“Nix,” Benny said, turning to her, “give me your bokken. I’ll guard your back while you take the kid up.”

“Oh, please. She’s too little to climb, and I’m not big enough to carry her while I climb. You take her up, Benny. Lilah and I will guard your back.”

“No freaking way. This is my job.”

“Your job?” Nix rolled her eyes. “If you’d stop trying to be the samurai hero for a moment, you’d realize that we’re trying to save your life!”

“No, I have to get my sword and save—”

Nix got right up in his face. “I’m not asking you, Benjamin Imura.”

Benny very nearly snapped to attention. Nix never called him Benjamin except when she was very mad at him, and she never used his first and last name unless she was going to kick his butt about something.

He flicked a look at the wave of zombies and back at Nix, who stood five feet tall in shoes and had to lean back to look up at him. Even the little girl seemed to glower at Benny, and she had no reason to, since he’d just saved her life. Maybe it was a girl thing. He was dimly aware that there was some important message about female power to be learned here, but now wasn’t the time to philosophize. Even Nix’s freckles seemed to glow with anger, and her scar turned from pale white to livid red.

He wanted to yell at her, to push her out of the way, to take her bokken and return to the fight—but instead he swallowed his frustration and backed off.

Benny pulled on the rope, which was indeed securely tied. The best and safest way to do this would be to rig a sling around the kid and haul her up; and though they were all good with knots, there simply wasn’t time. However, Benny could see that the collapsed end of the ravine was not sheer. Much of the debris had tumbled down to form a slope, but that slope was far too steep to walk up. With the rope, though, he might be able to do it. He cut a look at the little girl.

That’s your job, spoke that inner voice. Stop trying to be a hero, and get her out of here.

“Right,” said Benny under his breath. He knelt by the girl. “Hey, sweetie, I need you to listen to me and do exactly what I say, okay?”

The child gave him an owl-eyed stare but said nothing.

“I’m going to climb out of here with this rope, and I need you to hold on to me. Like playing piggyback. Do you know that game?”

She paused for a moment as she looked up the dark dirt wall. In the gloom it seemed to stretch on forever.

“It’s okay. I’ll keep you safe.”