Death, and the Girl He Loves

“Okay, I’ll let you know what I find,” the sheriff said as he tore out the door and into the rain.

I looked up. “I can’t believe it’s raining.”

“That’s it,” Jared said. He took my hand and lifted me out of the chair. “No more whiskey for you.”

“Oh, trust me. That is never going to happen again as long as I live.”

“Bill.” Grandma glared at my very innocent grandfather, her expression murderous. “Where did our granddaughter get whiskey?”

“What? Why are you looking at me?”

I giggled as Jared helped me upstairs. Mac stood, went to the door, and yelled out for Cameron to get up there and chaperone. He was at the window before we’d finished climbing the stairs. Man, that guy was fast. Darn it.

“I’m getting pretty good at that stuff,” I said when Jared led me to my door. I kept my hand on his arm as though to steady myself.

“Yes, you are.” A sly grin lifted one corner of his mouth. “And you still won’t get anything.”

“Crap.” I removed my hand and crossed my arms over my chest. “I have other ways, mister. Just you wait.”

He lowered his head, his eyes sparkling underneath his boyishly long lashes. “I am well aware of that.” Then he glanced at me from underneath all that length. “I’ve known for centuries.”

BOLO

The next day Mr. Davis, the principal of Riley High, came over. We’d had a lot of that. Of people coming over. Bringing food. Hanging out and waiting for the world to end together. Not everyone knew what role I was supposed to play in all this, so their glances were not expectant, not hopeful like the glances of those who did know. I liked the clueless glances better.

Mr. Davis asked to speak to Jared alone, and my curiosity almost got the better of me when they excused themselves to our living room, where they closed the pocket door. Thunder rolled across the sky as the sheriff came in. We looked up from breakfast and stared at him, hoping he had good news.

“According to the Ohio State Penitentiary, Sydow was released six months ago and hasn’t been seen since.”

“What?” Brooke said. I’d filled both her and Glitch in the second they and their parents arrived, especially the part about how we should steer clear of whiskey at all costs. “Isn’t he on parole or something?”

“Yes, he’s supposed to be. But he never checked in with his parole officer. He’s currently listed as a fugitive from the law.”

“Which means what?” Granddad asked.

“It means nobody has the slightest idea where he is.”

“I bet I could take a guess,” Cameron said. He’d come in from the rain for a plate of bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes.

“But we know who he is,” I said, pleading with them. “What he looks like. We can stop him, right?”

“I’m working on it, hon. It’ll take some time, but I have a BOLO out on him. If he’s anywhere in this county, we’ll find him.”

Not long after the sheriff left, Jared came out of the living room with a very pale Mr. Davis. He said his good-byes and left through the store out the front door. I asked Jared, “Did you tell him who you are?”

He shrugged as he piled a plate high. “I didn’t see the point in not telling him,” he said.

Brooklyn pointed her fork at him. “So, he knows you took his brother?”

“He knows.”

“And he’s okay with that?”

“I’m not sure,” he said, stabbing a potato and lifting it to his mouth. “Once I told him I could kill an entire army with a single touch, he didn’t ask many questions.”

* * *

The storm churned above us all morning, the rain hard and unforgiving. Granddad and Mac went out in search of any place Dyson might hide while the sheriff checked all the hotels and rental properties. Today was literally our last day on earth if we didn’t get this figured out soon. If we didn’t find Dyson soon.

But the clouds were beginning to worry me. They looked an awful lot like my vision. Low. Dark. Volatile.

Brooke hung up her phone. We were hanging in my bedroom, watching gag reels from our favorite movies on the Internet when her mom called. “Okay,” she said, “Mom said for us to meet everyone at the church. That’s going to be our headquarters, so we’re supposed to bring—”

“What day is it?” I asked, gazing out into the storm, a little mesmerized.

“Saturday.”

Jared was also gazing out into the storm, and Cameron was literally out in it, standing on the fire escape.

I stepped to Jared, my heart breaking into a million pieces. “It’s today, isn’t it?”

He offered only the barest hint of a nod, seeming as surprised as I was. Cameron opened the window and climbed in, soaking my floor. He shook off some of the water, then regarded us with a grim expression.

“We doing this or not?”

Jared nodded again. “We’re doing it.”

Brooke stood slowly while Glitch and Kenya looked on. “I thought we had another day.”

And that, too, would be my fault. “I’m sorry. I got my days mixed up.”

“No,” Cameron said. “If you included the day you saw everything, if you included Tuesday, then that would be five days. From what I understand, visions aren’t an exact science.”

Brooke stood cemented to the spot. “We have to call everyone. We have to warn them.”