“How do I release the brakes?”

  “There should be a short handle in front of the seat. Pull it back, turn it and push it forward.”

  I leaned forward in the seat and found the handle, quickly manipulating it the way Heckler suggested. A heavy clang sounded, and the truck shuddered, but the thing weighed twenty tons or more. It was way too heavy and had been sitting there in a few inches of packed dirt far too long to just start rolling.

  The demons grabbed the side of the machine and furiously pulled themselves upward. Druck and the others continued shooting, each round finding a head or a chest, hits-to-kills a straight up one-to-one. But it wasn’t enough. There were too many of the creatures, and even though our energy weapons had more firepower than conventional rifles, they still didn’t have enough shots to kill them all. As if on cue, the rattle of Druck’s machine gun atop the cab stopped.

  “I’m out!” he shouted.

  It was time to go.

  I grabbed the steering wheel, veins of my hands glowing more brightly as I pushed the truck. The dumper rocked forward and rolled back as I released the action, suddenly nervous about how much energy it would take and how much I had left.

  A demon reached the open side of the cab, mouth open wide in a threatening hiss. I didn't have any choice. I took a big chance with all those teeth in play and clapped my hand against its forehead, shoving it off the truck. A tooth grazed my glove, tearing through it and scraping the heel of my hand, but I dispensed with it before it could do any major damage.

  If we didn’t get out of here now, we were all going to die.

  I quickly pushed a second time, the truck rocking forward once again. I could almost feel the resistance of the dirt as I continued urging the dumper forward, desperate to break free.

  Another loud scream from outside pulled my attention to the garage door twenty feet in front of us. I nearly lost control of my sigiltech action as I watched the metal tear away from fifteen feet up, a huge claw sinking through the metal and ripping it to shreds.

  The door vanished, thrown aside by a much, much larger creature that didn’t look as though it was related to the others beyond the color of its leathery skin. Nearly twenty feet tall, it had much thicker, stronger limbs and a barrel chest, a huge, elongated head and those deadly claws. It could likely the unholy offspring of the queen from Aliens and a balrog.

  And it was pissed.

  Its beady black eyes lifted to my position in the front of the cab. Lowering itself, it screamed, baring long fangs and a forked tongue. I gave the truck a little more of a boost, pushing it hard enough to finally break out of the dirt and send it rolling toward the larger, more terrifying creature.

  With the muck cleared from the wheels, the dumper accelerated, lumbering toward the big demon faster than it might have if it were in first gear and under its own power. The creature hissed and dove to the side, crushing a few of its brethren as it rolled out of the way. We were past it before it could recover, flying out through the door it had conveniently removed for us. I turned the wheel slightly as we reached the threshold, scraping the side of the dumper along the wall, removing our unwanted passengers in the process.

  We burst into the open, going almost too fast as I followed the driveway toward the road. I tried hitting the brakes, but without internal combustion driving the hydraulic pump, no fluid flowed through the tubes to the hydraulic motor. The result? No brakes. No power steering. The truck was so heavy it would no doubt stop in a hurry once I stopped pushing, but the last thing I wanted was for the demons, especially the big one, to catch us.

  I had to use enhance just to be able to turn the wheel, rolling it hard to the left as I reduced the force of my push, allowing the dumper to slow as we neared the road. Still going too fast, the truck jostled in every direction as the front wheels hit the rough, pitted asphalt. We made a wide turn that brought the huge truck halfway up the embankment on the other side, churning up grass and dirt. I got us headed in the right direction, pushing hard again and gaining speed.

  “Cap, a little faster!” Kat shouted from somewhere behind me. “They’re still chasing us, and that big one is fast!”

  I glanced at my veins, so dim the light barely escaped through my skin. I didn’t have much left in the tank. I wasn’t confident I even had enough to get us to the ruins. And then what? Why wouldn’t those things just give up for a minute and leave us the hell alone?

