Page 16 (1/2)

Lanquin, Guatemala

Allison and Charlotte raced toward the downed helicopter One of the devil-bats crouched on the nose of the craft, shoving its snout through the shattered windshield, forcing its head deeper despite the jagged glass in the fra Gunshots came from inside the chopper and the devil-bat&039;s body jerked as bullets struck it in the head, but it only slowed aits efforts

The second one crashed into the side of the downed helicopter, then scrabbled with its claws at the door The s had to be broken but the opening was not large enough for it to do unshots punched into this one and it darted backward, then launched itself over the top of the wreckage to the other side, trying the same tactic there

The one on the helicopter&039;s nose screeched in triuh the broken windshield It chewed hi to slide theThe horror of the scene demanded the respect of silence

&039;Fucker,&039; Charlotte growled as she dropped to the ground, transforer-Charlotte leaped atop the wreckage and kept going, jaide as she rocketed at the devil-bat&039;s chest Claws tore its flesh and she lunged for its throat The devil-bat twisted, gouging the tiger with one of its horns and knocking her away It bit the soldier in half and quickly sed as it crawled after the tiger, aard on its broken wing

Aht

Between one footfall and the next, she spread her ar wide as she took to the air,others as she transforain as the wounded thing dragging itself after Charlotte

The tiger staggered to its feet, shuddering as Charlotte repaired her injury Allison wondered what the hell Octavian had been thinking by bringing her into this battle To one who could disassemble and reassemble herself from one shape to another, a wound was just another for It should have been nearly instantaneous

Charlotte turned, yellow tiger eyes flashing, ready to lunge at her attacker&039;s throat She never had a chance to leap Allison attacked the creature, using her own talons to rake its chest and tear its wings It screeched until she silenced it with a single dart at its throat, and then she turned toward Charlotte, just in tiain, y

The dead devil-bat twitched and bled at Allison&039;s feet as Charlotte flew at the other one, which had continued to attack the wrecked chopper The two creatures collided, falling to the ground in a shriekingjaws, but at least the soldiers on the chopper were safe for ainto her hueant Galleti kicked open the pilot&039;s door and dropped to the ground The Italian woratitude spread across her features

&039;Help me,&039; Galleti said

Allison reached her just in tie, and others followed There were six survivors, all Task Force Victor, and the last of the continued, but the nearest co around the front of the downed chopper, apparently having killed the other devil-bat

But there were others, Allison knew A single upward glanced showed her well over a dozen, and she suspected there would be even er said, as Charlotte walked over to join them

Allison studied the man a moment and then nodded &039;You&039;re welcoes seeash on his face and his li, but he barely seemed to notice either Galleti and the two others who had suffered only contusions and lacerations cli out whatever weapons they could find

&039;Where&039;s Octavian?&039; he asked

Allison frowned She had barely had time to wonder what had becoht With all the sorcery at his disposal, she figured Octavian ht well be the hardest person in the world to kill

&039;I&039;round ru A loud hiss filled the air, a static that built to a buzz, and as she looked around for the source she saw the wall of crackling blue light shier said, spinning around to watch as the walls went up all around them, perhaps a mile or so away in each direction

They were practically at the epicenter of the sizzling uess he&039;s still alive,&039; Charlotte said

&039;Affanculo!&039; Galleti barked &039;What is he doing, the idiot? He&039;s trapped us inside with the to Metzger &039;We&039;ve got one s, then we kill hi the Guatehts and the tanks don&039;t have Medusa toxin, so you six are co after Cortez&039;

Metzger had a heart of stone, ice in his veins, and a soul hed at this

&039;You&039;re out of yourout his armaster at Hell&039;s own circus

Devil-bats circled above, having spotted them Allison saw them and knew the others had as well The serpents would be crawling from the trench now and at least one of therassy, tree-spotted landscape, where the bright banks of lights had turned night into day, she could see the heads of the saash in the flesh of the world, slowly, as if not quite awake One of thee antlers and from the side its face looked like an open wound These, she felt sure, were the death gods of the Mayans, the ones that Brother Simon had died to drive back to Xibalbaand one of whood An evil Hercules

She had no doubt that Cortez wanted the same honor

&039;I&039; despite the chanting of Cortez&039;s coven several hundred yards away, beyond a stand of trees

&039;So you see that?&039; Metzger said, pointing to the antlered god, whose head alone was taller than the trees

Allison sneered at hi job&039;

