Keening suddenly darted out of the office. Martia, taken unaware, just sat in her chair, unmoving. Thomas started to react, but Bright was even faster. With the speed of a blink, she dashed into the hallway after the fugitive, and there was little doubt she’d catch him in the next second or two.
Then something weird happened.
Several small sections of Keening’s left foot disappeared, as though small animals had suddenly taken bites out of him. There was no blood—it was just like portions of his foot had been wiped out by a trio of mouth-shaped erasers.
Keening’s momentum carried him forward, sprawling into the opposite wall. He hit face first and fell to the floor, then struggled to pull himself upright—but that was awkward with parts of his foot missing. He looked
––––––––
down at hi