  It was risky as anything, but I added to my push, giving the dumper a little more speed. It was too bad we were going uphill instead of down. I wouldn’t have needed to use sigiltech to get us there at all. As it was, the hill became more steep near the top.

  “Are we gaining?” I shouted back. I was sure the truck had a rearview camera; there was no visibility from the cab without one.

  “Not really,” Kat replied.

  I shook my head, nearly losing my focus. We weren’t going to make it. I didn’t have enough energy left to go any faster. Maybe if I had been smarter with my use and conserved my energy better, but I hadn’t. Keep might not have the power I did, but he had more experience, more knowledge. If he had come instead of me, we wouldn’t be in this situation. He would still have something left to give.

  Damn it!

  The starlit silhouette of the city and the road directly in front of us broke apart suddenly, a new shape rising directly in our path. It took me a few seconds to identify the outline of the shifting landscape, and when I did my heart sank to an all-time low.

  A second large demon had moved onto the road, a second mass of smaller creatures falling in behind it.

  We were screwed.

  I would have sped the dump truck up if I could have, but I had next to nothing left. Any more effort and I wouldn’t even have enough chaos energy remaining to power restore. There was nothing I could do. No escape. Our best chance would be to stop here and stand our ground, and hope that maybe we could kill all of them before they killed us.

  Fat chance, but we had to try.

  I stopped pushing, letting the truck roll to a stop and quickly resetting the parking brake. The plan had been sound, the idea good, the luck as bad as it had ever been for me.

  “Ben, what the hell are you doing?” Druck roared as I climbed out of the cab and scrambled to their positions at the front of the bed. “They’re going to catch up to us. They’re—” He cut off his complaining when I stuck my arm out through the open side of the truck and pointed to the demons charging us from the front. “Oh. Shit.”

  “You can say that again,” Heckler agreed. “I should have stayed in the warehouse kitchen.”

  “So you did know where the kitchen was,” Druck snarled, whirling on him.

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So if you had fed Ben, we wouldn’t be in this predicament right now!”

  “If you hadn’t turned it into a fat joke, maybe I would have realized you were serious.”

  “Boys,” Emerald said. “In case you forgot, there are a lot of monsters bearing down on us.”

  “And nothing we can do to stop them,” Kat said, coming down to stand on the steps beside me. “It was an honor serving with you, Captain.” Hanging on with one hand, he clapped me on the shoulder with the other.

  “What?” Druck said. “We aren’t dead yet. There has to be something you can do, Boss.”

  “I’ll try,” I replied. “But this may be it. I’m almost out of juice. If this is the end, it was an honor for me too, Kat. Same to you Druck. And Ixy. And a pleasure to meet you Emerald. I’m sorry we weren’t able to get out of here and clear your name.”

  “Clear my name?” she said, surprised.

  “Of course. What else would we do?”

  “I figured you would leave me behind once you had what you wanted.”

  “I don’t leave anyone behind.”

  She smiled, tears running down her cheeks. “That’s so sweet. Maybe I won’t kill you after all.”

  “I think they’re going to beat you to it,” Druck said, motioning to the demons from the warehouse.

  The big one climbed up the back of the truck, rising to full height as it clung to the edge of the bed, looming over us in all its horrible glory. Its eyes fixed on us, it spread its claws and opened its gigantic maw to scream. Enhance was the least resource-intense sigil I could use offensively. When the creature got close, I would try to pummel it to death.

  But when the big one coming toward the truck bellowed, it wasn’t directed at us. It drew the other one's attention, but before I could be sure what was happening, the demon leaped, its jump carrying it over our heads. It screamed, landing on its counterpart, its claws raking the other’s chest. The first one hissed and struck back, the pair tumbling to the ground together, locked in combat.

  “What the hell?” Heckler said softly.

  The two groups of smaller demons rushed toward each other, passing the truck without slowing. Hissing and screaming, claws flashing, teeth snapping, they collided violently, ripping and tearing into one another with reckless abandon.

