He turned and headed toward the register. I followed slowly and stood by the exit as he tossed several bags of something onto the counter. He didn’t waste time with idle chat, although the woman behind the register tried.
As soon as he’d paid, he strode toward me and pushed the door open.
“Hurry up.”
Neither of us said anything more until we were both in the car. Something landed in my lap before I had a chance to buckle.
“Get ahold of Blake,” he said. “I need to know where we’re going.”
“You’ve already guessed where we’re going, just like me,” I said, calmly.
He hit the steering wheel. “Then tell me why.”
“Do you honestly think Blake confides in me? Blake tells me what to do, and I listen. I know what will happen if I don’t.”
A brush of sound was the only warning I had before his hand closed over my throat. The shadows, which had been swirling outside the car, moved inside, churning around Frank in a wild frenzy. Frank leaned over the back of his seat until he and I were almost nose to nose. His pungent hot breath bathed my face as he spoke.
“Call him.”
My heart hammered in my chest and fear pooled in my stomach, but not for the obvious reason.
“I can’t,” I rasped. “If I do, we’ll both be in trouble.”
The shadows wailed in excitement around us.
“We’re running out of time, Frank. I can feel it.”
To punctuate my words, the swirls outside the car started to take shape. A person walked toward our vehicle. Something hit the window hard.
“I’m calling the police,” a voice said.
Frank’s hand abruptly left my throat, and his door opened. The woman scrambled backward but didn’t make it far. Her scream was brief. The shadows converged on her body before Frank even released her. They always did that when someone died near me.
As she fell, she twitched and jerked with their attempts to inhabit her. They couldn’t. But that didn’t stop them from trying.
The door closed again, and I could smell the tang of copper—of blood—that Frank brought back in with him. The engine started, and the car jolted in reverse. I swallowed painfully and buckled. Outside the window, the shadows continued to try to possess the woman. Any observer would think her movements death-twitches.
The car jerked to a stop then lurched forward slowly. The synthesized beeps gave away Frank’s attempt to reach Blake yet again. The sound of the pre-recorded voice caused Frank to hit the steering wheel and swear. A moment later, a loud clunk came from the front. He’d likely thrown the phone.
“I need to know what the fuck he’s thinking,” Frank seethed. “What are we supposed to do when we get there? And what about when we’re done? Does he really think they’re going to let me walk away just because you’re there?” The car sped up.
“I don’t know what he thinks, Frank,” I said softly, turning in my seat to stare at the grey tornado spiraling over the woman’s body. “But I think we might both die. Sooner than either of us wants.”
“Say one more word, and I won’t give a shit who’s protecting you.”
I wisely faced forward and stayed quiet. My throat ached from where Frank had gripped me. I would have bruises. If Blake were here, he would have killed Frank for what he’d just done to me. If Blake were here, he probably would have finished what Frank had started.
Around me, the world suddenly came back to life. Smokey wisps circled and twirled inside the car and out, defining whatever was closest to me. Frank’s seat. The trees just beside the road. Everything floated in an otherwise light void. The Others never bothered with the ground unless I asked. And I never asked unless I was alone.
I shifted in my seat, and something crinkled beside me. My hand brushed over a bag, food that Frank had thrown at me. The idea of eating didn’t appeal to me, but I opened the bag anyway, hoping to appease some of Frank’s lingering temper. My fingers found a scant number of pretzels at the bottom of the package. It was a good thing I wasn’t really hungry.
The tapping on the steering wheel increased as I crunched, so I only ate a few.
“Would you like some?” I said politely.
“No.”
“How close are we?” My voice was barely a whisper, but he heard. The tapping stopped.
