“I had the record at my old school for the four-hundred meter,” Sam whispered. He’d never even tried out for track and field. “I’m going to lead these guys off, and you’re going to get Lauren out into the dark.”

Dani stared at him. Her eyes were intense, probably seeing right through the bullshit.

“Sam—”

“Way out in the dark, until you can barely see to walk, and you’ll be good to go. I’ll meet you at Station Fourteen. I’ll be there.”

The men were coming closer. They couldn’t be more than ten or fifteen yards away.

Still staring at him, Dani reached out and grabbed one of his hands with both of hers.

“I’ll be there,” Sam said. “I promise.”

She nodded, held his gaze a moment longer, and finally let go.

Sam turned away; he made a fast crawl to the far end of the tail wreckage, and stuck his head out.

The two men were thirty feet away from him, their backs turned, one of them hunched down to see under a big curved piece of the chopper’s body.

Sam got to his feet and moved silently, keeping his eyes on the men, using the moment to get as much distance as he could from them—and from Dani and Lauren.

It occurred to him that these guys would have no idea who he was. Would have no specific reason to come after him, if they thought he was just some random kid from the suburb.

They have to chase you. Both of them.

He was still moving, sidestepping and backing away, going south and east from the crash site. It was the direction he meant to run—the best direction to lead the two men, if Dani and Lauren were going to go west and then north to Station 14.

He was fifty feet from the men now, still visible in the bright glow of the flames.

They have to chase you.

He stopped. Took a deep breath.

“I saw what you did!” he screamed.

Both men jerked and spun toward him. Their eyes darted for only a second and then snapped to him like weapon sights.

“At the barn! I saw it!” For good measure he pointed at the southern horizon, in the direction of Echo House and the barn.

He watched them react to the words, caught off guard and confused, but at the same time unable to discount them.

Then the man who was hunched down stood upright and took a step toward him. So did the other one.

Sam took a single step back. “Stay away!”

For a second they actually stopped where they were, maybe still trying to work out who the hell he was.

Then the nearer of the two broke into a sprint, and the second followed suit, and Sam turned and ran as fast as he could move.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

They were faster than him.