GAME ON - GoM 2

19

The lights from the houses sparkled on the dark waters of the Skagit river, and the night had closed when Alex and Tom came out to the backyard. From the bank, they could see both suspension bridges between Tom's house and the small dam on Ladder Creek. They sat together under the trees on the river bank. Tom had his bow and quiver, while Alex had settled for binoculars and his hunting knife-silly her, she hadn't brought a gun to visit him. If they were right and Diane had killed the rabbit to feed on it, she'd sneak out again to catch some prey in order to ease her growing need for raw meat. And when she did, they'd follow her and try the obsidian dust on her, to see if she was actually possessed by the Lamia.

It was getting cold, especially by the river. Tom noticed Alex's chill and rounded her shoulders with his arm, eyes fixed on the first footbridge. She huddled by him without a word.

Alex was used to Tom's silence, but that night it was hard to stay quiet. Because his silence meant denial. He was out there only to prove they were wrong and his neighbor was completely human and harmless. Minutes crawled by while she checked the footbridges now and then with the binoculars. Tom kept his eyes on them, hardly blinking. With his senses enhanced by the garthling's blood, he didn't need any device to see clearly in the dark from there up to Ladder Creek.

So it was only natural that he would perceive it first. When he sat up, Alex took the binoculars to her eyes, just in time to see a shadow noiselessly running across the first footbridge.

Tom jumped to his feet and hurried down the narrow strip of grass between the bank and the line of trees. Alex followed, her legs complaining about the sudden rush after the long sitting. She didn't try to keep up with him, since she needed all her attention to take every step without falling to the river. So he was almost at the other bank when she reached the footbridge. From there, she had to sprint after him to catch up before losing him into the woods.

She found Tom a hundred yards ahead. He signaled her to stop and took an arrow to his bow, keeping it low. Alex tiptoed to join him and tried to look past the thicket. But it was too dark under the trees and her ordinary eyes saw nothing. However, she heard clearly a disgusting sound of sucking a few yards ahead, behind some bushes.

Tom glanced back at her and she produced the flask with obsidian dust the Elder's son had given them. She removed the lid and grabbed the flashlight. She didn't like being unarmed, but she knew Tom would take down anything that meant a risk for her. Even his friend.

She rested her free hand on Tom's arm and counted to three against his sleeve. They stormed past the bushes together and Alex turned on her flashlight. They found Diane kneeling on the grass, bending over a dead fox with its belly ripped open.