BLAMM! The shot tore through the side of the demon’s face. It released the woman, who wisely ran away in a screaming panic. I shot again. This time I hit it square in the forehead. It dropped to the pavement like a big wet rag, but I didn’t get two seconds to enjoy the victory. Sam tapped my shoulder and pointed up. The black sky filled with flying creatures.

“You have an extra piece?”

I handed him my .38 snub-nose.

“What are we gonna do?” I’d never heard that tone in Sam Burnett’s voice. It was fear, plain and simple. Fear and helplessness.

“I don’t have a clue.”

But I knew whatever we could do had to start at that rip in the air. Somewhere in that black hole was the answer. As we got back to the car, three demons landed and stole away the body of their fallen comrade. Before they flew off again, they looked at me and hissed.

I reached for my gun, but Sam grabbed my arm. “Don’t waste your time, son. Let’s get to the observatory.”

He was right. I peeled out of there, doing eighty down a residential street until I cut back onto Alameda. And then once on Victory, I opened her up to almost a hundred. Every time Sam looked up he saw creatures flying in all directions. Some of them had people in their claws.

I turned on the radio.

“. . . UNKNOWN SPECIES OF CREATURES NUMBERING IN THE HUNDREDS ARE ATTACKING AND KILLING CITIZENS. THERE IS NO WORD ON WHAT THEY ARE OR WHY THEY ARE ATTACKING . . .”

It was madness.

I changed the station.

“. . . CITIZENS ARE WARNED TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES . . .”

I turned off the radio. Christ.

Just as I saw the hills of Griffith Park ahead through the bleak haze of darkness, I noticed movement on the streets. Instead of listening to the radio reports, people were coming out of their homes and into the streets. Suddenly there was a crowd in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and skidded within an inch of killing more than a dozen people.

But they weren’t people. It was Emek and a group of other ghouls. Emek came around to the window.

“What’s the word?” I asked.

“Complete chaos.”

“I’m heading up to the observatory. Can you and your buddies deal with the . . . whatever the fuck they are?”

Emek nodded.

“Thanks. Sam, head back to your place,” I said as I began to shift to my wolf form, “I’ll go the rest of the way on foot.”

I was gone before he even answered.

I dropped on all fours and ran into the park as fast as my legs would carry me. I could smell action ahead. The scent of Mo’Lock and Sabrina guided me to the top of the thickly wooded hill.