Dead Spots (47 page)

Mackenzie slammed the window shut and jerked the curtains closed. She knew she wasn't alone in the room when the lamp turned on and the darkness vanished.

Outside, the Clown screamed in pain.

“Mac,” Lucas said in a gentle tone. “Mac, are you okay? I heard noises and saw you come in the window.”

Facing him, she nodded.

“Oh, God! Your throat!” Lucas formed a towel in his hand and rushed to her side. Pressing it against her wound, he guided her to the sofa tucked against the wall.

Unshed tears stung her eyes, but Mackenzie didn't want to let them fall. Tildy's words had wounded her more than the knife wound.

“It hurts,” she whispered. Everything in the world hurt so much.

“You can heal yourself. Just concentrate.”

Lucas attempted to staunch the bleeding. Again she was tempted to push him away. His touch made her skin crawl, but she forcibly reminded herself that he was not Grant or the Clown.

“Mac, you're bleeding really badly. He didn't hit your arteries, but you can bleed out. If you die, I don't know how long it will take us to find you. You'll be alone out there. Please, concentrate on healing yourself. I can't do it for you. It's your body, your will.” Lucas pressed his lips to her temple and she felt his tears on her skin.

Nodding, she closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what to do at first, but then the image of her sliced throat filled her mind's eye, and she imagined the wound being erased by the giant pink eraser she used in grade school. Gradually, the pain eased until it was gone.

Lucas sighed with relief. Tossing the bloodied towel away, he drew her into his arms. Again, she almost resisted, but she forced herself to relax against his chest. Lucas had never shown any inclination to hurt her and the tenderness in his eyes spoke volumes. He truly cared for her.

“We've come this far. We can't lose each other, Mac.…”

“But we might. Tomorrow things will be much worse.”

“We're going to fight back, Mac. We're going to make it to the doorway and get out of here. No one else is going to hurt you and Johnny.”

Grant, Tildy, the Clown, and all the terrible creatures she had witnessed flashed through her weary and frightened mind. How could they fight against so much evil? “Grant's coming.”

“And we're leaving.”

“I won't let him touch me again,” Mackenzie vowed. “I won't let anything hurt you or Johnny. I'll fight anything that tries to stop us.” Fear dissipated into resolve. She hadn't been able to save Joshua, but she had the power and the ability to save herself and her companions.

“And we'll fight for you, too.”

“If we escape—”

“When we escape.”

“When we escape, what happens then?” The thought of losing Johnny and Lucas pierced her with unexpected sorrow. Would they all just go their separate ways? What about Johnny?

“I'll get ahold of my brother. He'll come get us. It'll be hell explaining all of this to him, but he's a good guy. He'll help us even if he thinks we're batshit crazy. We'll head back to Austin. You can call your mom from there.” Lucas's fingers gently combed through her hair, the motion unexpectedly relaxing. “If you want … you know … to come with me.”

Mackenzie raised her head to look at Lucas. Hope and fear intermingled in his gaze. “I can't go to the ranch after what I saw.”

A relieved smile flitted across his lips. “Cool.”

“And Johnny? His family may be long gone. How do we even start to help him?”

Shrugging, Lucas rested his hand on her cheek, his thumb rubbing it lightly. “Well, we'll keep him away from Child Protective Services. We'll handle it on our own. We may have to get a little shady to keep him with us, but there is no way in hell that little guy is going anywhere close to a foster home. I'll move to Mexico to avoid CPS if I have to.”

For some weird reason, that made Mackenzie giggle.

“What?”

“You sound like a dad.”

Lucas considered her comment, then chuckled. “Yeah, well, God brought him into my life for a reason. I'm not going to let Johnny down.”

“Has it only been three days since I found him in the graveyard?” Mackenzie's mind reeled at the thought. She had spent two days with Grant and the last few with Johnny and Lucas. Five days in total since she stepped into the café. Yet it seemed like so much longer. It was now unimaginable that she could live her life without the presence of the precious little boy and tattooed man.

“It feels longer, huh? It makes me wonder how time really works here.” Lucas shrugged. “I guess we'll find out tomorrow.”

