Page 7 (1/2)

That had been just before a series of nightgown-clad blondes started turning up in New Orleans cemeteries, bodies drained of blood

If Caitlin’s brain hadn’t been so scrambled, she surely would have seen the killer for what it really was Instead, because of her confusion, her inattention, both she and Fiona had aluilt, ever since

But I’htened, squaring her shoulders, andlike water around the drunken revelers--frat boys, business, distracting, and she turned down a side street, heading for quieter Rue Royal so she could hear herself think She was past the Rainbow line, St Ann Street, where hetero clubs turned gay and the side streets turned seedier, but she had on the gla block down

Even so, she instinctively walked a little otten fro dead, not junkies Tourists doing er was perturbed And despite his nonchalance, she could tell even Case thought it was strange

Caitlin was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice the footsteps until they were right up on her--heavy, pounding,weight had tackled her, hurling her to the ground

She hit the pavement so hard that her breath was knocked out of her and she heard as well as felt her head crack against the curb, and the pain was blinding; through the haze, she knew for the first tih her confusion she thought, How can he seepain, Caitlin heaved herself up and called on a weakening spell, soathered energy in her h tiister a Bourbon-Faced T-shirt and a rowled like a bear and tackled her again

Not human, Caitlin realized He’s Other And then she hit the sidewalk again, was crushed into the cobblestones

Whoever was on top of her was so heavy she couldn’t e Under the familiar sick-sweetness of toolike a, squeezing, and through the pain and descending blackness she realized she was being killed…

Panicked thoughts flooded her brain She would never see her sisters again, never meet the love of her life…

So this is how it ends…

And then suddenly she felt the pressure lift and gulped in air…

Ryder seized the man in the Bourbon Street T-shirt in a full-out fury and hauled hi and wired with superhuth He was dressed like a tourist, but the face was a e, and beneath the innocuous jeans and T-shirt he was completely out of control, like so-crazed, murderous, rapacious zombie