Blood Revealed by Tracy Cooper-Posey Page B

yellowy and gnashed together. The bottom jaw descended, then snapped closed.
    Her heart leapt. “Get away from my kids, you fucker.”
    She had its full attention now. It turned on its springy hind legs to face her.
    “Jake. Simone. Run out the other way and around the block. I’ll meet you on the street.”
    Neither of them moved.
    “ Go !” She shouted, her throat hurting at the intensity she used. “Now!”
    Simone stirred. She took a step back, then tugged on Jake’s arm, drawing him with her.
    Jake seemed to shake himself. Blythe had seen that sort of paralyzing shock in civilians caught between crossfire, or who had survived the falling of a bomb that had landed far too close.
    “Jake, move your ass or I’ll kick it for you!” She had to get him moving.
    The thing between them gave another little spin-hop and turned back to face Jake and Simone. It had sensed that its prey was escaping.
    Blythe didn’t panic. The old instincts were in full command now. “Run!” She screamed and at the same time, she sprinted toward the thing. She had no weapons except the keys in her hand and she clenched them hard, forming a fist and letting the points of the keys emerge between her knuckles.
    Simone gave an hysterical sob and ran for the street, terror driving her. Jake turned to follow her, finally, finally moving.
    The thing didn’t like it. It made a sound that even now three hours later, Blythe could still hear in her mind. It was a two-toned screeching, the lower tone like the heavy noise that emerged from a sub-woofer at full volume, the higher note an almost inaudible shriek.
    At the sound, Jake turned back to face it. He knew as well as Blythe did that the creature was about to launch itself in attack. It was instinct to turn to face your attacker. He would’ve been better to keep running, although he didn’t know that. He was only fifteen. And he had never been through a war like she had.
    Jake held his hands out, not in surrender, but as if he could bail the thing up. Then she realized what he was doing. He was stopping the creature from going after Simone.
    Fear speared her and drove power through her legs. As she launched herself at the thing, a sound came out of her that was almost primordial. She was venting all her fear and panic and rage. At the same time she bought her fist swinging up and around. She aimed high, for the facial features that must surely be as vulnerable as a human’s.
    She never connected. The thing raised its arm, not with its fists up like a human would have. Instead, its elbows projected out. It swung the elbow which connected with her arm in a glancing blow that only just barely redirected her swing.
    That was all that was needed. Hot agony clamped her arm and a sharp pain ripped along the tender flesh of her inner forearm. She cried out and staggered backward. Her whole arm went numb and she just barely caught the keys as they fell out of her fingers. She gripped the keys in her right hand and tried to shake life back into her left. She couldn’t even move it.
    She moved back, away from the thing.
    It hissed and she knew it was measuring her.
    This close to it, she grew aware of the stench that rose from its hide. It was a mix of rotting meat and ancient dust that clogged her nose and made her gag. She gripped her jaw tightly against the reaction and studied the elbow of the creature. There was another bony projection sticking out from the back of the elbow, like a point or a claw. There were more of the claws on the back of what would’ve been its knuckles—the joints at the end of long fingers, which look like they had an extra joint.
    She glanced past the Summani and saw that Jake had shaken off his paralysis and had almost reached the end of the alley. Simone was nowhere to be seen. Relief touched her and she looked up at the dark creature speculatively.
    The Summani gave another short squawk. She wondered if it was some sort of communication. She couldn’t remember if the