---=Chapter 19: Make Smart Choices---=

Jon, you absolute asshole. He was the one who'd shot me, and my arm throbbed its own complaint. Well, at least I knew he was alright.

"Easiest for me is to just shoot you. That way, I can be sure you won't come to attack us on a whim later. I don't know if you know what memory crystals are, but based on your glow, I think you have some. And I want to find out. Feel free to try something, then we'll both find out."

Laaaaame, I thought to myself. Jon always tried way too hard to sound cool.

"Of course, if you are 'on our side' like Nia insisted, you won't mind handing over the crystals you took from those demon corpses I saw you hiding. What, were you ashamed you attacked one of your own? Or are you saving a meal for later?"

Jesus Christ, Jon, what the hell?

"Well, people—humans—we need those memory crystals, and it's my job to be sure we get them. I'm told we don't have many bullets, but I'm also told the day loops, so I guess that doesn't matter. Besides, my aim has gotten pretty good lately. Corner brick." Jon called his target before taking his aim off me to shoot a brick off the top of the hut to our right. I jumped in surprise; we were close enough that he really didn't need to prove he was a good shot.

"I think my aim's good enough that I can use a couple more to take you down if necessary. So put down any memory crystals you're carrying, and I'll let you be off to terrorize all the demons you want."

Well, this wasn't a terrible result. I could give Jon the crystals and show him how to use the memory crystal I'd made for Alice. I'd focused on my search for Jon, but between that and my depiction of becoming a werewolf, he should realize I was Sam.

Slowly I reached into my pockets. I could only get a few clawed fingers inside, but I was able to grip the polished gems and pull them out. I was turning my head to mime how to use the crystal when I saw movement from the hut.

The little gremlins were awake, probably startled by the sound of the gun going off. If Jon saw them, he'd probably kill them for their memory crystals like I'd originally planned.

Jon must have seen me hesitate, but he didn't look away to see why. "Careful now, make smart choices," he warned me.

I took a second to consider the surroundings. Jon had a parking lot behind him; he'd stood up from behind a car. There was some cover, but I was still at least a dozen feet from the next nearest car. I was even farther from the little hut, not that I wanted to draw fire in that direction anyway. If I ran and got shot, I should at least have an easier time of it next loop, except I wouldn't have the goodwill from delivering Nia and Maebe safely to Alice. Then again, I wasn't sure the gremlins wouldn't immediately attack Jon, and I couldn't guess how that would go. The Gremlins seemed harmless and innocent, but I doubted they'd gotten three memory crystals by being goofy. On the other hand, Jon had a gun. Better for everyone if I kept Jon from even noticing them.

If I trapped one of the crystals, I'd at least know where to find him next loop. I didn't know what effect that would have; there had to be a reason he was so well-adapted, despite how the day started. There would be better opportunities, especially if I could get him to look at the visualization I'd made for Alice. I'd still need to get away, but I didn't think Jon really was as trigger-happy as he was pretending; after all, he could have shot me in the back instead of calling out Nia's name for me.

Taking a slow breath, I lowered two of the crystals toward the ground, crouching slightly as I bent over. Setting two of the three crystals down gently, I looked Jon in the eye and held forward the crystal with the mental projection on it. I pressed it to my forehead meaningfully, then held it out to him.

His eyes moved briefly from me to the crystal, but he just gestured toward the ground with his gun. "Put it with the rest."

I wanted to be sure he got it, so I demonstrated pressing the memory crystal to my head again.

"I said, put it with the rest," Jon said again, trying to sound intimidating.

This time, I listened; setting the polished gem on the blacktop, I rolled it toward Jon. As expected, Jon's eyes flickered from me to the rolling stone; as he looked away, I kicked off into a low sprint. I didn't know if he'd figure out my pantomime, but I wasn't sticking around to find out. My balance was too far forward, and I instinctively pushed off against the ground with one paw-hand. Suddenly I found myself in a natural four-legged lope that saw me speeding toward the parking lot as shots rang out after me.

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I was galloping faster than I could run on two legs, even with my injured bicep; with some luck, Jon would be caught off guard, and I could slip behind an old boat-of-a-car. Then his gun rang out, and I felt a sharp slap knock one of my back legs out from under me, sending me tumbling. There was only the one car near me, and I stayed low while limping around to its far said. Dropping down to my stomach to peer under the car, I watched Jon's feet approach cautiously.

