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"It won't matter. Monica will have no choice but to rest soon,” Michael said, studying the tunnel. “Are you certain Monica's inside, Nikki? No one else?"
She wondered if he could sense something that she could not. The locket pulsed in her hand, and heat washed over her skin. Heat and hunger. Monica's, not Jasper's.
"Oh yes,” she replied softly. “I'm certain."
Jake switched on the flashlight and walked towards the tunnel, becoming one with the gloom. An odd prickle ran across the back of her neck.
"It's not too late to turn back, Nikki."
Yes, it is. She gripped the barrel of the flashlight tighter and walked forward. Michael kept close, and she felt safer for it. Yet instinct warned it wasn't going to be enough to save her. She ignored the quick thrust of foreboding and watched the beam from Jake's flashlight dance across the darkness. Her own paled by comparison, barely piecing the gloom on either side. Maybe she should have stopped and bought some new batteries.
Their footsteps echoed though the silence. Would Monica hear them and flee? Would she even care?
The tunnel swung to the right, and the darkness fully encased them. Past escapades returned to haunt her, and she swung the light to the left. There had been a break in the wall near here, somewhere. She'd fled into it once in the face of an oncoming train.
Jake stopped so abruptly she almost ran into him.
"Hole in the wall,” he said, shifting his grip on the stake he held. “Wait here. I'll check it out." Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she watched him disappear. Though she couldn't sense anyone in the hole, it was better to be sure.
Michael stood behind her, as silent and still as the darkness around them. Yet he reminded her of a coiled spring. He sensed danger ahead, like her.
Jake returned. “Nothing,” he said, sounding oddly relieved. “Only rubbish."
"Monica's still ahead.” She swept the light across the darkness surrounding them. She'd heard no sound, yet she had a sudden sense of movement. The forces of evil gathered out there in the darkness.
"How far ahead?” Jake's question jostled harshly against the silence.
"I'm not sure. Not far."
Jake frowned and turned, leading the way once more. The yellow beam of light danced away from the darkness, barely penetrating the thick gloom. It would be so easy to fall into a trap. Or walk, as she sensed they were doing.
The locket in her hand pulsed again. She clenched her fingers and let her senses flare to full life. Monica was on the move, running lightly through the tunnel. Fleeing, but not in fright. Nikki bit her lip. Something was happening, something she couldn't sense or understand.
Michael's tension washed heat across her back. Maybe he could sense the presence she merely guessed at.
"Jasper's not here,” he said softly. “But the zombies are. I think you and Jake should go back. I'll continue the hunt for Monica alone."
"Monica is our client's daughter,” Jake reminded him. “You go nowhere without us."
"The two of you will never match Monica's inhuman speed. You'll only get in my way." Jake turned. His flashlight pierced the darkness, almost sun-bright. “And by that are you suggesting you can match her inhuman speed?"
"Yes, I am.” Michael hesitated. “I don't like the feel of this. Take Nikki and head back to the entrance. You'll be safe there."
He was certainly determined to keep her away from Monica. What did he fear—that she'd try to stop him? “I'm not going anywhere. I've already told you that."
"Damn it Nikki, you've encountered the zombies once already. Do you really think you and Jake can survive a sudden attack from three of them?"
Though annoyance barely touched his voice, it seared through his thoughts, almost burning her. She stared at him several seconds. Perhaps he was right. She'd barely escaped an attack from two. Add the teenager and an extra zombie, and the odds weren't looking favorable—even with Michael on their side. Perhaps it was time to leave Monica to her fate.
Besides, she didn't like the feel of what was happening up ahead, either. She held up her hands. “Okay, okay. I'll retreat. Jake?"
He shook his head. “I think we owe it to Trevgard to see this thing through." Michael raised an eyebrow. “And did you not promise your wife to take no foolish chances?" Nikki glanced at him sharply. He'd obviously been reading Jake's thoughts, to know something as intimate as that. Maybe it was only her presence that stopped him from entering Jake's mind and forcing him to obey.
Jake glared at him. “Just how in hell did you know that?"
"As I said, Nikki is not the only one with psychic abilities. She should be your main concern here, not Monica."
Jake glanced at her, his expression troubled. “All right, I'll go. But I want Monica brought out to us. I think we need to witness what happens, as much for your sake as Trevgard's." Michael nodded, then stepped into the shadows and disappeared.
