Storm Season (16 page)

Exactly!
His hand still on Jasper’s arm, Tobias headed to the next aisle, where he grabbed boxes and bags seemingly at random and tossed them into the basket for Jasper to sort through and put back.
They knew we’d be here! They’re waiting for us, and if we don’t leave soon we’ll be stuck and have to stay in the inn and I can’t! Not with them there. I don’t want to find Samantha by joining her.

Jasper stopped cold, a box halfway back to the shelf he thought it had come from. “Sleet.” He hadn’t thought about where they’d go, where they’d stop when the storm made driving too dangerous. He mentally reviewed the map, trying to remember anything that would indicate a place nearby where they could wait out the storm, but drew a blank. The town had barely made the map; nothing smaller would. They would be completely chancing it if they left before morning.

“We could just not go in the main room,” he suggested, though he knew it was foolish even as the words left his mouth. “If we go straight up to a room, eat something we have with us, and leave as early as possible, they may never know we’re here.”

May never know we’re here?
Tobias dropped his latest acquisition without making sure his hand was over the basket, and the box―some sugary cake mix that would do them no good on the road―tumbled to the floor as Tobias tugged at his collar, his breath suddenly coming in short, uneven gasps.
They’re probably waiting for us!
He started grabbing things again, tossing them toward Jasper with obvious unconcern for their necessity or Jasper’s ability to catch them.

Jasper set down the increasingly heavy basket and grabbed Tobias’s arm, forcefully stopping him from tossing a bag of sugar at the basket. “Slow down. They’re not waiting for us.” He put the bag of sugar back on the shelf and began picking up other miscellaneous packages from the floor.

Why else would they be here?
Tobias crouched down next to Jasper, picking up the boxes that had missed the basket and replacing most of them on the shelf with unneeded ferocity.
They knew we were going to be here. They’re waiting for us.

“Tobias….”

Tobias met his gaze, his brown eyes flashing.
There’s no other reason for them to be here!

“They’re going the same direction. We knew they were going to Shaleton, remember?”

Yeah, but… why here? Why tonight? If they got ahead of us when we took that detour, why are they still in this town? Why didn’t we see them in Durrysville? Why didn’t they keep going when we stopped for an extra day?
He shook his head as he shifted from his knees to sit on the worn, dusty floor.
They want us. There’s no other reason for them to be here.

Jasper could think of several, but he didn’t push the point. It was clear he would never get Tobias into the inn willingly, and trying to force the issue would only draw the attention of the other patrons―something they both wanted to avoid. “All right. We won’t stay there.” He climbed to his feet and held out his hand for Tobias to take again. “Let’s get what we need and leave.”

Thanks.
Tobias let Jasper help him up and took the basket without protest when Jasper handed it over.
Come on.
Flashing a smile, he set off down the next aisle, moving far more quickly than was necessary.

T
HE
storm started suddenly, large droplets pelting the truck with a ferocity that had Jasper frantically pumping the brakes and cursing as the back tires skidded on loose stones. They’d left the main road a few miles back, following the vague directions of the shopkeeper toward an abandoned farm that Jasper hoped would offer protection for the night.

The shopkeeper had been surly at first, resenting Jasper’s questions and suspicious of strangers in his small town, but he’d soon been taken in by a story Jasper weaved. He told the shopkeeper his farmhouse had been damaged by one of the early storms and he didn’t have the money to repair it, but he had relatives on the coast who were willing to help... if he came to them. As Jasper had hoped, the shopkeeper commiserated, sharing stories of nearby farms that had been abandoned, some by people moving to town for the winter, others by people abandoning the quiet inland for the high life on the coast.

It was toward one of the latter that Jasper was headed. He was uneasy enough with the idea of squatting. Camping out, even for one night, in a house that was only temporarily abandoned pushed his sensibilities too far, and he’d deliberately driven past two empty but still furnished homes. The permanently abandoned one he’d settled on was supposedly less than a mile ahead, though it would be a long drive in the pounding rain with the dirt and gravel road turning to mud beneath the tires.