My heart pounded in pain and sudden real fear. Shit, this is worse than if he'd just killed me. I pressed one paw-hand against the wound on my leg. It felt like the bullet was still inside my leg; it hurt a stupid amount considering I was on morphine. The throbbing pain echoed and amplified the pain in my bandaged arm. There was no way I could keep running with both wounds screaming at every step.

Jon was getting closer, and I didn't really have any ideas. Maybe it would be best to just let him catch up to me. He could be an ass—the apocalypse had clearly been a fertile ground for his assholery, too—but he wasn't often cruel. If I let Jon catch me, he would likely kill me, but at least it would be over quick. Well, "over." The whole thing would just start again, I was sure.

It was good to see Jon doing way better than me. Here I was, limping around and hiding behind cars. Jon seemed fine and must have found Alice's group, at the least. I had worried he was stuck in some looping nightmare, forced or tricked into changing his spawn point to some trap or cell. Myself aside, I couldn't imagine him just leaving Nia to be terrorized by a monster. Sure, he'd do that to me—a monstrous werewolf— but a kid? Unlikely.

It meant either he thought her spawn was safe, or he was stuck somewhere and unable to help. Of course, Nia hadn't been in the car in my first memory, so maybe she had been safe until recently.

I sat up, leaned back against the car's tire, and looked around. The next nearest cover was almost another dozen parking spots away. My leg was throbbing, and the distance looked especially far. Peeking under the car again, I could see Jon getting closer.

Running would just get me shot in the back. My mind flashed back to my panicked retreat from Slender Hopper that had resulted in being hit in the back. I could imagine a bullet would feel at least as painful.

Fuck it, I said to myself, crouching while putting as much of my weight on my uninjured limbs as I could. If I was going out, it would be while giving maximum effort. With a grunt, I leaped onto the hood of the car to charged straight at Jon. I wouldn't hurt him, but if I got lucky, I might surprise him enough that he dropped his gun.

I took two steps across the hood, my wounded leg almost blinding me with pain, and leaped at a completely calm Jon; His gun tracked me, and I had a moment to feel surprised before two shots took me in the chest.

Shit, that was a good shot.

I don't remember hitting the ground. I was just suddenly back in the patrol car. My previously throbbing arm and leg only tingled with a sudden absence of pain.

Tickles leaped at the cage separating us, and I jumped in surprise before smacking the cage in annoyance, causing it to fall back into the foot well.

Stupid bug, don't be a dick.

I swore internally. I'd died again, and now I had to start over. I honestly hadn't expected to get away, but it didn't make me any happier to be back at the beginning.

Thankfully Nia wasn't in the back; likely, Maebe was safe as well, so I could at least take my time with my first steps.

Tickles was effectively neutralized, and I could ignore him until it was more convenient. For the first time, I had a chance to do something a little different, and I wasn't yet sure if I would kill the thing. After all, I could hopefully get those memory crystals from the gremlins again.

It was a bit like buying store-bought meat to avoid killing a chicken in a cage. Still, I wasn't eager to wring the thing's neck myself.

Slender hopper, on the other hand, was still a potential threat. Not that the hospital didn't have plenty of threats I couldn't do anything about. But this one, I could. Now that I knew its moves and where it was—and that I needed to keep away from walls—I shouldn't have any trouble. Anybody not ready, though, could easily be taken down by its relentless ambush.

Still, even a few steps away, the fog was light-blinding enough that I could easily get lost or turned around. With Nia and Maebe both safe for the moment, I should have plenty of time to make a cape and eye mask.

I probably couldn't slip by Slender Hopper to get Anderson's golf clubs, but I had more practice with the waiting-room chairs anyway. I pulled out the blanket and worked it with my claws and teeth. I wondered if going to the parking garage entrance first—to grab the pants and bat—would be worth it. If nothing else, the baseball bat would be helpful against Slender Hopper. Also, now that I'd worn pants in this form, I was feeling exposed without them.

Mask and cape in place—and backpack in hand—I went jogging toward the front of the hospital.

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