My Chevy Tahoe swiveled. Skidded to a sloppy halt.
I climbed out of the car, grabbed my rifle, made sure it was loaded and that the safety was off. I took a couple spare magazines and stuffed them into my jacket pockets. Then, clutching the weapon like a talisman, I strode through blackened brush and weeds.
Toward the junkyard and the town’s children.
Toward any beast that might even think about harming them.
Chapter 79
A Thousand Yellow Eyes
Maddie:
The heavens seethed with a mass of black wings and sharp claws, they rocked with the bellowing cries of those trapped in their midst. I slid to a stop at the edge of a weathered field, just outside a battered, fenced-in enclosure—a junkyard. Right now, hordes of children were clambering out of its narrow exit, climbing over refuse, Halloween costumes ripping, masks cast aside, makeup running in tear-stained rivulets. I latched onto Tucker, kept him at my side, all the while staring up at the tumultuous sky, at the storm of Darklings that continued to grow.
The creatures poured in from surrounding communities, a murder of black wings that surged over distant hills until they all collided overhead. A thousand yellow eyes smoldered in the skies. A wild fury charged the air, forced a panic in my chest that made me want to run and hide.
But I couldn’t.
The incantation held all of us in place. Darkling and human alike.
“Mom, I’m scared,” Tucker whimpered beside me.
Me too, I wanted to say. “No one’s going to hurt you, Tuck. I promise.” I kissed his forehead, lifted his chin until he gazed into my eyes. “My seal of protection, remember?”
He nodded.
At the same time Samwise bristled. The dog grew, his chest widened, his teeth got longer, sharper, and he braced himself in front of us. He was watching the sky. Ready to protect us from anything that might be foolish enough to try and attack.
Meanwhile, I sensed Ash somewhere in the darkness above. We were united now, bound by the red-black blood that stained my hands. I could hear his thoughts, disjointed, grief-stricken over what had happened.
Flee.
He was speaking to me through a darkened corridor of my mind. I saw him then, recognized his shape amongst the puzzle of black. He was tumbling, unstable as a babe.
No, I can’t leave you, I whispered back, realizing what truly held me here. Nor do I want to.
At that moment, in the shadowed edge of town, a chill wind brushed against me.
I knew then that the century-old curse was gone. All it would take was one Darkling to realize how vulnerable we were, to launch down from whirlwind skies and claim the village with another curse. There would be no one to save us. Even Tucker and I would be prisoners here, bound.
I shivered beneath the wild black sky, remembering the two beasts that had cornered me earlier, and I tightened my grip around my son.
My kiss on his forehead. My vow to protect him, no matter what.
Then the crowd parted and I saw Sheriff Kyle standing akimbo, a short distance away. Rifle in one hand, he was staring up into the sky. He was getting ready to fire into the cloud of Darklings. But he couldn’t—Ash was up there.
“No!” I shouted.
In that instant, before I could get Kyle’s attention, the crowd closed around me and I couldn’t move.
Chapter 80
Darkling-Filled Sky
Sheriff Kyle:
I hoisted my weapon and braced it against my shoulder, training it on the Darkling-filled sky with a well-practiced aim. The first shot landed square in the center of the vile flock that circled overhead. I grinned as I took a step back from the recoil. Years of hunting paid off, for I managed to hit two of the wild beasts with one strike; both creatures screamed and writhed in pain.
Both of them now fell from the sky.
They pitched forward in turbulent spirals, wings outstretched and thumping without strength, limbs seeking purchase though none was found. They scratched at sky and cloud as they fell, leaving behind a trail of sparks. Then a sea of grass and earth met them both. They crashed to the ground with a loud, sickening thud.
Their dead bodies were quickly surrounded by a mob of angry villagers.
I aimed the rifle, ready to shoot again when several other winged beasts managed to break away from the flock and soared toward the ground. At first I thought one of them was coming for me and that was fine.
I had the creature lined up in my sights when the beast suddenly changed direction. It swooped down and grabbed one of the teenage boys—Hunter Callahan. Then it charged back up into the sky, heading toward the woods.
Toward another uninterrupted feast, no doubt.
Just like what had happened to Agnes.
“Drop the boy, put him back!” I shouted.
The winged beast glanced down and laughed, a deep throaty cackle. It was flying too high now, taller than the treetops, almost as high as the clouds.