Kristy felt torn as she sat in her car, staring at the police station. The front desk let her know that Officer Higgins and Agent Holly ran off somewhere in a hurry and she just missed them. Now she wasn’t sure what to do. She thought about rushing home, but wanted to make sure that Officer Higgins and Special agent Holly didn’t hurt Colin. She rubbed lightly at her lower back, where the cancer used to be, and thought back to Colin shouting for there to be no pain.

  This day was hitting her like a ton of bricks one after another. Just as she was gathering her thoughts and processing what was going on, something even more wild came along and rocked her understanding of the world.

  First, the monster ambushed her and then started talking, then she was miraculously cancer free, then she realized that the talking monster was actually her husband and had been captured by Officer Higgins.

  Could that thing really be Colin? Her Colin? Colin had always been drawn to trouble like a moth to a flame, but to be turned into whatever that thing was, made her partly wish she were wrong. Doubts crept in as she wondered if it was the flurry of overstimulation that was fogging up her mind and encouraging her to entertain delusional thoughts of hope. She shook herself out of her own thoughts and firmly decided that her doubts were wrong.

  She didn’t have much to go off of, but her gut told her that it was no coincidence that the thing was named Colin. Kristy’s fingers tightened around her phone as she thought about how she sent people with guns after Colin without realizing.

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  She dialed Officer Higgins again, hoping he would answer. Hoping that he would let her know that Colin was okay.

  “Kristy?” Higgins said as he answered the call.

  Kristy jumped a bit and her mind went blank as she tried to think about how to start this conversation. She couldn’t just outright shout something like: ‘that bug is my husband!’. Instead, she stammered out: “Uhh, hi.. Umm.”

  Thankfully, Officer Higgins interpreted that sentence far better than Kristy expected, “Oh right! You’re probably waiting to go home. I’m so sorry, we’ve just been running around.”

  “That’s okay,” Kristy said gracefully and paused so Higgins would continue.

  “So we caught the thing, but after we drove off, it got away when we got distracted. It’s been a wild day.” Officer Higgins said the words in an overwhelmed sort of way and Kristy’s heart went from racing to relief in moments. “Anyway, you should be safe to go home. We are doing something else that needs our time, but don’t hesitate to call us if that thing comes back. I don’t know what it is, but I swear it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

  “Okay, thank you so much.” Kristy practically sighed out through the phone. Her body felt like jelly as the adrenaline faded away. After a few more awkward exchanges of pleasantries and saying goodbye several times, Kristy managed to get off the phone with Officer Higgins.

  Colin was safe.

  Kristy deflated even further and breathed for what felt like the first time in hours. She didn’t know where Colin was right now, but he was free and safe.

  Kristy turned the car on and headed straight home.

  She knew the bus would bring Jenny home once Jenny realized Kristy wasn’t waiting to pick her up.

  The last words Colin had spoken to her ran through her memory again: “I promise. There’s nothing that will stop me from coming back to you.”

  Colin had done it twice now and would do it again. Kristy knew he would come home again. It was only a matter of time. Only this time, she would be there, ready to welcome him home.