Alan wanted to sleep, but the noise and the throb of his head -- going
in counterpoint -- and the sight of Davey, flicking from climber to bush
to hillside, scuttling so quickly Alan was scarce sure he'd seen him, it
all conspired to keep him awake.
He bought coffees at the Donut Time on College -- the Greek's wouldn't
be open for hours -- and brought it over to Kurt's storefront, but the
lights were out, so he wandered slowly home, sucking back the coffee.
#
Benny had another seizure halfway up the mountain, stiffening up and
falling down before they could catch him.
As Billy lay supine in the dirt, Alan heard a distant howl, not like a
wolf, but like a thing that a wolf had caught and is savaging with its
jaws. The sound made his neck prickle and when he looked at the little
ones, he saw that their eyes were rolling crazily.
"Got to get him home," Alan said, lifting Benny up with a grunt. The
little ones tried to help, but they just got tangled up in Benny's long
loose limbs and so Alan shooed them off, telling them to keep a lookout
behind him, look for Davey lurking on an outcropping or in a branch,
rock held at the ready.
When they came to the cave mouth again, he heard another one of the
screams. Brendan stirred over his shoulders and Alan set him down, heart
thundering, looking every way for Davey, who had come back.
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