Sweat trickled down her face. She clenched her fists and fought the urge to move. If she ran, it would come after her. She had to wait until it was distracted, otherwise she’d die. As the others in that room had died.
Time seemed to stretch, sawing against her nerves. Sweat dripped off her chin and splashed to the floor near her feet. For an instant, her vision blurred, and she saw blood instead of sweat pooling at her right foot.
A shiver stole across her. She blinked, but otherwise remained still. In the other room, the noise began again, this time accompanied by a soft, slurping sound.
Drinking the life of its victim, she thought, and knew that didn’t mean blood.
Swallowing heavily, she stepped onto the rim of the tub. The window was on the small side and, even though she was small herself, it was a tight fit. She went out sideways, twisting as she fell so that she landed on her back rather than her head. There she lay for several seconds, gasping for breath and seeing stars.
Something thumped against the bathroom door. The creature she’d known as Dicks was coming after her. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed her backpack, and ran like hell.
In the bathroom, wood splintered and something metallic hit the tiles—the towel rack, giving way. Fear thrust energy through her limbs, and she raced toward the end of the motel.
Glass shattered behind her. She risked a look over her shoulder and saw a reptilian head snake through the window, eyes gleaming like yellow fire in the night. It hissed—an angry, alien sound that sent chills shuddering down her spine. She stumbled over something in the grass and threw out a hand to stop herself from falling. But she didn’t see the glass hidden by the weeds, and she sliced her palm open. The smell of blood seemed to permeate the storm-clad night, and the creature screamed a second time.
A fence loomed in front of her. She threw her pack over it and grabbed the railing, climbing up. Splinters tore into her palms and sawed at the cut on her left hand, but she ignored the pain and scrambled to the top of the fence.
The wind hit her full force, the rain like bullets against her flesh. Suddenly unbalanced, she grabbed the fence, clinging precariously and wasting valuable seconds.
The creature’s roar filled the night with anger. She felt it launch with a sudden gust of wind, and before she could react, it grabbed her leg. Claws ripped into her flesh and pain flamed. She screamed—a sound swept away by the wind.
The energy of the night and the storm surged through her, and she grabbed at it desperately, binding it within to create a power that crackled like lightning between her fingertips. But the creature didn’t seem to notice, grabbing her leg more securely and pulling back, hard. He was strong—too strong. She had nothing but the top of the fence to hold on to, and against the creature it wasn’t enough.
She fell, landing in a heap at its feet. Her breath left in a whoosh of air, and stars danced in front of her eyes. She battled to breathe but didn’t move. In Dicks’s malevolent yellow eyes she saw the elation of victory. A smug smile twisted his thin lips—the same sort of smile that had irritated her earlier.
“Now you too must die.” His voice was guttural, almost scratchy, as if he wasn’t used to talking in this form.
“It’s not my time just yet,” she muttered, and rolled under his blow rather than away from it.
This close, he smelled of blood and death and unclean flesh. Gagging, she gripped one thick leg and imagined a web of power encasing his body. Energy surged through her fingers and leapt up his scaly flesh, forming a spiderweb of blue-white tendrils that not only encased him in heat but locked him to the ground.
He roared in fury, slashing with thick claws at the net encasing him. It rippled and moved but for the moment, contained him. It wouldn’t for long. She’d bought herself time, not freedom.
She scrambled to her feet. For an instant, the world spun, and she had to grab the fence to keep from falling. Lethargy made her muscles shake, and her heart felt as if it were planning to leap out of her chest. She hadn’t used her abilities much in the past, but the few times she had, the same thing had happened.
All magic costs, Helen had once told her. In her case, the cost was physical—and in a situation like this, that could be deadly.
She took several deep breaths, then grabbed the top of the fence and climbed over. Her right leg buckled as she landed on the far side and crashed to one knee. Tears stung her eyes, and she swore vehemently. Red-colored water pooled at her feet, only to be swept away by the lashing rain.
Just what she’d seen in her vision in the bathroom, she thought absently, and she grabbed her coat from her pack. After throwing it on, she pushed upright and hobbled away as fast as she could.
The streets were dark and empty. A light g
limmered up ahead, a wash of yellow that reminded her of the creature’s eyes. It was coming after her. She could feel the heat of its malevolence reaching through the night, searching for her.
A sob caught at her throat and she broke into a run. The wind slapped against her as she turned the corner, catching her sodden hair and thrusting it back like a flag. The rain was a constant stream against her face, making it difficult to see, but she knew this area. Helen and she had jogged around here every morning. She could have run home blindfolded.
She pounded across the road, heading toward the footbridge that arched over the railway tracks. Her street lay on the other side. Surely the police were still there. Surely they could help her.
But would they see the evil she saw, or would they only see the police officer rather than the monster?
Maybe it would be better simply to grab her car. She’d be safe in the car. The creature might be able to outrun her, but it wouldn’t outrun her old Ford with its powerful V-8.
And if it got in her way, at least she’d be able to run the bastard over.
But there were people on the bridge and an old couple climbing the narrow stairs. She looked over her shoulder. The creature was behind her, gaining fast, its mouth open in a silent scream of anger. She couldn’t push past the old couple without knocking them over, and if she waited for them to get clear, she’d die.
So she ran.