Read The Platform for Free Online Page B

safety of the
control room and I trigger up again, slicing the fleeing green blur in half.
Three down, I think to myself, anymore? I zero in back to Helst and Skea; they
are now creeping forward, giving a wave every now and then to let me know it’s
them. Then I spot another pair, moving fast, heading to the east side and out of
view, but Helst must have also spotted them because far away down there, I hear
machine-gun fire. I pause, scanning all around.   Nothing is moving, only the gradual fading
green smears that used to be people. Except one, slowly crawling, but it is of
no real threat; their life is already bleeding away. Whoever it is just doesn't
want to admit to death. They have spirit. I bet its Meska. After a few minutes,
I see two figures emerge and wave directly at me. It must be over, I think to
myself, so I carefully unbuckle myself and begin to climb off the cannon seat.
                 And then I see something.
                 Out in the distance.
                For a second
I have to convince myself it isn’t just a flare from the night-eyes still
playing on my retina, but there, just at the horizon, I see a light. I peer
intently into the blackness, swing the gun round and use the scopes. Sure
enough, tossing and crashing on the relentless waves, there’s a light, a ship.
I gulp, as hope, fear, wonder and terror flash through me all at once. I have
to get down to tell the others. Fuck, so someone else made it after all. I
almost run down the metallic rungs, slipping twice and nearly falling, but my brain
is whirling with so many different thoughts, it’s hard to focus and maintain
control.
                 “Hey, steady,” Skea yells as I jump
the last few feet and almost knock her down.
                  “There’s a ship,” I gasp for air and have
trouble making myself heard.
                  “A what?” Helst yells. He spits out the black
tarry stuff and wipes his lips.
                  “There’s a ship, out there,” I insist.
                  “You’re joking,” they say.
                  “Yes, for fuck’s sake! It’s a fucking ship,” I
shout. The two of them look as confused as I feel.
                  “Come on, let’s get to the control room,” Helst
yells. He waves to Cora who comes to join us, and cautiously we thread our way
through the gale.
                  “You got them all?”
                 “Clook is still up there with one of
his friends. The rest are dead, save Meska.”
                  “You left her alive?” I am shocked.
                 “Only so you can gloat over her.”
                  We round the corner and there she is, crawling
on the deck plates, her legs blown right off by the twin cannons. She is
screaming into the wind and dragging her shattered body along, with no real
clue where she is going. I casually step on the trailing sinews and flesh, but
she is oblivious, tearing free and leaving pieces of flesh behind her. It
crosses my mind to finish her off, but she is beyond help anyway so I leave her
to suffer.
                 “Come on,” I mutter.
                 We creep up the steps, knowing Clook
and his friend are the last ones, and as we reach the second flight, a burst of
machine gun fire comes ripping through the dark. I duck down, immediately
firing back, as does Cora, and holes rip through the door and I hear a scream.
One of the big men tumbles forward, and he staggers, falling over the guard
rail and crunching into the metal plates below.
                “Don’t
shoot!” It’s Clook's whining voice.
                  “Who’s in there with you?” Helst shouts.
                 “No one, I’m alone.”
                 “Out! Hands up!” Skea commands, and
the door creaks open a little. We wait nervously. Suddenly a huge figure