CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
I turn, wondering at the cause of the sudden and insanely painful hole in my side. I press my hand to the wound, trying to keep hot sticky blood inside my body. What hit me? The staircase looms in front of me. At the top of the stairs, there is a shadowy shape of a man. I can’t see his face. Blood drips from my side onto the floor and I stare at it, unable to comprehend what is happening. I lose balance and someone catches me.
Sam? A stinky, sweaty shape presses against my back. Bethany hisses into my ear and her arm wraps around my throat, cutting off my scream. She drags me toward the stairs, her clawed hand clamped over my mouth. I struggle wildly, grabbing at Bethany’s thick leathery arm and pulling with all my strength, but I can’t shift her. We twist and I star
