Page 44 of Close Encounters of the Hot Kind

"No more running?" Her grotesque grin stretches impossibly wide.

"No more running."

I lunge forward, my boot connecting with her chest. For a split second, triumph surges through me as she topples backward into open space.

Then I feel it - her arm stretching like rubber, wrapping around my waist. My victory turns to horror as she yanks me over the edge with her.

We plummet through the night air, the ground rushing up to meet us. Her tentacle-like limbs coil around me, trapping me in her embrace as we fall.

"You think you're tougher than me, gravity?" I snarl into the wind. "Not even Gravity can stop me from getting back to my love-"

The impact cuts off my words, not to mention my consciousness.

CHAPTER 15

AILEEN

The steel jaws of the crusher slam down on the pickup truck ahead of me. Metal screams. Glass shatters. The machine's hydraulics hiss as they compact two tons of Detroit steel into a cube the size of a coffee table.

My prison inches closer on the conveyor belt. Each metallic clank of the chain drive counts down the minutes until it's my turn.

"Help! Someone help me!" My throat burns raw from screaming. The reinforced glass won't break no matter how hard I kick it.

That thing wearing my face trapped me in here good. Handcuffs bite into my wrists. The doors won't budge.

The crusher's shadow falls over the windshield. Hydraulic fluid drips from its jaws like saliva. The pickup truck cube tumbles off the belt, making room for the police car. For me.

"Please..." My voice cracks. "I don't want to die like this."

The conveyor jerks forward another foot. Through the windshield, I watch the crusher's massive press descend again, testing its mechanisms. When it comes down next time, I'll be under it.

My bones will snap first. Then my organs will rupture as the metal folds around me. They'll find pieces of me mixed with the steel when they melt it down for scrap.

"Varak..." I whisper his name like a prayer. But he's probably dead too, after that fall with my doppelganger.

The car shudders as it hits the crusher's feed ramp. Tears blur my vision as the hydraulic arms extend toward the roof. This is it. In thirty seconds I'll be human origami.

I squeeze my eyes shut. The first impact will be quick at least. Maybe I won't feel anything when the press...

A grinding shriek of metal on metal. The crusher's jaws halt inches from the hood.

The jammed crusher buys me precious seconds. I twist around in the back seat, eyeing the metal mesh barrier. The handcuffs limit my movement, but maybe...

I brace my feet against the mesh and push. Nothing. Push harder. The metal groans. One more time. The welds snap with a metallic pop.

"Come on, come on!" I wriggle through the gap, scraping my arms raw. The steering column digs into my hip as I tumble into the front seat.

Keys. Where are the keys? My fingers brush cold metal in the ignition. The engine roars to life.

I slam the gas pedal. The tires spin uselessly on the conveyor belt's slick surface. The crusher's hydraulics whine as it starts moving again.

"No no no!" The jaws descend toward the trunk. I gun the engine harder, fighting the conveyor's pull. Metal shrieks as the crusher bites into the rear end.

The car lurches. Half in the crusher, half out. The tires finally catch on something. With a grinding screech, the front half of the cruiser tears free from its own trunk.

The sudden release sends me surging forward. My stomach drops as the front half of the car tips off the conveyor belt. I hit the brakes just before the nose slams into the concrete floor.

I'm alive. Somehow. The crushed rear half of the police car disappears into the machine behind me, but I made it out. Now I just need to find Varak.

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