Storm Season (19 page)

Another flash lit up the sky, the accompanying crack even louder than the first, and this one was followed by ominous groaning. Jasper turned and peered into the rain, but all he could see was sheets of water and dark shapes that he assumed were trees. A hand grabbed his wrist and tugged him backward, and he let out a startled yelp before he realized it was Tobias urging him back into the dubious safety of the building. He moved backward, his eyes fixed on the shadowy trees, Tobias guiding his every step.

Lightning flashed again as the door shut, and as darkness descended, Jasper realized the noise had likely been a tree hit by lightning. His stomach dropped.

Sleet.

T
HE
storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. One moment, the pounding of rain on the corrugated metal roof of the building was near-deafening, the next it was gone, replaced with a heavy silence that felt unnatural. Jasper stayed still, his eyes closed in an attempt to ignore the darkness of the enclosed room and focus on his other senses.

The air was thick and still, full of moisture even inside the building. It was heavy and oppressive and left Jasper feeling as though he should just lie back against the cold concrete beneath him. His body lay motionless as his mind wandered, listening for more rain, for animals, for anything to make a noise.

It wasn’t as if they were going anywhere.

Tobias stirred, the rustling of denim bringing Jasper’s attention back to his immediate surroundings. His eyes snapped open and in the dim light of their lantern he could see Tobias peering at him, his expression a mixture of confusion and concern, his hand outstretched and hovering just short of Jasper’s knee.

It made contact a second later, making Jasper jump even though he’d been half-expecting it.

Jasper?
Tobias’s mental voice was quiet, his eyes still puzzled.
The storm stopped.
He glanced to the door, then back to Jasper.
Shouldn’t we go? While there’s still daylight? Before….
He paused, and Jasper felt the subtle shudder that ran down Tobias’s back through the hand on his knee and in his mind.

He twitched, ignored the urge to let the tremors run down his own spine. “Before what?” he asked, his voice carefully quiet.

Before it starts storming again.
The corner of Tobias’s mouth twitched up into a half-smile.
I’d rather not spend the night here. It lacks… well, everything.

Tobias’s smile blossomed into a full grin as he shook his head, and Jasper smiled as well, though he was unsure if it was due to the joke or the simple fact that Tobias was smiling. Either way, it made warmth pool in the bottom of his stomach as he climbed to his feet and held his hand out to Tobias. “Come on.” Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he thought.

I
T
WAS
.
And yet, it wasn’t. The tree lay across the road, blocking all access to the direction they wanted to travel and cutting them off from their route back to the road they’d been following. It was big―wider around than the span of Jasper’s arms―and even with the tools that Jasper had in the truck bed, it would take days they couldn’t spare for them to cut through and drag a chunk off the road. They couldn’t return to their route.

They could, however, keep driving along the road that had led them to their shelter and hope that it led somewhere, that it wasn’t blocked farther down.

Jasper heaved a sigh of relief, shaking his head in fond amusement at Tobias’s worried, questioning look. He’d been afraid that they’d be trapped in the gravel lot, that he’d be forced to try to cut through the tree or hack another path through the woods. Through the storm, it had looked as though it had fallen against the only way out of the lot, and Jasper had spent the entire storm wondering how he was going to tell Tobias.

Deciding to take a road that led who-knew-where when they were on a tight schedule might not have been ideal, but it was far better than he’d expected. “We’ll keep going. The road has to lead somewhere.” He hoped it wasn’t just to some other abandoned building farther down. “We’ll connect with a paved road again and figure out where we need to go.”

Tobias nodded and climbed into the truck, his expression unreadable as he leaned against the window, one knee bouncing up and down. He glanced over as Jasper climbed into the driver’s seat, but he kept his hands in his lap and fidgeted.

They drove in silence. The road curved through the trees, worsened in several spots, but remained passable, surprisingly clear of downed branches or other insurmountable obstacles. More importantly, it kept going. They made good time, the miles flying by with surprising speed, but the roadside remained clear of anything other than trees and bushes. The building they had sheltered in seemed to be an anomaly, a lone outpost amongst miles of wilderness.

Dark clouds were gathering overhead when Tobias finally moved, unfolding his hands and taking the map from the glove compartment. One hand reached out and lightly touched Jasper’s knee while the other traced the route they’d been following.
I think… I don’t….
He turned to look at Jasper in the rearview mirror.
There’s no towns or anything marked. Not for miles. Not on this road at all.

“If it’s small, it might not be on the map.” The response was automatic, but even as he said it, Jasper knew it was a hollow assurance. The building they’d sheltered in had clearly seen use at one point in time, but it was just as clear that the road had been intended strictly as an access route to it, and that they weren’t likely to encounter any towns or other buildings along the way. He briefly wondered what it had been used for, out so far from everything else, but pushed the thought aside to concentrate on the issue at hand. “How far until we hit a main road?”

Tobias’s eyes moved back to the map and Jasper focused on the road while he waited for the other man to respond. The trees were growing closer and the pavement rougher, branches occasionally breaking through the road and bouncing the truck as it barreled over them. When the storm started again, they would be facing more danger than merely the rain and lightning.

The hand on Jasper’s knee twitched.
It’s too far. We won’t—

The whisper-quiet thought cut off with a suddenness that had Jasper looking toward his passenger, heedless of the danger on the road ahead. “What’s wrong?”

Tobias remained still, his eyes unfocused. His lips parted in a soundless gasp.
We have to go.

Inexplicable dread churned in Jasper’s stomach. “We are.”

