Priya groaned and staggered to her feet. She swung her rifle against her shoulder and took a shot at the alien, but it vanished around the corner. “Quick,” she managed. Matt moved to help her, but she brushed him off, swaying a bit as she steadied herself against the wall. “Into the holding cells! The door might slow them down.”

That I could help with. The cells wouldn’t block the aliens long, but anything beat standing here while they tore us to shreds. I lunged for the panel behind us and swiped Dad’s omnicard. The door slid aside with agonizing slowness. Behind me, someone fired another shot, and Priya shouted commands. “Come on!” I yelled, shouldering through the gap as soon as there was enough room.

I pivoted in time to see an alien lunge at Matt. He jerked his gun up—too slow, anyone could see it was too slow—and before my horrified eyes, the alien’s claws extended, going from three-inch curls into foot-long spears aimed straight at his heart.

At the last second, Finn tackled Matt around the waist, bearing both of them to the floor right below the monster’s attack. Finn angled the rifle against the creature and fired twice. The alien screamed, staggered, but didn’t go down. It lunged again. Finn and Matt rolled aside, and its claws stabbed the floor.

“Come on!” I screamed.

“Go!” Priya ordered. She fired two blasts at the alien. It collapsed on the floor, but it kept moving. I reeled. Hadn’t laser blasts killed the aliens before? Were they somehow evolving? A shiver raced down my spine as I remembered Mia’s theory on Sanctuary: that the aliens absorbed our powers somehow, maybe even developing the ability to use her invisibility. What if they adapted to the laser blasts? How long until they became invulnerable?

The hunters responded to Priya’s command without hesitation. Matt dove through the door, Priya on his heels, and Hallam stationed himself to my right with his massive gun braced. “Come on, Finn! Move your ass!”

Finn withdrew, his gun trained on the struggling alien. Suddenly it reared up. Finn and Hallam both squeezed off a shot, but it leaped over both of them, once more grazing the ceiling, driving itself at Finn. I screamed as claws ripped through his back. Finn slumped, his eyes open and startled as his head rolled, staring at me with desperate incomprehension. His lips moved, and blood bubbled from his mouth.

The alien met my eyes with its unseeing glare and unleashed a short, shrill scream. I didn’t need my power to hear its triumph.

Hallam retreated, shoving me along with him, and the door slid shut in front of us. After a second of silence, I lunged forward to stab at the lock. I didn’t know if it would do any good, if the creatures used doors or unlocked them or what. But I had to do something.