4
“Have you seen my father?”
A slight shake of the head from one person or another. They were strangers to Avalon but people she probably should have remembered—townsfolk just like her. There were a few of them out on Main Street, either gawking at their new surroundings or milling about outside of Soucey’s Market, where a temporary refuge within Refuge had been set up.
Avalon pushed forward, determination keeping her going, while behind her, the two kids tried to keep up.
“Slow down,” the boy said, while the girl, trailing him, didn’t say anything.
Avalon didn’t know why, but she distrusted the girl’s silence. It just didn’t seem right. Then again, Avalon was a vocal person...and on the tail end of Oxycontin withdrawal, one of the side effects of which was paranoia.
“Have you seen my father?” she asked someone else, a woman this time, her face familiar, but still a name wouldn’t come.
The woman looked her up and down, squinting at her. “Who’s your father?”
“Griffin Butler.”
The woman raised an eyebrow. “
Lony
? How have you been? I haven’t seen you in ages. It’s Mrs. Talley!”
Avalon did her best not to say something stupid. She didn’t want to let her emotions run unchecked. Still, she
hated
that nickname.
Before she could respond, the sound of engines roaring up Main Street drew her attention. She turned and saw the Sheriff’s car, followed by an SUV and a man on a motorcycle. Her father was in the passenger seat of the squad car.
“Dad!” she called, rushing forward. Radar and Lisa were directly behind her or they would have been trampled in her mad dash.
As Griffin stepped out of the car, worry filled his face. “Is everything okay?”
“Ms. Barnes bailed on us, but we’re okay,” Radar said.
Griffin frowned and nodded. “I saw her.” He turned to Avalon. His raised eyebrows asked the question.
“My head started to clear,” she said. “And, it’s just… I wasn’t sure where you went.”
He didn’t say anything at first, his eyes suddenly guarded, and Avalon thought:
He’s hiding something
.
“Where
did
you go?” She watched Sheriff Frost and Pastor Dodge get out of the Sheriff’s car, while a stranger stood from his black motorcycle. Mr. Herman climbed out of the SUV. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” her father said, though she knew he was lying. “Why aren’t you all back at the house?”
The question was directed at Avalon, Radar and Lisa. She resented the fact that these two tweens were being treated as equals to her, but she didn’t say anything about it. Her memory of the previous night—before things went nuts—was shaky, but what little she did remember was embarrassing enough that she didn’t need to be publically reminded. “I…I wanted to see you.”
“Well, here I am.” He forced a smile, then his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her. “Are you feeling okay?”
No, she wasn’t feeling okay. She was going through withdrawal. She had been subtle about it before, but now with the responsibility of watching Radar and Lisa, she didn’t know how she could handle it. She could barely watch out for herself, let alone two kids, though she suspected the arrangement might actually be the other way around. But again, she wasn’t about to embarrass herself further by pressing the issue.
Avalon touched her tongue to her lips, swallowed. “I’m scared.”
Her father stepped forward, pulled her into an embrace. She could feel him trying to speak, his jaw opening and closing, but he never uttered a word. In the end, rather than offering information, he told her something she already knew. “I love you,” and he finished with something she had a hard time believing. “We’re going to be all right.”
He was talking about what was happening in town. And while the insanity surrounding Refuge frightened her, it wasn’t nearly as scary as what was happening to her mind. Withdrawal was a cruel monster that hid in the mind’s shadows, waiting for the right moment. One minute you might feel fine, the next you’d be in a fetal position on the floor.
“Listen,” her father said, his voice quiet, “I need to do something right now. Go back to the house with Radar and Lisa. Wait for me there.”
She stared up at him, steeling herself, wanting to tell him what he wanted to hear. He was already doing so much for the town, overexerting himself, that the last thing he needed right now was for her to fail him.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she whispered.
He frowned at her for a moment before understanding began to fill his eyes. He cleared his throat. “Is it the...?”
Her lips tight, she nodded.
He gently squeezed her arm. “It’s okay. We’ll figure something out.”