  All of them forgetting we were even there.

  “I think that’s our signal to get the hell out of here,” Druck said.

  “Agreed,” I replied. “Stick close. Ixy, take point.”

  We climbed slowly and cautiously down the side of the truck that was away from the fighting. We reached the ground without incident. A few stragglers ran alongside us, but their eyes never touched us. Their heads never turned our way. They ran right past before leaping into the larger fray.

  “This is nuts,” Heckler said.

  “Who cares, it’s saving our asses,” Kat replied.

  We slowly scaled the embankment and followed the slope down into a small gully on the other side of the road. I wanted more than anything to fall into the grass and take a breather, but we all knew that while it was safe for the moment, it might not be for long.

  “Bensss,” Ixitat said, sidling up next to me and crouching low. “Ridesss.”

  I looked at her, our eyes meeting. “Aren’t you tired?” I asked.

  “Ridesss,” she insisted.

  I smiled and reached out to pet one of her chelicerae. “Thank you,” I said, climbing awkwardly onto her back. Her hairs were a little prickly, but I was too tired to care. I wrapped my arms around the base of her head and held on as she rose back to her regular height.

  “Can I get the next ride?” Emerald asked. “I always wanted a pony, but I’ll settle for a giant alien spider.”

  Ixitat clacked in laughter. “Yesss.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yesss,” she confirmed.

  “All right!” Emerald whispered excitedly.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here!” I shouted.

  CHAPTER 19

  We didn’t continue directly to the abandoned city. While the battle between the two groups of creatures occurred a few miles away from the ruins, I didn’t trust that the winner wouldn’t resume their march on the old settlement and put us right back on the defensive. If I still had some chaos energy left, I would have accepted the risk. As it was, I needed to remain on Ixitat’s back in order to move, my body too tired for me to walk on my own.

  And of course, I was beyond hungry. My stomach burned painfully, muscles beginning to cramp in response to my desperate need for sustenance. When I voiced as much to the rest of the group, Ixitat took the lead, following the stream at the bottom of the gully as it turned away from the city. She moved at a breakneck pace, forcing the others to jog to keep up. Kat and Emerald didn’t seem to have a problem with running to remain close behind Ixy as she scurried over the landscape. Druck and Heckler weren’t as well conditioned, falling further behind but not completely out of sight.

  I remained alert as we traveled, keeping a lookout for more of the creatures or Kill Spree contestants, dead or alive. We came across a few dead killers when we reached the banks of a larger river in the midst of another copse of trees. Two of them were face down, shot in the back. My body tensed, heart in my throat as Ixitat rolled them over. Sharp sighs of relief followed when I didn’t recognize either one.

  We stopped to wait out the night near where we found the bodies, setting up a meager camp a short distance from the river. It pained me not to be able to continue on to the city. To leave Matt and the others fending for themselves for hours. But there was little I could do to help them when I was like this. Right now, I was a liability instead of an advantage.

  “Ressst,” Ixitat said to me as I slid off her back, immediately lowering myself to sit against the trunk of a tree. “Feedsss.” She scurried off again, vanishing into the trees where I was sure she would set up a web, probably hoping to catch something I could eat.

  “Captain, how are you feeling?” Kat asked, he and Emerald slowing from their run and coming over to me.

  “I just need a few hours and some food,” I said, the dangers of getting too weak swirling in the back of my mind. Had I gone too far? Used too much? “And then I’ll be okay.”

  “I’m going to scout the area, make sure we’re alone,” Kat said. “I’ll ping you if I come across anything I can’t handle.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Let’s hope we’re done with those creatures for the night,” he added. “I’ve only got about twenty shots left. If Ki hadn’t given me that extra cell, I would have been out back at the warehouse.” He looked at Emerald. “Can I trust you not to cut his throat as soon as I turn my back?”

