Free Voracious by ALICE HENDERSON Page B

radio’s missing.”
    Madeline gave him a glance over. He didn’t have much more than bruises. “You weren’t seriously hurt?” She thought of the screams.
    He shook his head. “Luckily, no.”
    “But I heard … you screaming.”
    “Well,” he said, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden, “like I said, it was pretty tense for a minute there.”
    “It’s here now,” she said. “I know this sounds crazy, but I talked to a ranger, only it wasn’t really him … it was the creature.”
    Noah nodded. “It’s not crazy.”
    Madeline glanced toward the ranger station. “I hit it with an ax.”
    Noah raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
    “Yes. But I don’t know if I killed it.”
    “Well, it wasn’t in there.”
    Damn. So it just got up again? “Did you look in the vaulted toilet?”
    He raised his eyebrows. “The toilet?”
    She cast her eyes down, trying to block out the memory of what she’d seen in the rafters. “It was horrible.”
    “Another victim?”
    “ Another victim?” She looked at him sternly, wondered why he knew so much. “I think it’s about time you told me what that thing is.”
    “I can’t now. It’ll have to wait. We’ve got to get you to safety.”
    “But what about the ranger’s body in the bathroom?”
    “A ranger? Oh, man. That’s bad. Did he have a two-way radio on him?”
    Madeline stared at him aghast. “Well, I didn’t happen to notice.” Her voice began to rise, quavering as she grew more upset at the thought of what she’d seen. “I mean, when you see a dead body hanging from the rafters with this … thing … eating it, you don’t really think of looking for a goddamn two-way radio.” She was shaking. Forced herself to calm down. After a moment, she added, “I’m sorry.”
    “It’s okay. I understand. It is terrible.” Noah’s eyes were wide and sympathetic. “Believe me, I know what it feels like to stumble upon a scene like that. That’s why I’ve got to catch him.” After a pause he added, “I’m going to go check the body for a radio.”
    “Noah, no!” She grabbed his arm as he started to get up.
    “We could use it to radio for help, get you off the mountain.”
    Fear gripped Madeline. “But it could still be in there!”
    “He’s probably gone by now. I have to take the chance.”
    “No, you don’t! That’s ridiculous! Let’s just get the hell away.”
    Noah remained squatting where he was, and Madeline let go of his arm. He glanced around. “Which trail is the one that leads down to Many Glacier Campground?”
    “I was already heading that way. Too bad there’s not a closer one.” She was so tired. She slid the pack off her back.
    “Well,” he said grimly after a moment, “that is the closest ranger station. “The trail’s a little long, but at least it’s not steep. There’s very little elevation gain. I took this route hiking up here. The way down should be a breeze.”
    “So it’s all downhill from here?”
    Noah smiled and looked up at her. “Yep.”
    She watched Noah as he adjusted the laces on his hiking boots. She wanted to ask him again what was going on, what that thing was, why it seemed to be hunting them. But she was just so tired—her eyes burning from lack of sleep, her back aching, her head pounding—that she didn’t think she could thoroughly digest it all, even if he did tell her. She just wanted to lie down in a nice, comfortable bed and sleep for a long time. “Let’s go,” she said finally.
    After repacking the map, tent, and clothes, Noah slung the pack over his shoulders, then buckled it in place.
    They stood up, glanced around cautiously, and started down the mountain, the heat of the afternoon still building, humidity closing in around them, stifling and unbearable.
     
     
    Halfway down the mountain, they stopped in a meadow to rest and eat and found a cluster of boulders to sit on. Catching their breath, they passed the water bottle back and forth.
    “Sorry I lost all my stuff,” she