Destiny Gift (The Everlast Trilogy) - By Juliana Haygert Page 0,70
The front desk, two guns under a table, a back door, a covered alley.
“We find another way out.”
In four steps, I reached the front desk. I jumped over it and, from inside, opened the side “employees only” door for Victor and Micah.
A hotel employee ducked and tried to hide.
“Shut the door,” Victor ordered. The employee nodded and pressed a button that canceled the automatic opening of the front door. I doubted the barrier would hold the demons for long, but the closure had gained us a few precious seconds.
From under the table, I took the guns and passed them to the guys. Micah didn’t hesitate, while Victor took one with wide eyes.
Scratching sounds came from the main door.
“How can we get out of here?” Victor asked.
“Here,” I said, opening a door that led farther in. I turned to the employee cowling in the corner. “Where does the alley in the back lead to?”
“A-a department store. Then, a residential building.” His voice cracked.
As we closed the door behind us and ran down a long corridor, a strident bell warned us that the front door had been breached. The demons were now inside the hotel, hunting.
Micah opened a door labeled “Exit” and stuck out his head.
“Not that one,” I said.
He quickly closed the door again. Something bumped into it—hard. I winced.
We continued down the hall until we found another exit. Confident but holding my breath, I opened the door and stepped into a narrow, dark alley. It had a low zinc roof to protect passersby from rain, but in this case, the roof protected us from being devoured.
“What was that?” Micah asked as we ran down the slippery alley. “You knowing what to do?”
“Visions.”
“Really?” He showed me a half-smile. “Interesting.”
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure “interesting” was the right word.
Soon the hotel was behind us and the wall of the alley gave way to a steel fence.
“This must be the residential building,” Victor said, spying through the fence. I only saw a garage filled with cars. “Any more tips from here?”
“Not yet,” I muttered.
A loud bump sounded on the zinc roof. We ducked and the guys pointed their guns skyward.
“Let’s go,” Micah whispered.
Victor and Micah grabbed me and shoved me over the fence, while the sound of demons and bats pounding against the zinc roof grew closer.
Victor was the last to cross the steel fence. He climbed over just in time to escape a claw swiping through the roof.
Micah dashed to the cars. He tried opening doors, but had no luck.
Again, images filled my mind. A blue Range Rover, a guy walking out the back door of the building, keys in hand.
I gulped, not happy with what we had to do. “Come on,” I called to the guys. After a few steps toward the building, I gestured to the SUV parked a couple of spots ahead. “That car”—I pointed to the door as it was opening—“and the key is with him.”
The guy stepped out of the building and froze upon seeing us.
“Sorry, pal,” Micah said, charging him. They struggled, but Micah was stronger. He took the keys from the guy’s hand and shoved him back inside. “Stay there if you want to live.”
With the keys in hand, we ran to the SUV.
Victor grabbed my arm and shoved me in the backseat, then sat shotgun while Micah took the wheel. Behind us, more bats broke through the roof and entered the garage. From the opposite side, a guard approached, holding up his flashlight and gun.
Micah smiled and turned on the SUV. From one side, claws and teeth came at us, and from the other, a man with a gun pointed at our heads, and Micah was … smiling?
“Hold on,” he shouted, stepping on the gas.
The SUV jerked. I fumbled around and put on the seatbelt. Victor had found the garage door’s remote and held it ready, even though we didn’t know where the exit was yet. Guessing the way, Micah drove toward the guard, who crouched and held the gun in both hands. “Stay low.” The guard shot at the car, bullets smacking the metal with an eerie, dull thud, loud and echoing.
Another great noise behind us meant the bats had broken down the fence.
“Anyone hit?” Micah asked. Unable to utter a word, I shook my head.
Instantly, Victor whipped his head back and looked at me with wide, concerned eyes. His gaze ran the length of my body and relief flooded his features once he saw I was okay.