The Explorer hit the circle of fire with a tremendous crash, and splintered pieces of wood and flaming railing exploded up and out from both sides of the Explorer. The SUV tunneled forward for several feet into the pavilion, chewing up floorboards like a hungry mechanical monster. And then the damage ended as the Explorer ground to a halt, and Zack saw the group of stunned and frightened people—Nick, Sam, and her boyfriend in front—just feet away.

The fire had reached the roof of the pavilion, and time had nearly run out. Zack made eye contact with his brother, beckoned for them to come toward him, and waited for the understanding to appear on Nick’s face. Once it did, Zack reversed the SUV one more time and raced backward out of the pavilion, leaving a gaping, fire-free hole the width of the Explorer.

Before he’d even stopped, the last of the hostages leapt down or were helped by his brother and Sam’s boyfriend, Ben. Ben’s father dragged the gunman off the pavilion to safety several yards away.

Zack jumped out of the driver’s seat and shouted, “Let’s go, Nick! We have unfinished business!” Zack looked left and saw that Griffin’s SUV had left the hub and turned onto Hidden Refuge Drive.

Zack absorbed the sights of the carnage before him—the funeral pyre that nearly was, the dead bodies strewn about the lawn and pavilion, the discarded vans, the smoke, and the people looking around in disbelief that the horrors of the night had just ended. At least for you, he thought, unsure if it was the wind and cold air that sent chills up his spine.

Sam ran over to Zack, Ben right behind her, and said, “I knew you’d come back. Thank you,” she said sincerely, and then added, “and your brother’s not too bad either. See you afterwards, Mr. C. You still owe me that conversation,” referring to his promise to fill her in on his history.

“You got it, Sam. It’s a date,” Zack shot back. “No offense, Ben.” Ben’s parents had reached them by now and had overheard the conversation. “Okay, home team. One last job at hand—there are communications jammers inside each of those vans. Please assemble teams with some of the neighbors, find them, destroy them, and then call for help. You’ll know them when you see them. They’ll look like horizontal computer towers. Now, I got to go.” He smiled and hopped back in the Explorer.

His brother grinned at him, an unbelievable look of energy and excitement on his face. “So, this is what married life is like in Suburbia on a Friday night? This is fucking awesome, man. I need to hang out with you more often.”