  “If I wanted to cut his throat, I would have the moment the xixitl put him down,” she replied. “And yours with it.” She smiled demurely, glancing at me with soft eyes. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” She looked up at the lowest hanging branch of the trees. “Give me a boost before you go?” she asked Kat.

  “Why?” he questioned.

  “See that branch up there?” she pointed to it. “I want it.”

  “For what?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “Do it,” I ordered Kat.

  He shrugged and put his rifle down on the grass, cupping his hands. Emerald put her foot into the locked hands and he lifted, tossing her high enough for her to grab onto the thickest branch. She easily pulled herself up and balanced on the limb as she used her knife to slice away the branch in question, letting it fall to the ground before acrobatically swinging back down.

  When Druck and Heckler finally reached us, Druck fell to the ground next to me, joining me against the tree and puffing like he was in the middle of a heart attack. Heckler dropped nearby, breathing just as heavily.

  “Boss,” Druck said in between gulps of air. “I can’t believe…we’re still alive. Thanks for…the rescue.”

  “This isn’t exactly how I planned it,” I replied. “I thought I would have found Matt by now.”

  Emerald picked up her branch and sat down on my other side, her shoulder pressed against me. She stuck her face in mine, a wild smile on it. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” I replied, a little off-guard from her invasion of my personal space.

  She giggled and settled back, using her knife to cut the smaller twigs and leaves from her branch while humming a Gia tune.

  “Heckler, why don’t you help me scout the area?” Kat asked, standing over the other contestant.

  “Because I can barely move,” he replied, remaining on the ground. “I haven’t run that much in years.”

  “I thought you were on Melchior?” I said.

  “Him?” Emerald laughed. “Not a chance. He’s much too soft. I was on Melchior. I should know.”

  “Is it as bad as I’ve heard?” I asked.

  “Worse,” she replied.

  “You don’t know what I’ve heard.”

  “Whatever it is you heard, it’s worse,” she repeated.

  I shivered at the thought, suddenly thankful Sedaya had decided Kill Spree would be a better punishment for my friends.

  “Where were they keeping you locked up?” Druck asked. “Not Persephon.”

  “Manari,” Heckler answered.

  “What? Planet Puffball? No wonder you’re in such lousy shape.”

  “You’re huffing and puffing too,” Emerald pointed out.

  “How did you murder thirty people and wind up there?” Druck continued, ignoring her.

  “I have connections. They got me transferred from Melchior before I made orbit.” He shrugged. “It’s all about who you know.”

  “And they couldn’t keep you off Kill Spree?”

  “They died recently.”

  “You aren’t talking about the nobles that were killed a few weeks back, are you?” I asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “Your connection was a head of state?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Lucky you.”

  “You call this lucky?”

  “You might be interested to know that Sedaya is responsible for the assassinations. He’s planning to install more pro-him nobles to the open positions.”

  “How would he do that? The Empress picks the successors in cases where there’s no immediate offspring.”

  “The Empress is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” I said. “Sedaya’s wolf. The real Empress has been dead for weeks to months, replaced by a shape changing alien named Blorb.”

  “Blorb?” Heckler laughed. He paused a moment later. “Wait. You’re serious.”

  “Very,” I replied.

  “That can’t be good. For anyone.”

  “We’re pretty sure it isn’t,” Druck agreed. “We’ve been trying to stop him. Trying and failing, I hate to say.”

  “We’re still alive,” I said. “We haven’t failed yet.”

  “Let’s make sure we stay alive,” Kat said. “Druck, since Heck’s too tired, maybe you can help me scout the area?”

  “Sure,” Druck said despite his labored breathing. He stood up again. “I just need some firepower.”

  “Here,” Emerald said, tossing him my blaster.

  “Is that a peace offering?” Druck asked.

  “For now,” she replied, smirking menacingly at him before breaking back into more childish laughter and returning her attention to her stick. She was shaving the end into a point, making a spear.