Chapter Eighty-Nine
I waited as long as I could, then lowered myself slowly into the black hole. I fitted easily, and started to climb down the sturdy metal ladder. There were several steps, steep and precarious. I swept the flashlight around. I could make out a dirt floor, corrugated tin walls. The ceiling bulbs had been broken. A narrow tunnel stretched out before me. I didn't hear any sounds up ahead, so I began to make my way down the tunnel. I moved slowly and carefully. I had the flashlight in one hand, my Clock in the other. I kept looking back for Kyle and Jamilla. Where were they? I saw a discarded carcass a short way down the tunnel. I took a breath, shined my light on it. A single eye stared back. What I was looking at had been a small deer. Only the head and shoulders remained. I remembered reading that tigers eat their prey starting at the rump. They consume bone and all. There were more smudged footprints in the dirt. It looked like two pairs, but I couldn't tell for sure in the dim light. There were smaller animal tracks that might be the cat's. Oh, Jesus. I kept moving, trying to adjust my eyes to the semidarkness. There were shards of glass all over the dirt. Someone had purposely smashed the overhead light bulbs. I heard a roar, and almost dropped the flashlight! It wasn't the smoothest move of my life, but I'd never been in a closed-off area
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with a tiger before. The big cat's roar echoed off the tin walls of the tunnel. It was unexpected and terrifying. I didn't know what to do next. The cat roared a second time and I found that I couldn't move. I felt nailed to the spot. I wanted to turn around and go back, but that wasn't an option right now. I couldn't outrun a tiger in this tunnel, or anywhere else for that matter. Somewhere in the inky blackness up ahead, the cat was watching me. I debated shutting off the flashlight, but kept it on for now. At least I would see the cat coming. I concentrated, stared out into the darkness, kept very still, as if that would help me. I had the Clock pointed straight ahead. I wondered if I could bring down a big cat with a handgun, even a powerful one. No way of knowing; no practice range for this kind of shooting. I had my doubts, though. I couldn't see the cat, but I could almost visualize the thirty-odd teeth in its mouth. I remembered the wounds a cat had made on the two bodies in Golden Gate Park. Someone called out. Someone was there, behind me. 'Alex, where are you? Alex?' I heard Jamilla coming up the tunnel and I let out a breath. 'Don't move,' I whispered. 'Don't do anything. The tiger's in here.' I didn't dare move. I wasn't even sure if I could. It was a standoff. I couldn't imagine the tiger being as frightened as I was. Was the Sire there too? The two brothers? Anybody else? 'Alex?' It was Kyle. He was whispering. But if I heard him-- 'Stay right there, Kyle. I mean it. Listen to me. Stay where you are unless you want me dead.' Everything happened in a terrifying instant. Suddenly, the cat rushed at me. Full speed? Half speed? Very goddamn fast. Shadows, a blur of fur. It seemed to leap straight up into the cone of light shining from my flashlight. The cat was tensed muscle, raw speed, gleaming teeth, and the widest, brightest eyes - tremendous focus. It was aimed at me as surely as a deadly bullet. Its upper body twisted athletically, showing off incredible strength.
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It seemed to be three to four feet off the ground, coming straight at me, unstoppable. I had no options, and no room for error. I didn't even have to think about my next move. It just happened. I squeezed the trigger of my Glock. I fired off three quick shots. All head and upper body shots, I hoped, but I was just guessing. The cat kept coming at me. It didn't even slow down. The gunshots couldn't stop it. I had no defense and no place to run, no place to hide. The big cat hit me hard, brought me down like a weak prey. I waited for the powerful jaws to clamp down on me, to crush my bones. I might have screamed. I don't know what the hell I did. I'd never been more afraid. Not even close. The cat kept going past me! It made no sense. I didn't understand. A few feet up the tunnel, I heard a loud thud. It was down. I had shot and killed a tiger.
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