It occurred to Sam that he might just rush the guy and kick him in the throat. Get him down and then just beat him with the gun, over and over until the skull fractured. It would be self-defense. Anything counted as self-defense now.

Then he looked at the man again and saw his eyes clearing rapidly—the lights were coming back on inside his head, for sure.

If he attacked Pierce now, the guy might just grab him and drag him down—and get the gun back.

All at once the man pressed his hands to the floor and heaved himself upward, getting onto his knees in a single movement.

Sam backed away and sidestepped, grabbing Dani’s hand again. The two of them circled around Lauren’s body, toward the door out of the room.

“Little fuckers,” Pierce hissed, his eyes tracking them. He raised a leg and planted his foot flat beneath him.

Sam and Dani, still facing him, reached the doorway. Sam pushed Dani behind himself, out of the room, and followed. The last thing he saw, before he pulled the door shut, was Pierce rising up onto both feet. Then the door slammed and latched.

“Back down the hall,” Dani said.

Sam shook his head. “We had a big head start before. This time—”

The door was suddenly buffeted in its frame—Pierce had already crossed the room and collided with it.

Sam turned toward the nearest other door, six feet away along the wall. Still holding Dani’s hand, he bolted toward it.

“Do you remember the combo?” Sam whispered.

For a second Dani only stood there, wet eyes narrowing.

“Oh shit…” she said.

“It started with two zeroes, right? And then—”

Her fingertip shot forward to the keypad. He saw her stab the two zeroes and then he lost track of the rest. The moment she finished, the lock disengaged with a heavy clack inside.

The two of them threw their weight against the door and shoved it inward, even as the fourth door’s latch clicked—Pierce had not needed to enter the combo to open it from inside.

In the last instant before Sam followed Dani through the third door, he saw Pierce burst out into the open, turning, furious, lunging at them.

Sam slipped through the gap, turned fast and slammed the door shut. Even through the thick metal, he could hear the man scream in rage.

Sam kept his eyes on the door as he backed away from it. Dani was somewhere behind him, farther into the room. Whatever this place was, it had its own little hallway just inside the door. Sam had not yet turned around; had not seen the room itself.

He kept the gun raised, leveled on the door, though the weapon remained useless at the moment. He could still see the empty bullet casing wedged in place.