Page 49 of Creepy
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At my direction, theStayers dropped us off in the middle of Creepy where the Beast, broken down, waited for us.I wouldn’t dare give Dillon’s thugs directions to the Jules’ Estate or my home.Although with Rowan being my stalker, they already knew.There was a bit of confusion amongst our group at first when they’d asked, nevertheless, I took the reins and decided we’d be better off trying to get my brother’s truck running than have the enemy drop us off at our hideout.
While Wade and Arlo loaded Joey, Mabel’s body and the supplies into the truck’s bed, Troy popped the hood.I gingerly crawled in the cab, feeling I couldn’t do much else.Whatever Troy did worked.At his direction, I pumped the gas, and the engine turned over.Although thankful for the bit of good luck, I didn’t know how long it would last, so I quickly waved the others into the cabin.Arlo and Wade joined me, but Troy shut the hood and made his way down the road.Without any discussion, he was just walking off.
“That’s all the thanks I get?”I called after him.
“When you want to talk, you know where to find me.”
I could only assume Troy was going to his house.There’d been no conversation about him joining us, but I’d imagined we would stick together after all that had happened.If I had the energy, I would run after him and beg him to come with us, so I could take care of his wounds alone.As it was, I could barely sit up.Poor Troy.I’d gotten him tortured.He probably hated me, and I realized I hated the thought.
As bad as I was, I’d had a night’s rest, so Arlo and Wade had to be worse off.They’d been out all night searching for me and fighting off zombies.As painful as it was, I drove to the Jules’ Estate where a worried Lucy waited for us.I sat at the wheel while the men unloaded her infected baby daddy and her dead cousin.Blocking out her cries, I couldn’t bear Lucy’s anguish on top of mine.When they finished, Wade came to my window.
Fixing to leave, I asked him, “Will Lucy be able to take care of Joey tonight?”
“I’m sure.She’ll insist anyhow.Arlo said he’ll find somewhere to bury Mabel and get to work on it.Mighty good of him.I don’t think I’m up to it.We’ll have a service of some kind.”
“I figured you and Arlo would need to rest too.”
“We both fared well.I’m okay.A bump here or there.Arlo took care of the most zombies, and he’s largely unscathed.”
“Did he use a gun?”
“Yeah.Amazingly, well.Arlo, I think he saved Joey’s life.”
There Arlo went again, surprising me.
“I’m thinking I’ll go on and get the Buick before the Stayers find it.My backpack is in the trunk...But you’re not thinking of going home, are you?”
I wanted to go home.It might’ve been horrible of me, but I knew I’d be no good burying Mabel or nursing Joey tonight.All I wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep for a week.But then it hit me, my backpack was in the Buick, too.My keys were in the backpack.Fuck.My house keys were in some leather pants that were probably in Dillon’s suite.I laid my head on the wheel.I could break into my own house, but I didn’t have the energy.
Wade went on, “It’s not safe for you to go home alone.I won’t allow it.I’m not about to lose someone else.I know I said some things...but you need to come inside...”
I didn’t argue.
“Are you alright?What happened, Sissy?”
I raised my head.“I should ask you.Why...?”I didn’t want to say it, that he let Joey and Mabel come rescue me, but I was sure thinking it.
He answered my unspoken question, “When I came to, in the parking lot of that sex shop, Joey, Mabel and Arlo were already there.They’d noticed we were gone last night and came looking for us.Joey said he spotted his Papa’s car from the highway.When we couldn’t find you, there was no stopping him from coming with us.There was no stopping Mabel from thinking she could protect Joey either.I’d been passed out for hours, so no one wanted to waste any more time.As they all decided, I was still woozy from being knocked out, or I might’ve fought harder...”Wade rubbed the back of his head like it still stung.I knew the feeling, all over.He continued the story, “I couldn’t even take the motorcycle.I joined them in the van.Before we got downtown in Alexandria, we hit some sort of trap that punctured our tires, like caltrops.We had no choice but to continue on foot.Almost immediately, we ran into too many undead...That was no accident.”
Fuck Dillon and his insistence that he’d done nothing to cause Joey and Mabel’s demise.The Stayers, his men, probably sicked the zombies on them.
“We had weapons.Joey, Mabel, they put up a fight...it could’ve just as easily been me.What about you?How did you get Dillon to release us?”
