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A shadow fell across him

Caleb raised the rifle, but as his left hand reached forward to balance the barrel he realized the azine had been stripped away He had, at various tiined the s had not included lying on his back with an empty rifle while a viral tore him to pieces Perhaps, he considered, that’s the way it was for everybody: Bet you didn’t think of this Caleb dropped the rifle His only hope was his sidearm Had he racked it? Had he reun even be there, or had it, like the rifle’s azine, been stripped from his person? The shadow had taken the form of a human silhouette, but it wasn’t human, not at all The head cocked The claws extended The lips retreated, revealing a dark cave dripping with teeth The pistol was in Caleb’s hand and rising

A burst of blood; the creature curled around the hole at the center of its chest With an alesture, it reached up with one clawed hand and touched the wound It raised its face with a bland expression Am I dead? Did you do that? But Caleb hadn’t; he hadn’t even pulled the trigger The shot had come from over Caleb’s shoulder For a second they studied one another, Caleb and this dying thing; then a second figure stepped froun into the viral’s face, and fired

It was his father With him was a woman, barefoot, in a plain frock, the kind the sisters wore Her hair was the barest patina of darkness on her skull In her outstretched hand, she held the pistol she had used to fire the first, fatal shot

Amy

"Peter…" she said And

No words were passed that Caleb would later recall His father was carrying Amy over his shoulder; two other un his father had cast aside The portal was open; a squad of six soldiers had for line in front of it

"Get down!"

The voice was Hollis’s All of them hit the dirt Shots screamed past them, then ceased abruptly Caleb lifted his face Over the barrel of his rifle, Hollis aving them on

"Run your asses off!"

His father and Aunfire erupted behind the to one another--On your left! On your right! Go, go!--firing their rifles as, one by one, they backed through the narrow doorway Hollis was the last to enter He dropped his rifle, swung the door around, and began to close it, clutching the wheel that, once turned, would set the bolts Just as the lip of the door was about to make contact with the fra the door with his shoulder Caleb sprang forward and pushed; others did the saan to widen An inch, then two ainst the door Caleb swiveled his body so his back was braced against it and dug the heels of his boots into the earth But the end was ordained; even if they could hold the door a few th would outlast them