Текст книги "Total Eclipse"

Автор книги: Rachel Caine

Соавторы: Rachel Caine
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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Chapter Eight

Weirdly enough, nothing else was happening in Missouri, or in Oklahoma as we dropped down toward our Arizona destination. Open roads, lots of traffic. Some towns still had power and some sense of normalcy, includingimprobablyOklahoma City.

People were actually going to work.

I supposed that was a good sign; life had to go on, until it became impossible. It was just . . . strange.

I rose up into the aetheric and found a powerful bunch of Wardens at workEarth, Fire, and Weather all locked in a tight– knit unit, constantly repelling attacks on any number of levels. They were stretched thin, but coping. I soared up higher into the spirit world, looking at the patterns of lights and color, shadows and twisted representations of the physical world.

Lewis had figured it out. Hed teamed up his people in those triangular bases of power, positioning them at strategic locations. I looked back toward the east, where the chaos had been the worst, and it was dying down. For now, the Wardens were handling it, even against all the odds.

It wasnt a battle we could win, but we could fight to a standstillfor a while.

I spotted Lewis on the aetheric. Id expected him to be in Seattle, but he was a brilliant, incandescent blaze of power located in Nevada right now. I couldnt imagine what had drawn him there, but it was unmistakably him. And he was still moving, though not as quickly as I was, given the jet-powered chariot skills of the Mustang.

He was going wherever the battle was the fiercest, I thought. As he should.

I cut my grip on the aetheric and dropped back into my body with that familiar, faintly disorienting jolt, then pulled out my cell phone and checked it. The grid was back up, and I speed-dialed Lewis.

No answer. I wanted to tell him about Kevin, but this wasnt something that would be good for voice mail. Id wait until I could tell him on the phone, or face to face. The news wasnt going to get worse, or better, with time.

I was just hanging up when the phone rang, startling me into a frantic juggling act. When Id renewed my grip on it, I accepted the call and held the phone to my ear.

Piercing shrieks of static. I yanked the phone away again, no doubt making one of those pained faces, and then carefully eased it back as the feedback diminished into a thick net of noise. The screen said PRIVATE CALLER. I had no idea who it was.

And then I did.

It was me. My voice. And it said, You need to stop. Stop now.

I took the phone away and looked at it again. Yep, there was a call. Private Caller. And it was my voice.

Saying, again, Are you listening to me? Dont come here!

Excuse me, who am I talking to? I asked, which was a pretty reasonable question at the moment, if a bit existential. This took talking to myselfto a whole new level of weird. Then, belatedly, I got it. Imara?My Djinn daughter had been a virtual clone, down to the voice, although shed always somehow sounded more sassy to me. Maybe because I wasnt used to being on the receiving end of the sass. Imara, is that you?

The answer drowned in static, and then myher?voice came back strong, again. have to stay away, Mom, do you understand?

There was a particularly violent shriek of feedback, and the connection cut off. I was surprised there wasnt smoke curling up out of the receiver, as loud as that had been. I waited, but the phone didnt ring again.

The Djinn behind the wheelstill driving top speed on very treacherous roadswas staring straight at me, not at the road. Jo? Davids voice, out of the radio. Jo, was it Imara?

Yes. Can you reach her? Is she okay?

I cant see her. Like the Fire Oracle, I think shes hidden herself. Ill try to get through.

Hurry, I said, and chewed my lip nervously. I think she could be in trouble.

Were all in trouble, David said, which wasnt the most inspirational speech hed ever delivered. The radio shut down. The Djinn turned back toward the road.

I turned around to look in the backseat. Cherise was asleep, cuddled up with Tommy in a camouflage-patterned sleeping bag. Wed stopped in at a sports outfitter in Oklahoma CityMuzak still playing over the speakers, although shoppers were noticeably rattled and tense, and buying survival gear instead of lawn gamesand stocked up on things like insulating blankets, sturdy boots and clothes, portable shelters, water and survival foods. Next best thing to Army surplus. And a lot more expensive, since it catered to the weekend wannabe warrior market.

It had felt deeply surreal to be signing a credit card slip while the world was in the throes of chaos, but I supposed one way or another, Id be paying off my debts.

