Dead Spots (35 page)

“No!” Mackenzie yanked Johnny out of his seat, hauled him into her arms, and huddled against the car door. She was tempted to climb out of the car and run for it, but she knew instinctively they would never make it.

The hearse sluggishly crawled out of the field.

“Hurry! Hurry!” Mackenzie ignored Johnny's wet bottom and the snot covering his face. She held him protectively, fearing the strike that would put her close to the jaws of the great shark.

The ground near the road was firmer, and the hearse rolled onto the road just as the shark rose up. Grant whipped the wheel about, spinning the car so the shark's teeth scraped the tailgate, ripping it clean off. Recovering control, Grant U-turned as the shark vanished, the car bouncing over the broken asphalt left behind by its passing.

Mackenzie didn't bother to repair the tailgate. Johnny stared at her with glazed eyes, his fingers gripping the collar of her jacket. “I won't leave you,” she promised. A tidal wave of emotion swept over her. She had broken her unspoken promise to Joshua to always protect him and keep him safe. He had died and she had left him alone, buried in his tiny coffin. The boy in her arms was not her son, but he was innocent and alone just like Joshua. She didn't care what Grant said or thought. In her heart, she knew that the little boy in her arms needed her.

“We can't keep this up, Mackenzie,” Grant said in a lower, more controlled tone. “You can't keep the car running forever. The shark is going to get us if we don't get rid of the wraith.”

“He's a little boy, Grant.” Her voice sounded ragged and tired. The stabbing pain ripping through her head was not diminishing but growing.

“Please, Mackenzie. You sound so weak. You can't keep this up. The shark won't hurt him. I can pull over and we can leave him. He's using your dead son against you, trying to get your sympathy. Please, see the truth.”

“Keep going!” Mackenzie ordered. “Just keep going.”

“How much longer can you continue, Mackenzie?” Grant said pointedly. “How long?”

“As long as I have to!”

The road ahead was lined with trees, making their passing a lot more treacherous. She wondered if the shark would grow tired of the chase. It wasn't a real creature, so she realized this was most likely a fallacy. Her eyes throbbed and her head pounded and all she wanted to do was find a safe place to lie down.

When the great shark rose out of the road before them, it was even larger than before. Grant slammed on the brakes, the wheels screeching, but the hearse could not avoid smashing into the maw of the shark. Its teeth drove through the hood, crushing it. Its large snout shattered the windshield. Shaking its head, the shark demolished the front end of the car, destroying the engine and ripping it clear off the chassis.

“Grant!” Mackenzie screamed in terror.

With frantic movements, Grant tore off his seat belt and climbed into the rear seat. Clearly shaken, he swept his dark hair back from his face.

“I'll fix the car,” Mackenzie said, closing her eyes. Agonizing shards of pain ripped through her head.

“It's finished. Just throw the boy out. It's the only way to save ourselves,” Grant urged her. “He's not real, Mackenzie! Think about it. It's a little boy with a name similar to your son. He's conveniently where you awaken and then all of this happens. It's too much of a coincidence!”

“You're a bad man,” Johnny mumbled. “A very bad man.”

“Let me do it. I can see you're attached to him despite what's going on. Give him to me.” Grant held out his arms.

“No. I can't believe you'd ask me to do such a thing!”

“He's not real!”

The shark struck again. This time its teeth punctured the roof above the front seat. Its jaws started to close, crushing the car. Mackenzie threw Johnny over the seat into the very back and wrenched off her seat belt. She felt Grant helping her over before he flopped over behind her. Grant howled in pain as one of the huge teeth raked his leg. The shark tooth had ripped through the fabric of Grant's trousers and slashed his flesh. The cut wasn't very deep, but it was bleeding profusely.

The shark sank into the ground, dragging the car with it. The hearse tilted dangerously. The three people were crushed together against the rear seat. Below them the car was a twist of metal in the mouth of the shark.

With her feet planted against the back of the seat, Mackenzie slid up the car floor and strained for the handle to the rear door. Her fingers scrabbled at it, but she couldn't find purchase. Johnny clung to her waist, his face buried in her stomach. It was growing increasingly difficult to keep her balance, let alone climb. Soon the vehicle would be completely upright, and they would easily fall into the waiting mouth below.

