Sara’s eyes obeyed his soft command. She looked around her at the crushed glass, the twisted wreckage, and the sheered-off top of her truck. Sara wasn’t certain she was still actually inside the vehicle. She couldn’t recognize it as a truck any longer. It looked as if she were trapped in a smashed accordion. The sun was falling in the mountains, a shadow spreading across the rocky terrain.
She heard a noise, the scrape of something against what was left of her truck, and then she was looking into the face of a woman. Sara’s vision was blurry, and it took a few moments of blinking rapidly to bring the woman into focus. Sara remembered how she had gotten in her predicament, and it frightened her to think of how much time might have past, how close the ghoul might be. She tried to move, to look past the woman. When she moved, her body screamed in protest and a shower of safety glass fell around her. Her dark glasses were missing, and her eyes burned so that they wept continually.
“Lie quietly,” the woman said, her voice soothing and gentle. “I am a doctor and I must assess the severity of your injuries.” The stranger frowned as she lightly took Sara’s wrist.
Sara felt very disoriented, and she could taste blood in her mouth. It was far too much of an effort to lift her head. “You can’t stay here. Something was chasing me. Really, leave me here; I’ll be fine. I’ve got a few bruises, nothing else, but you aren’t safe.” Her tongue felt thick and heavy and her tone shocked her, thin and weak, as if her voice came from far away. “You aren’t safe,” she repeated, determined to be heard.
The woman was watching her carefully, almost as if she knew what Sara was thinking. She smiled reassuringly. “My name is Shea, Shea Dubrinsky. Whatever is chasing you can be dealt with. My husband is close by and will aid us if necessary. I’m going to run my hands over you and check you for injuries. If you could see your truck, you would know what a miracle it is that you survived.”
Sara was feeling desperate. Shea Dubrinsky was a beautiful woman, with pale skin and wine-red hair. She looked very Irish. She was serene despite the circumstances. It was only then that the name registered. “Dubrinsky? Is your husband Mikhail? I’ve come looking for Mikhail Dubrinsky.”
Something flickered in Shea Dubrinsky’s eyes behind her smoky sunglasses. There was compassion, but something else, too, something that made Sara shiver. The doctor’s hands moved over her impersonally, but thoroughly and gently. Sara knew that this woman, this doctor, was one of them. The others. Right now Shea Dubrinsky was communicating with someone else in the same manner Sara did with Falcon. It frightened Sara nearly as much as the encounter with the ghoul. She couldn’t tell the difference between friend and foe.
Falcon. She reached for him. Needed him. Wanted him with her. The accident had shaken her so that it was difficult to think clearly. Her head ached appallingly and her body was shaky, trembling beyond her ability to control it. It was humiliating for someone of Sara’s strong nature. She is one of them.
I am here. Do not fear. No one can harm you. Look directly at her, and I will observe what you see. There was complete confidence in Falcon’s voice and he swamped her with waves of reassurance, the feel of strong arms stealing around her, gathering her close, holding her to him. The feeling was very real and gave her confidence.
She speaks to another. She says her name is Dubrinsky and her husband is close. I know she speaks to him. She has called him to us. Sara said, it with complete conviction. The woman looked calm and professional, but Sara felt what was happening, knew that Shea Dubrinsky was communicating with some other even though Sara could not see anyone else.
Sara gasped as the woman’s hands touched sore places. She tried to smile at the other woman. “I’m really okay, the seat belt saved me, although I hurt like crazy. You have to get away from here.” She was feeling a bit desperate searching for signs of the ghoul. Sara tried to move and groaned as every muscle in her body protested. Her head pounded so that even her teeth hurt.