“That’s how you took care of the remains back in town,” Raymond said.
“Yes,” Dust replied with a sharp nod.
“I hate to break this up,” Josie interrupted. “If we have company coming, I’d just as soon be there when they arrive so I can know if they are friend or foe.”
“You’re right,” Raymond said in a hasty tone. “Martha and I can greet them. Denise, you and Todd stay hidden. Dust, perhaps it would be better if you, Josie, and Sammy covered us. I can shoot a gun, but I’m not as good as I used to be.”
“Josie, you take the left side of the building. Sammy, you take the right,” Dust instructed, grabbing the soda and draining it before he handed it back to Josie.
“Where will you be?” Raymond asked.
“Behind them,” Dust said, fading.
“Shit!” Raymond muttered, stumbling backwards.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Josie promised, stepping around them. “Let’s see if there are going to be any fireworks or not.”
Dust left the small group. He hurried through the building and out through the front doors. He could see the large truck moving closer. They may just be survivors looking for food and fuel. There was no way that was going to happen if the bus started.
Dust settled on top of the bus and re-materialized. He lay down flat. From the angle the bus was parked, he could see both the front door of the gym and the road leading up to it. Josie came out a moment later and darted to a small pile of dirt that had been dumped to fill in the pot holes. Sammy came out and glanced around before moving to stand near the remains of an old shed. Once the truck stopped, he would move up behind it.
Five minutes later, the truck slowed down before pulling to a stop about twenty feet from the gym. Dust couldn’t see through the windshield. It was coated with a thick layer of grime. Only a thin section of streaked glass from the windshield wipers gave the driver and passenger enough space to peer through.
Dust’s head turned and he watched as Raymond and Martha cautiously stepped out of the gym. He turned his gaze back to the truck as both doors slowly creaked open. From his position, he could see a dirty boot emerge from the driver’s side before the rest of the man’s body followed. His jaw hurt and his eyes narrowed when he saw the long rifle in the man’s hand. The man’s face was shielded from his view by a wide brim hat.
The man slammed the door to the truck and took several steps forward, stopping in front of the re-enforced front grill and bumper. Dread built up in Dust when a second man with a more slender build walked around the side of the truck to stand next to the man.
Sometimes, he thought silently. Sometimes, I just wish life could be normal for more than a day or two.
“Hello,” Raymond called out in greeting. “Where did you come from?”
“I’ll tell you where they both came from,” Josie growled, her hair swirling around her in dark rage. “I’ll tell you where I’m going to be sending them back to, as well.”
“Hello, Josie,” the big man said in a quiet voice, raising his shotgun.
“Hello, daddy,” Josie sneered, raising her hands. “I thought you and brother dearest were dog food.”
Beau’s lips twisted. “We almost were,” he admitted.
Dust was surprised when Beau suddenly lowered his shotgun. The old man lifted his hand and removed his hat. One side of his face was ravaged with long, deep scars. His right eye was covered with a patch.
“Ouch, that looks like it might have hurt just a little bit,” Josie replied unsympathetically.
“It did,” Beau finally said. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Why?” Josie demanded, clenching her burning fists. “To finish off what you started? I’m not going to let you chain me up and starve me again. I’m sure as hell not going to let you kill me.”
Beau carefully reached down and propped his shotgun up against the front of the truck. He murmured softly to Randolph to do the same. It took a moment for Josie’s brother to comply.
“I was wrong, Josie,” Beau said, stepping away from the truck. “This world… It needs creatures like you in it. We need creatures like you. There’s no way normal humans can fight against those beasts and win. It came through a twelve foot thick wall, Josie. Not even the silo is a safe place to be.”
“You know Randolph is like me, don’t you?” Josie snarled, not moved by her father’s confession. “Let him save you.”
“Dad knows, now. I’m not as strong as you are, Josie,” Randolph muttered.
“It was Randolph who saved my life,” Beau added. “He knew when the creatures were coming and from where. It was the only thing that saved us.”
“Yeah, well, if you’ve got him. That still doesn’t explain why you’re looking for me,” Josie replied nastily.
“Do you know if Maria and the kids got out?” Beau asked instead.
“Yes, they did, along with Alex. They aren’t with us, though,” Dust answered as he reformed slightly behind Beau. He quickly realized that Josie could very well torch her father and brother. While they might deserve it for what they did to her and the others like them, killing them wouldn’t change the past and would only leave more scars on Josie. “What do you want, Beau? We haven’t forgotten what you did back at the silo or that you held a gun to Todd’s head and threatened to kill him. It doesn’t make much sense coming here looking for our help after you’ve threatened all of us like that.”
Beau jerked around, his one good eye narrowing on Dust. His lips tightened into a crooked line, the right side of his mouth pulled at the still pink scars of healing tissue. He rubbed a hand down the left side of his face.
“I figured you must have been different,” Beau muttered. “Randolph wasn’t sure. He sensed something was off with you, but we couldn’t tell for sure. He can’t read you like he does the others. I shouldn’t have threatened the boy, I’ll admit that. It was wrong.”