“I want to remain a part of Johnny's life,” Mackenzie said firmly.

“Of course you will be! He loves you!”

Tears in her eyes, Mackenzie said, “I love him, too. He's not a replacement for Joshua, you know. He's just a piece of my heart now.”

“Just like you're a piece of his. Mac, don't you see how much we both care about you? I wouldn't be too happy if you went off to Kerrville. I'd miss you.”

Clutching his T-shirt, Mackenzie let out a sob that had been building in her throat. “Lucas, I'm taking my stand. I want to build a new life with both of you in it. I don't know exactly what that entails, but I do. I'll get a bookkeeper job and an apartment—”

“No lists, Mac,” Lucas whispered, his voice weighted with emotion. “Just flow with it. We'll figure it out.”

“You saw the lists?”

“Yeah. I saw the journal briefly.”

“It was my ladder out of the pit of depression. It was the only way to keep moving forward, to keep living.”

“And now?”

Reflecting on the last few days, Mackenzie acknowledged that she'd lost all of the support systems that had kept her functioning: her journal, her online support group, her Xanax, and even Joshua's blanket. “I have myself.”

“Yeah, you do.” Lucas gave her a drowsy look of pride. The exhaustion from their trip was clearly affecting him.

Daring to press her palm to his scruffy jaw, she gazed steadily into his eyes. “I'd miss you, too.”

Gathering her into his arms, Lucas held her close, his cheek pressed against hers. “We'll go with the flow, Mac, right?”

Already her heart had opened so wide to let Johnny in and Lucas stood on the threshold. Could she let him in, too? She suspected the answer was yes. “We'll figure it out.”

Lucas planted a long, firm kiss on her cheek. It was the sweetest of promises. Drawing away, he leaned his head on the back of the sofa. “Mind if I crash here?”

“Not at all.” Closing her eyes, she lay against his chest, releasing her fear, her pain, and her sorrow until nothing was left but a peaceful emptiness.

At some point, they both dozed off. Mackenzie woke when Johnny crawled next to her, dragging Joshua's blanket and the larger one she'd made him. Curling against her side, he closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep. Mackenzie draped her arm over him, sighing contentedly. Stroking his hair, Mackenzie kissed his brow. Love filled her heart for the little guy, and she accepted the guilt that came with it. Joshua would always be in her heart, but it was time to let others in.

The steady rising and falling of Lucas's chest as he slept slowly lulled Mackenzie back to sleep.

There were no more nightmares.

 

CHAPTER 31

The Mustang rumbled at the top of the mountain, the engine ticking. In the driver's seat, Lucas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Beside him in the passenger seat, Mackenzie swung her purse over her head and mentally prepared herself. Between them, Johnny leaned forward from the backseat, his big dark eyes wide with awe.

“Wow,” Johnny said at last.

In the valley below, the town of Trosclair, Texas, was spread out in all its rustic, charming beauty just beyond a bridge that spanned a rapidly rushing river. Oaks and cedar trees bordered the road, their branches swaying violently. The hills were steep with patches of their face stripped bare by rock slides exposing the chalky-colored stone beneath. Though these elements appeared normal and almost idyllic, they were overlaid with a nightmarish layer of sheer chaos.

Above the valley a massive wall of thick, dark churning clouds filled the sky, blotting out the sun and plunging the town into a perpetual dusk. Great swarms of red-eyed birds swirled beneath the greenish gray storm. Enormous creatures made of darkness and nightmares perched on the buildings of the town. Fires raged, the earth shook, and lightning filled the sky with flashes of light while thunder rolled endlessly.

“Wow,” Johnny said again.

“We can come back in two weeks.” Lucas glanced at Mackenzie. “Or maybe try another way out.”

Shaking her head, Mackenzie said, “We know there's a tour in an hour. We need to get to the theater. If we chicken out, we'll talk ourselves out of trying now that we've seen it.”

With a solemn nod, Lucas agreed. “Okay, so…”

Johnny patted his shoulder. “It's okay to be afraid.”

Lucas laughed, the sound slightly bitter. “I think this is the first time I've been afraid—truly afraid—since I arrived in this world.”