Faster!

There was nothing Jasper could see on or around the road to explain the sudden urgency in Tobias’s tone, but Jasper could feel the panic through the hand on his knee and see the anxiety in Tobias’s eyes. He pushed harder on the gas pedal, sending the truck surging forward at a reckless speed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked again. He didn’t take his eyes off the road, didn’t slow, but he needed to know what the sudden urgency was. The storm wasn’t close enough to merit a blind run, and they were more likely to find shelter at a sedate pace.

They’re coming!

“Who?”

The sudden tight grip on Jasper’s arm almost pulled his eyes from the road.
Those men! The ones who have Samantha! Who-Who took me!

Sleet. Jasper tightened his grip on the steering wheel, narrowed his eyes to better focus on the road, and pushed his foot farther forward. The engine rumbled and the cab shook as the truck careened ahead, bouncing over pot holes and narrowly missing low-hanging branches. “How close are they?” he asked through clenched teeth, his stomach souring with the knowledge that his gamble had failed.

I don’t know.
Tobias turned in the seat, pressing his shoulder against Jasper’s as he peered through the back window.
I can’t see them.
He twisted, sat down again, and directed his gaze toward Jasper.
But I can feel them. They’re looking for me. They know we went this way.

The confirmation that they had been followed not only on their alternate route but also on their detour was like a stab in Jasper’s gut. “We have to… wait.” He stopped, his eyes flickering to Tobias’s as a seed of hope took root in the back of his mind. “They won’t be able to get past the tree.”

For a moment, Tobias calmed, his eyes growing distant.
No.
He shook his head, his eyes impossibly wider.
They did. I don’t know how, but they got by… and they’re gaining on us.
He clutched at Jasper’s arm, his grip painfully tight.
We have to stop, hide, get off the trail… something. We can’t keep going this way!

“I don’t―” Jasper began, but paused, his eyes scanning the road. Just ahead the road split. The right hand path was narrow and unpaved, a treacherous risk, but a better option than simply staying on their current route, sitting ducks for the men who were inexplicably gaining on them if Tobias was right.

Jasper had no doubt that he was.

The tires slid on the partially dried mud and broke through the crust to expose the wet soil beneath. Branches clattered against the windshield, bending and breaking as the truck forced its way through. Jasper didn’t look behind them, didn’t look at Tobias, didn’t look anywhere but the narrow road in front of them as he pushed the truck to the limit.

T
HE
paved road they came to was a surprise, the sign for the next town an even bigger one. Tobias scrambled across the bench seat as soon as they passed it, his hand wildly grabbing for the map that had fluttered to the floor during their wild ride. He spread it over his legs with shaking hands, ran a trembling finger over their approximate location as he tried to match the sign to the map.
Oh, sunny day.

Jasper tore his wild gaze from the road to stare at his awestruck passenger. “What is it?”

We’re… that’s….
Tobias waved the hand he didn’t have pressed against Jasper’s thigh aimlessly in the air.
We’re back on track. Haversdon was one of the towns we were going to stop in.

“Clear skies,” Jasper breathed, too shocked to muster the breath for a louder exclamation. If the rain held off for another twenty minutes they’d be safe, sheltered for the night in an actual room with an actual bed, able to rest and regroup before running again in the morning.

Yeah.
Tobias nodded as he folded the map, carefully bending the paper along the established folds until it was compact enough to fit back in the glove box.
We should hurry, though.
His gaze darted to the rearview mirror.
They’re still back there. Still coming. Still gaining.

Jasper didn’t need Tobias to project his fear to feel the urgency behind his words. They weren’t in the clear yet, and the faster they reached shelter, the better. Once they stopped, the storms would provide their protection.

T
HE
first drops of rain splattered on the pavement outside the inn as they unloaded their bags from the back of the truck. Tobias hurried ahead, then bounced on his toes as he waited by the door for Jasper to join him.
Hurry!
He pressed a palm to Jasper’s shoulder blade as Jasper fought with the lock, struggling to juggle the bag, the key, and the anxious man next to him.

He grinned as the tension faded from his muscles with the knowledge that they’d reached shelter just in time. “It’s barely starting. We timed this perfectly.”

Tobias studied the sky for a moment, then settled his gaze on the road approaching town.
I guess.
He didn’t sound nearly as relieved as Jasper felt.

“They haven’t stopped yet?” Jasper’s muscles twitched and tightened again. The men should have stopped at the first sign of rain, but then again they shouldn’t have made it past the downed tree. Clearly, Jasper had to stop thinking of them the way he thought of everyone else.

No.
Tobias pushed Jasper though the door as soon as it was open, removed the key, and slammed the door shut behind him before Jasper caught his balance inside the room.
They will soon, though.
He caught his bottom lip in his teeth.
I think.

Jasper reached past him and flipped the lock. “They’ll have to.”

Yeah.
Tobias didn’t sound convinced, but said nothing else; instead he crossed the room to sit on the bed, his hand falling away from Jasper as they parted.

Jasper let his bag drop to the floor next to Tobias’s. “Hey.” He sat on the bed, nudged Tobias with his shoulder. “We’ll move again in the morning.”

Tobias nodded, the corners of his mouth twisted downward in a frown.
I know.

“So what’s wrong?”

Just….
Tobias shrugged, his shoulder rubbing against Jasper’s.
I can still feel them. It’s… distracting.

Jasper laid his hand on Tobias’s shoulder, rubbing up and down over his tight muscles. “Try not to think about it.”