Dust didn’t reply. There was really nothing to say. Asking for forgiveness didn’t go far if you didn’t really mean it. Still, if Randolph could sense the She Devil, it might come in handy in preventing any more deaths. Dust glanced over at Randolph who was looking down at the ground.
“Is it true that you can sense where the devil dogs are and when?” Dust asked instead.
Randolph glanced up at him and nodded. “Yeah,” he responded in a quiet voice. “Especially….”
Dust frown when Randolph’s voice faded and he glanced at his dad. Something was going on. He glanced at Josie. Her whole body was glowing now. In the background, he could see Raymond and Martha staring at Josie in terror and fascination. He finally turned back to Randolph.
“If you want us to trust you, you need to be honest with us,” Dust stated in a cold, calm voice.
“Trust! I’d sooner trust that She Devil than those two,” Josie growled.
Dust didn’t miss Randolph’s jerk of surprise or the flush that flared up his cheeks. Beau grunted and turned to glare at Josie. For a moment, Josie and her dad looked so much alike that Dust had to keep the twinge of amusement from showing on his face. Two hardheaded, hot-tempered forces were clashing head-on. Unfortunately, Beau didn’t stand a chance against his pissed-off daughter.
“Darn it, girl, I’m trying to tell you I’m sorry,” Beau snapped. “You were always too hardheaded for your own good. Randolph thinks the beast that attacked us is coming after you. I should have just left you to deal with it on your own for all the appreciation you are giving us for risking our necks to come save you!”
“Save me!” Josie flared, turning from a vivid orange and red flame to a brilliant blue in her anger. “I could turn you and that damn devil dog to ash with a snap of my fingers.”
“Josie,” Randolph replied, raising his hands up and stepping in front of their dad. “You’re right. I just… I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Dust didn’t miss the way Randolph’s eyes shifted from Josie to where Sammy had stepped out from behind the old shed. A dark look of re
gret flashed through his eyes before he glanced away again. While he didn’t like the idea of Randolph and Beau being around, he also knew that if Randolph could sense the She Devil coming, maybe they could use that to their advantage. Dust could sense her, but it was hit or miss.
“Randolph, can the devil dog sense you?” Dust asked, stepping closer.
Randolph turned and looked at him. After a brief second, he shook his head. Dust breathed a sigh of relief.
“No, but I can tell she is headed this way,” Randolph said. “She was to the southeast of us. For some reason, I can lock on to her, but I don’t think she is aware of it. She knows where you are, though. It wasn’t hard to figure out where to go based on that. The only advantage we had was that she seems to stop pretty frequently.”
“She has to feed,” Dust stated in a grim voice. “Her body is changing too fast for her to keep going.”
“We already know she’s coming,” Josie snapped, stepping closer. “Move aside, Dust. I’ll give them to the count of twenty before I start throwing fireballs at them.”
Dust turned and grimaced at Josie. “You can’t kill them, Josie, no matter how much they deserve it,” he informed her with a wave of his hand.
“Why not? I don’t see anything stopping me but you,” Josie replied. “We can always see if you’re fire proof now.”
“Knock it off, Josie,” Sammy interjected. “We need him, don’t we, Dust?”
“Yes,” Dust replied.
Josie glared back and forth between Sammy, Dust, and her brother. The flames covering her body flickered before dying and she placed her hands on her hips and violently shook her head back and forth.
“Oh, no. Really?! Are you kidding me? After all they have done, you’re just going to welcome them with open arms?” Josie demanded in disbelief.
“Josie, we know that creature is coming,” Sammy said. “If Randolph can give us even a small advantage, it could be the difference between life or death for some or all of us.”
“I… Don’t… Care!” Josie replied vehemently. “I’ll take my chances.”
“You might be willing to take the chance with your life, but I’m not prepared to do that with Todd’s,” Sammy said in a soft voice. “Once she is dead, they can go their own way. Until then, as much as I hate it too, we need their help.”
Josie’s jaw worked furiously as she stared at her father and brother. Dust could see the conflict in her expression. She finally threw her hands up in the air and turned sharply on her heel. He watched as she strode angrily back toward the gym.
“If they so much as sneeze in my direction I’m going to roast them,” Josie snarled as she pushed past a stunned Raymond and Martha. “I really hate my family!” She added in a loud voice before she disappeared back inside.
Dust’s lips twisted in amusement. He turned back to look at Beau and Randolph. He could see the disgruntled look on Beau’s face.
“She’s really not so bad,” Dust said.
“Oh yes, she is,” Beau grunted. “She’s just like I was at that age. That’s why we can’t stand one another.”
Sammy came up to stand next to Dust. “It might also be because you practically starved her to death, chained her, and locked her in a concrete tomb,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, well, that might have a little to do with it, as well,” Beau muttered, starting to turn away. “I’ve got weapons. We need to decide how we’re going to stop that thing.”
Chapter 23
Family:
Dust sighed and looked over at Josie sitting on a pile of pallets. She was staring, moodily, out at the empty road. Ever since her dad and brother arrived, she’d hardly said two words to anyone.
“I was wrong,” Beau muttered, holding the end of a thick water hose they had found. They had cut a section of it and were siphoning diesel fuel out of a barrel they had discovered near the remains of a dilapidated old bus shed. “If we’d had her help, we probably could have killed those damn creatures.”
