“Come on, Dad,” Charlie pleaded. “I want to look for chupacabras.” He bounced several more times and flipped back around to face Dai She.

“There’s no such thing,” his father said firmly. “Now, stop your foolishness.”

Dai She had no intention of engaging anyone in conversation, least of all a happy child. But something in the father’s dismissive tone struck a nerve. Dai She knew what it was like to be belittled.

“You’re very mistaken,” he told them. “Chupacabras are most certainly real. I’ve encountered one.”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Now hold yer horses, fella. Don’t go fillin’ the kid’s head with nonsense.” The man’s pride had been pricked enough that he put the phone down.

Dai She stared at him for a brief moment. A sneer curled the corners of his mouth, his thin lips taking on the appearance of a hungry reptile’s. “Intelligent life-forms such as the chupacabra rely on the ignorance of people like you. It will wait until it finds you alone, perhaps hiking along a secluded trail. And at the most unsuspecting moment it will show itself.

“Your measly brain will have only seconds to process the terror of bristling fur and blood-drenched teeth. The end will be painful. It prefers its meals alive. Your terror will add seasoning to your flesh. And you can die knowing you have made it happy.”

“Cool!” the boy shouted.

“Charlie!” The father quickly gathered their belongings and hustled Charlie into the adjoining car, but not before the eager child gave Dai She a thumbs-up.

Dai She sat back, savoring the man’s discomfort. Much like the chupacabra, he relied on the ignorance of humanity.

Suddenly it occurred to him that the facilities of the train station promised to be more hygienic than those on the train. He roused his bulk out of the seat and hastened out onto the platform. For the first time since this miserable trip had begun, he was truly happy.

But the happiness was short-lived.

He emerged from the restroom.

The train had departed.

Part of Dai She’s problem was that being dastardly and diabolical doesn’t make you many friends. You’re required to keep your plans to yourself. Trust is not part of your vocabulary. Consequently, he had no one to turn to for help.

He had two choices: wait twenty-four hours for the next train, or find another means of transportation. Forced into a vigorous negotiation with a cabdriver, he eventually left Creel in the confines of a battered green-and-gold taxi.