Its momentum took us both over the railing and we fell into the fog. I hit on my side. The blanket lifted as I rolled away. My attacker went the opposite direction.

Trip was still on the stairs, gun raised, searching for a shot, but it was already gone. “Go save Green!” I bellowed. I came up with Abomination in one hand, flashlight cutting through the mist. Something shifted just ahead of me and I cranked off a round of buckshot in its direction. “Go!”

Trip probably hadn’t heard me, but he caught the gist. He leapt up the stairs three at a time, heading for our dying Hunter.

The music was thumping with electronic beats. Whatever was here with me was low to the ground, completely covered by the fog, but I knew it was circling, looking for an angle of attack. I took a step backward and collided with the stairs. The mist shifted and I fired again. It was moving with frightening speed. I briefly caught sight of two black points rising and falling, like the elbows of somebody scurrying along on their belly, but then I lost track of it completely.

I had to get out of this fog. I went around the railing, got one boot on the bottom step, but then it came out of nowhere and hit me again. So fast. I was jabbed in the lower back, but the point didn’t penetrate my armor. I swung around to shoot but it latched on and pulled me down. The next thing I knew I was sliding along the floor on my back. It came around and was on top of me in a flash of black and glowing white streaks. It was like a collection of ratty blankets draped over a coat rack. One limb rose above the fog, spindly white fingers curled around the handle of a jagged knife. It stabbed downward but I was just able to get my armored forearm up in time to knock it away from my face. The knife rose and fell, ripping and slicing, trying desperately to pierce my armor, seeking my flesh.

The fabric puckered and flexed as bullets struck the creature. The lump of a head turned up and away from me. A round struck something solid beneath the rags and I felt the vibration. The thing leapt effortlessly away and drifted back into the mist, rags fluttering. It disappeared before I could get Abomination around. I looked over to see Trip halfway down the second-floor catwalk. The suppressed subgun didn’t make enough noise to be heard over the music but I could see a match flicker of light at the muzzle and the brief glint of ejected brass. Trip had just saved my life. I got up as he kept firing into the mist behind me. Trip lost sight of his target, snarled in frustration, and started running toward Green again.