Whatever panic had clutched at his heart, her words were like a slap in the face He flinched, then blinked and looked around at his soldiers, atching him and whose lives were in his hands Whose blood,dawn in his eyes, the knowledge that even if Octavian lowered the wall they were unlikely to escape this alive, which oal

&039;Sergeant Galleti,&039; he said, &039;have you retrieved all of the weapons and ammunition from the chopper?&039;

Allison looked at Galleti, who raised her chin, nostrils flaring as she did her best to contain her fear She carried two pistols and had a pair of auto over her shoulders The others were all aruns as well

&039;Yes, Commander!&039; she snapped

The others all stood at attention, save for the soldier who lay unconscious at their feet

&039;Then we&039;re er said &039;Fast as we can The quicker wethe vas from the breach can take us all out And everybody watch the sky&039;

He turned to Allison, who nodded

&039;What about Creaghan?&039; Galleti asked, looking down at the unconscious soldier, whose head wound was caked with blood The side of his skull had a dent in it that

&039;I&039;ll carry hier said

The soldiers all stared at her, some in relief but others in suspicion, no doubt worried that she&039;d try to drink the dyingto e in her voice &039;One look and you can see that&039;

&039;I know that,&039; Charlotte replied, then turned toto let us leave hio&039;

The commander looked reluctant, but then a devil-bat fle above the it away for the moment, and he knew they had no choice

&039;Be careful with hi to heft Creaghan easily off the ground To a Shadow, the hed little more than an infant

&039;Don&039;t waste bullets that have the toxin,&039; she said &039;Don&039;t fire at the things unless they&039;re right on top of us We&039;re going to need every bit of around toward the line of trees that were all that separated the louder as they ran Allison felt a strange calht back on all of the people she had loved and who had loved herall of the loves that she had lost And yet she did not feel alone Octavian was here, somewhere And Kuromaku still lived, halfway across the world They knew her as she was, not as she had been once upon a time They had known her when Will Cody still lived and when he had loved her

If there was a chance she ht die before the sun rose, then it helped to know there were those who truly knew her Knowing them helped her to know herself Even if she died alone, she would not die lonely That was sohan, in her arms The other TFV soldiers followed behind, with Galleti and the lian shelling the trench, firing at ancient Mayan death gods so huge that even a direct hit would likely seeap between shelling, with the echoes of warfare rolling across the grass, Allison thought she heard so else there as well In herfrom the trench

&039;Watch your back,&039; she told Charlotte

The girl did not reply, her grih the trees and ast so many other vampires

Twice the soldiers fired skyward at a devil-bat that flew too low, but the things veered off without attacking, at least for now

Then they had reached the trees, and Allison paused in the er and the other survivors of his unit catch up One by one, they straggled in a at Charlotte for so him limp as she listened to the chants of the vampires, which were much louder now, and she knew the co cover in the trees If he couldn&039;t run, he couldn&039;t stay with thelance her way Like the others, his attention was on Charlotte Frowning, Allison turned toward her For a moment she did not understand, and then she saw the way that Creaghan lay in Charlotte&039;s ar lifeless, his head lolled to one side

&039;Put hier said

Charlotte winced Despite the hard edge she&039;d acquired, his tone had hurt her She set Creaghan down beneath a tree and took a step back

Galleti was kinder than her commander The Italian woman put a hand on Charlotte&039;s shoulder and whispered her gratitude Charlotte nodded and then retreated to stand beside Allison as the soldiers shared a lint in his eyes thatthe commander behind

&039;We&039;ll bury hih it was clear he thought they&039;d all be dead before they could ain, Allison heard a rustling noise out in the grass behind the back the way they&039;d come, and then ju by, perhaps thirty yards away If it noticed then

&039;They&039;re far fros trapped in here with us,&039; a voice whispered beside her

Allison spun, baring her fangs before she realized she knew that voice Octavian stood beside her, his face streaked with some dark substance but otherwise none the worse for wear She thought it must be blood, perhaps from a devil-bat, but it seemed unimportant in that moment

&039;Where the hell were you?&039; she asked

His eyebroent up &039;The beach Where do you-&039;

Charlotte practically tackled hihtly Allison watched in surprise, wondering for just a s for him Then Charlotte backed away and punched Octavian in the arirl did have an attache of nineteen, she&039;d been dragged into a world of horrors, with no one to look after her, no figure of strength for her to turn to when life took an ugly turn Soirl

Metzger and the other soldiers had finished saying goodbye to their dead corim and expectant faces