1269_UgliesFreeBook

UGLIES 295
Tally rolled back onto her shoulders, thrashing out
wildly with both feet. Her kick connected with the container,
and it popped open, a puff of brownish-green dust
spraying out over the Special.
For a second, a disbelieving expression spread over the
woman’s face. She made a gagging noise, her whole body
shuddering. Then her eyes and fists clamped shut, and she
screamed.
The sound wasn’t human. It cut into Tally’s ears like a
vibrasaw striking metal, and every muscle in her body
fought to get free of the handcuffs, her instincts demanding
that she cover her ears. With another wild kick, she rolled
herself over and stumbled to her feet, staggering in the
direction of the forest.
A tickle grew in Tally’s throat as the pepper dust dispersed
on the wind. She coughed as she ran, eyes watering
and stinging until she was half-blind. With her hands tied
behind her, Tally lurched into the brush off-balance, tumbling
to the ground as her bare feet caught on something in
the dense vegetation.
She struggled forward, trying to drag herself out of
sight.
Blinking away tears, she saw that the Special’s inhuman
scream had been some kind of alarm. Three more of the
cruel pretties had responded. One led the pepper-covered
Special away at arm’s length, and the others approached the
forest.