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The dominatrix reached the room She hadn&039;t been prepared for this, hadn&039;t believed

She threw open the door, her heart thundering with fear, with anticipation What had been conjecture was now proved to be trueHe was there

But someone else was there, as well Sohtened, hesitating, knowing she had to make a split-second decision

And then she saw the other man more clearly Not his face, for his hat was drawn too low, but she saw the longbow, the way his head was bent, eyes on his target

She backed away

Who? What?

Then she heard screa from below

Screams of shrill, uncanny terror

All hell had broken loose

Indecision tore at her for a moment

Alone She shouldn&039;t have been alone

She should have seen to it that she had help with her But she hadn&039;t really knoould happen here So shewas alone

What to do?

Whatever was happening here, there was a force at work to counter evil, while down below

The screams continued

She turned and ran

She could lass had so-aloud, this tied odly roar of fury

It seemed to echo and echo

A hand fell on Nancy&039;s arm She looked down and shivered Not a hand, a talon She looked again at the woman who had tried to seduce her, who looked even less huain, was powerful

Chaos broke out People were rising all around So

And others-like the wo seemed to fly into the room A shadow, the essence of darkness and speed As Nancy stood, a continual screa from her lips, the woman was ripped away from her

"Get out!" The command was harsh Male? Fe to obey, however She ran for the entry, terror lending her speed

Behind her, soh she kneas Mary calling out to her She was afraid to stop

Mary caught up to her, still dressed in the gossaown In the back of Nancy&039;s mind, she kneas cold out and that her friend would freeze

Tears were streaet out"

Soe fury, saw a body go flying across the rooainst the bar They heard a snap, the sound of bones breaking

They stuht Mary stopped dead still "Jererasped her by the shoulders "You can&039;t go back in there"

"Jere

Soh the door behind them, someone they had seen at the bar He practically shoved the wildly around

He turned back He was large and well muscled His eyes, however, echoed their own terror

"Got to get away," he said in Gerlish He started to run, then stopped, stripping his jacket froht the jacket and automatically wrapped it around Mary&039;s shoulders The German man continued to stare at them "Get away," he said tonelessly

"To where?" Nancy wailed

But theblindly toward the forest

"We&039;ve got to go, too," Nancy said

"Jerean to burst out the door Like theed her friend in the sah Mary felt like lead Nancy stared at her and realized that she was in shock Her eyes ide; her teeth continued to chatter She was as pale as ash

Nancy knew she had totohat looked like a trail

A new sound ister in her et away

"Coan to h the ered toward it

Jereony thepain in his head was overwhel He tried to open his eyes but couldn&039;t He becarunts of ferocious deter fell, close to hi at one another So else landed at his side

Eyes open Steady his head Ignore the agony

Get to his feet

Using the wall, he e wave of nausea that threatened to cause hiain There was a thud And then

Silence

He turned, aware that he needed to flee, but he stu up his arht

His

But his body gave out, and he began to fall

Nancy found a place under the trees where at least the blast of the as blocked She remained in terror that any minute they would be attacked by a monster, but she knew she couldn&039;t possibly walk all the way back to the village with Mary Her friend&039;s feet were bare She all but needed to be carried, and Nancy didn&039;t have the strength for that She lowered her head, suddenly recognizing the newest sound

Sirens Thank God! There were police, even here, deep in the shrouded forest, in this no man&039;s land of darkness and mist

The police would find Jeremy

"Miss?"

She froze The voice had coain She couldn&039;t turn

It had been athreatening in it, but still

"Tend to your friend The police are on the way," the voice continued

She spun around There was no one there Wait! On the ground, by the treeJereroaned

She raced to his side He groaned again She fell to the forest floor, taking his head on her lap "Jere on, the police are co at her as if he didn&039;t know her for a"How did I get here?" he ripped her by the shoulders "Mary Where&039;s Mary?"

Nancy pointed Mary was seated against another of the sheltering trees, staring straight ahead, her eyes blank even as they ide open

Jereled to rise He made it halfway and crawled over to Mary

"Mary?"

She didn&039;t see her into his arms She didn&039;t protest or respond After a ain and looked at Nancy "Help ot to er to his feet "Stay with Mary," he co down his forehead Nancy started to say so, then didn&039;t What did it matter? They had to have help

In the silence after Jeremy left, she beca, audible even over the sirens

A h the trees, she saw the police vehicles drive up Suddenly the night was agloith flashing lights

The police see those who had stumbled outside, those ere injured and those ere in shock

"It&039;s going to be okay now, Mary," she whispered gently, hugging her friend She wondered if she should get Mary up, try to force her back toward the house But as she sat there, shivering, she saw that Jere the police toward thean to weep

As she did, she looked up at a sky streaked with black and red