but was unable to squeeze off a shot without risking hitting Samia. He let out a curse of frustration as the detective was pulled toward an open elevator door three floors above him and vanished from view.
More men barreled into the lift below him and started opening fire at the elevator roof. He had to go after Samia and get out of there before one of those fanatics managed a lucky shot. His eyes locked on the steel emergency ladder that ran up the length of the shaft.
Without hesitation he hurled himself toward the ladder and began to scale it, bullets whizzing past him. As he fought his way to the top floor, his mind was on fire. What sort of creature had snatched Samia in the darkness? Talon had faced mad cult leaders, demons, and even the spirits of the dead, but he’d never seen anything like the monster that had abducted Samia. What was he up against?
Casca would have an answer; the billionaire always did. There was always some archaic text he could reference that would make the miraculous feel mundane and the extraordinary ordinary. Based on the size of the tentacle, Talon concluded a beast of massive proportions lurked on the top floor. He had imagined the Jinn as a creature made of smoke or fire, but the nightmare waiting above him was all-too-solid—and a monstrosity of gargantuan size.
The last six months had exposed the vast gulf between myth and reality. How did Rakan control a creature of such proportions? Or maybe he was getting it all wrong here. Maybe Rakan was the servant and the beast the master. Whatever the case may be, it would be up to him to stop both man and beast, and he prayed his weapons would be adequate for the job.
Moving swiftly, he continued his ascent. Stray bullets pinged against steel cables, narrowly missing him. He refused to worry about Rakan’s followers below; all of his thoughts were focused on the primordial terror he was about to confront in battle.
He arrived at the top floor and slipped through the open elevator doors. The monster had pried them apart with enormous force and must’ve damaged the mechanism in the process.
As Talon stepped into the corridor, an overpowering stench of rotting fruit made him gag. His shoes smacked against the slippery floor, and he slowed his gait to avoid losing his footing on the slimy substance. After a few cautious steps—Glock in one hand, the demon slayer blade in the other—another insight hit him. The smell of decay came from the thick fluid blanketing the floor. It had to be the drug Rakan was distributing to his followers, but why had buckets of it been emptied out across the floor?
Eyes alert, nerves on edge, he advanced down the dark corridor. Adrenaline pumped furiously through his veins, his dread growing with each step. A monster lurked in these hallways, waiting to strike. He could have definitely used a pair of night-vision goggles, and an MP5 and a few grenades sure would’ve calmed his ragged nerves. The Glock and demon slayer blade felt ill-suited for battling the colossus that had snatched Samia.
Where was the detective? Had the creature devoured her?
A second later he received his answer as he nearly tripped over the prone figure splayed across the floor. Samia looked up at him, eyes shiny with terror and her clothes coated in slime. Her lips weakly whispered words that drove a chill up his spine: “We’re not alone.”
A sudden sound behind him made him whirl. A figure had appeared on the other end of the hallway. The powerfully built man cut an intimidating silhouette in the moonlight. It had to be Rakan.
There was the master, but where was the Jinn? Talon’s eyes roved the dim corridor, and at last he caught a glimpse of shadowy motion another twenty feet behind Samia. A gargantuan worm oozed from the darkness and filled the hallway with its impressive bulk. Talon swallowed hard, atavistic fear taking hold of him. The creature slithered toward Samia with preternatural speed,
More men barreled into the lift below him and started opening fire at the elevator roof. He had to go after Samia and get out of there before one of those fanatics managed a lucky shot. His eyes locked on the steel emergency ladder that ran up the length of the shaft.
Without hesitation he hurled himself toward the ladder and began to scale it, bullets whizzing past him. As he fought his way to the top floor, his mind was on fire. What sort of creature had snatched Samia in the darkness? Talon had faced mad cult leaders, demons, and even the spirits of the dead, but he’d never seen anything like the monster that had abducted Samia. What was he up against?
Casca would have an answer; the billionaire always did. There was always some archaic text he could reference that would make the miraculous feel mundane and the extraordinary ordinary. Based on the size of the tentacle, Talon concluded a beast of massive proportions lurked on the top floor. He had imagined the Jinn as a creature made of smoke or fire, but the nightmare waiting above him was all-too-solid—and a monstrosity of gargantuan size.
The last six months had exposed the vast gulf between myth and reality. How did Rakan control a creature of such proportions? Or maybe he was getting it all wrong here. Maybe Rakan was the servant and the beast the master. Whatever the case may be, it would be up to him to stop both man and beast, and he prayed his weapons would be adequate for the job.
Moving swiftly, he continued his ascent. Stray bullets pinged against steel cables, narrowly missing him. He refused to worry about Rakan’s followers below; all of his thoughts were focused on the primordial terror he was about to confront in battle.
He arrived at the top floor and slipped through the open elevator doors. The monster had pried them apart with enormous force and must’ve damaged the mechanism in the process.
As Talon stepped into the corridor, an overpowering stench of rotting fruit made him gag. His shoes smacked against the slippery floor, and he slowed his gait to avoid losing his footing on the slimy substance. After a few cautious steps—Glock in one hand, the demon slayer blade in the other—another insight hit him. The smell of decay came from the thick fluid blanketing the floor. It had to be the drug Rakan was distributing to his followers, but why had buckets of it been emptied out across the floor?
Eyes alert, nerves on edge, he advanced down the dark corridor. Adrenaline pumped furiously through his veins, his dread growing with each step. A monster lurked in these hallways, waiting to strike. He could have definitely used a pair of night-vision goggles, and an MP5 and a few grenades sure would’ve calmed his ragged nerves. The Glock and demon slayer blade felt ill-suited for battling the colossus that had snatched Samia.
Where was the detective? Had the creature devoured her?
A second later he received his answer as he nearly tripped over the prone figure splayed across the floor. Samia looked up at him, eyes shiny with terror and her clothes coated in slime. Her lips weakly whispered words that drove a chill up his spine: “We’re not alone.”
A sudden sound behind him made him whirl. A figure had appeared on the other end of the hallway. The powerfully built man cut an intimidating silhouette in the moonlight. It had to be Rakan.
There was the master, but where was the Jinn? Talon’s eyes roved the dim corridor, and at last he caught a glimpse of shadowy motion another twenty feet behind Samia. A gargantuan worm oozed from the darkness and filled the hallway with its impressive bulk. Talon swallowed hard, atavistic fear taking hold of him. The creature slithered toward Samia with preternatural speed,
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