The kid’s questing finger was searching for the trigger as he sang,

“Now the lady’s falling down . . .”

Talina threw herself sideways in one last panicked . . .

The kid’s entire body spasmed, jerked, the rifle spitting fire and ear-splitting pain. Muzzle blast patted Talina’s face. But she didn’t feel the impact of a bullet. How could the kid have missed?

The way Talina saw it, the kid—expression stunned—folded up under the rifle’s recoil and slammed to the floor as if he’d been hammered. Or had he? Talina would have sworn there were two shots, sounding an instant apart. Looking closer, to her amazement, she could see the hole blown in the kid’s right side, bits of lung, blood, and ribs blasted through the delicate green skin.

Ears ringing, Talina staggered forward. Stepped over where Kalico was crouched, trembling, her hands over her ears, to stumble out into the hallway.

Her own ears wouldn’t stop ringing. She shook her head. Damn it!

The kid was on his side, mouth working; swellings on the side of his throat seemed to convulse, blood pumping from slits above each collar bone. What was that all about? His eyes were indeed oversized, large, dark, and staring in disbelief. When he coughed, blood shot out of both sides of the bullet wound in his chest and began to bubble up past his lips.

The heavy rifle had fallen across his way-too-muscular thigh; instinctively, Talina kicked it away.

From training, she pivoted, taking in the corpses. Kevina Schwantz, bloody and limp with a split skull. Two more green children, naked. Girls this time, all with bullet holes blasted through their bodies. A blood stain smeared the floor where the door gaped open to the stairs down to the lower level. Catching movement from the corner of her eye, Talina whirled, rifle at her shoulder.

Her sights settled on a woman in the middle of the hallway. Middle-aged, white, with short hair. She approached, a rifle held at half-ready. Talina vaguely remembered her: Vik Lawrence.

“Drop it!” Talina cried, wishing her damn ears would stop squealing.

Vik Lawrence said something inaudible through Talina’s tortured hearing.

Tal started forward, combat-ready. And yes, she damned well could drop Dr. Lawrence before the woman could raise and trigger the rifle.

“Put it down! Now! That’s an order!” Tal barked, and the panicked woman, swallowing hard, seemed to finally comprehend. Carefully, she set the rifle on the sialon floor.

Lawrence spread her arms wide in surrender. Saying something.

“I can’t hear,” Talina shouted, pointing at her ear. “Muzzle blast.”

Lawrence cupped her hands, shouted back. “We have to get out of here. Now! Before the slime kills us all!”

Glancing back, she saw Dek and Kalico, warily inspecting the bodies in the hall.

“No argument from me. This place is creep-freaked,” Talina agreed.

94