Reid leaps back with a shout of horror, exposing the thing and hears the kids stir, voices crying out in fear. But he doesn't have time to comfort them or even explain. The creature snarls as Reid falls away and he has one instant to take it in, the horrible stare, shining and intelligent, the flat face all teeth and gaping mouth, before the thing is screaming a high-pitched shriek, dodging for the dark.
His instincts won't let it go, can't. Reid goes after it with a rock he finds suddenly gripped tight in his hand. His upper body follows it into the black, weapon seeking it out, near blind as his eyes are forced to adjust to the change of light. The thing doesn't go far, making Reid's job easier. It simply leaves the glow of the bulb's reach and reattaches itself to its dinner, latching