Grant's hand closed on Johnny's arm. “I'll do it, Mackenzie. Just let go of him. Let me save us!”

“No!” Mackenzie shouted, daring to look below her. The shark's mouth waited for them. She strained to reach the latch, her feet sinking into the seat's back. Her fingertips kept touching the lever, but she couldn't get a grip on it.

“We're going to die because of him!” Grant shouted, tugging on the little boy.

“I won't let you kill him!”

“Mackenzie, let me save you,” Grant said, his voice fading. His ashen face and dimming eyes spoke of his impending death. He was swiftly bleeding out.

“No! Not like that!”

At her feet, the pool of blood around Grant continued to grow, the white leather covered in bright red. It dripped over the edge of the seat to spot the teeth and throat of the beast dragging the hearse beneath the ground. The windows cracked and split around them, dirt beginning to pour into the dwindling interior of the car.

Horror filled her as Mackenzie realized she was once again going to be buried alive.

 

CHAPTER 23

The stench of the shark and the sound of grinding metal filled the space around her. In spite of her stark terror, Mackenzie refused to give in to what appeared to be an inevitable fate. Her fingers closed on the latch, and she victoriously pulled it, feeling the mechanism release. Then, to her dismay, she realized she did not have enough leverage to shove the door open.

The car shuddered again and sank deeper into the ground. The shark's jaws continued to close, slowly compressing the front of the hearse. Grant let out a moan of pain, and she saw he was frighteningly close to the sharp teeth.

Pushing upward with the tips of her fingers, she only managed to open the door another inch.

Johnny's fingers squashed painfully into her waist and she felt his tear-soaked face pressing harder into her stomach. Desperate, angry, and determined, Mackenzie rose to her toes and thrust upward with all her strength.

The door swung open.

Blinking in surprise, she saw a man standing over them, the afternoon sun behind him. He was clad in a leather jacket, jeans, and heavy Doc Martens.

“Hand me the boy,” the man briskly commanded.

“Lucas?” Johnny whimpered, lifting his face.

The car sank another foot into the ground.

“I'm here, little buddy. Lady, hurry up and hand me the boy!” Lucas knelt, holding out his hands for Johnny.

Mackenzie didn't hesitate. She kicked Grant's hand to free Johnny from his grip and shoved the little boy into the hands of their savior. Lucas hoisted Johnny out of the vehicle and set the boy beside him. Reaching into the sinking car, Lucas grabbed Mackenzie's hand and started to drag her free.

“Wait! Grant first!” Mackenzie protested.

Grant's hand wrapped around her ankle with a vicelike grip. “Don't go with him!”

“Let her go, asshole!” Lucas shouted.

“Grant, we're getting out! Give me your hand!” She bent toward him, hoping he would accept her help and get to his feet before it was too late.

“Don't go with him! He'll destroy you!” Grant yanked harder.

“Let me go, Grant, we'll get you out, too!”

“I'll protect you, Mackenzie.” Grant's fingers dug into her flesh. His face was a mask of fury, his eyes blazing with fear, hate, and desire. “He'll hurt you! I can't let that happen.”

“Let us get you out, Grant! Give me your hand!”

“He's a wraith! He stays behind,” Lucas said shortly, drawing a pistol from his belt.

“No! He's like us!” Mackenzie protested.

“No, he's not. He's a wraith.” Lucas fired two shots past Mackenzie's head into Grant's chest. Instantly the grip on her ankle released. With a grunt, Lucas jerked her out of the car mere seconds before it slid beneath the blacktop and dragged her from the massive pothole left by the disappearing hearse.

Enraged, Mackenzie kicked and punched Lucas, breaking free from him. “You murdered him!”

“He's a wraith! They don't count.” Lucas flipped the safety on his weapon and tucked it into the holster at his waist. His appearance was intense with keen blue eyes, a narrow nose, and sharp cheekbones. It was a strong face that was also a little scary.

Mackenzie was furious. “No, he's not! He was my friend and he was helping us!”

“He wanted to feed me to the shark,” Johnny whispered to Lucas.

“Yeah, sounds like a stellar guy.” Lucas rolled his eyes.

