“Oh my God,” she whispered into her com. From her angle, she could vaguely make out the shape of the shadows approaching, but there was no mistaking the thin and bony legs of the Spiders. The black shadows raced across the platform. They extended their monstrous claws, reaching for the children.

Scratch, scrape, scratch, scrape.

The sound drowned out the boys’ arguing voices and they froze. Slowly, they tilted their heads and saw it—a tunnel overflowing with monsters, an entire army of them.

“Run!” Overton screamed, holding the trigger down on his rifle. Conserving ammo was no longer a concern. If he didn’t push the horde back quickly, he wasn’t going to need the bullets later.

Shocked into motion, Jeff shoved David forward, but the train’s automatic doors remained shut, and the boy crashed into the side. He bounced off with a bang and immediately started whimpering.

Sophie watched, horrified. She distinctly remembered leaving the train’s power on, just in case they needed to make a quick getaway, which meant the connection to the power source had been severed.

“Alexia, any suggestions on how to get this train started?” Sophie barked into the com.

“Yes, Dr. Winston. There should be an additional power interface in the engine car. My fuel cell should provide adequate energy.”

“Won’t that cause the RVM to fail?”

“Does it look like we need it right now?” Overton yelled.

Sophie risked a glance over her shoulder and watched what appeared to be hundreds of Spiders spilling out of the tunnel. Terror gripped her, but she forced herself forward and fired two shots into the closed train door. They hissed open and Sophie ordered both of the boys inside.

“Stay away from the windows,” she yelled before returning to the platform.

She raced to Overton, and with one swift tug she pulled Alexia’s fuel cell free of the device on his back. “I just need a few seconds,” she said.

Overton finished his magazine. The shots bounced off the creatures’ shields harmlessly. They were getting close, now only a few hundred yards away. A brilliant blue glow filled the tunnel, making the scene beautiful and eerie at the same time.

Sophie retreated to the rear of the train. She had almost reached the doors when a shadow consumed her. This time it wasn’t from a Spider. It was something different—something larger.

Her stomach sank as she turned to see a Sentinel towering over her. It wasted no time cracking its mouth open and releasing a deafening roar. She turned to run, but the creature lunged at her with its spiked tail. The impact penetrated her armor and sent her sailing through the air. She landed with a thud a few feet away from the train.