control panel. Comes up pale-faced. “They removed…” He curses, then stares at Timas with wild hope. “Any
way you could… ?”
Timas takes his nose out of Pip’s backpack long enough to peer down. “No,” he says. “This is going nowhere.” He continues
rummaging through the backpack.
“The boats,” Meera gasps. “Werewolves can’t swim.”
“It would take at least two minutes to lower a boat,” Prae says miserably. “We could cut one free and drop it, but we’d still
have to climb down the ladders. They’d clamber after us or hurl themselves off the cliff on top of us. We’d never make it.”
“I could put a shield in place at the top of the ladder,” I pant.
“You’d need a bigger shield than that,” Timas murmurs. “Didn’t you notice the slits in the cliffside walls of the compound
when you were studying the maps? They’re so the guards can fire at anything attacking from the seaward direction. They can
pick us off if we try to descend.”
“Could you cover us from gunfire and werewolves all the way to the bottom?” Shark asks.
“I don’t know,” I groan. “I can try.”
“I don’t like it,” he growls. “We’d be too exposed. Any other suggestions?”
“Can you get us inside the compound again?” Meera asks Prae.
“No. I don’t know the security codes.”
“Timas?”
“I could figure them out,” he says calmly, “but it would take several minutes.”
There’s a scream. Leo goes down, tackled by a pair of small werewolves. Liam and Stephen fire into them, but it’s too late.
When they fall away, Leo’s eyes are wide and lifeless, a shredded mesh where his throat should be.
“Out of time,” Shark sighs. “Let’s try for the boats and just hope for —”
“Caves!” I shout, flashing on an image of a map of the island. I grab Prae’s right arm. “Are there caves near here?”
“I don’t know.” She scowls. “I wasn’t involved with this project. I haven’t —”
“There are a few within reach,” Timas cuts in. He looks at me curiously. “What sort of cave are you interested in?”
“One with a single entrance, so we can block it off and seal ourselves in.”
“What will that achieve?” Shark frowns.
“If I have a few hours, I can open a window to the Demonata universe.”
Shark stares at me, then the boats, then the breached perimeter wall and the hordes of werewolves flooding through. He calculates
the odds.
“If we don’t make it to the cave, we can break for the sea and jump off one of the cliffs,” Timas says thoughtfully.
“So we’d have a plan B.” Shark nods. “OK. The cave. Go for it!”
Spilling out of the helicopter, we face the oncoming ranks of werewolves and press stubbornly — suicidally — forward into
the thick of them.
Barbaric madness. Blasting our way through the wild, fast, powerful, stinking, howling creatures. Shark, Timas, Liam, Stephen,
Spenser, and Prae gather in a tight circle around Meera and me. They stand three on either side, backs pressed in against
us. We move like a crab, edging forward awkwardly. The soldiers and Prae shower the werewolves with bullets, but it won’t
be long before one breaks through, then another, then all.
“This is crazy!” I yell, changing my mind. “We’ll never make it. Let’s try the boats.”
“No,” Timas responds. “If we reach the wall, we’ll be over the worst. Notice how the flow of werewolves has lessened? Most
of the beasts within quick reach of the compound are already here.”
“So?” Shark shouts, never taking his eyes off the beasts, firing every few seconds, measuring his bullets carefully, not wasting
any.
“I have a plan,” Timas says. “It should buy us some time.”
“What sort of a plan?” I ask suspiciously.
Timas jiggles Pip’s backpack at me. “The sort that goes
boom
!”
One of the larger, incredibly muscular werewolves leaps through the air. Bullets from more than one gun lace his body,
way you could… ?”
Timas takes his nose out of Pip’s backpack long enough to peer down. “No,” he says. “This is going nowhere.” He continues
rummaging through the backpack.
“The boats,” Meera gasps. “Werewolves can’t swim.”
“It would take at least two minutes to lower a boat,” Prae says miserably. “We could cut one free and drop it, but we’d still
have to climb down the ladders. They’d clamber after us or hurl themselves off the cliff on top of us. We’d never make it.”
“I could put a shield in place at the top of the ladder,” I pant.
“You’d need a bigger shield than that,” Timas murmurs. “Didn’t you notice the slits in the cliffside walls of the compound
when you were studying the maps? They’re so the guards can fire at anything attacking from the seaward direction. They can
pick us off if we try to descend.”
“Could you cover us from gunfire and werewolves all the way to the bottom?” Shark asks.
“I don’t know,” I groan. “I can try.”
“I don’t like it,” he growls. “We’d be too exposed. Any other suggestions?”
“Can you get us inside the compound again?” Meera asks Prae.
“No. I don’t know the security codes.”
“Timas?”
“I could figure them out,” he says calmly, “but it would take several minutes.”
There’s a scream. Leo goes down, tackled by a pair of small werewolves. Liam and Stephen fire into them, but it’s too late.
When they fall away, Leo’s eyes are wide and lifeless, a shredded mesh where his throat should be.
“Out of time,” Shark sighs. “Let’s try for the boats and just hope for —”
“Caves!” I shout, flashing on an image of a map of the island. I grab Prae’s right arm. “Are there caves near here?”
“I don’t know.” She scowls. “I wasn’t involved with this project. I haven’t —”
“There are a few within reach,” Timas cuts in. He looks at me curiously. “What sort of cave are you interested in?”
“One with a single entrance, so we can block it off and seal ourselves in.”
“What will that achieve?” Shark frowns.
“If I have a few hours, I can open a window to the Demonata universe.”
Shark stares at me, then the boats, then the breached perimeter wall and the hordes of werewolves flooding through. He calculates
the odds.
“If we don’t make it to the cave, we can break for the sea and jump off one of the cliffs,” Timas says thoughtfully.
“So we’d have a plan B.” Shark nods. “OK. The cave. Go for it!”
Spilling out of the helicopter, we face the oncoming ranks of werewolves and press stubbornly — suicidally — forward into
the thick of them.
Barbaric madness. Blasting our way through the wild, fast, powerful, stinking, howling creatures. Shark, Timas, Liam, Stephen,
Spenser, and Prae gather in a tight circle around Meera and me. They stand three on either side, backs pressed in against
us. We move like a crab, edging forward awkwardly. The soldiers and Prae shower the werewolves with bullets, but it won’t
be long before one breaks through, then another, then all.
“This is crazy!” I yell, changing my mind. “We’ll never make it. Let’s try the boats.”
“No,” Timas responds. “If we reach the wall, we’ll be over the worst. Notice how the flow of werewolves has lessened? Most
of the beasts within quick reach of the compound are already here.”
“So?” Shark shouts, never taking his eyes off the beasts, firing every few seconds, measuring his bullets carefully, not wasting
any.
“I have a plan,” Timas says. “It should buy us some time.”
“What sort of a plan?” I ask suspiciously.
Timas jiggles Pip’s backpack at me. “The sort that goes
boom
!”
One of the larger, incredibly muscular werewolves leaps through the air. Bullets from more than one gun lace his body,
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