3. Dan #6
“Scary, isn’t it?” Phil replied. “The footage drops off, so we don’t see where the walker goes, but if anyone else in that area has video and you haven’t sent it to us yet, the email address is at the bottom of the screen. Together, we can make our community safer and monster-free.”
Dan’s hand holding the phone shook, and he stopped the video. “We’ve got to go.” He looked around wildly for anything he had forgotten to pack.
We’ve never hurt anyone, Wally said in his mind.
They don’t care if it makes a good story, Dan told his other side. And if anyone connects it with us, we’re in danger. They’ve just put a bounty out on the “demon.”
How far could people follow his walk home from the forest, Dan wondered.
He had avoided driving for that very reason, not wanting his license plate to be seen and recorded.
It had never occurred to him that anyone would associate an evening walker with the creature, or that people’s private security videos might pose a threat.
At the least, anyone with a map can narrow down where the person on the video was heading. And that could lead them right to me.
Dan peered out from behind the curtains in his living room, almost expecting to see a lynch mob heading down his street. No one was in sight, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He cleaned up the last scraps of food, made a final desperate look around to ensure he didn’t forget anything important or expensive, and turned off the lights.
Dan: Change of plans. Driving back tonight. I’ll get in really late and explain later.
Quinn: Be safe. See you soon.
Dan didn’t spot anyone nearby when he locked the back door and got into the car. He was glad he had stopped for gas earlier, so he didn’t have to stay near Dover for a second longer.
I’m sorry, Wally said after they had been on the road for a while. Your ancestors and I have been in these parts for a long time. No one ever tried to kill us or make us leave.
Times change, Dan replied in his mind. He realized he had clenched his jaw and tried to relax a little. People see stuff on TV and think it’s real. Or they want to get bragging rights online for being a big, bad monster hunter, get a few minutes of fame. That sort of thing didn’t happen before.
Where we are going is better? Wally’s hurt, worried tone broke Dan’s heart. His cryptid side hadn’t harmed anyone, and yet here they were, fleeing in the middle of the night.
Yes, Dr. Jeffries said it would be safe. People in Fox Hollow understand being able to change forms. They know that shifters aren’t monsters. Dan hoped it was true.
What about Quinn? We like him. It would be good for us to have a mate, Wally ventured.
Guess I’m having that conversation with Quinn sooner rather than later, Dan said.
He’d gotten the impression that Quinn was accepting of differences from their conversations.
The reality of regular shifters didn’t seem to bother him.
I’m not a fluffy kitty or a cute puppy, or even a wolf.
He’s never seen anything like Wally before.
I’m not sure there is another cryptid like him. Can Quinn handle it?
Dan tried to push the question from his mind.
He turned the music up to drown out his thoughts, although he didn’t feel like singing along.
For the first fifty miles after he left Dover, Dan checked his rearview mirror compulsively, but there were few other cars on the highway at this hour, and none of them appeared to be following him.
When he got gas, he splashed water on his face and downed an energy drink to stay awake on the long drive. Wally remained quiet, and Dan did his best not to let his concerns spiral.
Everything he needed was crammed into his car to start a new life in a small town he had only visited once for a couple of days. He had never done anything so impulsive, and he teetered between a sense of freedom and utter terror.
I couldn’t stay in Dover, and there wasn’t anywhere else to go, he reminded himself. At least Fox Hollow has shifters. Maybe it really will work out okay.
After a couple of hours, Dan parked at a rest stop and snagged a couple of hours of sleep, worried he might nod off. That helped and meant that he had a good chance of finishing the drive in early morning daylight.
Just after sunrise, his phone rang.
“Quinn? What’s up?” Dan did his best to sound casual.
“Are you okay? If you left right after you called, you should have been here by now. I got worried,” Quinn replied.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just pulled off for a quick nap. I’m less than an hour out,” Dan replied.
“How about breakfast when you get here? I came into town to surprise you and help you unload the car,” Quinn said. “Do you have a reservation at the hotel?”
“Wow. That’s very nice of you, and yes, I’d love to do breakfast. Bear Necessities?” he suggested. “And I already reserved a room when I checked out.”
“That’s where I am now. They open early. I’ll see you when you get here. Take care.”
Quinn’s thoughtfulness pleased Dan. He suspected that park rangers regularly got up early, but coming into Fox Hollow wasn’t part of Quinn’s daily routine.
Dan welcomed the help moving his belongings into the hotel until his rental was ready and looked forward to seeing Quinn, even if his new boyfriend didn’t fully understand everything involved in Dan’s late-night escape.