"Problem with that is if I leave you here too long, said monsters are going to be coming for you and then I gotta answer to your bro and explain why I didn't just knock his idiot brother unconscious so I could drag him back to base and left him to get torn apart in the middle of nowhere."

The fearlings didn't just go after kids. They just converted kids. But they had teeth and claws and those hurt adults - and other myths - easily enough.

"I also don't like the idea of making a moose angry. They're dangerous animals."

He hadn't met Sam formally, but he'd seen him around. The guy was huge and just very...elk-like.

"They're after us, too. Because of the kids we have power here and they know it. They'll want to take you out of the picture before you even have a chance to work with the rest of us. Your brother's probably not even back yet and even if he is, they might be here the second I leave. I'm not taking that chance."