“But not right now,” she said. “You’re going somewhere, aren’t you?”
“We’re heading down to the depot.”
“Why?”
Before her father could respond, someone close by exclaimed, “The depot? Why would you want to go there?”
Avalon turned to find the real estate agent—Julie something—walking up to them. Avalon didn’t know much about her, but she didn’t like the look in the woman’s eyes, every time she was around her father.
“Why didn’t you go back to the house?” Griffin asked the woman, which surprised Avalon. She looked at Radar in her confusion.
“She was supposed to be watching us,” he whispered.
“I...got sidetracked,” Julie said with a pouty frown. Then she looked at Avalon, her eyes widening just a fraction. “But I
did
go. They were already gone. I came here looking for them.”
Avalon had met some good liars in her time. This Julie lady wasn’t one of them. But her father seemed to buy the story.
Probably distracted by her cleavage
, she thought, eying the woman’s top two undone blouse buttons.
“We’re just checking out the place,” Griffin said, answering Julie’s original question. “For supplies.”
“I can’t imagine what you’ll find there.” Julie played with her hair with exaggerated casualness. “The place is completely empty.”
“You seem pretty sure,” Griffin said, eyeing her suspiciously for the first time.
“I know every piece of property in this town,” she said. “It’s what I’m paid for. Tried to get the land from Uncle Sam. He wasn’t selling. So now it’s just useless real estate.”
Griffin smiled. “I think we’ll check it out anyway.”
“Suit yourself,” Julie said, matching Griffin’s smile. “You want an extra hand?”
“No, I think we have more than enough help as it is. Besides, if what you say is true, we won’t need any hands at all.”
Julie laughed, touching Griffin’s arm in a way that Avalon immediately disliked. “Well, if you ever need an extra hand for anything, just let me know.”
Was that supposed to be a euphemism?
Avalon wanted to puke, but decided she’d done that enough already.
Griffin kept smiling, though it seemed strained now. “Will do.”
The real estate agent lingered for an extra moment, as if willing Griffin to say something else, and then she smiled at Avalon and the kids and turned away. Was she putting a little extra swagger into her step?
God...I hope she breaks a heel.
“You’re not really going to the depot, are you?” Avalon asked.
“Wait here,” Griffin said, his eyes now on a cluster of people near Soucey’s entrance—Sheriff Frost, Pastor Dodge, Mr. Winslow, and the stranger, who she noted, was a handsome one. “I’ll be right back.”
He started away from her. Avalon wanted to tell him to stop, to come back, to not leave her again. She turned and looked at Radar and Lisa, and both of them stared silently back, everyone likely wondering exactly who was in charge, the elder or the not-fucked-up-in-the-head.
A shadow passed over the kids.
Avalon frowned. She didn’t remember seeing any clouds in the sky. It was the first thing she had looked for—clouds and the sun—to see whether any of them were different from home.
Radar had noticed the shadow, too. He tilted his head up. Immediately his eyes went wide. His mouth fell open.
Avalon looked up, too.
And screamed.
5
Griffin spun around, Avalon’s scream igniting every fatherly cell in his body.
She appeared to be unharmed, but was just standing there with Radar and Lisa—staring up at the sky.
It was then the shadow fell over him, only for an instant, and he noticed that others were looking up, too, their attentions directed to the sky from Avalon’s scream.
Griffin looked up.
The thing was at least a mile up in the air. It was deep red in color and the size of a 747, gliding on two massive wings, which looked like a bat’s—thin, almost translucent membranes stretched over a boney framework. From his vantage point, it was difficult to say just what the creature was, but it had a head, a large body, a tail and those wings… It was like nothing Griffin had ever seen, and after the past day, that was actually saying a lot.
Avalon went to scream again, but her voice was cut short. Griffin looked down and saw Radar standing beside her, his hand over her mouth, whispering in her ear. Griffin turned back to the rest of the people in the parking lot, all of them still staring up at the creature in the sky.
