Paranormals (Book 2): We Are Not Alone Read Online Free PDF

tinted windows sped through the crossroad, moving too fast for her to flag it down ... except, much to her exultation, the driver slammed on his brakes, skidding to a stop with only his trunk still in view.
    Kimberly waved her limp arms in the air, an impaired effort by now but it was the best she could do. “Help!” she gasped. “Over here!”
    Dear God , she prayed, please don’t let the monster get between us. Please ...
    But that was exactly what happened.
    Before she could call out again, the snake-man flowed out of the storm drain ahead of her, blocking her path to salvation. His head bent to the right, away from her and toward the car, and her first impulse was to call out a warning — not her smartest instinct, but that’s the kind of person she was. Then the monster’s head swivelled back toward her, that long neck writhing around atop the remnants of his humanoid shoulders, and his reptilian eyes widened in pleasure upon sighting her. His withered legs relaxed back onto his tail, which coiled like a spring, preparing to launch at her again with that lightning speed she had been fortunate to evade until now. She stumbled to a stop, tensed to dodge him once more, but her legs were trembling and she couldn’t catch her breath. Like it or not, she realized that her amazing luck had come to an end.
    Then a male voice shouted, “ Hit the dirt! ”
    Kimberly had no idea who had shouted or what good that might do, but she was past the point of asking such questions. She dropped to the ground.
    The same instant the snake-man leaped at her, his tail launching him faster than any norm could dream of, the air behind him rippled, twisting and spiraling like a miniature cyclone. The rogue gasped in shock as he was knocked forward, no longer propelled by his tail but now as helpless as his prey had been a moment before. He passed over her, not touching the ground again until he had sailed almost all the way to the next intersection. When he landed, he rolled head over tail until he finally slithered back into the nearest storm drain, leaving a fair amount of slimy blood on the pavement along the way. She heard him hissing loudly in pain and anger as he vanished.
    Was that it? Was he gone?
    “Miss?”
    Kimberly yelped and cringed away. Running on her last dregs of adrenaline, she kicked out behind her before the owner of the voice could grab her, squeeze her, drag her down below—
    “Whoa! Whoa! It’s okay! It’s just ... uh, me.”
    Kimberly finally looked around to see who had spoken, an apology forming on her lips as it dawned on her that she had just tried to kick her savior. The sight of her savior, however, brought her up short.
    “You, uh, you might’ve seen me in the news,” he said. “My name is Vortex.”
    Still crouched on the ground, Kimberly looked him up and down, taking in the black-and-gold costume with its almost-metallic sheen, the cape, the funky spiral on his chest, the mask. “You gotta be kidding me ...” she whispered.
    “I just picked up the call on the police scanner,” the costumed man explained, “and I was right nearby, so I knew I’d get here before the PCA.” He knelt beside her. “Are you okay? Do you need medical help?”
    She shook her head. Who is this freak? “No ... no, I’m just ... worn out ...”
    “I’ll bet,” Vortex said, offering her his hand. “It sounds like you’ve been giving this guy a merry chase for, what, fifteen minutes now?”
    Reluctant to take his gloved hand just yet, she shook her head again as she rubbed her aching thighs. “I don’t know ... how long ...”
    The police siren chirped again, just one street away now. Vortex glanced that way, gesturing again with his offered hand. “You’re safe now. The police will—”
    The snake-man exploded from the storm drain across from them. Before Kimberly could scream, the monster hit Vortex, tackling him to the ground, his long tail encircling the costumed man.
    Vortex bucked and rolled,