It's a miracle of timing, which is something Alex is almost too used to to notice how lucky they both are when he makes the running slide he hasn't tried since the last time he'd slid for home base, which had been PE in high school. He has to jerk him back near whiplash-fast by the back of his coat to pull him back in time- and at just the right moment that it doesn't affect the aim of the crossbow bolt.

The adrenaline has Alex feeling like he sees in slow motion until there's a heavy THUD of one of the creatures hitting the ground far too close for his liking. Visions of lindwyrms in the Ohio woods dance in the back of his mind.

"You know the first rule of camping is not to feed the wildlife, right?"