Fortunately, none of them were screaming like his daughter had. Not yet. But there were murmurs, and he knew that the longer the murmurs continued, the quicker they would transform into shouting and then screaming. That, he could not allow, primarily because he didn’t want to entice the thing. He had no idea if the thing was an herbivore or a carnivore, but if the latter, they would be easy pickings for something that large.
Frost hurried up beside him, her head still tilted back. She reached out blindly, grasped his arm, and whispered, “What do you think it is?”
Dragon
was the first thing that came to mind, but that was silly. Or was it? Was the existence of such a creature a stretch, after everything they had already seen? Whatever it was, it was huge.
“We need to get everyone inside,” he said.
“Do you think it sees us?”
“Can a hawk see field mice?” Griffin’s only consolation was that a creature of such vast size most likely fed on far larger prey. This thing stopping to attack them would be like a lion not hunting zebra because it found an ant mound. Still, no reason to invite trouble.
Frost looked at him, determination in her eyes, and then she nodded. She let go of his arm and started forward, clapping her hands quietly for attention. The murmuring had continued, its volume beginning to rise, just like Griffin had predicted, and Frost had to clap her hands even louder.
“Hey,” she whisper-shouted. “Listen to me. Everyone get inside Soucey’s. Now!”
By this point, the townspeople knew better than to question the new sheriff. Some had to be pulled away by their friends as they continued to stand there, gawking at the sky, but they didn’t put up a fight. Within seconds, everyone was headed toward the market—Avalon, Radar and Lisa included.
Winslow and Kyle stood side by side, watching the creature slowly flap its massive wings.
“Marvelous,” Winslow whispered. “Simply marvelous.”
“Let’s save the awe-inspired appreciation for later,” Frost said, directing the two men inside.
The place was packed. People were already talking over each other, asking the same questions, getting the same non-answers. If it continued, the panic would swell until there was no telling what might stop it.
Frost spoke loudly this time.
“I need everyone to settle down.” She held out her hands like Pastor Dodge did on Sunday mornings to quiet the congregation. “I know you’re all scared and confused, and that’s okay. I am, too. We don’t know yet what’s going on here, but we’re trying to figure it out. What I need the rest of you to do is stay calm.”
Immediately, this started a bout of questions.
“How can you expect us to stay calm?”
“What was that thing?”
“What’s happened to our town?”
Griffin stepped forward, raising his voice. “Folks! Sheriff Frost is doing the best she can with the situation, but as you can tell, things are complicated. Her number one priority right now is keeping all of you safe. But to do that, she needs you to
listen
.”
This seemed to have the desired effect. The townspeople quieted, many offering up consenting nods.
Griffin glanced at Frost, hoping she didn’t mind he had just stepped on her toes, but she gave him a slight nod of thanks.
“Right,” she said, “so here’s the deal. For now, I think it’s best everyone stays inside. If you want to move to your own house, that’s okay, but make it quick. We got lucky with the last…well, the last place we ended up. There didn’t seem to be any danger. Here, though, the danger is—” She shook her head, pointing her hand up toward the ceiling. “—you saw it there in the sky.”
This started another round of verbal worry.
“What was that thing?”
“It looked like a dragon.”
“I don’t understand why this is happening.”
“Folks, please,” Frost held out her hands again, “let me finish. When I know more, you’ll know more. For the time being, I just want everyone to stay safe. So stay here or head back to your homes, whichever, but just don’t be too long outside. Does everyone understand?”
An assortment of nods around the store.
“Also…” Frost swallowed. “Those with weapons, feel free to carry them around for protection. But do not—I repeat,
do not
—use them unless it’s absolutely necessary. Gunfire can draw attention, and it might not be the kind of attention we want. Understood?”
Most people in town had handguns or shotguns for home-protection, despite the fact that the last break-in was more than twenty years ago. There were also a good number of hunters in town, with high powered rifles and compound bows. Griffin doubted any of them were amateurs when it came to weaponry, so he had no concerns about the lot of them being armed.
