Adam was not human and hadn't been for a long time. Benny had been so afraid-in addition to all the blood and pain. He'd been forced to leave me naked and vulnerable. But Adam had had to make two fast changes tonight and experienced a number of stressors. I could have done that, but what if they ran into Adam? Under normal circumstances, they'd be perfectly safe. I brought up the rear-though they had all suggested I stay down by the river. We all, except for whoever was carrying Benny, carried flashlights, which did a fair bit to destroy my night vision. Jim led the way and carried a couple of flares to flag down the ambulance with. The Owens brothers and Calvin took turns carrying Benny. I'd survived a long time by keeping my head down and blending in I wasn't going to change that just to make my bare feet feel better. Too many bad things happened to people who admitted too openly what they were without a powerful group behind them-and sometimes even with a powerful group behind them. It would have been better if I could have shifted into coyote, but I didn't know these men-and I don't make it a habit of telling everyone what I am. For the most part our footing was cheatgrass-covered basalt, not horrible hiking if I'd had shoes. THE ONLY BRUSH OR TREES IN THIS PART OF THE gorge that weren't cultivated-very little of the ground on either side of the river was cultivated-were right on the river.
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