Before either party can say anything, we hear a strange sound drifting through the quiet, supposedly empty town. It’s music. And it’s being played through speakers. It’s a tinkly version of...
“Is that the Mexican hat dance?” Niki asks.
I turn my head toward it, listening to the music echoing through the dead town. Immediately I’m on edge, because that music is being played by a machine—it sounds as if it’s being piped from an ice cream truck. Someone could be playing the music across town to distract us into thinking we’re safe here while they’re watching us from around the corner. My eyes dart everywhere, looking for more wanted signs, people crouched down, guns.
“I think we might have just ended up in a horror movie,” Andrew says. The Mexican hat dance stops playing, but then seconds later, it starts over again.
“Then let’s not stick around,” I say. Taylor’s eyes are wide and worried, and she’s probably regretting making this trip with us. She and Cara are the first to turn and head back toward the highway.
I focus on every shadow, trying to discern movement. But the Mexican hat dance doesn’t follow us, and by the time we’re on the highway, we don’t hear it anymore.
Back at the camp, Niki says she’s going to tell Cal and the others to keep an eye out. Their ears, too—though I doubt whoever was playing the music would play it if they wanted to sneak up on us. Unless it really was a diversion. Or a way to draw people in.
“We should tell Daphne and Kelly, too,” Andrew says. “Figure out the best way to tell the kids without scaring them.”
“Thenyoushouldn’t do it,” I say, nudging him playfully. “I’ll go find Daphne.”
The sky above us finally gives up the ghost and a misty drizzle falls. We head toward the covered parking spots where we’ve set up our camp. Amy is following Henri-Two as she teeters around. Behind her the Kid sits quietly, still not playing with the others.
“Is the Kid okay?” I ask Andrew.
He looks sad when he answers. “He’s always been kind of a loner. He got pretty close with Taylor after Frank died, but I think she’s been a little distracted.”
Taylor has, in fact, already run over to Jamar, no doubt to tell him all about our near miss with a slasher movie. I make a mental note totalk with Daphne and Kelly about how we can get the Kid to hang out with the others; I feel bad, seeing him sitting on his own.
When we reach Amy, Henri-Two looks up and does her clumsy half walk a few steps to us—Amy following and holding her hands at either side of her—then she stops just short and smiles up at us before turning back to her mom. Andrew follows, knowing the game well enough, and tickles Henri-Two’s legs as Amy scoops her up so she can be at his height. Henri-Two squeals, babbles something, and buries her face in Amy’s shoulder.
“Where’s Daphne?” I ask as Andrew keeps making baby noises and tries in vain to get Henri-Two to look at him.
Amy smiles as Henri-Two giggles. “She’s lying down.” She nods to the grass, where I see Daphne lying beneath a blanket. “She didn’t look too great, so I told her to take a nap. But we might want to wake her. It’s starting to rain, and also we should get the kids fed and start the bedtime routines.”
I nod. “I’ll go.”
Amy thanks me and I head over to Daphne and gently shake her shoulder. She opens her eyes slowly, looking up at me, not seeing me, then focusing.
“Oh, when did it start raining?” she asks.
“A couple minutes ago. We should try and get everyone covered up and ready for bed.”
She sits up with a little help from me. “I miss the rainy days at my computer. A cup of tea and a steamy open-door scene at the ready. You know how many different ways I had to think of to sayerect penis?”
“Please tell me all of them,” I say as she stands. “I need a new way to make Andrew blush.”
She laughs and winces, rubbing at her shoulder.
“You good?”
“Yeah. My muscles have been aching these last few days.” She winces again, rubbing at her shoulder and neck. “Go ahead, make sure the kids get under cover while I pick up this stuff.”
I nod and turn to go. Just as I do, I hear her cry out a soft “oh!” When I turn, she’s bent over, her knees on the ground.
“You all right, Daph?”
She falls onto her side.
“Daphne!”
I crouch next to her. She’s looking up at me, surprised, blinking against the light rain.