Frost received nods all around.
“All right then.” She clapped her hands once, forced a smile. Then she turned to Griffin and tilted her head toward the door.
He stepped outside and checked the sky again, expecting to the see the giant creature swooping down on him.
The sky was empty. Only endless blue and the sun.
“It’s gone,” he said, and it seemed as if everyone released a collective breath.
“Head to your homes,” Frost said. “Lock your doors, close your windows and be safe.”
She stepped back, allowing people to file through the door. Griffin spotted Phillip Beaumont, aka Monty to locals, and his daughters. Monty had a hand on each girl’s shoulder, keeping them toward the back of the market. Both girls had a dazed look in their eyes. Griffin couldn’t blame them, after everything they had just been through. Losing their mother in the car wreck, after the first shift. Being abducted by those things in the desert world. It was enough to leave the most hardened person dazed.
Monty saw him coming and tried to perk up. “Griffin.”
Griffin shook his hand. “Are you headed back to your house?”
Monty cringed at the idea. “Think we’ll stay here for now. I don’t want the girls… We don’t want to be there right now.”
Griffin only nodded. He understood. He remembered how hard it had been to be in the house after Jess had died. Virtually everything he looked at had conjured a happy, but painful memory. Even her back issues of
Martha Stewart Living
had twisted an emotional knife in his heart.
“Do you need something?” Monty asked.
“I’d like you to look after my daughter, and Radar and Lisa, if you don’t mind. I know it’s a lot to ask, especially after what’s happened, but I don’t want them to be alone right now.” Griffin didn’t like the idea of leaving Avalon with anyone else, but Monty was a good father. He wouldn’t shirk his duties as easily as Julie had.
Monty glanced past him, noticed Frost talking with Dodge, Winslow and Kyle, then his eyes slid back to Griffin. “What’s happening?”
“We’re heading down to the depot to see if we can find any weapons.”
Monty nodded again. “Weapons are good.” He lifted his shirt just a bit, so Griffin could see the piece tucked into his belt.
Griffin offered a smile and gave Monty a pat on the shoulder. “We’re hoping to find something a little more...substantial.”
Monty returned the smile, chuckling a little. “Listen, I wish I could help, but…” His eyes shifted down at his girls. “They have to come first. I’m not sure I could—”
Griffin said, “I understand. Believe me, I understand.”
Movement shifted Griffin’s attention to his side. Winslow and his wife, Carol, were approaching. He caught the tail end of their conversation. “Don’t worry,” Winslow said to Carol. “We’ll find a way out of the Echo.” The tall scientist then seemed to notice Griffin’s attention and snapped forward, adjusting his glasses. “Griffin. A word?”
Griffin stepped away from Monty and the girls.
Winslow said, “Kyle is going to stay here and tend to some of the injured, so it will just be you, me, Sheriff Frost and Pastor Dodge on this latest errand.”
Griffin just nodded.
“Now with that out of the way,” Winslow said, his voice going low, “please pardon the intrusion, but if I’m not mistaken, you would like someone to help your daughter look after the boy and the girl.”
That wasn’t quite what Griffin wanted, but he could tell from the underlying meaning that Winslow knew the truth, but was being a gentleman by not mentioning it.
“That’s right,” he said. “What are you thinking?”
“I’d be happy to look after them,” Carol Herman said. As always, she wore a pert smile. “There’s more than enough room at our place. There’s even enough room if Mr. Beaumont and his girls would like to join us.”
Monty, standing within hearing distance, said, “That would be very kind of you, Mrs. Herman.”
“Please, call me Carol.”
Winslow asked, “Does that work for you, Griffin?”
Griffin nodded, feeling a rush of relief. There was no one better suited to the job than Carol Herman. He’d been to their house several times after Jess’s death, and few people could help mend a wounded soul like the astronomer’s wife. “Thank you.”
“Our pleasure. Now let’s hurry. I don’t think we want to get caught with our pants down if one of those things comes back.”