18
NO. s**t.
Melissa lay in the sand with her head facing down the beach. A red stain bloomed on her back below her right shoulder.
Shit. Melissa. I stared at her motionless form, my heart beating like crazy, blood roaring in my ears. Was she breathing? I thought so. Or maybe not. I couldn’t tell.
The shooter used an Earth-style hunting rifle with bullets. That had to be Robert. What the hell was wrong with him? “We have to help her.”
I made to get up, but Thayu held me back. “Stay here. He’ll shoot you as well.”
“But . . . Melissa!”
“Let’s flush him out.” Veyada extracted a device from his pocket.
I asked, “Does the cave come out in the shelter or somewhere else? Where are the others?”
“Inside,” Thayu said. “They descended into the cave, met with some trouble and are still inside
