I whirled around, crouched and snatched an arrow out of the mud—the arrow I’d struggled so hard to pluck from Valeria’s breast.
I’d dropped it when Lee threw me to the ground during the storm of spears.
Leaping up, I spun around and drove its razor-sharp point into the side of Stryker’s neck so hard it popped out the other side.
His eyes bugged out.
I grabbed Lee’s arm.
She looked at me, a frenzy in her eyes, then flung off the vampire cape and let out something that sounded the way I always imagined one of those “rebel yells” from the Civil War must’ve been like ... an ear-splitting cry full of rage and wild joy.
On our way toward the cage door, we each jerked a spear out of the mud.
We were just outside the cage when the hearse skidded to a stop near the rear of the bus.
We ran for it.
It started backing toward us.
I had a pretty good idea who must be behind the wheel.
A few spears flew past us, but missed.
Somebody leaped out of the bus door and confronted us with a machete. Before he could swing it, Lee shoved her spear into his mouth and I plunged mine into his stomach.
Leaving the spears in him, we sprinted for the hearse.
It slid to a halt. I was first to reach its passenger door. I grabbed the handle and jerked it open.
She dived in and I scurried in after her.
Slim turned her head. “I’m back,” she said.
She stepped on the gas. The hearse lurched forward, its passenger door slamming shut without any help from me.
I figured we should finish the escape, but Slim had different plans. She made a high-speed pass along the other side of the cage. This time, she didn’t have quite the same element of surprise working for her. She only managed to mow down one of Stryker’s people.
“Can we go now?” I asked.
“Sure.”
With that, Slim steered around the end of the bleachers, put on the headlights and sped across Janks Field. The hearse shuddered and shook over the rough muddy ground. We bounced and swayed.
I saw the crippled Cadillac sitting abandoned. And Lee’s pickup truck. And two or three other cars that had been left behind.
“Want me to drop you off at your pickup?” Slim asked.
“No thanks,” Lee said. “Just get us out of here.”
“You sure? I’d be glad to.”
“I lost my keys.”
“We’ll go back to my car,” Slim said, and sped toward the dirt road that would return us to Route 3.
Chapter Sixty-two
On the narrow and curvy dirt road, Slim slowed down a lot. She kept glancing at the side mirrors.
“I don’t think they’ll come after us,” Lee said.
“I don’t know,” Slim said.
“Can’t hurt to keep an eye out,” I added. I didn’t mean it as any sort of pun, but the words forced a picture of Valeria’s eye socket into my mind. And then I pictured the arrow embedded in her nipple.
“They’ve got so many dead,” Lee said.
“We decimated their sorry butts,” Slim said.
“You did a great job,” Lee told her.
“Saved our lives,” I added.
I half expected a quip, but Slim only nodded. In the glow of the dashboard lights, her face looked grim.
“What happened, anyway?” I asked her.
“Huh?”
“After you went off under the bleachers.”
“Just sort of snuck around.”
“Did you see the Cadillac twins?” I asked. “They were up at the top. Looked like they were on their way down to get you. I yelled to warn you.”
