Page 53 of Glow

Wally panicked and ran. Dan had been careful to guide Wally to stay in the area Quinn had marked as protected by spells, but as Wally tore headlong through the brush, Dan quickly lost track of where they were.

Slow down, he begged Wally. If we get lost, Quinn won’t be able to help us as easily.

Hurts. Loud. Escape, Wally replied.

His arm was bleeding, and while he hoped the bullet had gone through and not lodged, losing blood weakened them and left a trail an experienced hunter could follow. Blood was also a potent ingredient in spells, and he didn’t want to give Harrison any magical leverage.

They were off the trail, and Dan couldn’t get his bearings as Wally kept running. He felt a strange change in the energy around them, and his heart sank. Wally, turn back. I think we just outran the area the witches spelled for protection. Please, turn back.

Another shot just missed them, and Wally veered but didn’t slow down. Dan heard boots pounding behind them and knew the hunter was probably just biding his time, waiting for Wally to slow.

The whistle! Blow the whistle! Quinn will know we’re in trouble and come rescue us. Please, Wally. Blow the whistle!

“You can’t outrun me,” Harrison called to them. “Let me get a clean shot. I’ll make it quick.”

Wally didn’t slow down, but he did reach for the whistle and tried awkwardly for several attempts before he managed to blow into it. The shrill sound cut through the air, silencing the birds.

Please be close enough for Quinn to hear. Close enough for him to find us.

Dan wasn’t sure whether they had circled around or moved farther from the ranger station. Steep hills of mostly exposed rock rose near the trail, and farther back, Dan saw shadowed areas he guessed were open caves. What’s that smell? He picked up a mixture of strange, unpleasant scents, rotting meat overlaid with a strange musk.

Dan didn’t spot any human or animal footprints in the mud, but he did spot a long, wide stretch that looked like something heavy had been dragged. It looks like a snake trail, only much, much bigger. Oh, shit! The caves! That means the wurm is around here.

He saw an iridescent gleam near the furrow. That’s got to be one of the wurm’s scales, like Amy mentioned. If Quinn tracks us, maybe he’ll see it. Dan realized he had no way to mark the spot or safely pick up the scale in his cryptid form and didn’t dare to ask Wally to pause with the bounty hunter behind them.

Not far from the scale, Dan smelled and spotted two rotting human corpses. We might have just found the hikers. Come on, Quinn! We blew the whistle. Find us and save our ass!

Harrison shot again, barely missing. Wally wasn’t built for speed or endurance, and Dan could tell his cryptid was rapidly tiring. Dan’s thoughts spun as he searched for a way to escape, or at least a way to hide long enough for Quinn to catch up.

If it weren’t for the wurm, Dan might have risked hiding in a cave, but the usual dangers combined with not knowing if the wurm was inside eliminated that option. Harrison isn’t chasing us at top speed. He’s pacing himself, gambling we’ll tire. Right now, he’s winning that bet.

Another shot fired, but this time, it wasn’t a rifle. Dan recognized the report of a pistol, and his heart leaped. That’s got to be Quinn. He found us!

“Harrison, surrender! The police are on their way. Drop your weapon and stand down,” Quinn shouted.

Harrison returned fire, but through Wally’s eyes, Dan saw the hunter change direction, running toward the cleft in the hillside and the yawning cave mouth.

Wally couldn’t shout a warning, and Dan wasn’t sure he wanted to even if he could. Quinn was just far enough behind that he might not have spotted Harrison veering toward the rocks.

“Surrender your weapon and kneel!” Quinn shouted. “The police are coming to take you into custody. Don’t make this worse than it has to be.”

Harrison barged through the underbrush, dodging and weaving so Quinn couldn’t get a clear shot. He headed right for the caves and had enough of a lead that he would reach them before Quinn could catch up or the police could arrive.

Don’t go in there! Dan thought.

Harrison fired another volley of shots to force Quinn back, then ran into the maw of the nearest cave, which looked like it might go deep beneath the rocky cliffs.

In the distance, Dan heard sirens. Quinn caught up to him, gun in hand, and stared at the place Harrison had disappeared.

“Don’t worry. I’m not crazy enough to go in after him,” Quinn said, guessing Dan’s thoughts. “You might want to shift before the police get here.” He shrugged out of his backpack and handed Dan his clothing.

Dan made a speedier than usual transformation and got dressed, glad to have that out of the way before the sheriff or others arrived.

“Let me have a look at your arm.” Quinn pulled a first aid kit from his pack and cleaned the bullet wound, applied an antibiotic, and then bound it. “We can go to the doctor once we’re home.”

“I’ll be okay,” Dan assured him. “And there are two dead bodies closer to the cave—might be the missing hikers. It looked like the wurm got them.”

“I’ll tell the sheriff,” Quinn said. “And see if Becca can come out to help their spirits pass over. The last thing we need are more traumatized ghosts.”