He had to be careful which direction he went, though, because if he got too close to Central Park, he’d run out of rooftops entirely. There were trees over that way, but since he’d never practiced flying between trees, he wasn’t sure he could keep his balance with Zoe holding his hand.
“Watch out,” she shouted.
He’d been looking for the next rooftop to land on, and he’d nearly missed a large antennae. He had to swerve around it, knocking them both off-balance. He needed to land and get his bearings back, or he was afraid he might fall.
He’d only managed to glide or fly through the air, because he was keeping the wind moving beneath them. If he lost focus, he might also lose the air stream. And losing it for even just a few seconds could mean death for both of them.
His heart raced as he aimed for a nearby rooftop with ten or so rotters in sight.
That was a lot, but he didn’t have much choice at this point.
He needed a break to get his focus back. He’d allowed his mind to wander too much.
Besides, if they could reach out to Parrish and the others, they might be able to get an idea of how close they were to each other.
When he landed, he didn’t have a second to waste. Several rotters lunged at them, and Zoe screamed, grabbing his shoulders and crouching behind him.
David sucked in a deep breath, imagining the air flowing into him. He pulled it back, almost like a slingshot, and then sent it out in a whoosh of air toward the zombies, putting everything he had into the motion.
They were so close to him, he hadn’t had room to build up enough momentum to push them off the building.
This particular building was large and had a big area. There were lots of places up here for rotters to hide, too, and as the first group groaned and pushed against the gust of wind blowing them backward, five more appeared around the corner.
Crap. He didn’t have enough power behind this to keep them back. Not when there were this many.
He had to try something different.
Frantically, he looked around, searching for anything he could use as a weapon.
The building they were on must have been an apartment building, because there on the far corner, he noticed a small greenhouse garden filled with potted plants both inside and out.
That would have to do. He took Zoe’s hand so he could be sure she’d hear him.
Take cover.
He pointed toward a wooden bench nearby.
Climb under there and cover your face.
“What are you going to do?” she shouted back.
He pointed again, and she ran. He didn’t have time to check that she’d followed his directions. There were too many zombies up here, and they were getting too close.
He moved his hands in a circular motion, compressing the air into a tight ball. With great concentration, he sent the ball of air flying toward the greenhouse, shattering the glass as he brought it through one window and then back again.
Then, he redirected the airflow, creating a kind of funnel that swirled up from the ground, picking up the shards of glass from the windows and some of the flowerpots.
He moved his hands faster, gathering momentum and power as he pulled the funnel of air through the line of rotters. The glass sliced through them, severing limbs and tossing them aside like ragdolls.
He repeated the motion, careful not to lose any power or concentration as he sent his miniature tornado across the entire rooftop.
When every rotter in sight was decapitated or neutralized in some way, he released the funnel and fell to his knees, exhausted.
Zoe ran to his side, and he took her hand.
Are you okay?
She nodded, self-consciously tugging at the collar of her shirt. He saw a small cut there, but it didn’t seem to be bleeding.
He sighed with relief.
They couldn’t stay here long, because he had no doubt whoever had sent these zombies after them today would send more up the stairs here if they sat for more than a few minutes. But for now, they were okay.
He held Zoe’s hand tighter and reached out to her sister with his mind.
His breath hitched in his chest as an intense wave of fear washed over him.
The others are in trouble.
Forty-Two
Crash
“And here I thought this was a boring trip so far,” Crash said, broadcasting his voice to the others through their earbuds.
“New York City never disappoints,” Karmen said, winking at him.
“How are you holding up over there, Noah?” he asked.
He could hardly believe the guy was standing with the amount of blood he’d lost already.
“I’m good,” Noah said, placing a frost-covered palm over the claw marks on his shoulder.
“Yeah, you look good,” Crash said, wincing.
Would Noah be able to heal those scars? Or would he be forever marked by those talons?
There was no time to stand there and consider it. A new horde of rotters was headed their way, and Crash had no doubt the bird-like creatures would be back soon. Probably when they least expected it.
He made a mental note to keep his eye on the sky as he gathered lightning in his hands.
He was going to try something different this time, building on a technique he’d practiced at the beach house a few times. With David getting closer by the minute, Crash’s power surged to new levels.
If he was possibly going to die today, he might as well have some fun before that happened.
As a test, he moved his hands back and forth in front of his body, nodding as he perfected the timing. With this type of motion, he could create a surge of electricity that worked like daggers, slicing through the air.
Now, to try shooting them.
He widened
