He watched the security guard for a few seconds and decided to stay put. The guard had obviously heard Montez’s gunshot and was hustling over to investigate. With a little luck, the guard would turn right and take a shortcut past the southern end of the roller coaster. If not, maybe the guard would run past his hiding place without looking back. Was the guard armed? If so, the situation might escalate. He didn’t want to deal with an armed, and likely nervous, rent-a-cop.

***

Montez watched McBride poke his head out from behind the trash bin, then quickly pull back. Had he been seen? It seemed unlikely. This hiding place offered deep shadow. No way he’d been seen. He peered around the corner in the opposite direction and saw what had made McBride duck.

A security guard.

Running right toward him.

He raised his gun.

***

Nathan watched the security guard turn right at the mini-motorboat ride and head for the east perimeter. He didn’t know how long the guard would be gone, so he used this opportunity to advance to the next trash bin.

His new threat areas became the souvenir kiosks in the middle of the walkway and a blind corner on the left side. Scratch the blind corner, the security guard would’ve seen Montez.

He craned his neck above the trash bin and saw the bloody footprints continue past the kiosks, but he couldn’t see how far. The low angle didn’t allow him to see much beyond the kiosks, and he wasn’t about to stand up for a better look. He began to wonder if Montez had bolted all the way through the park. Montez could be getting into a prearranged escape vehicle in the southern parking lot. That could’ve been his plan all along—to take a pursuer down a difficult gauntlet riddled with multiple ambush points in order to buy enough time for an escape out the south end.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

Following the bloody footprints, Nathan sprinted in a low crouch past the souvenir kiosks.

Something flashed through his mind as he ran.

A scene in a movie he’d recently watched.

One that featured a trail of footprints.

Which movie was it?

The Shining.

***

Montez adjusted his position to follow the guard’s exit from the main walkway. As he did, he heard motion behind him. McBride must’ve raced past his position toward the south entrance. He readjusted his position to get a shot from behind. He poked his head around the corner, trained his weapon on McBride’s back, and smiled.

***

The bloody footprints suddenly ended.

Right in the middle of the walkway? Impossible.

Montez couldn’t fly, but he could—

Backtrack!

Nathan hit the deck and rolled to his left, seeking the cover of a small landscaped alcove.

Steeling himself for a bullet, he inwardly cursed.

***