The creatures in front of us look more human than the other beasts I've seen, but still not human enough to ease the anxiety trickling through me. Two of them seem female, and two male. They might pass for human if not for their fangs and red eyes.
"Look what we found," a male creature says. "Bigfoot and his hot girlfriend. Maybe I'll screw your girl to show her what a real monster can do."
Dax's hand tightens around mine. "You will not touch her."
The fanged cretin glances around with fake surprise. "Wow, a tough guy. I'm so totally terrified right now. I mean, there's only eight of us and two of you. But your threat was wicked scary."
He cackles. His friends laugh too.
"Eight?" Dax says. "I see only four of you."
Several more monsters traipse out from behind a trashed SUV.
"Well, ten counting those guys," the cackling creep says. He waves toward the other side of the street. "They're almost done with their dinner. Then we'll have ten of us against two of you."
A female emerges from the group that just appeared.
I recognize her. I mean, she looks very different now. But yeah, I know her. "Sherry? Is that you?"
The green-haired woman with a smattering of scales on her face smiles at me. "Ally, imagine bumping into you out here."
"Are you okay?" I don't see how the answer could be yes.
"Sure, hon, never better." Her gaze shifts to Dax, and she smiles with a strange hunger. "Damn, the apocalypse has been good to you, Ally."
Dax clamps a hand around my upper arm, bending to hiss into my ear, "She is not your friend."
"What? Something's happened to her, but—"
"You don't understand. She isnotyour friend."
"How would you know? I worked with Sherry at the library for more than a year, and you met her thirty seconds ago."
Dax mashes his mouth to my ear. "That creature is not Sherry. It's her Echo."
I don't know what that means because Dax has refused to explain much of anything. Sherry looks different, but I still recognize her. What does "it's her Echo" mean?
A roaring sound, like a massive gale, sweeps by overhead while streams of fire streak across the sky. The chaos above distracts both me and Dax. He releases my hand, turning sideways to observe the heavens.
Arms lash around me, hauling me backward while a rough, lumpy hand seals over my mouth.
Dax is still staring up at the sky to watch humanoid dragons that soar past us. I can't scream with my mouth covered up, and clawing at my captor's arms doesn't help. Neither does kicking. Sherry joins the beast who's dragging me away, but their pals rush at Dax.
He sees me too late. The other beasts have surrounded him, fangs bared, claws at the ready.
My captor slides his hand up just enough to cover my nostrils. I struggle to suck in air as my ears start to ring and black spots pop up in my vision. Can't move. Can't think. The entire world fades away, and everything goes black and silent. When I regain consciousness, I'm lying on my back in a dark place that stinks of blood and rotting flesh. Voices murmur, but I can't see the creatures who are speaking or understand their words. Pushing up on my elbows, I blink rapidly to clear my vision.
This is an alley. I'm lying on a concrete surface near a dumpster, but I doubt the stench comes from there. No, the fetid odor clearly emanates from the decaying corpses piled up against the giant trash receptacle. The bodies are so mangled that I can't identify them as human, though an instinct warns me they are. The creatures who abducted me must have murdered these people. Though I don't want to do it, I force myself to stand up and walk over to the pile of human refuse to get a closer look at the damage done to the bodies. I swear those are tooth marks. Fang marks, I assume. Something ripped these poor souls to shreds.
Shadows obscure the figures gathered at the alley's entrance. But I hear growling and demonic chuckles.
I need to get out of here. Fast. Before I become another corpse tossed away like garbage.
Though I glance around, I don't see a way out. The buildings on either side look solid, less damaged than elsewhere in the city, with only a few small windows high above my head. The concrete block walls would be impossible to scale even if I climbed on top of the dumpster.
Two of the beasts turn away from their buddies and saunter toward me.
I have no means of defending myself. Nothing but my fingernails and my teeth.