Cherise looked tired and pale, and from the way she was whimpering in her sleep, she had bad dreams. I reached back and smoothed her hair until the whimpering went away. Baby Tommy seemed to have adapted much more easily; hed taken to Cherise quickly, and he was a happy kid, smiling and burbling most of the time. From the way he filled his diapers, he was healthy enough. I would have felt better having him checked out by an honest-to-goodness Earth Warden or, at the very least, a pediatrician, but for now, we were all doing okay. Cherise was out of the braces. Her legs had healed straight, and although she continued to be weak and tired, she was recovering remarkably well from having just about died. The jury was still out on how she was going to deal with Kevins death, long term.

If we had any long term, of course.

Up ahead, traffic was snarled, again. As we got into more civilized areas, it was perversely harder to get around these days, what with people frantically trying to get to their survivalist mountain hideouts, or to their relatives, or just to the store to stock up on emergency batteries. We were coming into Amarillonot exactly a major metropolitan area, but busier than the deserted Texas Panhandle highway had been. The air was dry and stable overhead, and the landscape was mostly flat and scrubby, with tough vegetation. Very different from the trees where wed left Kevin.

I hoped I wouldnt end up dying somewhere without trees. I liked trees.

Even the Djinns prodigious driving skills couldnt cope with the jam of traffic, and pretty soon we were cooling our engine at an idle, watching brake lights. Funny; this type of backup on the East Coast would have been a howling chorus of impatient horns sounding. Not here in the Southwest. People just . . . waited, listening to their music or talk radio, poking at their hair, arguing with whoever was in the car along with them. Or with themselves, apparently. I didnt hear a single angry honk.

This is restful, I said, to nobody in particular. The Djinn wasnt exactly chatty company. Cherise was asleep. The radio stayed quiet, not falling for my opening gambit. David? Do you think we should stop?

You all need rest, he said. Ill find you a place to stay for a few hours, and someplace to eat.

That sounded heavenly. Not that I couldnt sleep in the car and eat bagged food, but stretching out on real sheets was better than sex right now. The mere thought of fresh food made me salivate.

We should probably push on, I said, being the brave little toaster. Its only about another ten hours to Sedona, and thats not counting the bat out of hell multiplier.

Youd get there exhausted, he said. Its been hard, and its going to get worse, I think. You need to rest while you can. He spoke with authority, and I remembered that in his brief human life hed been a soldier. Hed been used to exhaustion, to snatching what little rest and relief he could in between fighting for his life.

I gave in. Truthfully, it had been a token protest anyway, and Imaras inexplicable warning had made me worried. My daughter, like David, had a much wider view of things than I ever could. What if we were making things worse instead of better? What if we were actually forcing the battle instead of preventing it?

I couldnt think straight anymore. Id been holding back emotions for a while now, but theres one thing about emotions: they never really go away if theyre strong. You can bury them, but like a vampire they keep lurching back up. I knew that I was still numb about the loss of Kevin, but it was going to come out, and probably soon. Id rather suffer through that in private, lying in a bed and hugging a pillow. It wouldnt help Cherise to see me lose it.

Id put him in the ground myself. Id felt the unmistakable absence in him, the void where his life had been.

No, I didnt want to remember how it had felt to hold his empty shell, or how hed looked so pale, bound up in that cheap motel sheetbut the image wouldnt go away.

With a shocking intensity, that mental picture suddenly shifted, and it was Lewissface pale and still, it was Lewislying in my arms as I abandoned him to the dirtalone, cold, unmarked. I almost gasped out loud with the emotion that brought rolling through me, and rested my burning forehead against the glass as I squeezed my eyes shut. No. No, thats not going to happen.

David and I had our powers back. Cherise had survived. Wed saved some lives along the way. We were winning, dammit. I couldnt get spooked now. I couldnt lose focus. That was another good reason to recharge. When I was in the throes of exhaustion, it was far too easy to let things overwhelm me, even the unlikely threats. I lost all ability to filter.

While I was thinking, David had been acting, and I felt the Mustang suddenly leap forward. I looked up and saw we were hurtling straight for the back of a stopped eighteen-wheel truck . . . and then the car lurched sideways with a scream of tires, jumped over a curb, and bumped down on the other side, onto an off ramp. Free of the traffic block, we rocketed down the access road toward a nice, neat– looking, moderately priced hotel/ motel.

