“I’ll do that, you can be sure. Did you kill anything?”

“No indication. Gina, please tell me the backup is moving.”

“You bring out the one you’ve opened, then we’ll talk about that.”

“The hell, you get choppers in here, you get men in here, and equipment. We can’t carry that thing through populated areas in a friggin’ panel van.”

“Do it!”

He turned off the satphone.

“Okay, people, we’re pulling out.”

“Give me time!”

“Can it, Linda, we’re gonna bring this one out with us. She’s sending in a larger detail to get the others.”

Massy said, “You don’t want to rile these puppies up.”

“Not our concern. Our concern is, how do we get this thing to the van and out of here? Massy and Knots, you carry the box, Linda you go ahead, Louis, Cox, Williams, cover.”

While the team did its work, Mark watched the perimeter. He had the best eyes for the creatures, and he was instantly aware that more of a few of them were around here. A lot, in fact. Also, an unexpected sound was coming from somewhere. Drums. Somebody was playing a drumroll somewhere far away, and that seemed odd and out of place.

“Okay, drop it,” he said into his throat mike. “We’re pulling out right now, double quick.”

“But I need—”

He grabbed Linda’s shoulders. “You need to survive, and if you stay here one more second, that is not going to happen. Now move!”

The guys came in, assembling around them.

“Okay, we’re outa here. Massy, rear guard.”

Forming a column, they began pulling away. Massy held back, facing toward the open box.

With a flutter of sound, two men were suddenly face-to-face with him. One of them carried a long silver rod and wore jeans and a woman’s tank top. The other was in a tattered business suit with no shirt. They were not like the creature in the box, they looked human.

Before he could turn and run, the one with the rod attacked Massy, and in an instant he was covered with blood.

When he screamed, they leaped on him, throwing him to the ground. Something flashed away into the woods, and he pitched back, mouth gaping, eyes suddenly gushing blood.

Hating that he had to abandon his soldier, knowing that they must, Mark shouted, “Pull out! Do it now!”

More appeared, this time pure hybrids, and one of them leaped at least a hundred feet, falling on Linda. She went down screaming, and Mark threw himself at the thing and found himself connected with it in deep battle. He’d done this before, but never with something so strong and so fast. Its muscles rippled beneath his hands as he pushed back the head until he heard the neck crack. The body shuddered and Linda could roll free.

“Move!” he yelled, but she did not move. Her eyes were blank with shock.