“Perfect,” I whisper.
The beast lunges.
I dive sideways, slamming the pipe into the control junction of the nearest module as I hit the ground.
Sparks explode.
The system overloads.
The terrain collapses.
A section of the arena drops out beneath the creature’s front legs, sending it crashing forward into a cloud of dust and debris.
The impact shakes the entire arena.
I cough, pushing myself up as the dust cloud billows around me.
“Stay down,” I mutter. “Just stay down for five seconds.”
It doesn’t.
Of course it doesn’t.
The beast roars again, dragging itself upright through the wreckage.
“Yeah,” I say, breathless. “I figured.”
Behind it, I see more movement.
Security teams.
Evacuation lines.
People getting out.
Good.
That’s all that matters.
The beast shakes off debris and turns back toward me.
Still focused.
Still coming.
I tighten my grip on the broken pipe.
“Alright,” I mutter. “Round two.”
Because if it’s chasing me?—
It’s not chasing them.
CHAPTER 35
TILDA
The corridor to the compound feels impossibly long.
