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One after another their mouths opened Sounds carowls; sounds like steel dragged on porcelain, sounds like the chirping of crickets, sounds likeNot words, but sounds that wanted to be words, were struggling to be words

It was a chorus of fury and frustration And it stopped as suddenly as if so from a stereo

The h they were to bla

Sam cursed softly

“Walk backward Down the hall,” Sam ordered “They’ll have to come at us one by one and Pete won’t be in the line of fire”

“Sam…”

“Not really a good tiritted teeth “Back sloay”

She did He followed, one foot directly behind the other, arms up, his mutant’s weapons at the ready

But no way he’d get theet a few, maybe, if they could even be burned How did you burn a creature ma?

Step by step till they were halfway down the hall Ten feet Fifteen The ave hiet Pete was out of the direct line of fire

“Call hiain Louder this time”

“He doesn’t always respond”

“Try”

“Pete,” Astrid shouted, fear giving volume to her voice “Petey, wake up! Wake up, wake up!”

Through the doorway Sas anyway, suddenly land with convincing weight on the floor The floorboards jumped from the impact