But, when he turned, he saw pale skin and dark hair. Not Dorothy, but a girl he’d never seen before. Normally he’d be able to overpower her, but she’d caught him by surprise and had his arm twisted in a complicated hold behind his back. Pain shot through his shoulder whenever he moved.

She pointed his own gun at his temple, smiling wickedly. “We haven’t been introduced,” she said. “My name is Eliza. And that over there is Donovan.”

Ash glanced across the dock and saw that a boy had Zora in a similar hold, arms twisted behind her back, a beefy bicep curled around her neck.

“Can’t say it’s nice to meet you,” Zora breathed through clenched teeth.

The boat’s engine cut, but the sound of a rumbling motor still ghosted through the air, not quite willing to die. Ash’s gaze slid back to the edge of the dock as Mac stepped out of the fog. His crutches made hollow, clomping noises on the dock. As he approached, a few more Cirkus Freaks separated from the fog, their faces grim. Ash counted four, and then six, surrounding him, Zora, Eliza, and Donovan in a tight circle. He felt his first twist of fear. So this was going to be an ambush.

“Impressive,” Mac said, his eyes swinging from Eliza to Donovan. “I should have started recruiting Cirkus Freaks years ago.”

“Happy to help, sir,” Eliza said, holding Ash a little tighter. Ash grimaced.

“Good to see you again, Mac,” he said, hoping his light tone would cover his nerves. “Although your friends have been a little rude.”

“I figured it was about time to address that little stunt you pulled at my club.” Mac glanced lazily over at Zora. “She’s prettier than your last girl.”

Zora’s lips pulled up over clamped teeth, curling into a vicious smile. “Come a little closer and say that.”

“Bad tempered, though.” Mac stroked his jaw and shook his head. “You didn’t think I could let you get away without punishment for what that bitch did to my leg, did you? I’ve killed men for less than that.”

Ash felt a chill work its way down his spine. He clenched his shoulders to keep himself from shuddering.

“You’re not going to kill me,” Ash said. “I know how I die, and this isn’t it.”

“You sure about that?” Mac asked. He nodded to Eliza.

Ash saw the blow coming and tried to brace himself, but the butt of his gun caught him hard on the side of his face. He heard something crack, and then his eyesight turned bloody.

“Boom,” Eliza whispered into his ear, laughing. She smashed the gun into his face again. And again.

The dock tilted toward him.

And then there was only darkness.

LOG ENTRY—OCTOBER 7, 1899

22:24 HOURS

JUST OUTSIDE COLORADO SPRINGS

This is a little embarrassing, but let me explain.

I was feeling pretty low after everything that happened. Not only the terrible future that will almost certainly come to pass, but my own experiments and failures as well.