an opening set about five feet off the ground, a hole eight feet wide and at least ten feet high...... and there was another scream to his right, he couldn't see the camouflaged Hunter but bam-bam, Leon or Cole shot at it, the shriek going frantic with rage. John raised the M-16 and took out another streetlight, ten seconds and we're there...... and a panel of deep blue wall started to slide down over the opening, slow but steady. In seconds, there'd be no escape. Reston stabbed frantically at the kennel lock, the gate creeping down on its tracks like a goddamn snail, his hands clammy with sweat, his drunken mind reeling with disbelief.
No no no no...
He'd closed Two and Three but there'd been a Hunter still inside before, he'd left it open, forgot- ten and now the animal was gone and the three men were about to get away. To get away from him, from the deaths assigned to them.
Faster!
John was shooting a look back, screaming, Red right behind, Cole almost at his side -
- and there was a Hunter less than twenty feet behind them, gaining ground, its massive body flick- ering between tan and asphalt, its claws scraping gouges in the street.
Kill them, do it, jump, kill!
John made it to the opening, hands hitting the bottom, vaulting him through in a graceful blur. One hand shot out and Red was there, grabbing it, being jerked inside in an instant -
- and there was Cole, and he was going to make it through, too, the gate wouldn't close in time and there were hands reaching out to him -
- and then the Hunter behind him swept its arms down, its talons ripping into Cole's back, through the shirt and skin, through muscle, perhaps through bone. The others swept Cole inside as the gate settled closed. Cole didn't scream as they set him down, though he must have been in agony. They placed him on his stomach as gently as they could, Leon feeling sick with sorrow when he saw the shredded mess that had been Cole's back.
Dying, he's dying.
In seconds, he lay in a pool of his own blood. Through the tatters of his wet, crimson shirt, Leon could see the ripped flesh, the torn muscle fibers and the slick shine of bone beneath. The crushed bone. The damage had been done in two long, ragged tears, each starting above the shoulder blades and ending at his lower back. Mortal wounds. Cole was breathing in low, shallow gasps, his eyes closed, his hands trembling. Unconscious. Leon looked at John, saw the stricken expression, looked away; there was nothing they could do for him. They were in a giant mesh cage that stank of wild animal at the end of a long cement hall, one that apparently ran the length of the four testing areas. It was dark, only a few lights on, revealing the kennel in shadows; the cages were separated by partition walls with huge windows, and Leon could just see the one next to them, the Spitters' home. It was covered in thick, clear plastic, the floor littered with bones. The Hunters' cage was empty, at least thirty feet wide and twice as long, a couple of low troughs at the mesh walls. It was a cold and lonely place to die, but at least he was out, he wasn't feeling any... "Turn... me, over," Cole whispered. His eyes were open, his lips quivering. "Hey, lie easy," John said gently. "You're gonna be fine, Henry, just stay where you are, don't move, okay?" "Bull, shit," Cole said. "Roll me over, I'm, dying..."
John locked gazes with Leon, who nodded reluc-tantly. He didn't want to cause Cole any more pain, but he didn't want to refuse him; he was dying, they should give him anything they could.
Carefully, slowly, John lifted Cole and turned him. Cole moaned when his back touched the floor, his eyes wide and rolling, but seemed to feel some relief after a moment. Maybe the cold... or maybe he was past the point of pain, going numb. "Thanks," he whispered, a blood bubble popping on his pale lips. "Henry, try to rest now," Leon said softly, wanting to cry. The man had tried so hard to be brave, to keep up with them... "Fossil," Cole said, his gaze fixing on Leon's. "In, tube. Guys said... if it got, out, it'd... destroy every. Thing. In the... lab room. West. Understand?"Leon nodded, understanding perfectly. "An Um-brella creature