That was when I realized Finn had stepped into the body of the guard who’d reported the wall breach. He was creating a distraction. Giving us a chance.

“Of course I’m sure! Go!” Finn-the-guard shouted. “We’ll handle this,” he added, and I peeked again in time to see him wave one hand at our car. The four guards closest to us hesitated for just a second, then took off into the dark after the imaginary monsters.

“What the hell is going on?” Jennings demanded, but there was no one left to answer.

“Nina…?” Anabelle said, when he turned toward us with no sign of recognition.

“I’ll explain in a minute. Drive. Slowly.”

Finn waved us forward, and as our car rolled toward the gate, he ducked into the guard booth and pressed a button. Metal squealed, and the gate began rolling to the right.

The remaining guard glanced from Anabelle in the car to Finn in the guard booth. He lifted his gun—an unaimed precaution—and stepped into our path, still scowling at Finn. “What are you—”

“Get out of the way.” Finn’s borrowed voice was soft, but the command was strong.

“Turn off the engine and get out of the car!” The guard swung his huge gun toward our windshield. Jennings stared, still too confused to take action.

Anabelle stomped on the brakes hard enough to throw Melanie and me into the backs of the front seats, even at our low speed.

“Let her through!” Finn shouted as the gate rolled open slowly, like a huge metal snail in its track.

The guard’s eyes widened, and we were close enough by then that I saw comprehension the moment it surfaced behind his eyes. He’d just spotted me between the seats, and even if he couldn’t see my face, he knew we were hiding something.

The guard aimed. Anabelle ducked as light flashed and thunder exploded from the end of the rifle. A small hole appeared in the front windshield an instant before something thunked into the seat in front of me. Anabelle screamed. Melanie curled up on the floorboard, and I shielded as much of her as I could with my own body.

“Shhh,” I whispered. “Be quiet and don’t move.” She tensed beneath me but didn’t make a sound.

“Out, now!” the guard shouted, and I peeked again to find him still aiming at the windshield.

Finn fired his gun. “Go!” he yelled as the guard’s body crumpled in front of our car.

Shouts came from our right as the rest of the cops were recalled from their wild goose chase by the gunfire. Anabelle sat up and stared at the hole in the windshield, and I noticed that the glass around it was cracked like a spiderweb. “What the hell is happening?” she demanded.

Jennings reached for his holster, and I realized that Finn had removed the gun before he’d given up the body.

“Anabelle, go!” I shouldered the back of her seat. “Drive!”

She stepped on the gas. The car bounced once, then twice, jarring us all as the wheels rolled over the fallen guard.