Lexine slowly edged past him and started running.
Rikki, his gaze on the rat, followed.
The river rat disappeared.
Rikki tensed. Where had the rodent gone? To summon others?
Lexine was ten feet ahead, weaving between the boxes and crates littering the aisle.
Something scraped to Rikki’s left, and the slight sound saved his life.
Rikki whirled.
The rat was already in motion, leaping from the top of the wall of crates, its body as big and solid as a Dobermans, its pronounced yellow incisors exposed as it snarled and hurtled downward.
“Rikki!” Lexine screamed.
Rikki angled his spear, the tapered tip elevated in his left hand, the flat end held in his right.
The river rat crashed toward its prey, its bulky body carrying it onto the point of the spear, the shaft tearing into its neck at the base of its hairy throat and exiting at the top of the head just behind the ears.
Rikki was slammed to the cement by the stunning impact. He ducked his head to one side as the rat’s nasty teeth snapped at his eyes. His arms bulged as he struggled to retain his hold on the spear.
The rat was squealing and jerking back and forth, attempting to wrench free of the shaft.
A raking paw narrowly missed Rikki’s face.
And then Lex was there, standing behind the rat, a heavy metal pipe in her hands, and she crashed her club onto the rat’s skull. Once. Twice.
Three times.
The rat abruptly gurgled and stiffened, vomit bursting from its vile mouth.
Rikki kicked clear of the rat and rolled to his right, his own stomach inadvertently heaving as the rat’s vomit spattered onto his chest. He jumped to his feet, forcing his stomach to subside, his nose assailed by the nauseating stench of the rat’s puke.
The front of his black shirt was liberally sprinkled with the disgorged matter.
Rikki quickly stripped the shirt from his chest and flung it to the floor.
“Rikki!”
Rikki glanced up at Lexine’s warning.
Two more rats were perched on the crate wall.
“The west door!” Rikki yelled.
Lex took off.
Rikki raced on her heels, watching the rats over his left shoulder.
One of the rats vanished, but the other bounded along the top of the crates, pursuing the humans.
The west doorway was visible now, not more than 15 yards distant.
Rikki was beginning to think they would reach the doorway without further trouble, but he was wrong.
Lexine unexpectedly stopped, holding her club in front of her.
A rat was on the floor ahead, blocking their path to the door.
Rikki reached Lex.
The second rat was still on top of the crate wall.
Rikki grabbed the metal pipe from Lexine. “When I make my move,” he said, “go for the door.”
“I won’t leave you,” Lex declared.
“You must leave—” Rikki began.
The river rat on top of the crates abruptly screeched and launched itself into the air.
The rat blocking the exit tittered and charged.
They were working in unison!
Rikki shoved Lexine to one side. He glanced up, bracing himself, as the rat from the crates dived downward. The second rat was ten feet off, squealing as it surged forward. He clenched the heavy pipe, relying on his superb reflexes, knowing one misstep would prove fatal.
The rat from the crates reached the Warrior first.
Rikki’s body was a blur as he swung the pipe and twisted aside, his blow smacking onto the rat’s head, and he was already turning to confront the second rat, the pipe arching around and up and catching the second rat on the tip of its twitching nose.
There was a resounding racket as the rat from the crates struck a pile of boxes and tumbled to the hard floor, while the second rat was jarred backward by the force of Rikki’s blow. It retreated several steps, shaking its head, stunned.
“Stay close!” Rikki cried, and ran toward the rat still blocking the west door.
The rat skittered to the left, snapping at the pipe as Rikki aimed another blow at its face.
Rikki swung three times, each time missing as the odious rodent skipped out of range, but he succeeded in driving the rat away from the aisle, clearing the path to the doorway.
The rat from the crate wall had recovered and was cautiously stalking them.
Lexine was searching for anything she could utilize as a weapon.
Rikki grabbed her right hand. Keeping his eyes on the rat from the wall and constantly waving the metal pipe at the other rat, he began backing toward the doorway.
Neither rodent showed any inclination to pursue them too closely.
