Sam avoided the throng clustered around the base of a tree. Instead, he approached a worried-looking woman watching over two children playing in a sandbox.

"Excuse me, ma'am. What's happening?"

The woman looked him over carefully. "One of the kids was climbing a tree. He fell, broke his arm." She looked at the children and lowered her voice. "He said he saw a monster."

"A monster?"

"We lost some kids the last few weeks." Her voice dropped even further. "Murdered."

They looked over to see the cops starting to disperse the crowd, making room for two paramedics pushing a stretcher.