Page 54 of Grave Danger

Ollie opened the door, blinking in surprise at the sight of them. “Wow. It’s like a party all of a sudden. Hi everyone, come on in.”

Demmy took the lead and Cody followed, Agatha and Jugs right behind him.

“What happened to your arms, Jugs?” Ollie asked after closing the door.

“A little workplace mishap,” Jugs said, glancing at Cody.

“Ouch. I hope you got workmen’s comp for it.” Ollie shot Cody a smirk before hurrying past them into the living room.

“I’d like to point out that I did nothing to prompt that attack,” Cody said.

“It wasn’t an attack,” Demmy said with a light laugh, following Ollie.

“I’m with Demetrius on this one,” Agatha said as she walked by.

“I got you, bruh,” Jugs said. “It was a legit attack.” He leaned in a little and lowered his voice. “Just don’t tell Aggie I said that, okay?”

“Get in there, you spineless jerk.”

Cody followed Jugs into the living room. Eileen sat in a recliner with a crocheted blanket over her legs. Her hair had been brushed and she had on a little makeup, but a white bandage sat above her right eye, and Cody could see the exhaustion and hurt in her expression. When she saw him, however, Eileen’s eyes brightened a bit, and her smile widened.

“Hey there, you big lug,” Eileen said. “Finally come to visit, huh?”

“I was waiting for the rush to die down,” Cody said.

His brother, Dave, stood up from the loveseat and gave him a strong hug. “Good to see you.”

“You, too.” Cody tugged gently on Dave’s beard. “Ollie all about the woodsman look?”

Dave smirked and stroked his brown whiskers, which, Cody had to admit, looked good with his soft brown eyes and the white of his smile. “He doesn’t mind it. And I thought I’d let it grow out a bit while there’s no gray.” Dave winced and ran a hand over Cody’s scruff. “Oh, sorry to mention that.”

Cody pulled his head away from Dave’s touch and scowled. “Asshole.” He turned away and hugged Amelia, releasing a quiet, “Oof,” at the force of her squeeze. When Amelia stepped back, she looked between him and Demmy.

“I worry about you boys.”

“We’re fine, Aunt Amelia,” Demmy assured her, and held his arms out. “See? We’re fine.”

“You were attacked,” she countered. “Right in back of your own office. Things are getting crazy again. I don’t think I have it in me to go through it another time.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Demmy said in a soothing tone. “Everything is okay. You can’t let this bring up all that crap from years ago, okay? Cody and I are both fine.”

“Oh, okay.” She moved past them and gestured to Jugs’s arms. “What about Jugs? What happened to him?”

Jugs looked guilty and put his arms behind his back. “What? Oh, nothing. Just some scratches I got on the job.”

“Don’t bother lying,” Eileen said in her scratchy voice. “She knows all of it. Isaac Wilkerson has a police band radio and keeps all of us informed.”

“Great,” Cody whispered to Demmy, then stepped up to Amelia and took her by the upper arms. “Amelia, my brave and beautiful Amelia.”

“Fig trees, Cody Bower, that pretty talk is not going to work with me.”

“All right, I’ll cut right to it. We’ve had some strange encounters lately that we can’t explain, but we’re all safe and well. We’re fine. Worrying isn’t going to help any of us keep away from trouble, is it?”

Her expression softened, and she nodded. She pulled out of his grip and went to stand beside Eileen’s recliner. “I know that, of course I do. It just feels so similar to two years ago. And that was not the best time for me.” She sniffled and gestured toward the big picture window that looked out on the street. “Or for anyone in this town. And now, zombies?”

“No one has said the zee word yet,” Agatha said.

Ollie slowly raised his hand and made a face. “I have. Sorry.”