Page 1 of The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld 14)
16
Tessa
“Is that a mirage?” Robin squinted as she slid her sunglasses off her face.
“What?” Tessa balanced the atlas on her knee with Arthur’s directions pressed against the steering wheel.
“There are real trees again, Mom.” Mason followed Robin’s line of sight.
“Not that many,” Emily huffed and kicked her legs against the seat. “You said we were almost to grandpa’s house.”
“I said we were almost to the next stop,” Tessa snapped, irritation from the day pricking her skin.
“Grandpa’s house has lots of trees.” Emily folded her arms over her chest and glared at Tessa.
Like you’d remember. But Tessa didn’t bother to argue with the tiny dictator. She watched the odometer tick off the next mile and then looked out for the road signs.
“There’s buildings over there.” Robin turned in her seat and stared out the back window as they drove further into the fields of farmland. “Maybe we can find a Target or something and load up on supplies.”
“I don’t think Target is open during the apocalypse.” Tessa sighed, the joke not even the slightest bit funny right now. Her nerves were on edge and the muscles in her back were twitching and the nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen wouldn’t leave her alone. Get yourself together. She gripped the wheel tighter. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Landon, wondering if he was safe, and she struggled to push them away. You can’t live with that kind of fear.
And when she stopped focusing on him, the reality of their situation smacked itself across her face. The tank was almost on empty and they hadn’t seen another vehicle since the car in the desert. Eight extra gallons. That was it. It wasn’t enough. At least they had the promise of a full tank tonight. And after? Maybe she’d be able to bargain for more from the house they were stopping at.
Emily squirmed in her seat, pushing Moose back to the floorboard when he tried to rest his jaw on her lap. “Get me out of this truck,” she whined. “I’m so bored.”
Maybe she’d trade a kid for the gas. I’m kidding. Tessa laughed at her own private joke.
“27241!” Mason shouted as she neared the driveway and Tessa jumped at the sudden outburst. Tears sprang to her eyes because it was all so ridiculous. Everything will be okay. Trust in yourself. But even as she thought the words, they felt hollow and out of reach.
“There’s a playground,” Emily shrieked, her sour attitude falling to the wayside as she perked up in her seat. The two-story house sat at the end of the long driveway with a three-car detached garage and at least a hundred acres surrounding it. A tractor was parked behind the barn in the distant field, nestled among the freshly turned rows of earth with green sprouts breaking through the soil.
The house itself was immaculate. White shutters stood out against the dark gray siding and there was a wrap around porch with pine rocking chairs. And calling to them from the front yard was a giant cedar playset with plastic green swings that swayed in the breeze and a ten-foot fort that led to a twisting slide.
“Can we play on it, Mom?” Mason asked, full of childlike excitement.
They have kids. Tessa breathed a sigh of relief, hating herself for not trusting Sally and Arthur more. Of course this would be a good place to stop while they figured out what was coming next. She shook her head, trying to dispel the sticky panic that had clung to her all day, but it wouldn’t fully go away. You need sleep.
“What’d you say?” Robin whipped her head to the side.
“Nothing.” Tessa bit her lip, unsure if she’d spoken out loud. Her eyes burned and her vision tunneled from focusing on the road for so long. Great. Now you can add delusional to your list of characteristics.
Robin looked her over, choosing her next words carefully. “You know, I do have a driver’s license. If you want me to take a turn tomorrow, I am completely okay with it.”
“I’m fine.” Tessa put Old Blue into park and closed her eyes to rest them for a minute. She hadn’t told Robin or the kids what Sally had said last night. Now was as good a time as any. “There might be something wrong with the next place we are supposed to stop tomorrow. I’ll know more tonight. But we may have to stay here longer than a day until Arthur figures out what to do.” She opened her eyes to look at the gas gauge. The needle was so far in the red it hurt.
“That’s okay.” Emily was already crawling over Mason and Robin’s lap, her eyes fixated on the playset.
“Slow down little one.” Robin pulled Emily’s hand back from the door handle as she looked to Tessa. “Let’s make our introductions first before we go barging in.”
“Right.” Tessa nodded, steeling herself for the awkwardness to come. “You guys wait here for a minute so I can make sure this is the right place.”
The truck door closed behind her, muting the kids’ grumbles and Moose’s whines. Tessa inhaled deeply and sucked down the high desert mountain air as she tried to forget how messed up this all was. The afternoon sun was still high in the sky, beating down on her head as the gravel of the driveway crunched under her sneakers, and her fanny pack was still snug against her waist. She touched the hard outline of the pistol for reassurance.
Landon, I really miss you. Tessa paused on the steps to the front porch. Something isn’t right. The house was too quiet. No one came out to greet them with a loaded gun or waving hand. Arthur said they knew she was coming, but it didn’t seem like they were expected. Are they even here?
The hairs rose on the back of her neck as she scanned the darkened windows and turned to look at the garage with the open bay doors. Three vehicles were parked inside.
Old Blue’s horn blasted from the driveway and Tessa nearly jumped out of her skin as she tripped back down the steps. She glanced over her shoulder to see Robin wrestling Emily away from the wheel with tears streaming down her daughter’s cheeks as she kicked out at the dashboard.