Dust looked down at the other end of the hose where it disappeared into the gas tank of the small school bus. With a little work, the bus had started. The tires weren’t in the best shape, but at least they weren’t rotted. He figured being up against the building helped protect it from the worst of the weather.
“Probably,” he finally said when Beau had grown silent again. “It might help if you were to tell her that.”
Beau grunted. “She won’t believe me,” he replied, spitting on the ground.
Dust looked at the ravaged face of the old man. “She might,” he said. “Or she might not. Either way, you should tell her.”
He saw Beau glance over at Josie again. A reluctant smile curved his lips when Beau muttered a soft curse and straightened. Beau might have been the boss back in the silo, but here, he was just like the rest of them – vulnerable to what the world threw at him.
“Guess it can’t hurt none,” Beau said with a sigh. “If she sets me on fire, just let me burn. I’ll be the first to admit I was never the best father or husband and I probably deserve it.”
“Yeah, you’re right. You weren’t the best dad,” Dust agreed.
Beau shot Dust a nasty look out of his good eye. “I did what I thought was right,” he snapped.
“Killing people because they are different is never right. That’s the only reason I tried to stop the She Devil from killing you,” Dust murmured, glancing back at Josie. “Josie’s heart is in the right place.”
“If you say so,” Beau muttered, casting another glance at Josie.
Beau spit again before he released the hose and reached for the rag in his back pocket. Dust could see the look of uncertainty on Beau’s face before it hardened into the familiar mask he normally wore. He shook his head and watched Beau walk warily toward Josie.
*.*.*
Josie raised her face to the chilly breeze. She wished it could freeze her heart so that she couldn’t feel the pain radiating through her. Of course, if it did, she’d just melt it. Bending, she picked up a rock and rolled it between her fingers.
The sound of footsteps drew her attention back toward the gym. A dark scowl crossed her face when she saw her dad walking toward her. He slowed and stared back at her with a wary expression, his gaze flickering from her face to her hand.
Josie glanced down and grimaced when she saw that the rock in her hand glowed a bright red. Drawing in a deep breath, she focused on the flames until they went out. Her lips pinched in distrust when he kept walking toward her.
“I wouldn’t, old man,” she warned.
Beau’s lips pursed together in irritation. “I want to talk to you,” he replied in a sharp tone.
“Well, I seem to remember being very specific about what I would do to you and Randolph if either one of you came near me,” she retorted angrily.
“I’m going to say what I’ve got to say and you are going to listen,” Beau snapped in a stubborn tone.
Josie rose from the pallets and clenched her fists by her side. She could feel the power surging in waves inside her. As far as she was concerned, there was no need for any type of discussion.
She and her dad had never gotten along. Nothing had changed. She didn’t care if he came looking for her. He’d only did it to save his and Randolph’s sorry butts, not because of any feelings of love or concern.
The world was a bigger and badder place than her dad thought he was and he didn’t like it. Well, too… damn… bad! It wasn't her monkey. It wasn’t her circus! She belonged to a different freak show now – a freak show where she was one of the normal ones. It was also one where she could pick who her family was going to be.
“Stay away from me,” Josie muttered and turned to walk away.
“Damn it, girl, I just wanted to tell you I was wrong,” Beau growled and ran a stained hand down over the good side of his face before he released a deep, loud breath. “I was wrong.”
Josie stood stiffly, looking at him in disgust. “Do you think saying you were wrong is g
oing to make everything better? Do you think I’m supposed to forget that you treated me like some deranged animal?” She asked in disbelief, turning to face him.
Beau’s face hardened. “As far as I knew you could have gone crazy and killed everyone! I did what I thought needed to be done. At least, I didn’t kill you,” he added at the end, his voice fading as he looked away from her.
Josie stared at her dad with growing disbelief. Even now, he was making excuses for what he had done to her and to the others like her that were ‘different’. She stared at the ravaged side of his face. Bitterness fought with pity.
“You have always been a judgmental son-of-a-bitch,” she whispered with a shake of her head. “I guess mom was the lucky one out of all of us, after all.”
Beau turned back to glare at her. “She’s dead,” he replied with a frown.
“I know,” Josie answered in a quiet voice before she turned and walked away.
*.*.*
Several hours later, Dust was finishing up on the bus when Josie came around the end. She had her hands in the front pockets of her jeans and her head down. Dust wiped his grimy hands on the towel hanging from the mirror.
“You okay?” He asked, walking toward her. Josie lifted her chin and shrugged. Her gaze didn’t quite meet his and her lips twisted with a bitter smile. He came to a stop in front of her and waited. “Hey,” he murmured, reaching up to touch her chin.
Josie’s eyes filled with tears. She tried to hide them, but failed when one slipped down her cheek. Dust wasn’t sure what to do. This was a side of Josie he had never seen before. Reaching out, he pulled her into his arms and just held her.
“I hate my family,” Josie whispered in a broken voice.
“Yeah, I would too if they were mine,” Dust replied.
A choked giggle escaped Josie and she shook her head. “You always say the weirdest things,” she muttered, resting her cheek against his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist.