The closer Sam got, the clearer he could make out the shape of the glimmer. Unlike topside where it was just the driver's eyes that glowed, Sam could see the insipid light now had a humanoid shape to it. It wasn't until he was almost at arm's length that he realised he was looking at the cop who had been vaporised when she went to help the woman after the crash. Not vaporised, Sam thought, transported. The light of his cell phone lit up the printed badge on her uniform. Her name was Mayberry.

The cop reminded Sam of times spent under his covers as a kid in bed, reading a book by the light of a torch. He would sometimes hold the torch beam against his hand and be amazed at how alien it looked as the light shone through. Whilst not entirely see through, Mayberry's body was definitely translucent and he could see her veins threaded through the pale orange light. Even through her uniform, he thought he could see a darker shape that had to be her heart pulsing. He took that as a good sign, surely her heart wouldn't be beating if she was dead?

The rotten smell was worse here, and Sam fought against the cough that threatened to erupt from his throat. "Um…Officer Mayberry? Can you hear me?"

Mayberry's eyes lit up as he spoke, and she raised her head to directly face him "Officer, do you know what's happening to you? Can you talk?"

The cop ignored Sam's questions and began to shuffle toward him. She moved awkwardly, like a marionette being controlled by a drunk puppeteer. Sam stumbled back a step. As she closed the gap between them, the radiance brightened and he could see her skin begin to redden and blister. Sliding about on the damp flooring, Sam continued to back up as fast as he could, but Mayberry kept on walking towards him and the light coming off of her was growing.

Realising too late that he had had led her back towards the car, and to the child he felt responsible for, he abruptly changed angle towards the headlamp beams, and away from Billy.

At first, it seemed to be working; she didn't give the Subaru a second glance until she was standing almost directly next to it.

Then Billy's mom let out a small moan of pain, and Mayberry's eyes suddenly snapped towards her.

"No…hey! HEY, over here!" Sam shouted. He waved his hands at her, succeeding in trying to catch her attention.

She turned back towards him, and the glow not only brightened further, it also got noticeably hotter, and her uniform began to smoulder. She jerked forwards again, faster this time, and now her skin began to crack and darken in places, like charcoal. Embers of the black crust began to flake away, and Sam was horrified to realise that the cop's body was literally cooking itself in front of him.

Whatever was inside the officer, it was struggling. All this time she had made no sound, but as Mayberry began to twist and turn, and the fire continued to burn its way out of her, he could hear her skin crackling and popping. Ash flew through the thin air.

Then the light became too painful to look at anymore. Sam blinked, and even with his eyes closed could still see the bright afterglow of her, against the black cavern.

He dropped his phone and pressed both palms over his eyelids, and still the light poured through. "BILLY!" He shouted loudly. "Cover your eyes! Don't look at the light!"

Frightened at the thought he might be permanently blinded by the brilliance, and what she would do if she caught up him, he turned and stumbled away from the car, but almost immediately fell. With his hands still pressed against his face, he was unable to protect himself and the top of his head bashed against a sharp rock. Blood ran down his neck, and it actually felt cooler than the hotter air around him.

Sam knew he was in a desperate situation. Blind, trapped and being chased by some kind of fire monster that stank worse than a skunk on a barbecue, it took all his resolve to scramble back up to his feet.

And then…then the light just disappeared. The heat too.

It was such a surprise that he didn't believe it at first. Hesitantly, Sam took his hands away from his face and used his arms to steady himself.

After a short time he tried opening his eyes, but his retinas had taken a pounding and all he could see was the afterburn of her image. Without any real vision to rely on, he strained his ears to get a clue as to what was happening, but all he noticed was how ragged his breathing was.

"Billy?" He called out softly. Then again, louder. "Billy?" He got no response.

Blinking furiously, trying to clear his sight, he cautiously stepped forward, worried sick about what he was walking towards.