“Lmmmph!” cried Troy through his shut mouth and charged Alpha, but Tico intercepted him and pushed him back toward the crowd as Alpha’s sword slashed downward again, drawing a red line down Tico’s back.

“Go!” I shouted again at everyone, and this time they took my advice, fleeing in all directions. I caught Maggie’s eye, and we exchanged nods; when she committed to one direction, I would sprint in another, assuming that Alpha and his minions would pursue me and no one else. But first I locked eyes with Alpha, who was standing over Luke’s bloody body and grinning.

Monster.

I shook my head and shot out of there, and the guys in suits shot after me despite what had looked like significant injuries inflicted on them by Luke and Troy. I had no idea whether they could run as fast as I could, but I had no choice of action at that point.

I pumped my arms and legs as hard as they would go down Main Street, across Chestnut, turning the corner at Greenville, flying past Prince. I looked back and saw the suits still on my tail a steady fifty feet back. There was no sign of Alpha, which unnerved me more than if there were. I did my best to lead these thugs out of town so no one would get caught in our fight, but the only options were north or south. I picked south.

I kept running, my lungs strangely okay despite all the exertion I was putting them through. The men in suits had faded from view, but I kept going. The storefronts gave way to houses and then the industrial area before the bridge. Tall chain-link and barbed-wire fences ran alongside me and eventually disappeared. A rabbit scampered across an empty field, and I wondered whether it had been implanted, too, though it was doing nothing out of the ordinary.

Finally, I reached the bridge and stopped. I was panting but still upright.

I saw no sign of Alpha or the suits. Had they stopped following me, or were they tracking me in another way, such as from their car? Well, even if they were, Maggie probably was safe. That mattered most to me.

I looked at the bridge. For something under construction for so long, not much appeared to have been accomplished. The supporting arch beneath the bridge was finished, so I might have been able to tightrope across, but there was no roadbed or even the beginning of one.

Escape via the southern route was not happening.

A few unfamiliar construction vehicles held piles of pipes for support, as well as bundles and bundles of steel cable. A bright yellow cabinet marked FLAMMABLE AND EXPLOSIVE sat on the roadside. Perhaps they needed to blast holes in the rock.

All of a sudden I sensed I was being watched. I did a 360, my eyes working fine in the darkness. I knew what I was looking for.

There he was: one of the black-suit guys, somehow visible to me. As I focused on him, I could see it was Goldie standing several yards away amid the trees, just watching.