I didn’t look up. I stared out in horror as I watched Ryder catapult herself out into the open air above the alley, arms and legs spinning uselessly.
A second later, I heard a soft shot then the hiss of a dart. Ryder’s body jerked into a sickening twist as the hit found her shoulder. I screamed as she dropped straight from the sky into the tarp below.
The men quickly ushered her off into the back of one of the SUVs.
Shock pinned me to the wall. What had I just seen? What was happening?
The glint of the sniper’s gun snapped me back into focus.
The gun was aimed at me! Except … except there was nobody with a tarp waiting down below!
The pads of my fingers gripped tightly against the rough brick. I was going to die. No doubt about it this time. I was a little duck at a fair, but I bet this shooter was going to get more than a stuffie for knocking me down. Down.
My eyes drifted lower. No! Don’t look down. Never look down … look … look up!
Ryder had said to look up! I rolled my eyes skywards.
No! It couldn’t be! It felt like a mirage, but I was almost sure I saw someone, nearly erased in the glare of the sun, leaning over the edge of the building. Two someones! And they had a rope ladder! Its end nearly within my grasp.
I reached a hand up to grab the rung. My fingertips brushed the rounded metal. I almost had it. I inched up onto my toes even though every instinct was screaming not to do it. Just a little farther …
There! Got it!
I slapped the other hand onto the metal. Of course, my escape route didn’t exactly take care of Mr Sniper.
I looked over my shoulder.
But … but he was having some trouble of his own. Round objects were exploding against the wall of his perch. He had his arm crossed over his face as a shield. I watched him try to aim at me through the volley, but the onslaught against him was relentless. He was being bombarded by … by … porcelain doll heads! Queenie! I craned my head up again. Yup, that was Queenie … and Bart!
I struggled to get my foot on the first rung, ignoring the horrifying feeling of empty air at my back.
‘Move it! Bremy!’
Suddenly a shot hit the wall by my face. I froze, staring at how close I had come to being hit. A sharp astringent smell filled my nose. Definitely a tranquilliser. They had tranked Ryder and taken her away! Me they were just going to trank and let fall to the ground. I looked down to the street once again. Wait! The men with the tarp were back, but they didn’t have it stretched out. One man was on a walkie-talkie, probably awaiting orders. Well, I couldn’t wait for them to decide if I lived or died. I hurried up a few more rungs, as best I could.
‘Bremy!’ Bart yelled again.
‘I’m going as fast as I can!’
I heard another trank bullet hit the wall close by my thigh, but I couldn’t worry about that.
Just keep climbing, Bremy. You’re almost there.
Suddenly I felt a hand grip my wrist.
A hot rush of tingles ran over my body. Yes!
‘Pull me up,’ I grunted through gritted teeth.
Bart yanked me up the last few feet as Queenie grabbed the waistband of my jammies and hoisted me over the edge.
I grabbed both of them around the necks and pulled them into my chest for a group hug. ‘You guys.’
Then I heard a whizzing sound right before something struck me in the back of the neck.
I let them go as I reached a hand up to touch the spot at the base of my skull.
‘I think something bit m—’
Not quite sure what happened after that.