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I pop the magazine out and see no rounds inside it. Then I check the chamber. One bullet.
"What did you mean to do with a single round?" I ask. "That won't stop an Echo creature."
"I know. But I thought if things got tough…" He raises a hand to his temple with his thumb and forefinger forming a gun-like shape, then snaps his thumb down. "Pow. I'd rather be dead than get tortured by those creatures."
"That's understandable." I pull the papers out from under the gun and set the box down on the sand. Another object tumbles out too—a photograph. I pick it up and study the picture of a blonde woman hugging a sandy-haired toddler. "What is this?"
Grant snatches the photo from me. "It's personal."
"Is this your family?"
He grinds his teeth, making his jaw muscles work. "Yeah. They were."
Clearly, he doesn't want to discuss the matter. If his family died, I have no desire to dredge up his pain. Unfolding the sheaf, I feel my brows rise as I realize what I'm holding. "Scientific papers? These look like they all relate to quantum physics."
"Bingo."
"Are you a scientist?"
"No, I was a deputy sheriff. When the shit hit the universal fan, I was hiking in the mountains just outside Los Angeles." He bows his head and rubs the back of his neck. "Didn't have my service weapon with me, so I couldn't do much when the creatures came. Tried to save people, but…"
"You couldn't fight them. The Echo creatures are incredibly strong and completely focused on destroying anything and anyone they encounter."
I am one of those creatures, at least in part. Sefton's transformation granted me more strength than any normal human could muster. Though I can fight those creatures, it's no easy task to defeat them. For a man like Grant, it must be terrifying to realize that not even his muscular physique, strength, and police training could save him if a horde attacked. So yes, I understand the need for one bullet.
Willow screams.
I drop the papers and run across the beach toward her, where she's been kneeling to create her sandcastle. In the sky above us, a winged Echo creature dives straight down at her.
The beast extends the claws on its hands and feet, preparing to snatch the girl.
My heart pounds so hard and fast that I almost can't breathe. Just as I reach Willow, the beast swoops in for the grab. I latch on to its hind legs, but that only slows it down. The creature is too strong and too determined. It flies up until my feet lift off the ground, and the thing flails its legs to shake me off. Its tail smacks me in the face, and I tumble to the sand.
Willow is running toward the shelter, toward Grant.
The beast swoops down again to grab Willow.
Grant raises the gun and fires at the creature's head. Blood spurts from its forehead. The beast loses its grip on Willow.
I race over to the girl, scooping her up in my arms just as the creature shrieks and soars away over the ridge of the mountain. I carry Willow to the shelter and set her down on her feet. "Are you injured?"
"No, I'm okay." Tears trickle down her cheeks, and her lips tremble. She flings her arms around me, hugging me tightly. "That creature almost got you. Why didn't you run away?"
"I was more concerned with not letting it get you." I caress her hair the way my mother had always done for me when I was a little boy and something scared me. I glance at Grant. "Why did you sacrifice your only bullet?"
"Couldn't let either of you get taken. I've seen what those creatures do to their prisoners." He tosses the gun into the brush behind the shelter. "I was a cop. Saving lives is what I do."
How can I not trust him after this? Maybe I shouldn't, but I feel that I can. "Let's all sit down and talk about things. We should get to know each other a bit more."
"Sounds good."
We sit on the sand just outside the shelter, near the fire that still smolders.
And I tell a stranger everything. Well, almost everything. I will not divulge my connection to the Echo or Allison's link to it, and I leave out the fact that the creator of doomsday is my twin brother. I might trust Grant now, but I have no idea how he might react to those truths. I do tell him about the golem Sefton sent to retrieve Allison, but I omit the fact that she whisked us both away. Keeping that bit of the story somewhat vague will let Grant reach his own conclusion—that Sefton abducted us both. He does seem to decide that's what happened, which means he won't develop any suspicions about how Allison and I reached Fallenmouth.
"Allison's alone with that crazy guy?" Willow says once I've finished my story. "We have to go get her."
"I know. But I don't have a ruddy clue how to do that."
