Jed and Eli unloaded simultaneous salvos at the smoldering black-clad shape on top of their teammate. The dark fighter shuddered and whirled to face them. It shrieked at Jed with a grotesque double visage as Jed put his next round through its glowing right eye. The dimming flicker of light in the remaining left eye immediately went dark and a flame-colored streak slammed into the berm, leaving a glowing stain behind as the demon retreated back to hell.

“Four, you better get over here,” Eli said, kneeling at Johnny’s side. “Three is an urgent surgical.”

Jed scanned the grounds for targets and, seeing none, conducted a second sweep counting bodies in and around the kill box. “I think we got them all,” he said, doing the math in his head—adding the ones he knew he’d killed to the count.

“My count was eight,” Eli said as he pulled a blow-out kit from his cargo pocket. “Plus the two that didn’t get up from the missile blast.”

Bex arrived a few seconds later, panting hard.

“Dear God,” she said, dropping in on Johnny’s other side opposite Eli. Johnny tried to say something, but Bex shushed him. “Don’t talk.”

Arterial blood was spraying from the fallen Shepherd’s throat where the Dark One had mauled him. Jed’s stomach turned to lead as he watched Johnny bleeding out from a wound that he suspected was lethal.

Gooseflesh stood up on his neck and shoulders as if the cold hand of evil had reached out and touched him from behind.

“Victor’s here,” he said, turning to Eli. “Sarah Beth’s in trouble.”

“Go,” Bex said without looking at him as she worked frantically to stanch the bleeding. “Both of you.”

Jed locked eyes with Johnny and read his teammate’s mind.

Don’t worry about me. I finished my bucket list. Go save those kids.

Jed nodded and then turned to Eli.

“Let’s go end this once and for all,” the veteran Shepherd said, and they both took off in a sprint toward the school.

CHAPTER
FIFTY-THREE

INTERSECTION OF NORTH CORRIDOR AND WEST HALL

Victor lunged for her and something primal and automatic took control of Sarah Beth.

She ducked.

She ran.

She didn’t look back.

She’d managed to escape him once already today, and she could do it again.

Only the last time, I made sure all the other Watchers were safe first, her inner voice chastised. This time, I’m abandoning my friends.

Her legs didn’t seem to care; they just kept churning.