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He heard Alec yelling his naht was that he had to disarh that he could stop the others At least get theh away from Lana that Alec could take care of the, but Mark had taken hiround with his knees and snatch the switchblade out of his hands Without thinking, he stabbed hi onto his back and scra in horror at what he’d just done But just as quickly, the world around him came back into focus and he ju the butt of his weapon doith both ar its end into one of the attackers’ heads He cruroup of people charging in from the other side of the street Mark had no idea where they’d coht of them All men All with knives or hae

"Watch out!" Mark yelled to Alec

But the men weren’t interested in the attacked by the lone ed her outside Alec took a few stu steps backward and Mark ran to stand beside him As they watched, Mark realized that they were powerless to stop thethe Transvices He was filled with a sudden doomed uncertainty

Alec seeh his body His face went still, hard as a rock He straightened and stood tall Then, without a word to Mark, he lifted his weapon and ai Lana

He fired a shot The quick stream of pure white bolted forward and hit the closest ripped in his hand He transforray, then exploded into a cloud ofanother burst at the man next to hih Lana had been brave and true and strong since the day they’d met back in the tunnels of the subtrans

Mark lifted up his oeapon and started firing He and Alec picked off the attackers one by one: Pull the trigger On to the next

Soon the one and only the pitiful, wretched forround Alec didn’t hesitate for a moment He aimed and shot oneended in a spray of gray mist

CHAPTER 56

Mark’s eyes drifted up froround and fixed on Alec The s But laced through it all was a profound sadness Though Mark never fully understood what kind of relationship the two veterans had shared, it had been deep and full of history

And now she was gone

Alec’s expression cleared in a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime to Mark He’d never seen his friend so sad before

Suddenly Alec was all business again He pointed at the house in front of theed her out And that’s where we’re going in I’ht now"

Mark turned to look A ables and massive s--many of them broken now--and fancy brickwork But with a scorched roof and filthy walls and a weed-choked, yellon, it looked ancient Mark was terrified at what theyaround them

Less than a minute had passed since they’d vaporized their friend and the violent thugs attacking her, but the crowdabout in the yard and street seemed to have doubled in size Men and women, children Most of them marked with bruises and scratches, soe section of his shouldertoward them; it looked like soe There was a woone, the joint a bloodyof all, there were a couple of kids with brutal injuries, and they didn’t even seem to know they were hurt

Without fail, the people started to inch closer, surrounding Mark and Alec Tattered and griazes--the crowd’s attention was entirely fixed on the tco slowly toward the front door of the large house Mark mier the budding insanity in those atched their every step They inched closer, weapons held firhtest chance any shot

The crowd pulled in tighter around Mark and Alec, gathering like spectators at a parade There had to be dozens of them now, roup and cut off the path to the front door As soon as they did it, others followed suit, co noose

"I don’t know if you people can understand me," Alec bellowed "But this is a one-tiot friends in this house," Mark added "And we’re not leaving without them" He raised his Transvice just for show

The looks on the faces all around hi Eyes were narrowing, foreheads furrowing, lips curling up in slight snarls A couple of wonashed his teeth like some wild anied in a few inches, pressing closer, tightening their circle Mark felt that fa control A rush of soet this," he muttered

He aimed his Transvice at the closest er A blinding streaht shot fro hiray, then an explosion of particles that disappeared Mark didn’t hesitate He ier, watched him turn to vapor Next to hier there

He’d half expected Alec to stop him But the former soldier wasted no ti away as well They concentrated on clearing a path to the house, sloeeping their weapons back and forth as they picked the people off one by one Flashes of light filled the air as their Transvices heated up, unleashing a wave of destruction All without a single drop of blood

They’d elih half the crowd standing in front of them, when the rest of the infected see A violent screa, horrible sound, and suddenly every last person there was charging forward, rushing at the twoweapons

Mark er in short bursts, not even bothering to aim Streaks of white connected with a feomen One stray shot hit a small boy, vaporized him Still they barreled toward him at full speed Mark turned to face the people behind hi it up to s, shrieking in pain

Mark stuht his balance There were people all around hi about on their feet, all wild eyes and hysterical laughter Mark held the Transvice tightly against his chest again and fired rando in a slow circle as he vaporized whoever was closest Then he swept the weapon back the other way, all the while careful of where Alec stood