Part 16 (2/2)

Gina dragged out her canteen and took a long swallow, grateful for a few seconds to catch her breath. 'So what do you think that was all about? They wanted a little fresh air?'

Derek allowed a slight smile. 'No idea.'

'Do we head back now?'

He lifted his head as if he were sniffing the air. 'No.'

She waited while he searched the sky, then looked around, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

Okay, don't tell me what we're doing, then.

'Derek.'

'What?'

'What are we doing?'

'Waiting.'

'For what?'

'Demons.'

Well, wasn't he just master of the obvious? 'There aren't any.'

He finally looked at her, but his gaze wasn't focused on her. It was like he was in a trance, his eyes unfocused. 'There will be.'

'When?'

'Inhale.'

'What?'

'Take a deep breath, Gina.'

She did, and wrinkled her nose. 'What is that? It smells like rotting garbage.'

'Demons.'

'Oh, s.h.i.+t.' She knew what that meant. The demon hybrids. The really big ones. The ones who were really hard to kill. A s.h.i.+ver of fear skittered up her spine.

'Portal just opened again, Derek. Very near you,' Lou commed.

'Got it, Lou. We're on it.'

When he looked at her then, his focus was back. She didn't know where he'd been a few seconds ago, but the man had been lost in the ozone somewhere. Weird.

'You ready?' he asked. 'These are the big, mean, ugly, smelly motherf.u.c.kers.'

She swallowed past a lump the size of Ohio that had lodged in her throat. 'Okay, I get your point. This is going to be bad.'

'Stay close to me and follow my lead. They can't out run you if you need to get away, but don't let them get too close, okay?'

She nodded, pulling her gun and resting her finger on the trigger. Another trial by fire. Another first.

She breathed in, then out, remembering to center herself, fighting for calm.

When Derek touched her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin, but held her voice. 'Dammit,' she whispered. 'Don't do that.'

'You can handle this, Gina.' His firm, steady voice was a lifeline in the darkness.

She nodded. 'I know.'

Just then the ground trembled under her feet as footsteps pounded.

Monsters. She tried to prepare herself for the visual, but her imagination worked overtime, scaring the h.e.l.l out of her. The thick branches ahead rustled with movement as the demons crashed through them, pus.h.i.+ng them out of the way with a loud snap.

'The UV laser works best,' he said. 'It stops them in their tracks.'

'Got it.' She already had the UV rifle locked and ready to fire.

She wasn't ready for their appearance when they crashed through the last thicket of branches.

Her worst nightmare come to life.

Thick-muscled, with gray, mottled skin. Hideous large heads, pointed devil-looking ears, and extra-large mouths with protruding fangs. No Hollywood-generated horror could compare to this. Their eyes glowed yellow in the dark!pairs of almond-shaped slits that exuded pure malice.

She started to shake, a cold chill entering her body, her feet frozen to the ground. She couldn't feel the tips of her fingers anymore. Was she even still holding the gun?

They were the monsters of every horrible dream. Hideous, dripping saliva everywhere, their long, clawlike fingers reaching out for her as they made their slow but deliberate approach, the thunderous sound made by feet that were three times the size of a large adult male's.

'No.'

The voice was hers. She took a step back and wanted to run.

'Don't let them scare you, baby,' Derek said, moving to stand beside her. 'I'm right here.'

The brush of his shoulder against hers shocked her into awareness of what she was doing. Her gaze shot to his, and she saw it in his eyes. The understanding, the acknowledgment.

He knew. Somehow, he knew how much they scared her. d.a.m.n, she didn't want to admit it, hated this weakness in herself, but she could swear she'd seen these things before. Maybe they were just the embodiment of an old nightmare.

'Gina, I won't let them hurt you. You're not alone.'

Oh, G.o.d. She needed to hear those words. He had no idea how much they comforted her, strengthened her. She looked to him, forcing the fear away.

She wasn't a child. She wasn't alone.

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