We passed it. I looked back as it receded into the distance and said, Uh, that one would have been okay

No, it wouldnt have been, sugar. Whitneys accent never failed to make me want to roll my eyes. She could nothave been more annoying about how thick she laid it on. Youre going to have company coming soon. Wont do to put you up someplace thats going to just come down on you. Again. She sounded utterly certain of herself, and casual about the threat, too. Lovely.

What kind of company?

The kind you dont want to stand up to, not that you could. You remember little Venna.

Ouch.Venna was the very last Djinn Id want to have on my tail right noweven worse than Rahel. Venna was impossibly strong, and she was clever, too. Great friend, awesomely bad enemy. I thought about that little girl, the image of innocence, with those ghostly white eyes like Id seen in Rahel.

I shuddered. Where can we go?

Im working on that, Whitney said. Im taking over the car now.

We blurred past a lotof inviting-looking roadside inns, took some turns, and ended up on the northeast side of town, as best I could tell. Businesses of any kind thinned out and stopped.

Wherever she was taking us, it wasnt going to be the Hilton.

The car slowed and stopped in the middle of nowhere. I could see a faint smudge on the horizon off the black-top to the right, but I couldnt tell what it was.

Uh, Whitney? Hello?

Nothing. No answer from her, or from David. I tried poking the Djinn, but it just sat there, inert and hot to the touch. It was like poking a bag of especially firm rubber.

Cherise yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Tommy woke up with a grouchy grumble, turned his face toward her neck as she lifted him up, and promptly fell asleep again draped all over her. She patted his back, smiled a little, and then looked at me. Whats going on?

Nothing.

Well, obviously nothing, because were just sitting here. Why are we just sitting here?

Because David and Whitney are arguing about it, I said. I just knew that was the case, and I knew that it indicated a potentially major problem. Whitney says Venna is headed this way. Maybe its a coincidence, but maybe shes on our trail, too. Either way, its not good news.

Cherise shuddered. Ouch. Okay, got itcrisis imminent. Againwere sitting. Why are we sitting?

Because running off without a plan is an even worse idea, Davids voice said, coming from the radio.

Whitneysvoice, at the same time, came from the Djinn. Youre not thinking straight about this, boss man. You try to run them, shell catch up. You try to hide them in the middle of all those people, shell just mow down everybody in her way. This is your only real shot at keeping them alive, and you know it.

This is the oppositeof keeping them alive! David snapped back.

I hate it when Mommy and Daddy fight, Cher said, with just enough sarcasm to cut through. Were not just pieces getting pushed around on a board, you know. Tell us whats going on.

David got there first. She wants to take you to a nuclear weapons assembly plant.

I think Cherise and I both said it at the same time. What?I think we were both pretty restrained about it, really.

Thats it up ahead, David said. Its not a good idea. Its so easy for Venna to destroy not just that place but everybody in this part of the state, given all that raw material to work with.

I know that, Whitney snapped. But its also one of the only places we can lock off against her, not just with wards and shields, but with lead-lined concrete and bunkers designed to withstand nuclear attacks. Best possible place to hide them, especially if we can erase their traces on the aetheric.

Wow, Whit must have been upset, because shed lost most of her Gone with the Windaccent. And she used bigger words.

Its too dangerous, David said flatly. No. We go on. Im sorry, Jo, but if we keep moving we can stay ahead of Venna.

Venna can materialize any place she wants, and you know it, I said. How exactly do we stay ahead of her?

Were shielding you. She cant know exactly where you are.

But she can narrow the area. And like Whitney said, anybody standing around us is collateral damage.

He fell silent, which indicated that my logic was, sadly, unassailable. I deeply wanted that little oasis of a working roadside inn, a meal with cooked food and actual silverware, but I understood the risks, and they were far too highnot for the three of us, but for everybody who had nothing to do with it.

Is she really looking for us?

We think so, Whitney said. David said nothing, which I took for unwilling assent. Shes not the only one. There are at least four Djinn quartering the country. She just happens to be the one in this area. Theyre looking for signs, and ignoring the other Wardens.

Mother Earth must have really been pissed about me kicking Rahels ass. Not good news.

How about the other Wardens? I asked. Anybody close?

The three teamed up to cover this area are together in Albuquerque. Not close, but we could try making for their location. Strength in numbers.

Not against Venna, Whitney said, which was probably true. Not unless youre throwing an oiled-up Lewis into this cluster.

