Such were the ways of the world, that the soldiers destined for a shallow grave were the ones that stood and fought, while the survivors ran with hell at their backs.  The former were useful only insomuch as they distracted the abominations of the land from other targets, and the latter were a bitter reminder of humanity's new standing on Earth.  Tabetha was among these latter souls, the ones society marked as cowards or even traitors.  She had long since learned to quell such naysayers with brutal efficiency.  Survival was the only thing that mattered.  To retain life, so that the lives of others might be extinguished.  It was her code, and the very meaning for her existence.  An existence that might soon be snuffed out.<br/><br/>It was never really possible to be fully prepared for combat situations in this blighted land.  New horrors bubbled up from tainted planes every day, and it could take years for any one of them to be properly documented and studied enough for soldiers to put up a proper defense against them.  Tabetha wasn't sure what was chasing her down now, but that didn't matter much.  The only thoughts thing in her mind were that they wanted to kill her, she wanted to kill them, and it was of dire importance that she find a method to make the latter a reality while running fast enough to keep the former from happening.<br/><br/>Her suit hummed around her body, fitting like a glove and amplifying her abilities by just enough of a margin to give her the upper hand in sheer speed.  It wouldn't be enough.  Eldritch blights had the awful tendency to be ruthlessly persistent.  Probably because they had so many more limbs to work with, and a few tentacles besides.<br/><br/>Muscles screamed, and fell on deaf ears.  The street flashed into view, along with the shadow of something else.  No time to deliberate.  She threw her arm back just before turning the corner, firing off a few rounds blindly at her pursuers.  If she was lucky they'd be grazed, and unless her aim was off completely they would waste precious moments moving out of the way.  Her arm snapped forwards as she passed into the alleyway, firing the remainder of the clip at whatever might be lurking to greet her.  Whatever it was, she would try to dodge around it and continue on towards the street.  Even if they followed her into public, the extra meat could be enough to throw them off.  Now it was just a matter of luck...