Virals(96)

I flared.

I screamed inside my head.

Virals! Flare! Now!

The boys flinched at the impact of my message. I sensed their thoughts, faint, like voices floating across a lake.

I broadcast again with all the force of my will.

FLARE NOW!

Ben grabbed his head. Shelton stumbled to one knee. Hi gasped.

All three looked at me.

Eyes glowing.

Don't ask me how, but I'd forced them to flare.

Now we were a force. We could fight back.

Hannah's face swiveled our way. The gun followed.

She drew in her breath.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Her gaze darted among us. "All of you! What are you doing?"

Divert her!

Hi bolted down the nearest row of wine racks. Disappeared.

"Stop!"

Hannah charged forward and fired wildly down the aisle.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Glass exploded all around Hi. The smell of gunpowder filled the air.

Hi stumbled to the ground and lay still. A red stain mushroomed from beneath his belly.

Chance stood paralyzed.

"Hi!" Shelton screamed.

I grabbed the crowbar. It felt light as a feather. Like the lasso, I whipped it two-handed and, growling, launched it at Hannah.

Hannah screamed and dove sideways. The rod smashed into the rack behind her. Bottles shattered. The scent of wine joined that of sulfur and smoke.

Ben ran forward and shoulder-slammed Chance to the ground. Reaching the stairwell, he smashed one fist into the light switches. The room was plunged into darkness.

Rising to one knee, Hannah fired two slugs toward Ben.

Crack! Crack!

Sparks flew as the bullets ricocheted off stone.

Scatter!

I bolted left toward the rear of the cellar.

Crack! Crack!

Bullets whizzed by as Hannah fired blindly at my back.

I cut down an aisle. Then slammed on the brakes.

Think! Dead end.

Suddenly I heard thrashing and grunting. Shelton? Ben? I reversed course, determined to help whoever was in trouble.

Strangled voices cut through the gloom.

"Give me the gun!" Chance gasped. "I won't let you commit murder!"

"No!" Hannah panted. "Let go!"

Something hit the wall hard. I edged forward, hyper-senses on high alert.

Crack!

Hannah screamed.

Virals, back to the table! Chance needs help!

I crept to the double row of barrels. Lights kicked to life. I froze, prepared to take cover. But only the bulbs overhanging the table were burning. The rest of the cellar remained in shadow.

I heard sobbing.

I peeked over a barrel. A sideboard stood between the table and me. Twenty feet beyond, the staircase was dimly visible in the gloom.

Chance lay sprawled across the first riser, a stain slowly darkening his tee. Hannah crouched over him, crying hysterically.

Still holding the Sig Sauer.

Chance touched his side, then stared at his bloody fingers. His eyes rolled back, then his hand dropped and he lay motionless.

"No!" Hannah wailed.

I was stunned. Chance was shot, maybe dead. And Hannah still had the gun.

Virals! I need adistraction!

A second passed. Then Ben exploded from the aisle to my right and dashed across the open space.

Hannah's head came up. Her face was pale, her hair chaos.

"You did this!" she screamed, aiming the gun with both hands.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Ben dove between the racks on the far side. Hannah lurched after him.

As she hurried past an aisle, Shelton popped out behind her.

"Over here, bitch!" Shelton winged a bottle at Hannah's head.

Hannah dropped to her knees as the missile flew over her. Shattered with a crash. Shelton darted across the room with a wail, disappearing into the opposite racks.

Hannah regained her feet, fired twice.

Crack! Crack!

Two misses. Wine ran across the stone floor.

"You stupid little brats!" Hannah screamed in frustration. "I'll kill every one you!" She took two steps in Shelton's direction.

A shadow crossed her face. A big one.

Her eyes darted up.

Too late.

Hi launched from the top of the nearest rack like a pudgy zeppelin.

Hannah scrambled backward, eyes round as Frisbees.

Hi's shoulder clipped Hannah, but his momentum carried him into the wall.

The gun skittered across the floor.

Hi shook his head, woozy.

Hannah recovered first. Scooping up the Sig, she stood and faced Hi, her back to the table. And to me.

There was nowhere for Hi to run.

Hannah raised her weapon.

I vaulted the barrel, landed on the cabinet, then leapt to the table. Crouching, I groped inside the open cask. My fingers wrapped one of Heaton's long bones.

Hannah spun to face me. She was ten feet away.

Time slowed.

Two steps. I launched myself from the table's edge.

Hannah fired twice.

Crack! Crack!

I twisted in midair.

The bullets passed inches from my head.

I hit the ground, rolled, and popped to my feet directly in front of Hannah.

Startled, she raised the gun level with my face.

Squeezed the trigger.

Click.