Oiled-up . . . David sounded utterly mystified, which was probably a good thing, because the image that flashed through my brain was exactly what Whitney intended. Thanks, Whit, you button-pushing bitch. David elected to go with a more literal interpretation. Hes still in Nevada. Too far.

So it sounds like we dont have a lot of options, Cherise said. Is this nuclear place safe for kids?

No, I said, and it isnt safe for us, either. But I think Whitney may be right. There isnt any safe place just now. Maybe its the closest we can get. Davidcan you get us in?

Securitys tight, but I think so. The plants closed now and under lockdown. Once youre inside the security perimeter you wont be seen.

Surveillance, I reminded him. Heat sensors. Motion detectors. Doesnt have to be an actual person to bust us for breaking and entering.

Nothing electronic is going to pick you up, Whitney said. I guarantee that.

Well, that was about the best I could ask for, in terms of reassurances. Go back, or go into the bunker?

Cherise, oddly enough, asked the logical question I hadnt bothered to think about. How long are we staying there?

Until we can get Warden tactical support, I said. Until we know whether we should go on to Sedona. If Imara really doesnt want us there, then were making a mistake. We need to understand where were needed, at this point. My whole goal, I realized, had been retrieving Davids powers, and my own. Mission accomplished. Now what? We still had a major, and very difficult, war going on that we were unlikely to win. Restoring David had saved his life but placed him squarely on the sidelines, trapped except for what he could channel through our strange Djinn chauffeur.

Restoring me shifted the balance a little, but only a little. I had to choose where, and how, to apply the strength I could bring. Instinct cried out for me to keep running to Sedona, to see my daughter, to defend her with every breath I had and every power at my command. But Imara wasnt a helpless child; she was an Oracle, more powerful than her father and me combined, most likely. Instinct could be leading me the wrong way.

I needed to think. And I needed a safe place to do that.

The plant is our best bet, I said finally. If we have to make a stand, its got our best chance of survival.

Im not dying in some nuclear warehouse, Cher said. Look, enough already. I love you, Jo, but I cant take little Tommy in there. Its wrong. Its full of radiation and crap.

She was right; it wasnt any place to take a small boy. No matter how carefully this place conducted its business, it was an inherently dangerous environment for adults, never mind kids.

And I realized that at this moment, our roads were taking different turns. That made me sad, but it also relieved me, just a little. Cherise was warm, and funny, and a true and constant friend, and I loved her.

I didnt want to leave her in a cold, unmarked grave somewhere, like Kevin. I couldnt.

Youre right, I said softly, and reached over the seat to take her hand. Cher, its not safe for you or for him. I know you feel responsible for him. I cant ask you to just drop him off somewhere, and I cant let you, or him, come in there with me. I can control any radiation exposure I get. Youre too vulnerable, and I cantI cant let you get hurt. Not again. Not for me.

She looked confused for a second, then sad and a little angrynot at me, at herself, because I was sure what she was feeling inside was more relief than frustration. So thats it? Youre just going to turf me, after all weve been through?

No, I said. Im going to give you a mission to keep yourself and Tommy safe, and to get a message through to Lewis letting him know where I am, and that Im back up to full power. Can you do that?

Dont bullshit me, Jo. Its not a mission; its called shuffling the stupid bikini girl out of the way. Her eyes filled with tears, and they broke free in silver trails down her face. Damn you. And thank you.

Sweetie I didnt know what to say. I finally just reached over and hugged her, and Tommy as well. I kissed them both. Youre brilliant.

Youre a jerk, Cherise said. And I adore you, by the way.

Ditto.

Ditto? Wow. Feel the love!

Now? I thought wed get a room and do it up right. I blew her a kiss, and she blew me a raspberry. Smiling through her tears. Ill be okay, Cher. You know I will. But I have to know youllbe okay.

Yeah, she said softly. I will be. Sohow does this work? Do I walk, or . . .

No. Iwalk. David, Whitney, whoevers driving, take her back to town and find someplace safe she can stay. Without me, she wont be a target. Ill head toward the plant. You can come back for me.

There was radio silence, which I figured indicated yet another behind-the-scenes Djinn smackdown, and then David said, Ill make sure theyre safe. Dont try anything before I bring the car back.

