as they're alive people will be in danger."
"He's right," Stevie Rae said. "And how will killing you and the rest of them solve this? Won't more of you happen?" I made my mind up and closed the space between Stevie Rae and me. She looked like she wanted to take off, but my words stopped her. "How did this happen? What made you like this?" Her face contorted with anguish. "I don't know how. I only know who."
"Then who did this?" She opened her mouth to answer me and then, with a move ment so fast her body blurred, she was suddenly cowering against the side of the tunnel. "She's coming!"
"What? Who?" I crouched beside her. "Get out of here! Fast. There's probably still time for you to get away." Then Stevie Rae reached out and took my hand in hers. Her flesh was cold, but her grip was strong. "She'll kill you if she sees you--you and him. You know too much. She may kill you anyway, but it'll be harder for her to do if you get back to the House of Night."
"Who are you talking about, Stevie Rae?"
"Neferet." The name blasted through me and even as I shook my head in denial I felt the truth of it deep within me. "Neferet did this to you, to all of you?"
"Yes. Now get out of here, Zoey!"
I could feel her terror and I knew she was right. If Heath and I didn't leave, we would die. "I'm not giving up on you, Stevie Rae. Use your element. You still have a connection with the earth, I can feel it. So use your el ement to stay strong. I'll come back for you, and somehow we'll figure this out--we'll make this okay. I promise." Then I hugged her hard, and after only a little hesitation, she hugged me back. "Let's go, Heath." I grabbed his hand so I could guide him quickly down the darkness of the tunnel. The light in my palm had gone out when I'd called earth to me, and no way was I going to take a chance on relighting it. It might guide her to us. As we ran down the tunnel I heard Stevie Rae's whispered "Please don't forget me ..." follow us. Heath and I ran. The surge of energy his blood had given me didn't last long, and by the time we came to the metal ladder that led up to the grate in the basement, I wanted to collapse and sleep for days. Heath was all for rushing up the ladder and into the basement, but I made him wait. Breathing heavily, I leaned against the side of the tunnel and fished my cell phone out of my pants pocket, along with Detective Marx's card. I flipped open the phone and I swear my heart didn't beat until the bars started to light up green. "Can ya hear me now?" Heath said, grinning at me. "Sssh!" I told him, but smiled back. Then I punched in the de tective's number. "This is Marx," the deep voice answered on the second ring. "Detective Marx, this is Zoey Redbird. I only have a second to talk, then I have to go. I've found Heath Luck. We're in the base ment of the Tulsa Depot, and we need help."
"Hang tight. I'll be right there!" A noise from above made me cut off the connection and switch the phone off. I pressed my finger to my lips when Heath started to speak. Heath put his arm around me, and we tried not to breathe. Then I heard the coo-coo of a pigeon and the flutter ing of wings. "I think it's just a bird," Heath whispered. "I'm going to go look." I was too tired to argue with him, plus Marx was on his way and I was sick of the damp, nasty tunnel. "Be careful," I whis pered back. Heath nodded and squeezed my shoulder, then climbed up the ladder. Slowly and carefully he lifted the metal grate, sticking his head up and peering around. Pretty soon he reached down and motioned for me to climb up and take his hand. "It's just a pi geon. Come on." Wearily, I climbed to him and let him pull me up into the basement. We sat in the corner by the grate for several long min utes, listening intently. Finally, I whispered, "Let's go outside and wait for Marx there." Heath had already started to