The door opened, and I rushed out, breaking my connection with Ren. She stared down at her hands in fascination and then gave me a confident nod that she had enough power left over to unlock the other cells.
Ah-Puch’s legs buckled. My arms shot out to catch him before he collapsed. “I can walk…” he whispered. His voice trailed off into a sputtering cough.
Crap! Did he really have to cough up a lung now? He seriously had the worst timing.
One by one, the godborns tumbled out of their prisons looking shell-shocked. I understood—I mean, this was a lot to take, and who knows what had happened to them after they were abducted.
Brooks’s and Hondo’s cages were the last to be unlocked.
I started toward them, when Ah-Puch grabbed hold of my arm. Do not be fooled by anything you see here, he said. The twins’ mother, Ixkik’, is the master of deception, so it’s in their blood. He glanced up at creepy bat dude. Except him. He’s very real.
Just then, a hubcap went whizzing through the air, directly toward Zotz. Miraculously, it landed soundlessly on a soft piece of dirt.
The world stopped.
Chest heaving, Marco stood outside his cage, scowling at the bat with a madman’s eyes. He picked up a hammer next and hurled it at the sleeping monster. I wanted to lunge for him, but it was too late.
The hammer fell short and smashed into a windshield.
Craccckkk.
Everyone froze. Marco stared at the destruction like he couldn’t believe what he’d done.
Zotz opened his eyes. He stretched his wings. His hairy little minions took flight simultaneously, creating a shadow big enough to blot out the moon.
“Rosie!” I shouted. “Get to Hondo!” She took off to his now opened cell, where I knew she would use her healing saliva to restore him to a 100 percent lean, mean fighting warrior.
I hurried toward Brooks’s cage, but my limp slowed me down. More than ever I missed Fuego, but I could do this. I concentrated on my storm runner leg, willing its power to carry me faster.
Brooks was pressed into the corner. The second she saw me, she began to screech and flap her wings crazily.
“Seriously?” I said. “I don’t think this is the time to chew me out.”
Her eyes flashed yellow, and I guessed she couldn’t shift back to human because her magic was still weak. My heart sank as I realized the twisted truth. My dad’s blood hadn’t been enough to help the sobrenaturals. I really had destroyed Fuego for nothing.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of limbs, claws, and shining teeth. A dark laugh filled the air, followed by a sickening chorus of bat screeches.
I dropped to my knees, soldier-crawled across the dirt, and scooped Brooks into my arms. She thrashed, driving her beak and claws into my wrists, hands, and neck.
Rosie released a chilling wail. A pile of cars came crashing down, metal grinding on metal. Screams and shouts rose into the chaos.
“Zane!” Hondo hollered from somewhere. I glanced over to see him herding the godborns together.
We needed a gateway and fast.
“Ah-Puch!” I shouted, getting to my feet. “We have to get out of here!”
The voice was sudden, dark, and terrifying. “You’re not going anywhere.”
We all watched in horror as the bat dude made a sweeping arc and landed right in front of us, standing at least four feet taller than me. He rubbed his hands together as he spread his wannabe Batman wings. On their undersides were tiny fanged mouths opening and closing like piranhas, hissing words I couldn’t make out. His bat army circled overhead as though they were waiting for his command to drain every ounce of our blood.
My stomach turned as I pressed the godborns, now huddled behind me, back. Hondo took Brooks from me and joined the crowd. Rosie followed, no doubt to heal Brooks’s wing.
“Who is rattling the cages?” the bat said in a deep gravelly voice. Was he really trying to sound like Christian Bale from The Dark Knight?
A cold feeling spread through me. I didn’t like the looks of this guy. I’d fought monsters before, but there was something extra cruel and savage about this one. Something predatory, like he’d kill just for the sport of it. Or because someone dared him to. So, what do you say to a monster like that?
“Er…sorry,” I said. “We were just leaving.”