Gone (Gone #1)(89)

"Drake, take l-I-I and get the stuff," Caine said. "Diana, take Andrew's hand and lead him to the dining hall*

It was a sound that was almost quaint when the sun was shining. But now, in the dark, the yip-yip-howl sent shivers down their spines.

"It's just a coyote," Sam said. "Don't worry about him."

They could barely see where they were placing their feet, so they moved slowly, tentatively.

"Maybe we should have camped back in that gulch," Edilio said.

"As soon as we find a fairly flat place to lay out our sleeping bags, I'm all for stopping," Sam said.

Hours before, they had come to a deep, steep-sided gulch, impossible to bypass, and almost impossible to climb. Little Pete had gone into a complete meltdown while being hauled bodily up the far side of the gulch, and they had all been terrified he might do something,

"Hawaii" Quinn began saying, as Little Pete howled-

"Hawaii."

"Why you keep saying Hawaii, man?" Edilio had asked him.

"If he freaks and decides to take us on a Little Pete magical mystery tour, I want it to be Hawaii* not back to Astrid's house"

Edilio thought that over for a while. "Fm down with that. Hawaii, L. R, Hawaii."

But Little Pete had not choked anyone, had not teleported anyone or otherwise violated the original laws of physics.

The barrier was farther and farther off to their left, all but invisible in the light of the rising moon. Sam was still determined to follow it, but no longer with any real hope of finding a gate, just because it was the only way he knew to find his way home. Sooner or later the barrier would curve back around to Perdido Beach.

There was a startlingly loud yip, yip, yip.

"|eez, that was close," Edilio said.

Sam nodded. "That direction. Maybe we veer off a little, huh?"

"I thought coyotes were nothing" Edilio grumbled. "They are. Normally."

"Tell me youVe not thinking about coyotes growing wings" Edilio said.

"I think we're getting more sand and less rock" Astrid observed."Petey hasn't tripped in a while"

"I can't see well enough to be sure" Sam said. "But let's pull up in five minutes, either way. Everyone start looking for firewood as you go"

"If I can't see the ground how am I going to see firewood?" Quinn asked.

"Hey. Look" Sam pointed. "There's something over there. I think. Looks like ... I don't know,a building or something" "I can't see a thing," Quinn said.

"It's just darker than the regular darkness. I'm not seeing stars."

They veered toward it. There might be food or water or shelter.

Suddenly Sam's feet landed on a springy surface that reminded him of the soft pine needle flooring of the forest. He bent down and felt what could only be grass.

"Guys, hold up"

Sam was cautious about using the flashlights. They had a limited supply of batteries and an unlimited supply of darkness. "Quinn. Give us some light here"

There was no mistaking the green color, even in the harsh white light.

Cautiously Quinn played the light around and illuminated a cabin. Beside it was a windmill.

They approached cautiously, the five of them bunched up around the doorway as Quinn shore the light on a door handle, and Sam touched it, gripped it, and froze.

He heard the sound of running, scuffling steps in the darkness behind them.

"Gel inside, you idiots!" a voice, a girl's voice, screamed.

Quinn swiveled ihe light, a rush of motion, something pelting toward him.

Other things moving, like a sea of gray in the gloom.

The beam bounced from a bounding dog onto the terrified face of a ragged, filthy girl.

"Run! Kun!" she screamed.

Sam grabbed the door handle and twisted it. But before he could throw it open the girl plowed into Sam and bowled him over so that he sprawled onto the wooden floor and gathered a rug as he slid. A dog landed on his chest and bounced off.

Quinn shouted in pain and shock. He had lost the light. It was still shining across a planked floor and he scrambled after it. In the beam Sam saw Astrid's egs, Edilio falling.

There came a chorus of angry canine yipping and the girl who had run Sam down was fighting to stand up and a dog was barking and snarling and there were other snarls too as swift bodies came in a rush.

"The door! Get the door!" the girl screamed.

Something was on her, something quick and tiirious, snarling.

Sam lurched to his feet, grabbed the door, and tried to slam it closed, but a fiirry body was in the way. There was a canine protest, a snarl, and sudcen pain in his leg. An iron jaw closed around his knee, bonocrushingly strong.

Sam fell against the door anil it closed. He slipped and landed on his butt against the door and the animal, the wild, snarling thing, had its muzzle in his lace. Teelh snapped an inch from his eyes.

He shoved his hands outward and encountered rough iiir over writhing muscle.

There was a terrible, sharp pain in his shoulder, and he knew the beast's jaws had closed on his flesh, and now the animal was shaking him, tearing a: his flesh, ripping it, dig-ging deeper.

Sam cried out in fear and beat with nerveless lists against the beast. It was futile. The beast shitted its jaws with lightning speed from shoulder to Sam's neck. Blood sprayed down his chest.