Creepers

I'm in the tu

He saw a swiftly approaching corner. His shoes rammed into it. The flood twisted him, propelling him down the continuation of the tu

An impact jolted him. He rolled, stopping on his back, and struggled to clear his lungs as water sprayed behind him. Rats scrambled over him.

Boards. Somehow boards were above him. He lay on wet sand. A broken, rusted grate was next to him.

My God, he realized, the force of the water rammed the screen off a drain tu

62

Clang.

Clang.

The wind carried the noise of the sheet metal flapping in the abandoned condominium. Balenger recalled the unease he'd felt when he heard it tolling seven hours earlier.

Clang.

Rain came through cracks in the boardwalk, falling on his face. He groped for his gun, which remained in his holster. But the darkness was no longer green. His night-vision goggles had been torn away, and yet he could see a little. Lightning. The flames in the upper stories of the hotel. Balenger forced himself to sit up. Diane. Vi

To his left, he saw two other sprawled shapes. One of them was blonde. Fearful that this too was a corpse, he approached.

The shape moved. He increased speed, reaching it, turning it.

"Diane."

"No," the shape whispered.

Next to her, Vi

Vi

"Diane, we can't stay," Balenger said.

"But I'm not-"

"Ro

As lightning flashed, she and Balenger held Vi

Balenger looked around. "Ro

No response.

Rain poured through holes in the boardwalk.

"Help me drag Vi

With the last of their energy, they pulled him into the trough.

"Lie down next to him," Balenger said.

"But-"

"I'll cover you. The beach'll seem flat. Maybe he won't see you."

"Our tracks."

"The rain's washing sand into them, hiding them."

"What about you?"

"I'll make him follow me in a different direction. Diane…"

"I'm not Diane."

"I love you."

"I wish I were Diane." She kissed his cheek.

He made her lie in the trough, then covered her and Vi

He left their faces exposed.

"Cold," she said.

"I'll lead him away. Count to three hundred," Balenger said. "Then try to find help. If it isn't safe for you to crawl out by then, I failed, and it'll never be safe."

"Diane was lucky to have you."

"Was? I don't understand. You've still got me."

He turned, somehow mustering the resolve to go back the way he had come-toward the drain tu

63

A few yards from the surf, he turned and faced the boardwalk. Beyond it, flames burst from the Paragon's upper stories. The fire and the storm struggled with each other. In this deserted area, at this late hour, with the storm hiding the fire from the rest of the city, it would take time for firefighters and police to be alerted and arrive. Balenger couldn't depend on anyone for help.

To the right, lightning silhouetted the skeleton of the abandoned condominium. He heard the clang of the sheet metal.

He unholstered his gun and stuck it behind his belt at his spine. Then he spread his arms, making himself as visible as he could. His aggressive posture said everything. Come for me, Ro

Thunder rumbled as Ro

The thunder reminded Balenger of a giant's steps. Murderous resolve made tall, thin, fifty-seven-year-old Ro

"I'm sorry for what was done to you, Ro

Ro

"Is this where Carlisle died?" Balenger shouted, rain pelting him. Ro

Come closer! Balenger thought. Most gunfights occurred within five yards. Even then, adrenaline unsteadied the shooters' hands and often made them miss. Balenger's hands were shaking and numb from the cold. He couldn't possibly hope to shoot Ro

Closer!

"Is this where the old man blew his brains out? After he realized the extent of what you did, he became more terrified of you than he was of going outside! He escaped from the hotel! Did he find your shotgun? Did he take it with him? He hoped to protect himself on the beach! But as he stood here shaking, as he saw you coming in the rain, he realized he was damned! So he shot himself!"

Silhouetted by lightning, Ro

"The shotgun in your hand! Is that the one Carlisle used to blow his brains out?"

Thirty yards away, Ro

No! I need you closer!

"Is this where it happened? Is this where he did it? The father you always wanted! 7s this where you scared him into killing himself?"

Thunder overwhelmed his words.

A flash of lightning paralyzed Ro

"What a wonderful son you were!" Balenger shouted. "He gave you a chance for a new life, and you paid him back by filling his life with terror!"