The Peregrine Omnibus Volume One by Barry Reese Page A

particular adventure—or at least close enough that there could be no more hesitation.
    “No, I don’t think so.”
    Something scuttled above them, making both Max and Evelyn glance up. What they saw confirmed Max’s suspicions. These were no harpies perched from the rafters, dangling upside down. These were thin, emaciated looking humans, with glowing cat-like eyes and mouths which dripped warm saliva. One of them, a woman, held on to the rafters with her thighs and one hand. In the other hand she held a human ear which she gnawed upon like a dog.
    “Max… I don’t think we’re in a good place right now.” Evelyn moved up so close to the Peregrine that she bumped against his arm. “Have any suggestions?”
    “Yes. Start shooting.”
    Evelyn didn’t need a second word of encouragement. She singled out the ear-gnawing woman and fired. The bullet hit home, burying itself in the woman’s upper left arm. The gunshot sent the entire room into a flurry of activity. All of the monsters from above began dropping from their perches, including the wounded one, who snarled and jumped at Evelyn.
    The Peregrine tried to put all thoughts about his lover’s safety to the back of his mind. Tossing his flare to the ground, he drew his pistols and waited.
    The first of the creatures jumped up in Max’s face, punching and kicking. Max was able to block most of the blows, using fighting techniques he’d learned in the Far East. A well-placed kick to the thing’s solar plexus sent it sprawling in the dirt and the Peregrine spun about to meet another foe. This one he dispatched with a well-placed bullet to the skull. A third wrapped its arms about the Peregrine’s torso and bit down hard on his shoulder. Max felt a warmth begin to spread from the wound but he refused to give in to the pain. Instead he threw himself backwards against one of the stone walls. He heard the thing grunt from behind him and Max repeated the maneuver again and again, until he was free of his opponent. The Peregrine then turned and finished off his foe with another bullet.
    The Peregrine then drew out the dagger that had saved him from K’ntu. He would definitely have to send it to Leopold for study at some point, but for now it had much more immediate uses. Max saw that the first of his foes was back on its feet and he lunged for the creature, eager to finish him before the thing could regroup. His first swipe with the blade dug deep into the creature’s belly and elicited a squeal of torment. The second sliced through the thing’s neck and ended its vile existence.
    Panting, the Peregrine stood amongst the dead. His heart was hammering in his chest and he felt the blood rushing in his ears. It was the way it always was in combat, when the world seemed to move in white-hot flashes. The flare was flickering out now, leaving only brief spurts of light intermingled with darkness.
    “Evelyn?” Max asked, looking about but seeing no trace of her. He moved through the dark towards the spot where he’d seen her last. Kneeling, he found the dead body of her foe, the woman-thing who had been snacking on the ear. She had been shot neatly between the eyes, which caused an involuntary smile to form on Max’s lips. Apparently her little pistol was capable of killing, at least at close enough range.
    The smile died when he realized that Evelyn wasn’t answering him. He tensed, straining his ears for any sound, any sign of her breathing. Dimly, he heard something… but it was moving away from him, down the corridor he’d seen earlier.
    Still not moving, Max focused on the sounds, identifying them. The muffled cries of a woman, the shuffling sounds of her feet being dragged across dirt-covered floors.
    The visions he’d seen earlier… of Evelyn bound to an altar… sprang fully to mind. He began to run towards the corridor’s entrance but a sudden sharp blow to the back of his skull sent him tumbling to the ground. The cracking sound seemed louder than was