City of Screams Read Online Free PDF

checked his weapon. He caught the matching frowns as his teammates did the same. Not good. They were going to run out fast.
    Another feline scream came from near the door. Cooper and McKay swung around, training their weapons there. Jordan returned his sights to the window, staring out at the mist-shrouded ruins. “If you see them, shoot. But be cautious with your ammo.”
    â€œGot it,” Cooper said. “Wait till you see the white of their eyes.”
    â€œThat roof isn’t going to withstand many more attacks like that,” McKay said. “A few more poundings, and those leopards will come crashing on top of us.”
    McKay was right. Jordan recognized the futility of staying holed up here. They didn’t have enough weapons to hold off a pair of three-hundred-pound monsters, especially in such cramped quarters. They were as likely to shoot each other as the animals.
    Jordan regained his feet, scooping the girl in his arms.
    â€œDo you have a plan?” Cooper asked.
    Jordan stared at the door. “But it’s not a good one.”
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” McKay asked, looking worried.
    â€œI’m going to give them what they want.”
    5:18 P.M.
    J ORDAN RAN THROUGH the snow, through the night, staying low but carrying the burden over one shoulder, limp and silent. The girl’s sleeve brushed his cheek, smelling of sweat and fear. He didn’t know if she was the source of all of this, if the leopards were fixed on her scent. He didn’t know if those whispers in the mists were echoes from far away or something else.
    Right now, it didn’t matter.
    If they wanted the girl, let them follow his trail, his movements.
    He fled away from the distant glow of Bamiyan and toward the ruins of Shahr-e-Gholghola. He followed instructions given to him by Atherton, pointing him to the archaeology team’s excavation site. It was only a fast fifty-yard sprint away.
    That graveyard offered the only hope now.
    He and his men had just a few weapons and a limited amount of ammunition left. And these beasts had proven themselves to be crafty, experienced hunters, definitely hard to kill, plainly wary of guns. His best hope was to lure the beasts away and trap them.
    After he was done with them, he’d deal with whoever was out there whispering in the mists.
    Or at least that was his plan.
    As he raced, McKay kept to his heels.
    He’d left Cooper back at the house, covering their flight from the window. Maybe the cats would get into his sights, and Cooper would bring them down and solve all their problems.
    Jordan crossed the last of the way, dodging through a maze of wheelbarrows, mounds of excavated gravel and sand, and stacks of abandoned tools to reach the entrance to the archaeological dig site. Cold wind cut through his shirt. He missed his coat.
    As he skidded up to the mouth of the tunnel, he shifted his burden higher on his shoulder, making sure his weapon wasn’t compromised.
    McKay panted beside him. The exertion didn’t make him short-winded, nor the elevation here. It was simple fear.
    â€œYou know what you have to do,” Jordan said.
    â€œI’ll see what I can dig up—literally.”
    Jordan grinned, appreciating his friend’s levity, while still knowing the fear it hid. “If I’m not back in ten minutes—”
    â€œI heard you the first time. Now get going.”
    A screaming howl punctuated that order.
    McKay slapped Jordan on the shoulder, then disappeared with a map fluttering in his hand. Jordan clicked on the xenon tactical flashlight mounted to his weapon and pointed it down the tunnel that had been excavated into the heart of the ruins.
    Now to set the trap . .  .
    He ducked low to keep the girl’s clothing from ripping on the rough-hewn walls and set off into the tunnel. He needed the cats to follow him, luring them with his bouncing light, his frantic flight, and the scent of the