smell of the spent casings, and the warm, meaty smell of the men below. Henry's blood. The blood that had made her.
The Hunger ripped aside all controls.
Time slowed as Henry stared from the red stain across the fingers of his right glove to the hole in his left arm. It didn't seem to hurt. I'm in shock, he thought. When he lifted his head, he saw a cold-eyed young man swing a submachine gun around until it pointed in his direction-each movement deliberate and distinct. Feeling as though he were moving under?water, Henry reached out, grabbed the muzzle, and smashed the weapon into the gunman's face.
As the body fell, the wound throbbed once, sending a ripple of pain racing through Henry's body, and time took up its normal pace again.
He felt, rather than heard, Vicki's scream of rage, and he didn't have strength enough to stop himself from responding.
Clutching his shoulder, Dyshino stared out from under the table in horror as another of his men hit the floor. This one was dead before impact.
Shots ricocheted off the metal rafters.
Head buzzing from the adrenaline, one of Eng's people leaned around a forklift and, grinning widely, sprayed bullets in the general direction of Dyshino's bodyguard. Some of the guys thought he was crazy, but he loved this kind of stuff-the noise, the chaos, the way death was so completely impersonal. It was like being inside a video game. What fun in quiet stalking and a single shot?
All at once his grin twisted into a grimace of pain as an unbreakable grip locked onto his shoulder and yanked him up into the cab of the machine.
He screamed.
His finger tightened on the trigger.
He sent Death on an impersonal visit to two of his companions.
Both sides realized they had a common enemy at about the same time. Unfortunately, by then it was too late.
The last sniper scrambled down off the racks, des?perately trying to outrun his own death. He slipped, managed to stop his fall, and hit the floor running. One step, two...
Vicki reached out a hand and grabbed the back of his head, slamming him to his knees and exposing his throat in one motion.
This was not the slaughter David Eng had planned. Crouched behind a roll of no-wax vinyl flooring, he grabbed his second's shoulder and waved his Ingram toward the distant doors. "Let's get the fuck out of here!"
The other man nodded, and they began to make their way down the corridor, back to back, each guard?ing the other's retreat. They were almost at the door when a pale face appeared out of the darkness.
"I don't think so," Henry snarled. His hand around the barrel of the Ingram, he pushed it toward the floor. When the magazine had emptied in a spray of concrete chips, he yanked it out of Eng's hands and hurled it away.
Howling with fear, the second started back the way they'd come and ran into Vicki's outstretched arm.
A few moments later, she dropped the body and wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her sweater. When she saw Henry watching her, Eng lying lifeless at his feet, she smiled, eyes glittering silver. "There're a few left."
He half turned toward the interior of the ware?house, then shook his head. "No. Not worth the risk."
"They've seen us... "
"They saw something, but not us. They don't want to see us when we Hunt; it reminds them of why chil?dren are afraid of the dark."
"Then what's the risk?" She stepped toward him, drawing in deep breaths of the rich, meaty, blood-scented air. Another step and her palm lay flat against his chest. "They can't stand against us." Leaning for?ward, she licked a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth. Not since the earliest days after the change when the world had been a kaleidoscope of new sensa?tions had she felt so alive.
He caught her tongue between his teeth, carefully so as not to break the skin.
Her arms went around him. His good hand tangled in her hair.
She moaned against his mouth and pushed David Eng's body out of their way with the side of her foot.
It was over very quickly.
The darkness began to lift from Henry's eyes as he held out a hand to help Vicki to her feet. "We'd better get out of here before someone reports the gunfire."
"But... "
He could see the deaths not dealt glittering in her eyes. "No." When she took a step back toward the light, he caught her arm. "Vicki. Listen to me. We