I pulled hard, dragging Tasha in front of me. The girl’s eyes locked with mine as I pushed her toward her sister.
“Run!”
Without waiting to see if she’d listen, I turned and faced the oncoming infected. The first one crashed into me. I brought my arm up, wedging it against the infected’s throat as we fell backward. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. I struggled against the stars dancing in my vision and the infected’s weight but kept my elbow locked and my hand braced against its shoulder.
A rancid smell clogged my nose as the thing pulled back what was left of its lips to snap its teeth at me. My arm quivered. I hadn’t thought this through. By the time Merdon got me to this position on the ground, if I had my arm up, I’d won. If not, he flipped me and either spanked or bit me. There’d never been a next step to get out of this position.
The decaying woman moaned loudly again and grabbed for my hand on her shoulder. Her inhuman strength pried my fingers from her tattered shirt. My forearm started to slip despite my effort. Her teeth snapped again.
Closer.
My pulse stuttered, and a rage-filled scream erupted from me.
I didn’t want to die, not like this.
A bolt suddenly appeared in the middle of the woman’s forehead, and she went slack. Her weight left me abruptly, and an extremely pissed Merdon stared down at me.
“Get up.”
I scrambled to my feet and looked around, ready to run again. I didn’t need to, though. The other infected all had arrows protruding from their heads as well. I looked back at the truck where Brenna stood, ready with another bolt, and my tears started to fall.
Thallirin had already tossed Tasha up by her sister. They were both safe.
A tight grip on my upper arms pulled my attention back to Merdon.
I’d never seen him so angry or so bloody before.
“Why did you leave?” he demanded.
“Are you kidding me? A hellhound came out of the grain, followed by all these infected. They chased us while Uan—”
The hellhound burst out of the barn door’s entrance and into the daylight. Snarling and slavering, it stopped, two broken spears protruding from its middle, not that it seemed to notice them. Or the sunlight. Smoke rose in slow spirals from its holey, blackened hide.
The hell beast didn’t run away. It growled, its red eyes locked on me.
Merdon stepped between us and tensed.
An infected moan echoed in the yard.
The hellhound twitched then looked away from us toward the trees beyond the house. With a last snarl in our direction, it bolted. More than a dozen infected poured from the trees to follow it. One infected, wearing the remains of a tattered blue jacket, stood watching us for a moment before running after the hellhound.
“Tell me that’s not normal,” I said.
“It’s not,” Merdon said as he straightened and looked back at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not bitten if that’s what you’re asking. But I’ll be having new nightmares for a while, I think. Where’s Uan?”
Several fey ran inside, and I looked up at Merdon as I realized what had just happened. I’d saved Tasha. She’d been struggling to keep up, and I’d done what I’d wished I’d done every waking moment since I released my sister’s hand. I’d held on. I’d pushed her in front of me and stayed to face the infected.
“I didn’t leave her behind,” I said hoarsely. “Not this time. I couldn’t do it again.”
I’d been willing to sacrifice myself. My elation that I hadn’t repeated my past mistakes slowly faded as other thoughts crept in. I’d been willing to die for her. No hesitation. Was I not better? Did I still want to die? My arms and legs started to shake, and tears flooded my eyes.
Merdon looked at me hard, then strode to the side of the milk shed. The crazy man turned on the hose and proceeded to spray himself while I stood there doubting my sanity.
Before Merdon finished cleaning himself off, a group of fey emerged from around the barn. One carried an unconscious man. The others carried supplies.
A woman trailed in their midst, walking beside Ryan. Black, straight hair cascaded down her back from under her bright red hat. The fey were completely captivated by her and couldn’t stop casting glances her way.
“Did someone yell hellhound?” Ryan asked.
“Yes. And not enough fey came running,” I said. “If not for Brenna, I’d be dead.”