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Wendy and Selazines for the pistols and the two rifles “Keep your eyes on the people you don’t like, you two,” said Sel is loaded, but this is the last of the ammunition”

Pete cahtly “If we do have to retreat to the fourth floor, be careful and hold the rope It’s nearly ready to go Just one turn per bolt” Wendy handed hiazine for his pistol “Thanks”

“Use it wisely This is all there is”

Selma went to the wall of s on the south side of the house “Do you hear so?” She listened “It sounds like cars” She looked out, then quickly pulled her head back “Oh, no,” she said “They’ve got those lift things the power company uses”

“What?” said Wendy

Sam turned to look in Sele of fireworks soaring into the sky and exploding into popping starbursts “So,” he said “Remember—make your shots count”

The fireworks had certainly been set off to cover this fresh attack The sideboard began to rise up and Sa theit The sideboard fell back doith a thud

Two seconds later, Sel outside the open

Wendy and Pete ran toward her just as she ducked to the floor and ts were bloard by automatic-weapons fire Pete crouched behind the stairway and raised the shotgun

Just outside the , a shooter was standing in the bucket at the end of the hydraulic arm of a cherry picker Pete fired, the shooter slumped over and dropped his weapon, and someone below took over the controls of the cherry picker, and lowered it out of sight

Pete puun and ran to theHe aiain He jerked back inside and crouched A burst of auto above his head

Sel to the other side of the house She looked out “They’ve got another one!” She and Wendy opened s along the north side and fired pistols at theraised up to the third-floorThey couldn’t see whether he was hit, but the hydraulic arm lowered rapidly

At the staircase, the intruders were trying a new tactic One of theh the back of the wooden sideboard to make a splintered hole and then another pushed a Škorpion auto pistol up through the hole and fired wild bursts at floor level, hoping to hit anyone standing near the stairs Sam was closer to the hand than the pistol, so he hit the hand with the butt of his rifle The hand quickly withdrew, leaving the Škorpion behind on the sideboard Another Škorpion appeared a few feet away and Sah to make the pistol fly across the room He then stepped away froh it

The third time, Sam and Remi were ready Three Škorpions appeared at once Sam and Re rifles from behind steel pillars They each fired at a hand, and then Remi hit the final one

Sao upstairs” He fired a shot at the sideboard, then another at a spot where he suspectedbelow