"You did. When my brother Jules Peterson died, your death was only a matter of time. The time has arrived. A few minutes from now, you will be dead."
Edwards frowned. "Look, lady, the joke's over."

The shadow reappeared, only this time it was moving faster. Edwards looked up just in time to see a dark bird, with a wingspan bigger than he could spread his arms, fly past just a couple of yards over his head. Higher overhead, he could see another flying beast circling. He looked at Elise, then back at the birds.

Elise spoke. "You've been drinking technetium with your ice tea, Mr. Edwards. By now, it has found a home in your thyroid and is giving off gamma rays being picked up by the electronic Geiger counters on Kara's and Rex's neck collars, drawing them directly to you. When they rip out your throat, they will each be rewarded with a dead baby rooster. The roosters taste better than you do."

The drilling fear returned to Edwards' chest. This was no joke. His hand tightened around his golf club. He ran for the golf cart and a moment later he was speeding down the fairway. He turned to see that one of the monster birds, the one that had been high and circling, was dropping out of the sky like a falling bomb, its wings tight to its side, heading right at him.

He screamed and took a quick glance ahead to find the other eagle swooping toward him. Another quick look behind, and he saw the diving eagle's claws, out like landing gear, its eyes boring into him. He screamed again, then ducked and pulled the wheel sharply, flipping the cart over in the open field and tumbling with golf clubs and beverage bottles.

His face skidded on turf and goose droppings, and he came to a halt. A sharp spiking pain in his left shoulder was seeping red blood, revealing the bird of prey had gotten more than just close. He scrambled on his hands and knees to the nearest club, a three iron, grabbed it, and quickly stood up, heart racing wildly, left arm wet with blood.