Caedes

22 | hoofprints

Thursday, 5:12 P.M.

"I knew your name wasn't Tim!"

"That's what bothered you?"

Cris grinned. "I mean, that whole thing with you not remembering anything is more believable than that name."

Note to self, pick better names. Got it.

"Don't gimme that look," she said, putting her sunglasses back on. "Jokes aside, I saw that broadcast about those rabid animals too. If I hadn't seen the video myself, not sure I'd believe it..."

"But you do believe it?"

"Well..." She frowned. "That bear in the video was real, but...have you seen any of those animals yourself?"

I shook my head.

"There has to be some rational explanation. Maybe they came into contact with chemicals or something."

Something told me that wasn't the case. The animals Mr. Tourist had seen hadn't been anywhere close to Yosemite and that made it highly unlikely for them to be affected by the same chemical. But maybe pointing that out would only unnerve Cris.

She suddenly threw her head back and laughed. "You ever heard about the cocaine bear?"

"The...what?"

"Some years ago, bags of cocaine were tossed out of an airplane and a black bear came across one of those in the middle of the woods. The poor guy inhaled the entire bag, went crazy for a little while before he ODed. In that short time frame, it was probably the most dangerous animal on the entire planet." When I just stared at her, unblinking, she added, "Not saying that's what's going on here, but—I mean what are the chances, right?"

"Right." Cocaine, why not? "But you agree that something's just...off?"

"After witnessing those cops trying to off each other, yes. I heard about whatever happened at the hospital too. Something weird is happening around here." She glanced at the backseat and mumbled, "Never seen a fox with bright red eyes either..."

Should I tell her about the hawk? I still couldn't be sure I'd seen it though, and compared to everything else, it was a rather minor detail.

She turned to me and narrowed her eyes. "Never seen a person with eyes like yours either..."

"I promise, I'm not rabid and I didn't eat any chemicals." At least not that I could remember.

She laughed briefly before her expression turned serious again. "So, you have no idea what could be waiting for you out there?"

"No, I just know it's where I need to go."

"Fair enough." She turned the key and the engine roared to life. "Let's go see what we find in Red Rock Canyon then."

The streets were more crowded now. Despite the temperatures, people were rushing in and out of stores, carrying plastic and paper bags filled with what had to be food. A bookstore to my right was surprisingly dark. After flipping the open sign to closed, a dark-haired man with a beret struggled to lock the entrance. Once he succeeded, he proceeded to adjust his hat and without looking, walked onto the sidewalk and promptly collided with a man and woman.

The pair had been clutching two grocery bags each but lost their grip during the encounter. Canned goods, toast, various vegetables, and bottles rolled across the sidewalk. The woman threw her hands up and cried out while the man grabbed the bookstore owner by the front of his shirt and shoved him out of the way. As the pair rushed to pick up their food, two bystanders approached.

At first, it looked like they just wanted to help, but then they started stuffing small packages into their own pockets instead of handing them to the couple. The woman noticed and pulling the man's sleeve, she pointed at the false helpers. Unfortunately, her companion was too busy coughing what could only be blood into a small handkerchief. Once his cough subsided, the pair could only watch as the thieves ran around the nearest corner.