Page 56

“Gus.” He coughed and winced. “Fucking monster dragged me here. Attacked Kitt first. She has kids. I leaped in front of it, and it got me instead.”

“So you’re a hero,” I said.

He looked up at me. “Just a guy.” He grimaced again.

I knew that he had to be in agony.

North quickly gave him a shot with the pressure injector. “Hang in there, Gus. We’re going to get you out of here.”

A snarl echoed down the street.

I whipped around. Three heavy, muscular monsters prowled toward us on four legs. Their bodies were covered in armorplating, and each had a heavy tail, topped with a round ball of bone on the end, whipping around behind them.

Great. Just great.

“That’s…what dragged me here,” Gus said.

Dammit. It looked like they’d used Gus as bait.

“North…”

“Let’s take them down fast. Gus needs medical attention.” North rose, lifting his carbine. “Hold tight, Gus.”

“Light those abominations up,” Gus gritted out.

One of the creatures roared.

“They look like those bony dinosaurs that had a club-like tail,” I said.

“Ankylosaurus.”

“You were a dino geek?”

“Maybe. I thought dinosaurs were pretty cool when I was a kid.”

Then the three monsters rushed at us, gathering speed, powerful bodies moving fast.

Steeling myself, I aimed my carbine.

North and I opened fire.

CHAPTER TWELVE

North

These monsters were big, and, by the sound of their snarls, very aggressive. One’s gaze locked on me, burning hot. Oh, yes, it wanted to tear me to pieces and feed.

I stepped away from Gus. I didn’t want him trampled.

Two of the creatures ran at me, and the other one at Jess. I heard her carbine fire.

I ran, then dodged around an overturned car.

One of the monsters crashed into the vehicle, knocking it aside, metal screeching on the ground.

Shit. They hit like a bulldozer. I fired behind me, aiming for the red glow of its eyes. Its skin was too dense to pierce. The damn things were covered in armor plating.

The second creature barreled toward me. It jumped, then swung its tail at me.