Page 86 of Kiss Across the Universe
Alannah saw the branch that Remi had been holding whizz through the air at a speed that made it hard to track. It buried itself in the throat of the traveler who had taken Maggie. The traveler gurgled and clawed at the branch, as his knees buckled.
Then Kit slammed into Alannah, taking her off her feet. They sprawled in the cold dirt, and the skin on the heels of her hands tore. Over her head, she felt heat pass in an invisible stream.
Kit was still moving, still rolling. He pulled her along as he scrambled to his knees, then his feet. He hauled her to hers. “Around the side of the house,” he yelled at her. “We need cover.”
She staggered into a run, following him.
More heat streams skimmed either side of her, making the skin between her shoulder-blades crawl and giving her speed.
They rounded the corner of the house and Alannah slammed into the logs, breathing hard. Kit crowded up behind her and they both peered around the corner. “No weapons,” Kit said breathlessly. “We have to pick our moment.”
“Can you throw that?” Alannah asked him, indicating the knife in his hand.
“I can, but that’s a one-time use, and leaves it out there for someone else to pick up. Better to keep it right here.” He hefted the blade.
Alannah glanced around her feet. She couldn’t throw things like Remi, but a heavy enough stone thrown at a head could distract someone long enough for one of those with weapons to take them out.
A flicker of light and color pulled her attention around to the verandah. More people were appearing there. A long line of them….and they were all armed.
As they appeared, they raised their weapons.
“Nyara!” Alannah breathed, spotting the red-headed woman. And Cáel, beside her. Kieren…and even more people she didn’t know.
The volley of futuristic weapons grew louder and continuous. Bits of the verandah railing blew up, splintered. One rail cracked and sagged.
The corner of the house splintered and turned to charcoal right next to Alannah’s eye and she threw herself backward, ramming into Kit.
“They’re too busy to aim properly,” he told her, squeezing her shoulder. “They’re out in the open and if Nyara’s people are smart, they’ll jump behind them and catch them in cross-fire…and look.”
Alannah looked. Behind where the chopping block had been, where now there was a meter deep glass hole, a dozen more people stepped out into the open behind Mixon’s crew, who were hugging the ground for whatever cover it gave them.
“Where’s Mixon?” Alannah cried, scanning the people that Nyara’s crew were picking off.
“Shit!” Kit yelled. His hand dropped from her shoulder.
At the same time, in her head, came a compulsively, almost primordial scream.
Aran!!!
It was Jesse’s voice, filled with terror and fury.
Alannah jumped, again without thought. She landed in the same corner of the reading nook, and looked around wildly, trying to absorb everything all at once. Aran appeared at the top of the stairs almost at the same time she did, flickering into view as her own vision cleared.
Jesse had the gun up. The babies at her feet were all crying.
The powerful Glock bellowed. Jesse was pointing it between the railings, at the head of one of the two men standing halfway up the stairs. The top of the man’s head came off, splattering blood and brains across the wall behind him.
The second one glanced at his dead companion and gave a scream that sounded as pain and fear-filled as Jesse’s had been. He raised the long weapon in his hand at Jesse.
“No!” Alannah screamed, terror gripping her throat.
Aran threw himself forward, in front of Jesse.
The weapon fired.
Aran was tossed back through the air like a puppet. He slammed into Jesse, and they both fell backwards. Alannah watched, frozen, as Jesse managed to lift her feet to avoid kicking the children around her. Her arms came up around Aran, cradling him.
They both sprawled backwards, landing up against the corner of the sectional, and lay still.
