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But Wolf ’s unconscious The whole rise is collapsing

And so what? It was her here-and-now brain, a voice firhts and wrongs Are you insane? Forget hiet out, get out now!

"Oh, shut up," she said As far as she was concerned, the world to which that voice belonged had vanished after the Zap Nothing was black-and-white anyather in her throat

Whatever it had been, the opening through which they’d popped only ap idening by the second as the guts of the rise--and the entire mine--fell away What lay behind her was a sore, a black and insidious blight It was theits way to Wolf

"Wake up! Wolf !" Twisting back toward the rifle, her hand shot out--and grabbed a ski instead Turning, she lunged back toward the crater "Wolf, wake up, wake up!"

She swath as she fought the tre earth Beyond Wolf, , the snow buckling and folding The air was misty with pulverized rock and ice that pecked her cheeks

Meanwhile, that voice, the one that lived in the black-and-white world, was babbling: What are you doing, are you crazy, are you nuts? Let his guys worry about hiet off !

"Wolf !" This tiht she saw his head h Still on her stomach, she jammed the toes of her boots into the snow and thrust the ski toward hiet hiht to be the sa someone off thin ice All she had to do was back up, pull hi chance

And then I’m done; we’re even "Wolf, come on!" she shouted over the clatter of rock and the booot was a rumble--not in front of her but behind, where she’d been What? She shot a quick glance over her shoulder just in time to see the snow beneath the rifle shudder In the next instant, the weapon skated away, riding the swell before sailing over the lip of the rise to disappear If she’d been there, she’d have gone with it She still ht anyway

She felt the ski jerk and looked back Wolf ake, on his belly, and clinging to the ski So strange, but she didn’t kno she truly felt about the fact that she was trying to save his life--only that this hat she had to do It was illogical, but it was also right "Co away frouide and an anchor as she slithered back five feet, then ten Just a few ive you a chance The entire rise was quaking now; she felt the snow slipping and sliding in front of her, the earth bucking against her stoo, and I’m done, I’m--

In the next instant, the skin of the earth rose in an enorainst all reason, she looked down the length of the ski, toward Wolf, this boy with Chris’s face who had brought her to one hell, saved her froazes locked, and she saw her terror mirrored in his eyes, reflected in his blood-caked face "Wolf--" she began

The earth suddenly collapsed The giant exhaled, and she hurtled down The force, so hard and fast, was a fist that punched a gasping screa into shards like thick, white glass A second later, she felt herself beginning to slide sideways as the icy slab on which she sprawled followed the lie of the land

She began toshearing away She lost the ski and then she hirling, the slab spinning like a top A screae of the rise The snowfield was now only a di up She had no idea where the others were, what had happened to Wolf; she just had tile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>