Her morphed body was a very poor fit for the seat, but she was able to jam one foot down on the accelerator and watch the speedometer move from eight miles an hour to twenty to forty-five, at which point the SUV was just a few feet from impact. She leaped out, easily matching what to her was not even walking speed, and watched as the SUV advanced on Knightmare.

  His dead eyes turned, spotting the SUV, and he began to move.

  It was a surreal ballet, the SUV advancing at a seeming crawl, Knightmare swinging his sword at a slightly faster pace. SUV . . . sword. SUV . . . sword.

  Shade shifted position to see better. The front bumper was inches from Knightmare’s left leg as the sword arm completed an awkward arc.

  The SUV crashed into Knightmare with a loud crumpf!

  Knightmare’s sword arm sliced into the SUV behind the driver’s seat.

  Knightmare’s leg was slammed by the impact of the big SUV and he lost his balance. His sword arm had carried him around with its momentum and now he fell on his back atop the SUV.

  Erin’s unnatural warbling scream rose in pitch.

  The CHP in the helicopter had their door open and fired down at him with a shotgun, the fat slugs clearly visible as they flew.

  Shade looked around, searching for some tool, some weapon. By the main highway was a barbed-wire fence. She raced back and ripped lengths of wire free, coiling it, then ran back just as Knightmare climbed—apparently unhurt—off the crushed SUV.

Monster, Chapter 16