"Finish him right now. Show no mercy!" Silas roared from the top of the iron stairs. He issued an absolute command to his dozen human guard dogs.David rolled to the left as a rusty machete struck the concrete floor exactly where he had stood a second ago. He swung his dull hunting knife upward to parry the first attacker's wrist. Quickly, he twisted his body and kicked the man's knee until it broke."One down," David shouted, panting. He grabbed the second man's collar and slammed his face into a stack of bricks."Hit him in the head from behind!" screamed a third gang member. He swung a thick iron chain into the air.David ducked. He punched the man in the solar plexus, then snatched the chain and swung its iron tip into the attacker's jaw. Three men were laid out in less than ten seconds. David's human body was forced to work far beyond its limits of exhaustion."You move like a cheap dancer, Vexley. Dance faster," Elliot's mocking laugh buzzed

"They drove right past our yard, Dave. Silas's pickup trucks kept going north toward the smoke rising from their old warehouse," Elena whispered, her breath hitching. She released her grip on the worn window curtain, her body slumping in relief against the wooden wall.David, lying blind on the mattress, could only listen to the roar of the V8 engines slowly fading away. His bandaged bare chest rose and fell heavily. Every time he took a breath, the stinging pain from the burned nerves in his spine shot all the way to the base of his neck. His cloudy, milky-white pupils stared blankly at the bedroom ceiling."But there's one person left behind," Elena continued, her tone tense again. "That teenage boy who pointed at our house earlier. He separated from Silas's group and now he's walking into our yard."David clenched his fists beneath the blanket. "Who is he, El? Describe him to me.""He's young, maybe around seventeen. Very skinny, wearing thick-rimmed g

"Dad, the dogs are too close!" Arthur whispered, his breath catching. The seven-year-old boy curled up behind a rusty metal trash can in the corner of Elliot's yard.David gripped his two-way radio tightly in the dark bedroom. Cold sweat poured down his temples. "Hold your breath, Arthur. Do not move a single centimeter. Let him pass."In the yard, Elliot swept a blinding flashlight beam toward the bushes. The two Rottweilers continued to bark ferociously at the fence, confused and losing the scent because Arthur had rolled in a muddy drainage ditch to mask his smell."Who's there? Come out!" Elliot shouted angrily, pulling hard on his dogs' leashes.Arthur covered his mouth with his two tiny, trembling hands. The flashlight beam swept right over the trash can where he was hiding. The darkness of the night and the thick drizzle saved the child. Elliot clicked his tongue in annoyance, yanking his dogs roughly."Damn raccoons," the sociopathic teenag