was no doubt he was one of the good guys, even if he was wearing camo fatigues instead of a policeman’s uniform. They were definitely on the same side here, and she could use an ally with knowledge of the enemy if she was really going to face those creatures again.
“I parked right along here. Maybe three yards forward from where you just parked the Humvee.”
He dutifully walked three yards forward. “So your driver’s-side door was about here, right?” He walked to the spot and she shadowed his movements. “Making this your approach angle.” He pointed, using his arm to indicate the line he thought she had walked along. “Get in front of me and show me your path as closely as you can remember. Go slow and stop at the entrance. We’ll go in together.”
She was impressed by his all-business attitude. The laconic teasing had ceased the moment they got to work. She liked that. His charm was nice, but his sharp-eyed intellect was even more attractive.
Dangerous ground, she chastised herself again. They were here to solve a problem. That’s all. Of course, it couldn’t hurt to admit—in the privacy of her own mind—that she found him dangerously attractive. The more she saw of him, the more she liked the sexy Southern boy.
She did as he asked, walking slowly along the path she’d taken the week before. He paused a few times to study the ground but didn’t say much. She wondered what he could possibly be learning from the broken concrete and dirt, but didn’t ask him. He looked too pensive to interrupt, and they hadn’t even really gotten started yet. The fun part would be inside.
She shuddered, not enjoying the anticipation of reliving those horrific moments when she thought she’d die in that abandoned building, at the mercy of two nightmare creatures. Her life hadn’t exactly flashed before her eyes, but she’d had a revelation or two in those panicked moments. She didn’t want to die. Not like that. Not so young, without having ever done anything really worthwhile with her life. Sure, she was a respected police officer, but other than her work, her life was empty.
She wanted to change that. She wasn’t really sure how she’d go about it, but she was determined to do something different in the future. As soon as this nightmare was over. She’d see these creatures finished first. It was a vow she’d made to herself last night as memories of those terrifying moments returned.
Sarah stopped at the door to the building. It still hung askew, the rusted steel no barrier to the gloomy interior. She peered inside cautiously, reaching for the flashlight on her utility belt. Xavier had given her a small, high-powered one to replace the big one she’d lost when she’d been attacked. He’d also given her a nice holster for the dart pistol, which she’d put on gratefully. It felt good to be armed again. Especially now that she knew what was really out there, lurking in the dark.
A bright light shone over her shoulder before she could even get her own flashlight free of its holster. She looked upward, unsurprised to see the high-beam light in Xavier’s big hand. He moved beside her, shouldering her aside with polite movements.
“I’ll go first for now. I checked this place out already and believe they’ve moved on, but I don’t like to take chances.”
Sarah wasn’t about to argue. If there was the slightest chance of coming face-to-face with one of those creatures again, she’d rather approach it on her own terms, not be surprised by it in the dark. Not like she had been when they had almost killed her.
She still had the pain in her thigh to remind her of what kind of damage they could do, even if the contaminant in their bite wouldn’t kill her outright. The more disgusting of the two creatures had taken a chunk out of her thigh. Her body was growing new muscle and skin to replace what had been removed, but the area was still tight and painful even though it was healing at record pace. She was good to go with only a thick bandage. She’d have to change the dressing later, but for now, it didn’t slow her down physically. No, it only made her pause mentally to evaluate the threat level, but caution was a good thing.
“It’s clear.” Xavier turned back to her. “Now, show me the path you took. What did you see, hear, smell, et