Mackenzie hated how easily Grant had been wiped from her existence. One second, he had been with her and the next, he was gone. She felt abandoned, afraid, and confused. Her only solace was the knowledge that Grant would return to life. But where? Tears coursing along the curve of her cheek, Mackenzie stared at where the car had vanished into the road. “He thought Johnny was a wraith. He was just scared!”

Lucas shook his head. “No, he wasn't, lady. He's a wraith. You may not be able to see it, but I can. I'm a seer. I see the truth about this world. I can see what things really are.”

A chill swept down Mackenzie's spine as she became aware of the black car idling nearby. It was a Mustang from the sixties by the look of it, with a shiny black paint job and red interior. “You see the world like the wraiths do?” Had Lucas been the person driving the car that had stopped as she hid in the ditch with Grant?

“Yeah. When I want to.”

Grant had said the man in the car wanted to kill them. “You
killed
him.” Mackenzie edged toward Johnny. She was unarmed, but maybe they could lose Lucas if they ran into the trees.

“The shark was going to eat me!” Johnny said with a frown. “Lucas saved us! That man was bad!”

Pressing her hand to her head, Mackenzie fought through the tumult of emotions, straining to reach the truth. “No, Grant has been saving me since he found me.”

Lucas regarded Mackenzie with frustration. “Your
friend
made that shark. Your
friend
wanted to feed Johnny to it. Your
friend
sounds like a real dickhead.” Giving her a dismissive look, he knelt beside Johnny and touched the boy's cheek. “You're okay, little buddy. The shark is gone.”

“Macky didn't let him kill me,” Johnny said, sniffling, but clearly defending her.

“Macky?” Lucas tilted his head to look at her. “Macky?”

“Mackenzie,” she curtly corrected.

“Mac, huh?”

“Mackenzie,” she amended.

“Mac is a solid name.” Lucas gave her an approving nod, ignoring her correction. “I like people with good solid names. Like Johnny here. He has a great name. Reminds me of Johnny Cash. The Man in Black.”

Struggling to make sense of the events of the day, Mackenzie studied the man who had saved them. Whereas Grant looked cultured and sophisticated, Lucas looked a bit dangerous. His hair was shorn short, his face was a little scruffy, and there was an edge to him that she found disquieting. Yet, Johnny appeared to adore him and Lucas was quite gentle with the child.

“I told her that Grant was bad, but she's new,” Johnny said to Lucas in a somber voice.

“Yeah. She's still learning.”

“You don't know Grant. He was afraid Johnny was a wraith.”

“No, he wanted you to himself. If this Grant guy has been in here for any length of time, he could clearly see that Johnny isn't a wraith, just like Johnny could see Grant
is
a wraith. Wraiths have dark auras, just like the living have brighter ones. You die enough in here, you'll see what I'm talking about.” Lucas openly swept his gaze over her physique. “You're pretty, young, and sparkling with life. You were his perfect victim. Your
friend
is what I call an incubus wraith. He wanted to keep you to himself. Those types don't only feed off your fears, but off your love and desire. They're all about sex.”

The dream from the night before drifted through her thoughts. Mackenzie felt a twinge of fear and guilt when she briefly considered he might be right.

“I peed myself,” Johnny confessed with a sigh. “That man and his shark scared me and I peed.”

Lucas gave the boy a tweak on the cheek. “That's no big thing. A shark is pretty damn scary. Here, give me your hands.”

Johnny obeyed.

“Now, repeat after me: no more wet pants.”

Johnny giggled. “That's stupid.”

“Just do it.”

Flushing red with embarrassment, Johnny whispered, “No more wet pants.”

Lucas mimicked Johnny's awed face a second later, widening his eyes and forming his mouth into an O. “See? Just like that! No more wet pants.”

Johnny patted his behind. “Yep. All dry.”

“No we can get out of here and far away from that jerkoff,” Lucas said, hugging Johnny.

The scene was surprisingly sweet. She didn't expect someone who looked like Lucas to be so at ease with Johnny. She was fairly certain that Lucas was the man who had pulled over on the side of the road the day before and who had also rescued her from Tildy. Her instincts told her that Johnny was not a wraith, therefore she wasn't about to run off and leave the child with Lucas. She had to protect Johnny.