Rikki and Lex hastily withdrew, their backs to the doorway, watching the rats.
“They don’t like the light,” Lex commented.
Rikki was relieved when they finally emerged from the dim warehouse.
The brilliant light of the scorching sun temporarily dazzled them as they turned away from the warehouse.
“Going somewhere?” a female voice asked.
In the instant his vision cleared, Rikki perceived their predicament.
“No!” Lex exclaimed.
Terza, the blonde named Erika, Cardew, and 25 other Leather Knights were standing not eight feet away, ringing the west door, all of them pointing guns at the man in black and the redhead.
“Having fun?” Erika cracked sarcastically, her jowly jaw trembling as she snickered at the pair.
“We heard your yelling over by the trees and came to investigate,” Terza said coldly. “Did the rats give you a hard time?”
Rikki didn’t answer.
“So what now?” Lex demanded.
“What do you think?” Terza angrily retorted. She looked at Rikki and grinned. “You’re one tough son of a bitch, you know that, dude? You’ve wasted three of our sisters, butchered our dogs, and even managed to escape from Slither. And now this! Now you get away from the rats! You’re incredible, bastard!”
Rikki’s features were like granite.
“I’ve decided I shouldn’t be in such a rush to kill you off,” Terza said.
“Should we thank you now or later?” Lex asked.
Terza glanced at Lexine. “Not you, sweetheart. I was talking to lover boy here. We can waste you anytime.”
Cardew took a step toward the duo, his Browning Auto Pistol in his right hand. “Let me do it, Terza!”
Rikki moved in front of Lexine.
Terza’s blue eyes narrowed. “What have we here? Don’t tell me lover boy really cares about you, Lex?”
Lex didn’t answer.
“Ain’t this interesting,” Terza remarked thoughtfully.
“Can I blow her away now?” Cardew inquired hopefully.
“No, dipshit,” Terza replied. “I’ve got a better idea.”
“Like what?” Erika queried.
“You’ll see soon enough,” Terza said. She nodded at Rikki. “Drop the pipe.”
Rikki hesitated.
“Drop the pipe or I let Cardew blow Lex away,” Terza warned him.
Rikki dropped the pipe.
Terza started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Erika asked.
“I’ve got ’em right where I want ’em,” Terza said.
“What do you mean?” Erika inquired, perplexed.
“You’ll see,” Terza promised. She faced Cardew. “Listen up, airhead! Erika and I are going to split. I want you to bring those two to the library—”
“You mean the book place?” Cardew interrupted.
Terza sighed. “Yeah, mush-for-brains! The book place. Hold ’em there until I arrive.”
“Will do,” Cardew said.
“And Cardew,” Terza added.
“Yes?”
“If they get away from you I’ll have your balls hacked off and force you to eat ’em. Got it?”
Cardew swallowed hard. “I got it,” he guaranteed.
“That’s a good boy,” Terza said. She winked at Erika and they walked off to the north across the field.
“Okay, asshole!” Cardew snapped, stepping up to Rikki and gripping his right arm. “Let’s get in gear!”
Rikki hardly seemed to move other than a rippling roll of his right shoulder, but Cardew lost his hold and stumbled backward two yards before he could recover his footing.
“Damn you!” Cardew waved his Browning at Rikki. “One more fancy move out of you—”
“And what?” Lex interjected. “Terza said you’re to take us to the library. You can’t kill us.”
“Maybe I can’t kill you,” Cardew said, leering maliciously at her, “but there’s nothing to stop me from roughing you up a bit. Terza didn’t say I had to get you there in one piece.”
Lex glared at Cardew.
“So what’s it gonna be, buster?” Cardew asked Rikki. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It’s up to you.”
Rikki stared at Lex for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally he turned to Cardew. “I will not resist the trip to the library,” he said.
“You’re not as dumb as you look,” Cardew quipped. He waved at a tall black biker and a burly one with Hispanic features. “Willy! Pedro! Get some ropes. I want these two tied up real tight!” He chuckled gleefully.
“Are we gonna have some fun with you!”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Lex said under her breath.