I hadn’t realized how tired I was while I was moving. I was standing still now and the exhaustion was trying to pull me to the ground. And once I landed, I would stay there.

The second bar dropped down. One more and the gap would be wide enough for her to get out.

The avalanche of vampiric minds was getting closer.

Third bar. Naeemah squeezed through the opening.

“We need to run now,” Ghastek said, his voice very calm.

“Which way?” Curran asked.

“This way.” Naeemah ran down the hallway. “I know the way out.”

“Do you trust her?” Jim asked.

“Yes!” I ran after her, stumbling.

We dashed across the room. Behind us the door shuddered—the undead were trying to break through. My legs decided this would be an awesome time to stop supporting my weight. Curran grabbed my arm, steadying me.

A dark hole gaped in the wall in front of us. Naeemah dove into it. The wererats followed her.

A vampire fell from the ceiling, cutting off Nasrin and Christopher. The healer reared back and slapped the undead upside the head, ramming it against the cell on the left. The vampire’s skull broke like an egg dropped on the pavement. I turned to Curran. “What is she . . . ?”

“Iranian lion.” He pointed at the hole. “Go!”

I reached the hole and looked down. All I could see was a shaft leading down at a sharp angle. Here goes nothing. I jumped in legs first and slid down on my ass, rolling through complete darkness. My butt hit something wet. I smelled algae. My hands slid over slime. I hurtled down through the tunnel. If there was a concrete floor waiting for me below, I’d make a lovely splat.

Light flared ahead. I planted my boots into the bottom of the tunnel, but the slick, algae-coated stone offered no resistance. If this had been a movie, this would be the part where I was supposed to yank a knife out and dig it into the stone to slow myself down. Except I’d break my nonexistent knife, hurt my arm, and still end up as a wet human pancake.

The tunnel ended. I went airborne for two terrifying seconds and plunged down into warm water. Yay, survival. I kicked up to the surface and swam away from the hole in the ceiling.