wound and the edges glowed red with embers. Thick lumps of congealed green blood spilled onto the grass with muted, plopping sounds. The severed part of his arm lay twitching on the ground like a wounded animal.
“GAAHHHHH!” he screamed in fury. “You little bastard! What have you done?”
That was my cue to escape. As I staggered past, he swung desperately at me, his clawed nails missing by inches.
The forest seemed to be against me as I fled. Every thick branch seemed to be trying to grab me, every root tugging at my feet, attempting to trip me up.
I stumbled forward to the sounds of anger and hatred from somewhere near behind. Every few seconds I descended into a coughing fit. My throat felt like I’d been gargling acid.
My heart leaped when I saw the two cars in the distance. I prayed that the keys hadn’t fallen out in the struggle. I fumbled in my back pocket and felt the unmistakable jagged metal of car keys.
Yes!
Unlocking the Ferrari, I flung the door open and dived in, slamming and locking it. My hands were trembling as I tried to jam the keys into the ignition. They slipped out of my grip and fell down the side of the seat. I swore loudly. As I bent down to retrieve them, there was a massive thud from above. The car roof sagged. Fear seized me. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Silence reigned for a few moments. Then I whimpered as I heard the high pitched squeal of clawed nails scraping against the metal roof.
“I still have one good hand Alexander,” came a calm voice from above. “More than enough to flay your skin off while you watch.”
There were two more thuds on the roof and I saw a couple of Hiveminds drop to the ground around the car. As they looked at me with their slicked marble eyes, I felt despair spread its way through every part of my body.
From deeper in the forest, Gabriella was shouting my name frantically.
“She won’t get here in time I’m afraid,” Rahuman snorted.
With a flash he’d jumped down onto the bonnet. I looked directly into the cold eyes of the Bloodseeker as he loomed over me. A true predator.
My heart sank. I knew he was right.
There was a loud crash as he plunged his remaining hand into the windshield and tore it right out of its frame. He cast it deep into the forest. Now the last bit of protection I had from this monster had gone.
“I really can’t see why everyone is making such a fuss about you. You’re nothing but an annoying insect I shall take great pleasure in squashing.”
I snatched the gun, but he swatted it out of my hand before I even had a chance to aim. It clattered down several yards away from the car.
“That trick only works once boy. Time to die.”
I shrank back into my seat as he leaned into the car and bared his teeth. I felt around for something… anything that I could use. My hand curled around something long and cylindrical on the seat cushion.
The Booster! It must have fallen out of my pocket when I jumped into the car.
Rahuman pounced.
I shut my eyes and stabbed out the injector. It connected with something soft and once again Rahuman’s screams filled the silence. Without even waiting to see what had happened, I dived across the seats and scrambled out of the passenger door. Hit the grass and rolled. Heading straight for the gun, I scooped it up into my hand. I stood upright and breathed out hard.
As I stood there — sweat slicked hand curled around the handle of the gun — something inside me began to shift. Slowly the fear slipped away, replaced by the survival instinct I’d felt when I’d been attacked by TJ.
It’s him or me.
For the first time I looked over to see what had happened. Rahuman was writhing around on the car bonnet, screaming in agony, clawing at his face. As I moved towards him, I was also vaguely aware of the two Hiveminds around me, who were reeling on the floor, mimicking their leader as if they were the ones who’d been hit.
As I got close, I saw the full extent of the damage. The booster had lodged into the Bloodseeker’s left eye. It was bulging and the veins around it had turned a disturbing shade of green. The left side of his face had swollen up like a balloon. The macabre horror of it only registered for a second before being replaced by the knowledge that I temporarily had the upper hand. It wouldn’t be long before he recovered.
Marching over, I seized his oily hair, sliding him down the bonnet and onto the ground. He landed hard on his side. I drove my foot forward into the injector, driving it even further into the wound. The noise he made was horrific, but it didn’t stop me. This monster had killed countless already, and now tried to kill me. He had to be stopped. I rolled him over onto his back and pressed the gun into his chest over his blackened heart.
I pulled the trigger.
The recoil forced me backwards. Rahuman’s chest crumbled from the impact, rippling from the centre outwards like a shockwave. Thick white smoke curled from the wound and the area around it caught on fire. The flames spread, until his whole body became a raging inferno.
As his flesh burned, Rahuman stared at me with his remaining good eye. I could tell he was confused — not quite sure how he’d come to be the one dying. He stretched his mouth into a demented smile before choking out his final words. They were barely audible over the roar of the flames.
“It’s coming for you.”
Then his eye rolled up into his head and he became still. From around me, there was a crescendo of noise. I turned to see the Hivemind’s jerking and thrashing about on the ground, as they too burst into flames.
Sweat dripped from my forehead as the heat from the burning Umbra reached me. From behind I heard Gabriella crying out for me.
The next few minutes were vague, like a dream. I vaguely felt Gabriella’s arms wrap around my waist and pull me away from the increasing flames. The rest of the team arrived minus the Golems. Most of them were covered in blood. I couldn’t tell whose. Rachel’s wings were shredded. The bottom section of one had been completely torn off. Midnight was limping, one arm wrapped around Delagio. The right arm of his suit was ripped. Blood seeped out, dripping to the grass and staining it red. Sophia hurried behind, retrieving a booster from her belt pack. When they spoke, their words were distant and slow, like they were travelling through glue. “Alex took out Rahuman. I can’t believe it,” uttered Rachel. ”Unbelievable,” breathed Delagio. Midnight gave a slow thoughtful nod. Her arms still locked around me, Gabriella looked into my eyes. Hers were wide and damp. “Alex, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realise it was a trap. I–I should have known. Please forgive me.” “It’s okay,” I said, the words booming in my head like I had earplugs in. “I’m alive. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” Then I passed out.
16
My eyes opened and I clutched onto the fading whispers of my dream. Flashing images of an iron mask and the thundering of hooves. A derelict mansion. A graveyard. Gabriella’s angelic face. As the fog of sleep parted, her face remained. I blinked and understood that she wasn’t part of the dream. The raven beauty was holding me in her arms and staring into the distance, a sweet smile on her face. Then I heard the steady hum of a car motor and felt the small bumps of a road.
I was in the Range Rover. Delagio had the wheel; Rachel was in the passenger seat, speaking on a mobile phone. I was lying on the backseat, head resting in Gabriella’s lap. Her soft fingers stroked my hair as she stared out of the window. Small waves of the mysterious sensation buzzed from where her fingers touched me. It felt good this time. So good I was about to close my eyes and pretend to be asleep when Gabriella looked down and noticed I was awake. Her rose coloured lips blossomed into a smile. “Hi honey,” she said in a soothing voice. “How are you feeling?” “Tired,” I confessed. She tapped a hand on my chest. “I should think so too. Taking out a sociopathic Vampire leader will do that.” Delagio swung around in his seat — which was probably a bad idea, but I was too tired to care. “Man, you nailed Rahuman back there!” “Err thanks.” “Road Delagio,” ordered Gabriella. He swung back around and shook his head. “Wow, usin’ Luminar blood on an Umbra. Genius idea!” He drummed his hands on the wheel. “Are we going back to the base?” I questioned, focusing back on Gabriella. “No, we’re taking
