Page 19
You take aim at the winged silhouette in the distance. Once you’ve got it in your crosshairs, you pull the trigger. Seconds later, the gryphon falls from the sky into a lake no more than 200 yards from you. You’ve never killed a living thing before, but it turns out it feels just as awesome as you suspected. As Stove drives towards the lake to retrieve the body, you figure it’s time to get some answers.
“Okay, so you have to tell me the entire story about this gryphon.”
“You’re not going to believe me.”
“Quit stalling.” You point the rifle at him. You’re experiencing what’s known as “murderer’s high”—a distinct feeling of euphoria and confidence caused by taking a life.
“Okay. This isn’t really an ice cream truck,” he says. “Open the coolers—there’s no ice cream in any of them. They’re all full of exotic and deadly animals. Animals that shouldn’t even exist. I was hired to transport these animals across the country.”
“By who?”
“I think you mean ‘by whom.’ But I don’t exactly know. This group called “The Syndicate” approached me and offered me the job. All I know is, they told me if I pulled this off they’d give me enough money to put my kids through college.”
“Your kids? You’re sixteen.”
He peels off a prosthetic face to reveal his true identity—he’s at least forty years old. You feel weird.
“So what now?”
“Best case scenario? The gryphon’s not dead, just wounded, and I can still deliver it. Worst case scenario? The gryphon’s dead, and my entire family gets dropped into a bubbling vat of acid.”
You pull up to the lake where you thought you saw the gryphon fall, only to realize you’ve made a horrible mistake. That wasn’t a gryphon you shot down; it was a low-flying recreational hang gliding enthusiast.
“Help me!” the hang glider cries. “I’ve been shot out of the air! I’m drowning!”
You and Stove look at each other, then back at the hang glider, then back at each other again. Jeez, why don’t you two kiss already or something?
You hear a screech in the distance. You look up to see the gryphon heading north, toward the zoo. The clock is ticking on the hang glider’s life, but for every second you waste saving him the gryphon flies farther and farther away…
To save the hang glider, turn to page 23.
To chase after the gryphon, turn to page 24.
2 years ago • Notes