Holy shit! Holy shit!’ Jamilla said. The words exploded out of I 1 her mouth. Then she smiled. ‘Jesus. I don’t believe it.’ She stared down at the huge, fierce animal that had tried to kill me, and was now laying at her feet.
I pushed myself up, forced my legs to move. I took tenuous steps back to where she and Kyle were standing. The cat lay twisted across the width of the tunnel. It didn’t move, and it wasn’t going to.  ‘Are they down here in the tunnel? The Lost Boys?’Kyle asked in a whisper.’The Sire?’
‘I haven’t seen anybody. Just footprints, and the cat. Let’s go,’ I finally said.
The tunnel was much longer than I would have thought. I wasn’t even sure which direction we were headed. Toward the road? The foothills? The Pacific Ocean?
‘I sent men toward the perimeters of the property, about five or six hundred yards out. It spreads us thin,’ Kyle said. ‘I don’t like it.’ I didn’t answer him. I was still shaky, not quite over my moment of truth with the tiger. My heart was pumping like an engine pushed to its limit. I wondered if I might be going into shock.  ‘Alex?’Jamilla spoke.’You with us? You okay?’
‘Just give me a minute. I’ll be fine. Let’s keep going.’ Soon we could see the faintest glimmer of light up ahead. That was hopeful. But where were we coming out of the tunnel?  ‘Can’t tell how far it is,’I said.’Or what’s between us and the light.’
My hip brushed against something. Then my shoulder. I jumped back and my whole body shuddered. But it was only a valve sticking out from the tunnel wall. Nothing. Scared the hell out of me, though.  Then I could see part of the landscape outside - a couple of cypress pines leaning away from the wind, a streak o............