The snakes pursued. Real or not, they were coming after her. She gripped the flashlight tightly and tried to run faster.
Michael! Frantically, she reached for the connection between them. There was no answer, just a sense of absence. Could he hear her when he was little more than a shadow?
It was just one more thing she didn't know. Heart pounding as fast as her feet, she listened to the sounds of pursuit above the noise of her own panicked flight. She was tempted to use her psychic abilities, but knew this might be what Jasper wanted. He'd snare her the minute she tried. Damn it, she wasn't helpless without her abilities. She had her knives. She could use them to defend herself. Why play Jasper's games any more than she had to? She stopped and swung around. The water was still, silent. The snakes, if they'd ever been real, were gone. Almost with you, Nikki.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her churning stomach. It had been nothing more than a game. Once she'd stood her ground, Jasper had backed away. Maybe Michael was right. Maybe Jasper did fear her abilities.
The thought did little to ease the sick tension in her stomach. She turned and shined the light across the waters ahead. Ripples of movement stirred the surface, but she couldn't see Michael. Only when he was near her did he shake himself free of the shadows.
"Are you all right?"
He brushed his knuckles lightly against her cheek. She wished he'd just take her in his arms and hold her until the chill and the fear left her. But they had no time—Jake was dying. They had to get to him quickly.
"Yeah, sure.” She ran a hand through her damp hair. What would he think if he realized she'd been running from nonexistent snakes? “This place is just starting to get to me. What about the zombies?"
"They've disappeared."
She raised an eyebrow. “How can zombies just disappear?"
He shrugged, his gaze on the darkness ahead. “I don't know. As soon as I neared them, I lost all scent of them."
She studied the darkness uneasily. If Jasper could fool Michael's keen senses, they might be in big trouble.
"Come on.” He ran his hand down her arm and clasped her fingers gently. “There's nothing we can do but move forward."
The warmth of his touch made her feel more secure as they walked on. But after a few minutes, they stopped again.
"Fork in the tunnels. Which way, Nikki?"