“It's a good time to be afraid,” Mackenzie said, with a slight laugh. It sounded slightly hysterical.

“The ironic thing is that I'm on the cusp of getting the hell outta here because of you, and yet you're the reason I'm afraid, Mackenzie.” Lucas angled himself in his seat to look at both of them. “You two are my family now. I love you both, and I want all of us to get out of here today. It's going to be rough once we hit that town and those wraiths come after us. We're going to need to stick together and fight our way through. None of us can afford to die. We'll lose each other if we do.” Lucas ruffled Johnny's hair. “Keep close, little buddy.”

“I will,” Johnny said solemnly. “I promise.”

Mackenzie tilted her head to rub her cheek against Lucas's hand as he touched her. She felt the sweet pang of sorrow and hope in her heart. If she lost either one of them today, she didn't know if she could force herself to escape alone. She couldn't imagine leaving without them. The last night had solidified her connection to them. Mackenzie had woken that morning with Johnny tucked into her side and Lucas tenderly stroking her hair. It had been a perfectly serene moment, and it wasn't until an hour later that she realized she had not thought of Joshua and Tanner, nor felt as though she had betrayed them. In spite of all the horrors inflicted upon her since she stumbled through the dead spot, she'd found her strength and mended bits of her heart. It was still bruised and hurting, but there was now a special place in it for Johnny and Lucas.

“Ready to be Wonder Woman?” Lucas asked, his eyes shimmering.

“You ready to be Superman?”

“I'm the Lone Ranger!” Johnny piped up.

Their laughter broke a little of the tension in the car. Lucas leaned over and pressed a firm kiss to her brow. She rested her hands against his neck, feeling the steady pulse of his heartbeat, her tears falling freely. Johnny leaned over to hug both of them, pressing a sloppy kiss to their cheeks.

“We'll get out,” Lucas swore, resting his brow against hers. “We will. Together.”

Mackenzie nodded. “Of course. We're a trio of badasses.” She kissed Johnny's soft cheek. “Sit back, Lone Ranger, and buckle up.”

Johnny flopped into the backseat to obey.

Leaning forward, Mackenzie dared to press a light kiss to the corner of Lucas's lips. His fingers traced along her wet cheek and he looked into her eyes for a long moment. No words needed to be spoken between them. Whatever was growing between them was fresh, new, and unknown. If they escaped, they would find out if it was just friendship born in the time of tribulation, or something deeper. It was a very cleansing feeling to realize that she was willing to find out. Mackenzie blushed and sat back in her seat.

“Here we go.” Lucas swiftly switched gears and the Mustang roared forward.

For the first five minutes, their journey into the valley was relatively uneventful despite the terrifying storm, lightning, and trembling earth. Though the trees writhed and cracked as they passed, none fell despite the massive wind gusts that kept Lucas fighting for control of the car. Mackenzie watched in awe as creatures with wingspans larger than jetliners swooped over the town and explosions ripped through the mirage of a tall building towering over the town.

The Mustang rolled around a curve, and the bridge came into view. It was an arched bridge made out of quarry stone with low barriers lining the sides topped with metal rails. The water rushing below splashed over the abutments and swirled downstream. The town started just after the bridge and thick murky smog slithered through the streets. Lucas slowed the rumbling vehicle to a stop and studied the passage through the thick veil of rain.

“Do you feel that?” Mackenzie's skin was covered in goose pimples. The air was vibrating with energy and somehow she could decipher what it meant.

“Yeah.” Lucas took a deep breath. “I feel it.”

Johnny was silent, but Mackenzie felt his small hand settle on her arm.

“Whatever that energy is, it will attack us on the bridge.” She felt it to the core of her being that they were being stalked and watched and soon the predator would strike.

“Old legends speak of water as a barrier. When we pass over the bridge, we'll be passing into a new territory.”

“They're going to try to keep us from escaping, you know.”

“Yeah.” Lucas reversed the car, craning his head so he could look out the rear window. He brought the car to a stop farther up the road and faced forward. “So let's go as fast as we can and see if they can catch us.”

“Johnny, sit back and close your eyes!” Mackenzie ordered. She felt his hand slip free of her arm as he obeyed.