I was rounding the local theater, planning to circle back, when Daniel's shout pulled me up short.
I turned. He barreled toward me, his eyes wide with alarm. Right, like I was falling for that one.
I started to run again. I should have been able to outpace him easily. I always could. But the next thing I knew, I was being tackled. He knocked me into an alcove, both of us hitting the wall, then collapsing to the ground.
"Stay down!" he said.
Not much chance of doing anything else with him on top of me. But when I glanced up into his eyes, I saw that the panic wasn't fake. He looked around as if expecting a posse of armed gunmen to round the corner at any moment. When footsteps sounded, he tensed, muscles bunching, prepared to leap up and defend us against--
Two preteen boys passed the alcove. One of them saw us and whispered to his friend. They grinned our way and shot Daniel a thumbs-up. When they'd gone by, I pushed him off me.
"Okay, I might have overreacted," he said as we sat up.
"You think?
I turned. He barreled toward me, his eyes wide with alarm. Right, like I was falling for that one.
I started to run again. I should have been able to outpace him easily. I always could. But the next thing I knew, I was being tackled. He knocked me into an alcove, both of us hitting the wall, then collapsing to the ground.
"Stay down!" he said.
Not much chance of doing anything else with him on top of me. But when I glanced up into his eyes, I saw that the panic wasn't fake. He looked around as if expecting a posse of armed gunmen to round the corner at any moment. When footsteps sounded, he tensed, muscles bunching, prepared to leap up and defend us against--
Two preteen boys passed the alcove. One of them saw us and whispered to his friend. They grinned our way and shot Daniel a thumbs-up. When they'd gone by, I pushed him off me.
"Okay, I might have overreacted," he said as we sat up.
"You think?
( Kelley Armstrong )
[ The Gathering ]
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