Free Darkness Falls by Jeremy Bishop, Daniel S. Boucher

recognize the diner as a threat. It’s trying to keep us from getting there.
    The beast’s chase slowed and then stopped, as Jimmy pulled into the glow of the diner’s carport lights. The creature gave a final roar before turning tail and running off into the woods. Sam couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relieved.

 
     
    16
     
    Sam threw open the truck’s back door and reached inside for Dana, whose head was leaning limply to the side. He had thrown up on himself, and now he was moaning.
    Cash Whittemore, who was working on his van beneath the bright lights of the filling station’s hood, dropped what he was doing and rushed over. Sam caught only a glimpse of Cash’s van, but the man had done something strange to its roof. A young man—maybe early thirties—ran out of the diner to help. A woman stood by the door, holding it open. She shouted for someone to get the first aid kit from the back office.
    “Just hold on,” Jimmy said, taking Dana and dragging him out of the back. “We’re gonna get you inside.” He tried to lift Dana, but he couldn’t do it alone. The unconscious man might have been skinny and short, but he was currently floppy-armed, dead weight. The young guy arrived in time to keep Dana from falling to the ground. As Sam reached for his frightened son, Dana was carried toward the diner.
    “Let’s go, son,” Sam said.
    Wyatt looked unsure, still clinging to the door handle.
    “I know you’re scared. Hell, I am, too. But you saw how those things reacted to light, and this has got to be the brightest place in town right now.”
    Wyatt gave a slow nod and relinquished his grip. Although Sam’s speech sounded confident, he looked terrified to the core. As soon as Wyatt was in range, Sam took hold of him, yanked him from the truck and carried him to the diner.
    Sam recognized Laurie Whittemore holding the door open as they rushed in. There were seven other people in the diner, but they were all strangers, probably people that had been passing through. Aside from the young guy, they all kept their distance. Laurie let out a little gasp when she saw the blood on Sam’s shirt and face.
    “It’s not mine,” he said, putting Wyatt down.
    Dana was laid down on the floor, a single blanket under him for comfort. Cash set a first aid kit on a nearby table. Sam hurried over. Dana was no longer moaning, but he was still slipping in and out of consciousness, and he’d gone as pale as a seagull turd.
    “Thanks for the help,” Sam said to the young stranger. “Name’s Sam.”
    “Kyle Gardner,” the man replied. While the leather jacket and scruffy face made him look tough, it was just a veneer. The jacket looked expensive. The styled hair smelled of product—and not cheap gel, more like the mousse Tess used. His hands looked smooth, like they hadn’t seen any physical labor. Not the kind of man often found in Refuge, but he was helping, and that made him a friend.
    Sam kneeled by Dana’s side. “Everybody, step back, please. I need the light. Jimmy give me the first aid kit.”
    Kyle knelt down next to him.
    “What are you doing?” Sam said. “I told you I—”
    “I’m a doctor,” Kyle said. “I can help, but you need to do what I tell you.”
    Kyle didn’t look old enough to be a doctor, but Sam couldn’t think of a reason he’d lie about it. He gave a nod and put the first aid kit between them.
    “Roll him onto his side, and pull the shirt away,” Kyle said.
    Dana’s shirt was a mixture of blood and vomit. Sam hesitated for a moment, but with Jimmy’s help, he rolled the small man onto his side. Sam peeled the shirt up and away with a wet sucking sound, struggling not to gag. The smell of infection was overwhelming. Sam was worried. How can this be so infected already? It just happened.
    “That can’t be good,” Jimmy said, turning his head.
    Black streaks ran like varicose veins up the length of Dana’s side.
    Kyle took alcohol and cotton pads from the first