“Get rid of your blade,” Shea shouted.
His head jerked toward her, but he ignoredher, picking up his pace. She growled and surged forward, dogginghis steps.
“Your blade. Get rid of it. They can smellthe blood.”
Her message given, she veered back towardsEamon and the rest. It was up to him if he wanted to listen.
A revenant surged into view, his lips baredin a snarl, drool dangling in thick ropes from its open mouth.Shea’s group froze as the beast lifted its nose, sniffing the airsuspiciously, its milky white eyes moving right over them.
The creature’s skin, leathery and black likea bat’s wings, was closer to a reptiles than a mammal’s. Its frontlegs were slightly longer than the ones in the back. There were noears on its broad, flat head, only small slits for the ear canal.It also had no tail.
It bared its teeth again before dartingoff.
“Thank the gods,” someone whispered.
“Let’s go,” Eamon said softly. “We need tomake the rendezvous.”
In single file, they moved through the wood.Every time a revenant’s distinctive hunting call echoed over thehills, Shea tensed then relaxed when there was no accompanyinghuman scream.
So far, it looked like the plan was working.But for how long?
The men in Shea’s group were moving at a fastclip towards the next landmark where they would regroup with theothers. It couldn’t be far now.
Shea’s breath sawed in and out of her lungsas she raced after Buck. He was a quick little fucker and keepingup with him took every ounce of concentration she had.
She wasn’t the only one breathing heavyeither.
“Revenant!” came the shout.
“Idiot,” Shea muttered. He should have stayedsilent.
There was a high-pitched scream.
He wouldn’t be the last to fall. Thepickleberry juice was wearing off. It was bound to happen with allthis sweating. Shea had warned them that it was likely to fade themore they moved. It’s why they had spent half the night working oncontingency plans.
The juice had done its job by getting themover halfway through the territory and to the rally point, but nowthat the ruse had been discovered, it wouldn’t work on thisparticular group of revenants again.
“We’ve still got a quarter mile to the nextpoint,” Eamon swore.
“Told you, these fuckers are smart,” Sheapanted.
“Pick up the pace, you slackers.”
The pace quickened, the haunting wails of therevenants lending motivation to those who were tiring.
“There,” Clark shouted.
Shea’s heart leapt at the sight of theoverhang where they planned to make their stand. The space carvedinto the side of the hill created a large hollow that was easilydefensible.
Reaching it, the men spun around, placing theoverhang at their back and facing their enemy. Shea, Eamon and Buckdid the same, holding their weapons at the ready and watching asthe last of their party came into view.
“Come on, you lot,” Eamon shouted. “Get intoposition.”
Sweat dripped down Shea’s forehead, and sheurgently wished for something to drink. A rustle of bushes caughther eyes. She watched as shadows snaked through the trees.
She screamed, “Run.”
Revenants burst from the trees, latching ontolegs and dragging their prey, screaming, back into the shadows.
