tightened, but he didn't even flinch.
Gideon understood first.
"Flash…" he began quietly, but his voice broke.
Ethan didn't ask questions. He simply nodded and held out his hand.
"Give it here."
Flash poured the rest of the pouch into Ethan's palm. He took a pinch, put it in his mouth, and swallowed. Then he passed the remainder to Bruno.
"God, swallowing this without water…" Ethan muttered with a slight grimace.
Bruno looked at the black powder in his broad palm. He was silent for a few seconds. Then he swallowed it too, as if it were plain sugar.
Gideon hesitated the longest. His fingers were trembling when he took the final portion.
"This is…" he started.
"Yeah," Flash cut him off. His voice was hoarse; his throat was already burning.
"It's exactly what you think it is."
He wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
"If he finds us, and he already has, it's better if we can fight back."
Ethan slowly exhaled through his nose.
"How much time do we have?"
"Ten minutes, maybe twelve," Flash shrugged.
"After that, this thing will have to bite one of us. Right now he can't hear us. We've swallowed something very unpleasant."
Gideon swallowed his portion. He had to swallow again with difficulty.
"And if they still catch us?"
Flash answered for everyone, very calmly:
"Then we'll try to kill it… even if it keeps hunting us."
He looked at Bruno.
"Is that what you meant when you said 'run and don't stop'?"
Flash nodded.
"Yeah…"
"We either all get out. Or… we'll have to kill whatever's up there."
Flash lowered his gaze to Bullet. Laska was now sitting quietly, pressed against his leg, as if she understood what was happening.
"She won't give us away either," he said softly. "Even if they torture her. She'll just tear out her own throat before she barks at the team."
Gideon gave a short, nervous chuckle.
"So now we're a suicide squad…"
"Better this way," Bruno cut in.
He was already slinging the backpack over his shoulder with his good arm. The shotgun hung across his chest on its strap.
Ethan looked at each of them in turn.
"Last time I'm asking. Anyone want to stay and try to negotiate?"
No one spoke. They all understood that negotiation wasn't an option. Even Bullet didn't move. Ethan nodded, as if the decision had been made once and for all.
"Then we go through the service corridor in silence."
"Signal with your hands if you hear anything. Stop if you see him. Wait for him to attack."
He turned toward the exit.
There was a faint metallic taste in his mouth from the wisteria, slowly but inexorably spreading across his palate and through his whole body.
Flash walked at the rear, carrying Bullet in his arms.
He could feel the tip of his tongue starting to go numb, as if it had been lightly frozen.
"Ten minutes," he thought.
And he closed the heavy iron door behind him as quietly as he could.
Behind the wall, somewhere high up under the roof, Morwen tilted his head slightly, listening to the faint click of the lock.
He smiled faintly, revealing his snow-white teeth. He was waiting for the guys to move farther away.
"Good boys," he whispered into the darkness.
"You did everything right."
The door to the service corridor didn't hold.