Page 158 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Two

“Yeah, right. Sorry. I, uh, sorry.” He smiled awkwardly. “Ididn’t mean to interrupt you here, and I know you guys don’t really keep hours,but it will be dark soon. The cemetery has lights, but between the density ofthe woods and no crypt-to-crypt lighting, it’s going to be dark. I’m on thenight crew, so I’m going to relieve Officer Kyle over there, but I’m not surewhat you can do this late.”

“An officer is missing.”

“You’re going to keep looking. And we’re grateful. As Isaid, everybody loves the man.”

“Of course—” Jackson began.

He broke off as a series of shots rang out, ripping throughthe quiet air of the cemetery.

He and the officer looked at each other, froze for a second,frowned, then turned to the wall and leapt over it,drawing their weapons as they did.

“Coming from the woods, there,” Jackson shouted.

“Right. Hell, we’ve got no cover.”

“Yes, we do. Stay between the tombs and the mausoleums,”Jackson told him.

He was already heading for the woods, his mind on Angela andPatrick.

Fortunately, he quickly saw the two of them, despite theencroaching darkness. They were headed in the direction of the shots, carefullydodging tombs, rounding mausoleums, and skirting stones as they ran.

The shooter seemed to have two weapons, a semi-automaticamong them. A single shot was immediately followed by a barrage of bullets.

As Jackson closed in on the others, he heard a sudden screamof anguish coming from the woods. Another shot slammed into a stone, this timea single shot.

Jackson reached the side of a mausoleum where Angela hadtaken cover.

“I think I got the hand wielding the semi-automatic,” shetold him.

“Where’s Patrick?”

“One tomb back,” she said and hitched a thumb. “The cops aremoving into the woods, trying to wedge him in. We’re holding the front, hopingto keep his focus here.”

“Good plan,” he said. “Moving,” he told her. “Cover me.”

She just stepped aside, taking aim at the woods as hehurried to duck behind the next largest tomb.

A single bullet flew wildly into the air. He nodded atAngela. She took another shot.

This time, he made it to the trees and began slippingthrough the oaks and the brush growing so richly in the area.

He honestly shouldn’t have been surprised by what he foundwhen he finally discovered the shooter.

The man—or woman—wore a sheet with cut-out eyeholes, a nosehole, and a macabre, painted-on mouth, complete with fanged teeth and drippingblood.

Halloween.

But Jackson saw there was more blood dripping down thelength of the garment. And the person still held a gun in one hand. From thesize of the hand and build of the body, the shooter appeared to be male.

The other side of the shooter’s body seemed to hang limply.Angela had indeed managed to strike one of the man’s arms, causing him torelease the semi-automatic he’d been wielding.

“Drop the gun!” Jackson roared. “Drop it, now!”

The man didn’t do as instructed. Instead, he aimed for hishead but then lowered the weapon slightly.

Jackson heard Angela as she moved almost silently behindhim.

“We can’t let him shoot himself. We need to know what’sgoing on. He could lead us to Whittaker,” she murmured and nodded.