Grika set the pace through the forest, and Ollie followed, doing what he could to hide the sound of his boots crunching the grass. He did a quick check on the ammo in his shotgun, just in case Andy messed with it in his search. He had four shells loaded. More than enough.

“Hauk!” Andy shouted in the distance. “Get back here right now!”

Grika stopped and sniffed again. He pointed directly ahead, and then silently tiptoed toward a nearby tree for cover. Ollie did the same, crouching next to a tree trunk. He aimed Remi at the darkness, scanning the trees for any sign of movement.

“I will shoot you on sight if you don’t get back here right this instant!”

Ollie exhaled in frustration. Andy was either luring the goblin right to him or scaring it away. He looked at Grika for a sign that either was happening, but the pygmy had burrowed as much of its body as it could into a small pile of leaves.

He heard the footsteps a few seconds later. A loping gait, mixed with a rhythmic grunt. Only one, he guessed. Coming in for the kill.

“You won’t get away with this!” Andy again. Ollie glanced over his shoulder. The police officer was getting closer. “You’ll be a fugitive in all fifty states, and I will personally lead the hunt!”

He trained his shotgun on the direction of the footsteps and waited. A moment later, it emerged from the darkness, headed down a path right past his hiding spot. Ollie hesitated. He wanted to see if this was the same goblin Kimmie had saved. It wasn’t. This one looked dumber, more untamed than that miserable creature. Somehow that made him feel better.

In that moment of hesitation, the goblin turned its head, looking right at him. It shrieked and charged. Ollie pulled the trigger. The goblin flew off its feet, landing with a thump on its back several yards away.

Ollie pumped the shotgun and hurried over. The grunt’s breathing was labored, wheezing, and its eyes were closed. He aimed Remi at the spot between its eyes… when a glint of silver grabbed his attention. A silver bracelet wrapped around the goblin’s wrist.

Kimmie’s bracelet.

His breath caught in his throat. He was already too late. He should have warned her at the store this morning. Whatever it took, just to keep her safe.

More footsteps. Measured, and fast. Andy was almost here. Ollie couldn’t risk another shot so he ran away, finding a nearby tree trunk to hide behind. He crouched down and waited, knowing that if he kept running, Andy would keep chasing. His only hope was that the cop found the goblin and decided that this wasn’t worth pursuing anymore.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Andy appeared in the small clearing. He’d slowed to a walk, his gun pointed straight ahead. His eyes locked on the goblin laying on the ground and he approached it tentatively. Even in the dark, Ollie could see the confusion on Andy’s face as he took in the horrific sight before him. Andy spun in a circle, checking the darkness all around. Seeing nothing, the cop crouched down next to the goblin, his movements slow and tentative. He stared for a long moment, unbelieving, until he noticed the same glint on the goblin’s arm that Ollie had seen. He examined the bracelet on the goblin’s arm, hopefully coming to the same conclusion.

“Hauk!” he shouted at the forest. The rage in his voice was unmistakable. “Where are you?”

Ollie resisted the urge to answer. Andy stood, training his gun on every dark corner of the forest.

“Did you do this?”

He’d already dragged one innocent person into this. He wasn’t about to do it again.

“Where’s Kimmie?”

Ollie held his breath.

Andy cursed and stepped away, his eyes lingering on the goblin. After a few moments, he turned and ran back the way he came. Ollie waited until the sound of Andy’s footsteps drifted away, and then faded entirely. He stepped out of his hiding spot and walked back over to the goblin. Grika joined him.

“They have Kimmie.”

Grika nodded. “That they do.”

Ollie crouched down and removed the bracelet from the goblin’s arm. He stared at it for a long moment. “She might still be alive.”

Grika cocked his head. “That’s optimistic.”

“Look at it.” He held the bracelet out to Grika, who took it. “No blood. It’s not bent or broken. It wasn’t ripped off. It was taken off. That’s a good sign. It means maybe she wasn’t torn into pieces.” He reached into his bag and pulled out the plastic container. He squeezed some of the liquid onto the body. “Any more in the area?”

Grika sniffed, then shook his head. “No.”

“Okay. I found Mariah out here, so I know the lair is close. We’ll go back the way it came, and you can zero in on it for me.”

Grika blinked. “You want to go after a whole pack of goblins? Right now?”

Ollie pulled out a pack of matches. He lit one and tossed it on the goblin’s chest. The liquid caught fire immediately and flared up, setting the entire body ablaze. They both backed away, watching the goblin burn.

“This is my fault,” Ollie said, the fire lighting up his face. “It’s my fault for letting her talk me into this. I never let my guard down, you know that, but I did with her. I need to clean this up.”

“Fine. You’re an idiot. You want to make it worse by taking on a whole pack?”

Ollie huffed in frustration. “What else am I gonna do? I just escaped from police custody. I won’t be able to get back to the Chief for a while. Kimmie’s out there somewhere, alive or dead, and Mariah, who’s really Lynne by the way, is running around trying to find a fifty-year supply of magic dust.”

Grika’s hair stood on end. “Lynne? Your old man’s girlfriend?”

Ollie bristled. “She wasn’t his girlfriend.”

“Ehhhh…”

“Shut it! I don’t have a choice here. I need to find a way to save Kimmie.”

The fire faded, and then disappeared, leaving behind a pile of ashes in the darkness. Goblins burned fast, fortunately.

“I hope you have a plan.”

Ollie kicked the ashes with his foot, spreading them out across the grass. He hoisted his bag over his shoulder.

“I’ll think of one on the way.”