Page 113 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Two

“And I told her,” the woman said,“the Hendersons ain’t lived here in five years.”

He nodded and studied the cabin, stepping onto the firststair, a few inches closer to Farmer Jane. The thing was, he’d looked up thearea before traversing into the unknown. Once he saw the name on the brokenmailbox, a quick Google search gave him what he needed. According to the cityregistrar and an article Donovan had found about the most recent AspenFestival—where Mr. Henderson had sold carvings at a booth just a monthprior—the Hendersons were not only still in the area, they also still lived atthat cabin. And their son, Benji, was still very much alive. At least as of afew weeks ago. So, how did the cabin look utterly abandoned? And what hadFarmer Jane done with the doc’s friends?

“Welp,” he said, figuring it was time to call her out, “I’dsay that makes you a liar, then.”

The doc gasped softly at his words, hope evident on hershadowy features.

The woman tsked and dropped the barrel until it was pointedsquarely at his chest. He took another stair with every intention of tacklingher to the ground when she grinned at him.

It was at that moment that he knew he was fucked.

“I suppose it does,” she said, right before pulling thetrigger.

Luckily, he saw it coming. Unluckily, he was not CharleyDavidson. He could not slow time to get out of the wayof a speeding bullet. And he damned sure wasn’t fasterthan a shotgun blast. She must’ve lowered the barrel even more right beforepulling because the pellets hit his left arm and the side of his midsection sohard that it dropped him to his knees. But not for long. In the time it took herto pull the trigger a second time, he was on her.

The doc fell back as he tackled the woman to the ground andput her in a headlock from behind, wrapping his legs around her waist. Theystruggled for a few seconds, the pain almost making him black out, but when sheraised the shotgun and pointed it at Sia, he had no choice. He put all hisstrength behind his hold and snapped the woman’s neck.

The problem was, he didn’t know if that would stop her.Clearly, something about her was supernatural. The woman he held against himwas as cold as ice and smelled like embalming fluid. Zombies were above hispaygrade. And fuck zombies. That was where he drew theline. What the hell had the doc gotten herself into?

He waited as the woman sank against him, and then he waitedsome more. After a long moment, he glanced at the doc. She sat huddled againstthe cabin, watching wide-eyed, her terrified gaze seeming to follow somethinghe couldn’t see. She scrambled back and guarded her face with an arm as thoughreadying for an attack.

“Doc?” he said, barely able to breathe. He rolled the womanoff him and slid to Sia’s side, but her gaze shot to the left as thoughwatching something leave in a hurry. After that, she relaxed. A little. “Doc,what the actual fuck?” he ground out from between gritted teeth.

She gaped and him then stood so shecould tower over him. “What are you doing here? Why would you be here? Did youfollow me? Was that you?” She didn’t wait for an answer. She whirled around andheld up her phone, clearly hoping for a bar to appear. “I knew it. I knew someonewas following me, but did I listen to my gut? Of course not.”

He’d tried to get service while traipsing through theforest. He’d had it on the road and at the end of the driveway, but once he gotcloser to the Hendersons’ cabin, there was nothing.

“Why would I do something as inane as listen to my gut?”

“The princess of the underworld sent me,” he said, referring back to an earlier inquiry. In his defense, hedidn’t figure he could answer many of them. The doc seemed to be having amoment. When she whirled back around to question him with what he assumed was aglare—it was too dark to know for certain—he elaborated. “Little miss Loehr.”

“Beep? I mean, Elwyn?” she corrected.

Admittedly, most of the people at the compound still called the kid Beep. He found it adorable, which wasprobably why he never called her that. He didn’t do adorable. He did cool.Rugged. Manly. Not at that exact moment, but under normal circumstances, he waslike Marlon Brando and Sam Elliot’s love child. At least, he liked to think so.But it was hard to be cool when catching your breathfelt like swallowing razorblades.

“Elwyn asked you to follow me?”

“She asked me to keep an eye on you. Said you’ve seemeddistraught. And I’d like to second that.”

“I bet you would.” She held up her phone again, and he feltthey had more pressing matters than checking messages.

“What are you doing?” he asked since she had yet to help himup.

“We need an ambulance.”

“Isn’t that what you’re for?”

She dropped her arm and did the gaping thing again. “You’vebeen shot.”

“Yes, but it was only rock salt.”

She knelt beside him and shined the light on his wound. “So,it’s not bad?”

“Oh, hell no. It’s still bad. It’s reallybad. It’s just not quite as bad as it could’ve been. Also,my jacket helped.”

“Is it bulletproof?”

“Almost. It’s leather. Can you help me up?”