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Mikey shouted and tried to bring his rifle up. Shadowfax reared and struck with her front hooves, and Mikey flew back. He slammed into the van behind Justin and collapsed down to the road with a pained moan. Justin shot him twice before he walked over to Carly, who was still sitting on the road. She had a hand clamped to her bleeding neck.
“Let me see,” Justin said and pulled her hand away.
“It’s just a scratch.” Carly was surprised at how calm and steady her voice sounded. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, making her tremble, making her breath come short.
He peered at the cut and then turned to poor Sam, who had ceased to struggle. He panted heavily, his amber eyes pleading. Justin drew out his knife and cut the strands of the net around him. Sam surged free of it and gave Justin a lick of thanks before rushing over to Carly, whom he sniffed all over. He pushed at her with his head, trying to urge her to her feet.
Justin helped her stand. Without a word, he led her over to the wagon and retrieved an alcohol wipe from the medical kit. He dabbed at her cut with it.
“Seems like I’m always patching you up, huh?” Justin’s voice was gentle. He applied a bandage over the cut. “There you go.”
Carly burst into tears.
Justin pulled her into his arms and laid his cheek on top of her head. She distantly heard his soft murmurs and felt him stroke her hair.
“I’m s-sorry,” she gulped. “I d-don’t know w-why I’m crying.”
“Delayed reaction to fear and adrenaline,” Justin said. He released her to get a cloth from the wagon so she could wipe her face. “It’s normal. You have to get it out somehow.”
Carly heard the click of Shadowfax’s hooves as she came over to them. She snorted in Carly’s face and bumped her nose against her shoulder. As Carly petted her, Shadowfax hooked a foreleg over Carly’s hip as though to draw her closer for a hug and laid her head over Carly’s shoulder with a soft rumble.
“Good horse. Thank you for biting that awful man.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Justin, said with wonder in his voice. “I swear to God, you’re like a video game Druid, sending animals to do your bidding.”
Carly let out a shaky laugh. “Bet you’re sorry now that we haven’t found a bear yet.”
“I changed my mind. Add whatever animals you like to our group. In fact, we’ll stop at the next city zoo we come across, and you can take your pick.”
Carly giggled, as he had intended. Justin hugged her again. “Smart of you, dropping down like that.”
“I knew you needed a clear shot.”
“I didn’t know if you’d remembered the second gun.”
Carly shuddered. “We’re lucky they didn’t see you put it back there. What if they’d taken it from you, too?”
“I still had my knife.”
Carly gave a soft snort. “What could you do with a knife from ten feet away?”
Before she could blink, Justin whipped the knife out of its scabbard and flung it at a telephone pole. It buried itself nearly up to its handle.
“Questions?” Justin arched a brow.
Carly’s jaw dropped. She shook her head slightly to clear it and looked around at the little town as he pulled the knife out of the pole. “Justin, can we please just go? I mean, we got some supplies. Can we move on, now?” If this kind of thing didn’t stop, she was going to start developing a phobia about towns.
“I want to check out the store.” Justin picked up an empty backpack from the wagon.
“Justin, no, please.” There was no way she was going in there.
“Stay right here by the door. Shadowfax and Sam will be with you. Look at them—they’re relaxed now. They know all the bad guys are gone. I’ll be quick.” With that, Justin kissed Carly on the top of her head and went through the doorway.
It seemed as though Justin were gone for hours. Carly sat down on one of the benches outside the store. Sam hopped up, sat by her side, and panted, his tongue draped out the side of his mouth. Justin was right, he was relaxed. But, his ears still swiveled as he searched for sounds, and his amber eyes were watchful. Shadowfax, on the other hand, contentedly chomped at the thin strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street.
Justin emerged, his backpack bulging and a shoebox in his hands. “I found you some better shoes.” He withdrew a pair of black moccasin-style shoes with a thick rubber sole. “Size seven, right?”
Carly nodded and slipped off her sandals to try on the pair he’d brought. She took a few steps. “Perfect. Thank you.”
