It was an impressive exit, and in response the Hound threw Milo down and strode to the door. For a wonderful moment, Virgil thought he was going to follow her – but he stopped, and turned back, and Virgil had the sneakiest suspicion that he wasn’t as dumb as he looked. Why give chase, after all, when he could make his target come to him?

The Hound pressed a fingernail to his wrist and sliced. Blood flowed, dripping from his forearm in a steady stream, and he walked in a circle around Milo.

“Hey,” said Javier, “what’s he doing? Hey, you! Stop doing that!”

The Hound easily ignored the shouts of an old man, and when the circle was complete the blood began to steam, and then it caught fire—

—and in that instant both Milo and the Hound disappeared.

“Amber!” Linda screamed. “Get back here!”

Virgil forced himself to stand. It wasn’t over yet.

Amber ran back in. “Where is he? Where the hell is he?”

“He disappeared,” said Javier. “He took Milo with him. Just disappeared.”

Amber stared at him for a long moment. “Shit,” she said, and bolted. Virgil heard her kicking open the door to the garage.

Linda limped over to Ronnie and checked his pulse and Two ran over to Warrick, started licking his face.

“I’m okay, boy,” Warrick mumbled. “I’m okay.”

Amber ran back in, tugging the stopper out of a large leather pouch. She poured a circle of black powder around herself, then threw down the pouch and tapped her pockets. “A match!” she shouted. “Something!”

Warrick pushed himself up on to his elbow and dug a hand into his pocket. Coins and tissues and lint fell as he tossed her a cheap lighter. Amber caught it, flicked it, put the lighter to the powder and the powder went up, the fire looping in both directions, and she straightened as they met and then she disappeared.

Warrick blinked. “Everyone saw that, right?”

Linda folded her jacket, put it under Ronnie’s head. “How’s everyone else? Javier?”

“I’m good,” said Javier. “But Virgil looks like he’s having a heart attack.”

“I’m fine,” Virgil said gruffly.

“Kelly,” said Linda, “how about you?”

From the far corner, Kelly groaned and Virgil’s eyes widened.

His legs were numb, his feet dead weights, but he forced himself to walk, to hurry to the kitchen. The back door stood open. He plunged into the cold night air, managed to get to the gate in his fence without toppling over. The gate swung open and he stayed there for a moment, breathing, then plunged onwards.

On the trail behind his house, he saw Austin being led away by someone who looked just like Kelly. But of course she wasn’t wearing Kelly’s clothes. Virgil had missed that the first time.

“Austin!” he shouted. “Run!”