Core aching.
I think it’s safe to say I’m addicted.
“Benny!”
“Raven!”
That big softy. He definitely missed me. And in the blink of an eye, I know he’ll go right back to pretending to be annoyed by me.
Griffin and Knox walk off to get to work, and I fill my spot behind the bar. And just like I predicted, Benny won’t look my way again. As always, he’s watching the TV behind me.
At least some things don’t change.
And that saying holds true an hour later when The Wandering Raven is packed. You’d think that after someone throws grenades around the public library, the community would be too afraid to leave their houses. But I guess not in Texas.
With a tray in hand, I meander around the bodies all over the bar, handing out drinks and food orders. Knox and Griffin have taken turns back and forth helping out. Sometimes they’re both on the floor with me. And Griffin is always sure to find me.
But at the moment, neither Griffin nor Knox is out here helping, and I’m getting swamped. I saw both of them walk out the front, but that was twenty minutes ago.
Dropping my tray behind the bar, I grab the keys to Knox’s bike and stomp to the kitchen. “Camden, you got orders!” I leave him there with a perplexed expression on his face and march to Benny. “You’re on drinks. I’ll be right back.”
Benny watches me leave a trail of smoke in my wake as I march out to Knox’s bike. I’ve ridden it with him enough in the last week to know what I’m doing…I hope.
After a few minutes of failing to start it, I give up and set out on foot. I don’t know how long the walk is, but we’ll see.
Benny and Camden are going to have to hold down the fort a little while longer.
The tire tracks are easy enough to follow, and the full moon lights the path for me. The further I walk, the taller the grass becomes, and the louder the rattle of the cicadas gets.
A chill snakes up my spine, making my muscles go taut. My arms fill with goosebumps, so I hug myself to stave off the sudden cool breeze.
The cacophony of the cicadas blends together to create one sound. One word.
My name floats around me. I turn in a circle in search of the source but find nothing. I spin one more time and pause. Someone stands a few yards back down the path.
Raven. Raven. Raven. Raven.
“Hello?” I call to them, but they don’t reply. They don’t move. It’s like they didn’t hear me at all.
Raven. Raven. Raven. Raven.
My name breaks into a million voices whispering over each other.
I swing my head from side to side, but still nothing. My focus goes back to the figure on the road, but I find him closer than before.
Gasping, I jump back. “Who are you?”
Still no answer.
Raven. Raven. Raven. Raven.
As my hands become clammy, I fish in my back pocket for my phone. Turning on the built-in flashlight, I point it in front of me.
“It’s not real. It’s not real.” I fail to convince myself, and my stomach flips. Illuminated in the beam is the person I miss the most.
Noah Kelly.
He looks just like he did when I found him on the stairs, but without all the blood. The dent in his head is there as if that’s how his head is shaped.
