The man took the creature by two of its horns and pushed down. The face, if that’s what it could be called, dug into the pavement. The beast’s forward momentum thrust its backside up and it flipped tail over head, landing on its back with a ground-shaking impact.

The man continued toward them without looking back. In his fading vision, Aleman could see the beast trying to right itself. And when it made progress he thought he saw two large shadows descend upon it. But he couldn’t be sure. His attention moved back to the approaching man. Pushing Fiona behind him, he raised the MP5.

“Lew…” Fiona whispered.

The man raised his hands. “There’s no need for that.”

“Just stay back.”

“I can protect the girl.”

Aleman’s aim faltered for just a moment, but it was all the man needed. He stepped forward and twisted the MP5 out of his hands, tossing it to the side. Knowing he was about to fall unconscious, Aleman asked, “Who are you?”

He watched helplessly as the man scooped up Fiona, who had fallen limp, perhaps passed out, and said, “King will know.” He stepped away, and then paused. “I hope he appreciates me breaking my promise.”

With fading vision, Aleman watched the man retreat with Fiona in his arms. His last thought was of King and how the man would react to finding out his foster daughter had been kidnapped.

FOURTEEN

Mount Meru, Vietnam

A CHILDHOOD FEAR of drowning in a Chuck E. Cheese ball pool returned to Rook as he fought to free himself from a pile of ancient, green-glowing bones. The slippery bones rolled beneath him, making it almost impossible to move. When he felt the stone floor beneath his feet, he changed tactics—from moving forward, to moving up. He pushed up hard, shedding a shower of disassembled skeletons. He was free only for a moment when a second impact sent him soaring again.

He landed ten feet away in the middle of the street, rolling to a stop on a bed of femurs. Despite his groaning body begging him to stop moving, he climbed onto his feet and spun, looking for the … thing that had attacked him.

What it was he couldn’t say. He’d only seen a blur of motion as it attacked. But even that revealed nothing. Whatever it was seemed to be hidden within a mass of bones, using them as cover.

Bones rattled.

Rook turned, only now realizing he’d dropped his M4.

The city was quiet. Calm. As though the thing had never been there.

Rook scanned the roofs of the buildings still standing. They weren’t much taller than he was, so he should’ve been able to see the hulk. But there was nothing.

The building next to him shifted.

But it was thin. He could see through it and saw nothing but bones. No body. Nothing living.

He drew one of his prized .50 caliber Desert Eagles, which he referred to as “the girls.” “C’mon out,” he said. “Just give me a target.”