A scream came from overhead. Jessica paused to look up. A darkling hovered right above them, daring the lightning. The blue fingers leapt up at the creature, hurling it back. But it descended once more, testing the defenses again and again. The sparks seemed to be driving it into a murderous rage.

“Keep whacking,” Dess said.

Jessica turned back to the rock, trying to connect at a shallow angle. She missed with the metal ring, and her knuckles drove the rock into the sand. Pain shot through her hand.

Jessica pulled the rock from the sand and struck at it again. The sparks wouldn’t come. Blood welled up on her knuckles, and the cut on her ring finger began to throb with her heartbeat.

This wasn’t working.

“How long before midnight ends?” she heard Jonathan ask.

“Not soon enough,” Dess said.

Jessica kept pounding away at the rock. A few more sparks flew, but the paper wouldn’t ignite.

“It’s not happening,” she said. “Maybe two stones?”

“Here.” Jonathan knelt next to her, handing her another rock. She struck them together.

Nothing.

She looked at her watch. Twenty minutes before the end of the hour. The flashes of lightning were fading visibly around them.

“Jessica.”

“I’m trying, Jonathan.”

“Your watch.”

“What?”

He pointed at the watch. “It’s working.”

Jessica looked at it uncomprehendingly. She realized that she hadn’t worn it in the midnight hour before. She always took it off before going to bed.

“It’s working,” Jonathan repeated, “and it’s electronic—it’s not a windup.”

“Here they come,” Dess whispered.

Jessica looked up. The circle of blue lightning around the snake pit had died, exposing the dark moon over their heads. The darkling overhead was descending warily. The wind from its wing beats stirred the dust around her.

“Jessica,” Rex said softly. “We need a fire now.”

She picked up the rocks again but paused.

She remembered the new building at Aerospace Oklahoma, where she and Jonathan had taken refuge the weekend before. When Jessica had seen it tonight, it had been ablaze with lights. They must be lighting it every night. All night.

“Jessica…”

A sound came from all around them, a rushing noise. The tarantulas were pouring into the snake pit from every direction.

“No,” Rex said softly.

Jessica pushed the little button on the side of her watch, and the tiny night-light glowed white in the blue light. It said 12:42.

Jonathan met her eyes, his jaw wide open.

“Forget these,” Jessica said, dropping the two rocks to the ground. She pulled the flashlight from her pocket and held it to her lips.

“Serendipitous,” she said.

She turned it toward the surging sea of tarantulas and switched it on.

A cone of white light leapt from the flashlight, and the spiders began to scream.

30

12:00 A.M.

TALENT