Tobias leaned forward, peering into the downpour. He was pressed close against Jasper’s side, the rest of the seat filled with the cardboard boxes and paper bags they’d taken from the general store. Tobias hadn’t been willing to take the time to properly pack the truck, and Jasper hadn’t been willing to argue about it. Someone had been standing in the doorway of the inn and though the figure had been too shadowed to see clearly, it had given Jasper the chills and he’d acquiesced to Tobias’s pleading request with nary an argument.

I think I see it.

Jasper didn’t dare take his eyes off the road to confirm. “Where?”

On the left, just up there. The drive is… 500 yards ahead, maybe?
He shrugged, his shoulder rubbing against Jasper’s.
It’s hard to tell in the rain.

Jasper eased off the gas pedal and slowed the truck until it was barely creeping along, the mud-slick gravel crunching under the tires, the rain hitting the windshield faster than the wipers could fling it off. Dark shapes loomed along the side of the road―long grass and squat bushes surrounding taller trees, all leaning dangerously with branches whipping and leaves blowing off in the wind and rain.

A squared, broken post stuck up some distance from the nearest bush, looking oddly out of place as the headlights swept over it.
There!
Tobias leaned forward, his finger pointing at the area just beyond it.
Just after that post.

There was little to distinguish the ground beyond the post from the ground in front of it, but Jasper obediently turned, cautiously easing the truck onto the barely distinguishable path. Ahead, a dark, square shape loomed, a solid blot of black in an already dark night. The truck slid as they approached the building; the gravel of the unused drive had slowly given in to the encroaching grass and left little traction for the tires. By the time they reached the house, the rain had turned to sleet and hail had begun to pelt the windshield.

Tobias barely waited for Jasper to turn off the truck before he climbed out and grabbed two of the bags from the seat. He dashed to the covered porch and burst through the front door, barely pausing as he forced it open. Jasper took a flashlight from the glove compartment and another bag from the seat before following at a more sedate pace, though still quickly, doing his best to avoid the painful lash of rain and hail against his exposed skin.

Inside, the house was dark, the floor covered with a thick layer of dirt and dust broken only by the tracks Tobias had left. In the thin, pale beam of the flashlight, they were easy to follow, but Jasper took his time, systematically checking every room he passed, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign that someone had been there recently. Behind one door the tiny window was broken and the plywood nailed haphazardly across the opening had cracked and come loose from the wall in one corner. Wet leaves and tiny sticks were scattered across the floor and more clogged the small opening. In another room, the roof leaked, four steady drips merging into a puddle on the floor that threatened to engulf the mildew-covered rug rolled against one wall.

Tobias was in the central room which featured a solid ceiling and secure-looking interior walls that would hold against the storm. The bags he’d grabbed were in the corner and he was next to them, his chin resting on his drawn-up knees and his eyes locked on the door. He scrambled to his feet and crossed the room with swift strides as Jasper entered.
Finally.

Jasper laughed as he set the bag next to the others. “I wanted to look around.”

Arching one brown eyebrow upward, Tobias cocked his head to one side.
Why?

“To make sure we’d be alone, mostly. I was curious and I wanted to make sure we’d be safe. This isn’t the most secure building, but it will work for one night.” He started toward the door, stopped when Tobias’s hand tightened on his arm.

Where are you going now?
There was a faint note of panic behind the sending and a wild look in Tobias’s eyes.

“To get the rest of our stuff. Come on.” He tugged Tobias forward. “If we bring everything inside, we can sort the things we bought.”

Tobias dug his heels in.
Um, how about you bring it in, and I’ll sort? Or how about we sort in the morning? It’ll be easier in the daylight.

It would, but…. “We still need to get something to sleep on. I don’t particularly want to curl up on the hard floor without anything to soften it.” His muscles ached when he thought about sleeping without a soft mattress beneath him for the third night in a row.

But it’s already storming!

“It was storming when we came in, and the truck is right outside the door.” Even in the dim light, Jasper could see the panic on Tobias’s face. “It will only take a few minutes. We’ll be fine.” He kept his voice low and calm, his eyes locked on Tobias’s. “We drove longer than I planned, and I’m tired. I’ll rest better if we take care of things first.”

