ked crowd of onlookers. Her shoulder slam

filthy concrete, the impact se

is skin was ice-cold and slick with a clammy sweat. His eyes w

c, high-pitched wheezing sound-like air being forc

hunting for the carotid artery. The pulse was erratic, ra

tack. This was acute neurological airway spasms. The nerves controlling his trachea were misfiring, c

cking of heel

ook one look at the boy thrashing in the dirt and viol

oice shrill and panicked. "Get away from him! He's probably a

ook up. She did

d just enough to l

any humanity. A wave of pure, concentrat

led. Her voice was a low, guttur

She stumbled backward, her heel catching on the curb, terr

. She had less than sixty sec

oodie. Her fingers bypassed her phone and grabbed a

it open wi

pulled out a gleaming, surgical-grade sc

woman in the crowd screamed, p

tunneled. The world shrank down to the

ctly still all day, moved with

She aggressively swabbed the center of the boy's neck, l

esitate. She

nto the flesh and made a flawle

. She didn't flinch. She used her left thumb and forefinger t

ust, she punctur

in the quiet street as

ed the hollow plastic t

ing gasp of air sucked through the tube. His blue li

ered, his eyes wide with absolute shock. "That's a perfe

s body was still twitching fr

clear blue liquid and a sterile syringe. There was no label on the vial. It was

plunger, and found a vein in the boy's arm. She p

s muscles went completely slack. His breathing leveled out

y and confused. He stared up at the girl in the gray hoodie

ressing from her pocket and taped it securely ar

of ambulances and police cruisers be

head sn

edics would ask questions she couldn't answer. If her finger

sphalt. She stood up, pulling the h

dress. She snatched the cheap fabric off the ground, s

led alleyway between two brick buil

e associated with a bloody street surgery. She ran to her Porsche, threw herself

conds

their tires screaming in protest. They slammed on their brakes,

r was kicked open before the

unadulterated terror. He shoved past two police officers who had

to his knee

cracking with a desperate agon

an-dropped down next to Barron. He immediately checked Leo's

r's jaw f

uro-spasm. Someone... someone performed a field cricothyrotomy. And they administered an unknown neuro-inhib

s chest heaved as he looked

wd. His eyes were wild, scanning t

ice a lethal, booming command that sile

nted a shaking finger

hoodie. She had her face covered. She moved like a ghost,

s ribs. A violent, electric shock

the alleyway. He stared down

et turned, he saw a flash of gray fab

so hard his fingernails chip

as right here. She had just

o Arthur, who was ru

ng with a terrifying, obsessive fire. "I want every single frame of CCTV fo