Page 6 of Wilde's End
I’ve always felt a protectiveness toward Ziggy, so anything that gets to him gets to me.
When we’re close to the road that will take us into the original town, Ziggy taps the dashboard again.
“Right here?” I check.
He gestures right again.
Considering turning right means going off road through the trees, I’m skeptical, but I do it. Roads are an optional route anyway, but he said we were going to Old End, and this will take us to a squat lookout above the town instead. It’s not until we’re at the lookout that Ziggy holds up his hand to stop.
I put the car in park and cut the engine, but he’s looking toward the town like he’s seen a ghost. Ziggy will talk when he absolutely has to, but this doesn’t seem to be one of those times, so I get out, leaving the door open behind me, and cross the knee-high grass to the overhang.
The first thing I spot is a car.
It’s a large white SUV. The overly shiny exterior is throttled with dirt, and the front driver’s door is propped open.
The fuck?
I drop into a crouch, heart pounding, as my gaze sweeps the main road, looking for its owner.
Ziggy approaches and crouches silently beside me.
“No chance Bert got a new car?” I ask. Bert has owned Wilde’s End since before I got here, and other than the oneconversation we’ve had, we keep our distance. He knows we live out here, but he doesn’t come into our space, and we stay out of Old End out of respect for him.
Ziggy’s lips pinch in the corners. I’ll take that for a no.
As much as the need to panic creeps over me, I push it down again. Change and surprises aren’t things I’m good at taking in my stride, not when the last twenty years of my life have been spent learning everything there is to know about this town. We have plans and contingencies in place for everything.
Including strangers.
Occasionally, people will show up to explore the abandoned town and take videos walking through it. Judging by the fancy car, I’d bet money that’s what they’re doing now. It’s the logical option.
So why the fuck am I so uneasy?
“We’ll keep an eye on them,” I tell Ziggy. “They’ll move on quickly.” No one hangs out in Old End after dark.
I go to stand when he tugs me down again; for a wispy guy, he’s stronger than he looks. Ziggy jabs his finger back toward the buildings, and I follow his gaze to where three blond men have walked out of one of the houses.
At first thought, they remind me of the three bears. One is as wiry as Ziggy, the next is a little smaller than me, and the third is larger, but I can’t tell from here whether he’s muscular or chubby. They’re talking about something as they approach the car I’m expecting them to climb back into, but the middle-sized one heads around for the trunk instead. It lifts open for him, and then he pulls out?—
“Is that a suitcase?”
Ziggy sighs, folding his arms over his knees before propping his chin on them. His bottom lip is pierced twice underneath and juts out like he’s upset.
My worry inches higher as I watch as all three men unload the trunk. I count five suitcases between them, plus a large backpack each, and then armfuls of shopping bags.
“What the hell are they doing?”
I’m not looking for an answer, and Ziggy doesn’t bother giving me one. We both watch; me, with my jaw dangling and a sickening feeling setting in as these guys carry their shit into the house.
Like they’re preparing for a long stay.
“Maybe they’re lost,” I suggest weakly.
Ziggy taps his mouth three times with his index finger, his way of suggesting I get Rooney up here. Rooney is as close to a right-hand man as it gets and can talk to anyone about anything. He’s the whole reason the town is kept well supplied and probably the only one of us who doesn’t have a severe dislike and distrust of strangers.
It’s a good idea, but I’m hesitant.
“They’ve only just shown up. Bert and his brothers are due soon for their usual maintenance, so they’ll send these squatters on their way.” The thought of people hanging around for an unknown amount of time unsettles me. “We’ll keep watch, but I think Rooney is a last resort. We don’t want outsiders knowing we’re here if we can help it.”