Tobias’s expression morphed, uncertainty turning to worry and finally settling on determination.
Yeah, okay.
His smile was strained, but there was no hesitation in his step as he led the way from the room.

Outside, the sleet and hail were pelting hard and lightning flashed in the sky, bright and quickly followed by loud thunder, but not so close as to be dangerous. They cleared the front seat in one trip by loading up with the remaining boxes and bags until they couldn’t fit anything else in their hands and dropped them next to the others inside. On the second trip out they retrieved sleeping gear, removing blankets and bedrolls from the back of the truck and carrying them inside quickly before they were soaked by the precipitation.

Jasper shivered as he dropped the bedding, chilled to the bone by the cold, wet clothes plastered to his skin. “Come on. Let’s get something to change into.” Outside, the damp clothes weren’t so bad, though the sleet was freezing against his hands and face and the hail was hitting hard enough to leave bruises. “We’ll never get warm if we don’t.”

A dismayed look flashed across Tobias’s face, but he nodded, wrapping his arms around himself as he stood and bumping his shoulder against Jasper’s as he passed.
Quickly, yeah?

“Yeah,” he agreed, crossing his arms and rubbing his hands up and down as he followed Tobias back outside.

The contents of one duffle probably would have been enough―they were both wearing Jasper’s clothes, after all―but Jasper grabbed both, handing them to Tobias as he scanned the truck bed for anything else they might need. He was locking the cap, when lightning struck, the electricity tingling on Jasper’s skin as it arced up to the top of the closest tree, breaking off the upper limbs and sending them crashing to the ground in a shower of splintered wood.

Tobias jumped, grabbed Jasper’s arm and steered him halfway across the porch with unexpected strength before the sudden, loud crack of thunder faded, leaving Jasper’s ears ringing. The bags were shoved into Jasper’s hands, and it was only as he saw Tobias fumbling with the latch on the front door that he realized the keys were still in the truck cab, a scratch on his hand a testament to how quickly and violently he’d been dragged away from them.

“I need―” he started, but was stopped by Tobias jerking him into the house.

Later!

Jasper wanted to protest, but he couldn’t find the words before Tobias ran, panicked. Jasper struggled to keep up, and he was breathing heavily by the time they reached the central room. As soon as Jasper stepped through the door, Tobias slammed it shut. He sank down with his back against the door, wrapped his arms around his legs and began trembling, his breath coming in heavy, uneven gasps.

“Tobias?” Jasper crouched to look in Tobias’s eyes, his hand resting on the denim-clad knee in front of him. “What’s wrong?”

Nothing.
Tobias managed a smile, but it was strained and tense, far from the brilliant grin that set Jasper’s stomach flipping.
I just got startled, is all.

“That was more than startled.” Jasper waved his arm, indicating Tobias’s drawn up knees and shaking shoulders. “This is more than startled. When you’re startled, you jump, maybe yell. You don’t drag someone inside at top speed, you don’t stop to make sure the doors are secure, you don’t end up on the floor gasping for breath and shaking like a leaf.” He took a deep breath, concentrating on moderating the angry tone in his voice. “I can
feel
how terrified you are.”

Sorry!
The feeling flared, joined by a new fear, then cut off, leaving Jasper feeling strangely empty.
I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t trying—

“That’s not what I meant,” Jasper said, interrupting the mental babbling. “I wasn’t….” He shook his head. He couldn’t explain that now, couldn’t put into words the difference in the feelings he got or how this way didn’t matter as much. It was too complicated, too confusing, and not the issue of the moment. “Now tell me what’s wrong. Please.”

The storm, all right?
The haunted look didn’t leave Tobias’s eyes, nor did his limbs stop trembling.
You know I don’t like them.

Terrified would be a better description for how Tobias felt about storms, but even so, none of his past reactions had been like this, not even after he’d been forced to spend an entire night out in one. “I do,” Jasper agreed. “But you’ve never reacted like this before. This was different.”