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It didn’t

I swung it back on the road, still following the silver sedan Behind me, two of the cops made the turn I wasn’t sure what happened to the third, but I i us soon

The sedan pulled into the vacant parking lot of a golf course, but even though his car stopped, he didn’t get out I gave hi a public place to stop--if you think someone is a crazy killer you shouldn’t lead the empty The clubhouse ahead oflot lit only by security lighting I put the Huine

Behindcop cars skidded to a halt and the officers poured out hot, guns out and ready for action They barricaded theuns pointed at the Hue out of my pocket, unrolled myand held bothh theand hoped they could hear it over their adrenaline "I’ out Don’t shoot" I double-checked that my weapons were hidden under spells and then twisted my ar my hands leave the cops’ views No one shot up n and slid out of the vehicle

Still no shots, but the cops still had their guns drawn

"I’ain and they looked fro un still out but at least pointed at the ground and not me When he reached me he held out his hand and I handed hi the badge and ID extensively

With his announceuns; they kept theh, as if they expected to need to draw fast again soon I ignored the i at the idling silver sedan

"Actually, a victim, but I don’t think he realizes that fact yet" Still, I’d learned a long ti an unknown spell to wander around unobserved You could tie up a case only to discover a new probleical containlanced fro the car The driver didn’t iet out It took the officer knocking on his ice before the man finally cracked it The man then went on a too-fast diatribe about hoas a psychoticbeyond the fact that his na, the third police car arrived They seemedonce it was obvious there would be no et out of the car," the officer told the still franticpeople, did as the officer requested I watched the proceeding idly As long as Justin made it to a secured location where he’d not only be safe froic that I’d seen infect him but everyone else would be safe as well, then my job was done The police could take it fros I needed to do Like interviewaway froht in the corner ofaround the sedan, thelot that shadoere short, but theI squinted It also appeared to be boiling Shit

"Get hi myself into a full-out run

Justin and the cops looked at me, stunned Worse, they didn’t h The shadow boiled over and a gaseous figure e for one of these creatures Now I had one Great

At the creature’s appearance the cop stumbled back, out of the shadow, but Justin stood there, his eyes going wide and hisin a wordless screa in on a victiaseous talons toward Justin’s chest

I grabbed him by the shoulders and threw us both backward The talons passed within inches of us while we fell, and I summonedthe creature in the chest Purple lightning passed through the shadow and it paused, but didn’t stop

I hit the ground but used , and rolled over on my shoulder I landed on my feet in a crouch, another bolt in unfire sounded behind me A bullet whizzed by and I ducked low My jacket was spelled to be bulletproof, but that didn’t et hit--it would hurt like hell Justin had pressed hierously close to the shadows, not to ?

"There are people here!" The words didn’t have any effect on the a Monsters could do that to people And speaking ofI chanced a glance up at the creature The bullets slowed as they passed through it, but passed through it they did, and froe

As the cops seeet out of the line of fire Dropping, I rolled toward ainst et mostly clear I ran the last few yards and ducked by the front tire

The sound of an approaching engine tore my attention from the creature and to Officer Russell Lancaster as he jumped out of his car and ran toward the cover of un out and at the ready I looked at it and shook my head