The second shot. Then the third.
Bloodied holes exploded in the chests of four more horned demons, but their hides were too thick and tough. Wounds like these only enraged them.
The fifth horned demon swept its bone club across. Dean ducked and rolled, the axe blade grazing his scalp and shearing off a lock of hair. He rolled across the ground, then raised his gun as he came up on one knee, firing practically beneath the horned demon's chin.
"Bang!"
The horned demon's jaw exploded, black blood and bone fragments spraying everywhere as it fell backward.
The last horned demon had already charged in front of him, its flaming bone club raised overhead. Dean had no time to reload, nor any time to dodge.
"Get down!" Sam roared.
Dean threw himself forward.
Almost at the same instant, the crack of controlled rifle fire rang out. Three consecutive shots struck the same spot in the horned demon's eye socket. The first bounced off its eyelid, the second shattered its eyeball, and the third penetrated its skull.
The horned demon froze. Its bone club slipped from its hand, and its massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Dean climbed to his feet, gasping harshly.
The wound beneath his ribs had split open again from his earlier movements. Warm blood soaked through the lining of his combat uniform. He looked toward Sam and gave him a thumbs-up.
Sam answered with a nod, but his eyes were grim. The bolt of his rifle had locked open, signaling that he was out of ammunition.
And more demons were crossing over the torn barbed-wire fence.
"Fall back!" Dean roared. "To the third line of defense!"
At the command, the surviving demon hunters began to withdraw.
Calling it a retreat was