Aye aye, Captain. I reached in the back and grabbed one stuffed duffel bag loaded with water, food, insulating blankets, a flashlight, batteries, guns, ammo . . . everything a girl needs on vacation, except tanning oil and makeup. Wed packed them in individual bags, in case we had to grab and got separated. Good thinking on our part, and it paid off now, because with one final smile at Cherise, and a wink, I stepped out of the car, shouldered the duffel bag, and started jogging up the deserted road toward the distant shimmer of buildings. Before Id taken two strides, the Mustangs engine fired up, and I heard tires screech as it did a one-eighty, heading back toward Amarillo.

Damn, that thing was fast.

My jog settled into a walk after a while. The day was bright, but not too hot, mercifully. I could sense that the land was troubled around me, restless, and I began to extend my awareness out. There were living things around me, lots of them, mostly small, but all universally pissed off, thanks to the influence of the Mother. I was more worried about a snake coming after me than a lightning bolt. Id have a lot more warning from the lightning bolt.

My watch clocked in fifteen minutes before I had the perimeter of the building fully in sight. I slowed down and stopped, because there wasnt a lot of cover, and I was fairly certain that even thinkingabout strolling up to the gates was strongly discouraged. I sat down and had some water. Four separate colonies of fire ants were making tracks in my direction, streaming with grim purpose over rocks and dirt. Next to full– fledged army ants, fire ants were one of the creepiest warrior insects out there, in terms of their dedication to a cause. I formed a barrier that fended them off, respectfully keeping a good twenty-foot distance between them and me. Piles of ants started forming, trying to scale the invisible wall. Theyd keep doing that, forming ladders and chains out of their own bodies, climbing and climbing, until they found a way over, or gravity toppled them.

Like I said. Committed.

My cell phone rang. The cheerful tones sounded even more out of place here than they normally did, and I slapped at my pockets quickly, trying to muffle it. I was too far away for the perimeter guards to hear anything that small, but it still spooked me.

I turned off the ringer and looked at the screen.

It was Lewis.

I talked to Cherise, he said. She told me about Kevin.

Oh, God. I hadnt thoughtOf course she had. Of course she would. I heard the anguish in his voice. Hehe was trying to protect us, I said. Im so sorry. He was Was what? A good kid? He hadnt been, really. But hed tried. He was brave. Yes. He was that.

He cleared his throat. Okay, he agreed, and sounded grateful. Cherise tells me youre back on the playing field, Jo. You and David.

Davids more cheerleader right now than suited up to play, but thats better than nothing. I swallowed and clutched the phone tighter. We almost didnt make it, Lewis. I thought I was going to lose him.

Im pretty sure he thought the same about you. But I knew youd come through. You always do. He let a second pass, then changed the subject. I need you to do something for us.

Ready. I already knew it wouldnt be picking flowers, or even something easy that a lower– level Warden would do. He saved the worst jobs for his best people.

I need you to distract the attention of the Djinn. I need something big, spectacular, and damaging that theyll have to deal with directly. Do you think you can do that?

My mouth went dry, and I sipped more water before I could answer. What are we talking about, Lewis?

We need to hit her back, he said. Were playing defense, Jo, and were getting slaughtered. Get her attention, pull her to your location, and the Djinn will follow. Well head toward you as fast as we possibly can. You wont be alone.

Actually, I would be, and he knew it. The Wardens could only travel so fast, and the Djinn could be anywhere they wanted, when they wanted. Not even close to a race.

He was asking me to do something that would make a significant sting to the Earth, and then he was asking me to stand still while the Djinn came to destroy me.

There was a name for that: suicide bomber. And me, sitting here next to a plant chock full of plutonium, uranium, and nuclear weapons. I could do the math, and the math divided by zero.

Lewis, I said slowly. You understand what youre asking me to do?

Yes, he replied. Believe me, I do understand. But theyre targeting our Warden network, and its folding. Once thats broken, things will get worse again, very fast, and therell be nothing we can do to stop it. Weve got only about another day, Jo, before they destroy every Warden on the planet. After that, it wont even be a week before humanity is purged down to almost nothing. Its extinction. This is the best move we have.

And better me than you, I said. I dont mean that in a cruel way. The Wardens need a leader, and youve got us this far. I understand that you need to go on. I gulped in an unsteady breath. I dont. I get it.

Jo . . . There was so much torment in that one whisper, so much horror and frustration, that I wanted to reach through the phone and hold him, this man who was sending me to my death. Only somebody of your quality could do this in the first place, and minimize loss of life. Youre my only choice. I wish it was His voice failed, broken, and all I heard was harsh, uneven breathing as he tried to get hold of himself again.

