The armored transport truck sputtered.
“Shit,” Seung shifted gears and the engine promptly died.
“We’re out of gas, aren’t we?” Luca said.
“Looks that way.” Seung guided the M-ATV to the side of the road and put it in park.
“Now what?”
“Let’s try to find a cell phone in all this mess. I’ll call Johnathan. If he’s mobile, he can come get us.”
Luca unbuckled his seatbelt and stood.
Bits and pieces of human remains littered the back. Half a torso lay behind the rear seat.
And the man who had been stabbed in the face lay slumped in the floorboard.
“How about you let me check the back?” Seung gave Luca a small push toward his seat.
There was blood on the dash, the steering wheel, bits of bone and spongier tissue on everything else. “Not sure that’ll be any better.”
Seung’s smile was sad.
“You did what you had to do.” Luca meant it.
She nodded but Luca couldn’t be sure if it were for him or herself. “Go ahead and look around here. There’s probably storage space under the seat. And since this isn’t government standard, there may be an actual glove box.”
She went to the back.
Luca felt around under the driver’s seat and came out with a first aid kit. Under the second seat a bottled water and a handgun.
He started to stand.
A box was attached to the underside of the dash.
Luca checked for a way to open it. He found a lever and the mounts released. He removed it from the holders and set it on the floorboard. He was about to open it when Seung returned to the front with a cell phone to her ear. She hung up and dialed again and got the same results.
“Maybe he lost his phone?” Luca hoped that was the case.
She keyed in another number.
Seung frowned. “Craige’s not answering either.” Another attempt. “Neither is Dalton.”
She sat on the driver’s seat and stared at the phone in her hand.
“They’re okay,” Luca hoped it wasn’t a lie.
“Does Dr. Dante have a cell phone?”
“If he does, I don’t know the number.”
Seung pushed back her hair. Clumps of congealing blood stuck to the long locks. She held up her hand. “Jesus, I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have to see this.”
“I’ve seen it before.” And the first time had disturbed Luca but not as much as the Anubis’s thoughts. How killing had been as satisfying as fucking him.
“I guess I should find some clothes.”
Luca hadn’t really paid attention until she said something.