Hide and Seek

It looked right.

I wondered if I'd catch Mary's hand in there.

I hit the bad leg much too hard. I stumbled, fell.

There was a snapping sound like rock against rock and I felt a sudden

rush of despair. I heard Casey call my name. I hit solidly with both

hands in front of me. Something roared beside me. I felt the heat of

its body terribly near my face and head, smelled its raw moist

breath.

I rolled over. Stones bruised my back and thighs. Suddenly I was

staring into the enormous snapping mouth only inches away, spraying me

with spittle, sounds like shots from a pistol- and beneath it, that

immense ungodly roar. Casey screamed and the head jerked away from

me.

She'd used the pitchfork.

Two of the tines had entered its neck at the shoulder. She was strong

and she'd sunk them deep.

The body whipped around.

I saw where the rock had hit him. His back legs were dragging, as

useless as Casey's arm. I felt a savage flush of pleasure. We'd

broken him, skewered him. Casey held on.

The woman was on her feet and moving toward them.

I lunged at her, grabbed her by the legs and pulled her down. The legs

felt scaly in my hands, dry as leather. The woman whirled and shrieked

at me, pounding me with her hands. I saw her face. Eyes dark and

glittering. A crone's face, a Halloween mask, pointed, webbed and

shrill. Waves of foam spilling out of her toothless mouth, over her

chin. Her breath a reek of corpses.

Beside me the dog whipped side to side. And still Casey held the

pitchfork, leaning her weight into the handle, sinking it deeper.

Leaning in too far.

The dog screamed, dug in with his front paws and heaved. His shoulder

muscles rippled, his eyes tossed and rolled. I knew what he was going

to do. It was impossible but I saw it coming. I tried to warn her.

"Casey! Drop it!"

I reached for a rock. I pulled myself up over the woman until I

straddled her. Brittle claws broke off along my cheek. I felt the

blood