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Nick sucked in a deep breath, buying hi His brain couldn’t see down at hi works," said Quinn "Whatever that guy did, there’s no cell signal, no electricity, no cars on the road--"

"Me," said Nick He winced as reality started to refor more pain with it "I did it"

"What?" said Adaht would have been so much cooler if this had happened in the dance studio, wouldn’t it?"

"Are you seriously joking right now?"

Nick struggled to shift so he could sit up, and his arhts focus

God, his head hurt

"Easy," said Adam His voice was still full of mixed emotion, as if panic and wonder battled for space "Just lie still Wait for help"

"I can’t wait," said Nick, more sure now "I need to tell--

need to warn--"

"We can’t warn anyone Nothing works," said Quinn "It’s like a boo off," said Nick "But without the explosion part Help me up"

He took Adam’s outstretched hand and pulled hirip hard just to stay upright His stomach rolled and he worried he’d throw up all over the floor

He had no idea how e his pressure wave had caused, or at what distance Had he knocked out power to ? What had Quinn said? No cars on the road?

God, he needed his brain to work

"You’re bleeding," he said, blinking at Adam

"Most of it’s yours"

Nick reached toward his temple "No, there"

"Whatever happened knocked lanced left "Quinn hit the risers" He paused "You were

you were out for a long tione when I woke up"

Of course "Does he know I’m still alive?" said Nick

"We didn’t know you were still alive until about two seconds ago," said Quinn "You had no pulse, Nick You were"

"I’uy had checked, he would have thought Nick was dead

Hell, looking at the pool of blood on the floor, Nick ain, as if trying to reassure hi was shaking, just the slightest bit, but his expression was full of re-solve "Why didn’t he kill us all?"

"He’s only after us Me and my brothers"

Damn it, he needed to call home

"The office," he said "Is there a phone?"

"Dead," said Quinn "We already tried"

Dead

Chris and Michael were together, but Gabriel was hoone there first?

Nick thought of his connection to his twin brother, the way he always see, almost before it happened When Gabriel had rescued Layne from the barn fire, then run home with a broken hand, Nick had known

His twin brother’s panic had woken him fro

Nick pressed his hands to his temples One came away sticky and wet He looked at his pal?

What had happened to the bullet?

"Help ain "I need--we need--"

"You still need an a that quiet confidence "Quinn, I’ll run up the road and see if I can find a place with a phone Keep him still--"

"No," said Nick If there was any chance the Guide was out there, he didn’t want them to separate, too "No"

"Yes" Adam put his hands on Nick’s shoulders "I don’t care what you want this time You were--you were--" Now his voice faltered, and he visibly struggled to keep it together

"You’re hurt We’ll call the cops, and--"

"No" Nick caught his wrists "We need to get out of here

We need to warn my brothers He’ll shoot them next and they won’t--they won’t--" Now Nick’s voice broke Gabriel had been able to stop a gun froain, especially without Hunter’s power helping him focus Chris and Michael would be on a job, obliv-ious to a threat sneaking up on the his little brother had said to hiood-bye

Stop it Stop it, stop it, stop it This wasn’t helping anything

"Help me, Adaain "Please Help me"

"Okay," he said "Okay I’ll help you"

"Me, too, Nick," said Quinn "Me, too"

"Me, three," said a voice, and a shoe crunched on broken glass

They all jumped and scrambled, ready to face a new ene shaken and frightened himself, stood Tyler

CHAPTER 31

Nick swayed with the ainst Ada At Quinn’s insistence that they couldn’t drive around town covered in blood, he’d washed his face in the studio bathroom--at least the water worked--but noas da Shock, probably

Orpain he’d felt when he’d pried a bullet fragment out of his own forehead

Ada Nick to a hospital again

But now they were in the truck

He didn’t trust Tyler At all

But what choice did he have?

Tyler’s cell phone didn’t work, either The Guide’s car was still in front of the studio, s blasted out The trees along the road had been ripped out of the ground and lay across the parking lot, except for a few taller ones that lay across power lines