I felt a wave of resentment pass over me. How many times? How many times do I have to be the one who gives?It was a valid question. Id worked my ass off for the Wardens, Id saved them time and time again. Why did it have to be me, again?

One thing about waves: they pass. The emotion peaked, then receded, and in its wake I felt . . . calm. Oddly centered.

Ill get them here, I said. Ill hold them here as long as I can. Lewis?

Yeah? His voice was low and husky, choked with what he couldnt say.

Make it worth it.

No pressure. Theresome of his usual dark humor was back in place, armor against the world. I laughed.

No pressure, I assured him, and just before I pressed the END CALL button, I whispered, I always loved you, just a little bit. Bye.

I cut the signal before I could hear his response, if he could have managed to make one. I didnt think David would have objected to me saying that. It was true, and it was the last chance Id have to make that particular statement count.

Silence. I listened to the wind, which was blowing in from the north, bringing the bitter taste of sand out of Oklahoma. Red dust, filming the horizon. The sun was a fierce, hard ball in the sky, heading west, dropping on its predetermined course without any thought at all for whatever happened here on this complicated little oasis of life. Id always wondered if other planets had some kind of vast awareness, too; maybe Earth got into neighborhood scraps with Venus and Mars, or yelling matches with big bully Jupiter. Maybe the sun had its own voice, its own life. Maybe the entire universewas alive with life, in forms we couldnt recognize because we were too limited in our sight.

I finished my water, closed my eyes, and thought about God. My mother was a church-going woman, and I had grown up in Sunday school and after-school programs. It hadnt damaged me, but it hadnt altogether satisfied me, either. I wanted to know answers, and religion expected me to have faith.

Maybe religion had been right, and the answers were too vast, too complex, and too hard for me to begin to grasp, but that didnt mean I wanted to stop trying.

Please, I whispered. Please understand who we are, what weve achieved. How far weve come. How far we have to go. Please tell her to stop. Please listen to your children.

If God didnt stop her, I didnt think the Wardens could, but I had to give them a fighting chance. Even if it meant doing something terrible. Something that I would never do under different circumstances.

I heard the car coming up the roadId know that throaty growl anywhere. I stood up, hoisted my pack, and looked around at the barricade.

The fire ants were swarming in a thick, unsettling sheet over the invisible shield, grimly determined to find something soft to kill. I also saw rattlesnakes, and somewhere beyond, a coyote paced, watching me with ravenous eyes. Overhead, birds circled, and as I looked up, a thermal-riding red-tailed hawk spilled air from its wings and began a smooth attack glide, clawed feet ready to slice.

I didnt want to see him crash into the barrier; it would probably kill him at that speed. Instead, I heated a column of air and he flew right into it, lost control of his glide, and had to swing out and flap to regain altitude. Confused, he climbed again.

If only it was that easy all the time.

The Mustang pulled to a halt on the road, and the Djinn opened the passenger side with a wave of his hand. I took a second to think and ready myself, then dropped the barriers.

I feltthe anger, then, the furious and baffled rage of the Earth. The ants collapsed in a wave as the barrier fell, and swarmed toward me from all sides. I didnt hesitate. I pulled power out of the ground and jumped from a standing position to an area outside the swarms, and hit the ground running.

Behind me, I heard the coyote howl, and heard his jaws snap on air. Damn, he was close. I could outrun the ants and snakes, but that coyote . . .

His teeth sank into my calf. It felt like Id been stabbed and squeezed in a vise at the same time, and I yelped and went down as his weight dragged me off balance. He was snarling, teeth locked into muscle, and shook his head to try to cause maximum damage. I reached for Earth power and flung a raw handful at him; it hit him like pepper spray, and he let go with a startled yelp, dancing backward as I lurched to my feet.

Ten more feet to the car.

A rattlesnake struck at me without any noisy warning. He was concealed in the shadow between the black-top and the dirt, and there was no way I could be fast enough to dodge; by the time I spotted his movement, he was already there, sinking his fangs into my arm. Jesus, that hurt. I grabbed the snake and pulled him off, flinging him as far as panic would allow, and kicked back at the coyote as he tried another grab for my calf. I got him far enough away that I dove forward, landed belly down on the seat, and scrambled to shut the door behind me.