Page 17 of Coven of Corpses

He reached his truck and climbed into the cab. He put the box inside the center console, making sure to position it so the lid remained secured. Starting the engine, he plugged in his phone then pulled out of the lot. Fortunately, he’d parked facing exit and didn’t have to drive past the unit again. Knowing Roman, he’d probably jump in front and prevent his escape. Cody wondered if he’d try to brake in time.

The storage unit was one of hundreds in a place called StoreMore Solutions, located on the very edge of town past Parson’s Pines senior living complex and Parson’s Pond. He passed both, consciously not looking down the driveway for Parson’s Pines where his grandmother had been living. Less than a mile later, he passed Buford Heights cemetery. Unfortunately, his grandmother wasn’t buried there. She’d had a plot next to her husband, Everly, in Hollow of Eternal Rest on the other side of town which also happened to be where a bunch of corpses had come back to life the year before and swarmed the town. Going back there for the funeral had triggered more than a few painful memories for Cody. And he figured those memories, along with the loss of his grandmother and the ensuing invasion of his family, had been major contributors to the steady decline of his mood.

Plus the last couple years of weirdness he and Demmy had lived through, of course.

He flexed the fingers of his left hand and fought back the phantom pain from the zombie bite he’d received on his forearm. No need to think about that. Or the constant ache in his neck from the vampire bites over Halloween. They had other terrible things to think about now.

After pressing the button on the steering wheel to connect to his phone, Cody paused. He was about to call Demmy, of course, but had a second thought. Demmy was always running off to the library to look up stuff about their monster cases. Cody had gone along a time or two but had never really seemed to add much to the effort. And seeing Tracey Mumm had never been high on his list of fun activities. However, he’d been thinking about Tracey since he’d seen her at the store last night. It would be good to check on her, and maybe he could figure a few things out without having to bother Demmy.

He ended the connection with his phone and adjusted his path through town. The few blocks of the downtown business area were busy. All the parking spots near Parson’s Pharmacy were taken, and on the next block, Antonio’s, the upscale Italian restaurant in town, looked to be pretty popular for an early weekday afternoon. A few storefronts farther along, Margie’s Diner was packed, with a line out the door. He looked forward to the days when he and Demmy could go to Margie’s alone again and eat and talk and be an actual couple. Sleeping on that fold out bed in the living room was not only painful for someone of Cody’s height, but it was definitely putting a cramp in his and Demmy’s personal play time.

The library was a few streets off Main Street. Made of yellow bricks and looking like some civil engineer’s wet dream, the Parson’s Hollow library was a single story rectangular structure plunked down in a group of similarly styled buildings. There was parking in front and a larger lot to one side shared by the Parson’s Hollow post office and Thomas Jefferson Elementary, both built with matching brick. Apparently there had been a sale on yellow bricks back in the forties and fifties.

Cody parked in the lot and allowed himself a minute to just sit in the quiet of the cab. A woman walked past holding several books, and two little kids trailed behind her talking and laughing. The kids looked to be about kindergarten age, and he marveled at the fact that he and his brothers had once been that small. He looked at the side entrance of the school building, and a wave of nostalgia swept through him. He and Demmy had become best friends inside that building. Had it really been thirty years since he and Demmy had met? He looked at the ring on his left hand, the flat light of the overcast day dulling the gold. Where in the absolute fucking hell had time gone? Devoured by some monster they’d yet to meet, no doubt.

He checked his hair in the mirror, ran a hand through it, then put the box with the hex bag in his jacket pocket and got out of the truck. The breeze had picked up, bringing to him the smell of fresh mulch and damp earth.

At the library entrance, he held the door for a young mother holding the hand of a toddler and carrying an infant in one of those packs that hung on her front. The infant had been dressed with a hand-made hat that looked like leaves on top of a strawberry, and he guessed the baby had red hair. Probably not the best idea to dress children up as food items in a town like Parson’s Hollow. Might be something to put on the visitor brochures.

The dry, coarse smell of books and a well-trod, industrial grade carpet washed over him. A hushed energy thrummed inside the building, maybe generated by all the people reading banned books or looking up forbidden factual information. He walked up the two steps to the main level. The check-out desk was about twenty feet in front of him. To the right was the children’s section, brightly decorated and populated with low tables that made Cody’s knees ache just looking at them. Parents sat with their children, looking at picture books and talking quietly. Off to his left was the main area. Rows of tables extended to the outer wall, and shelves of books stood in lines at either end of them. People sat at the tables, leafing through magazines or reading books. A couple of high school girls sat across from one another, whispering over open and ignored laptops. The computers looked expensive, and Cody fought back a wave of envy.

An older man standing behind the circulation desk smiled as Cody approached.

“May I help you?” A badge on a lanyard showed his picture and provided his name: Robert.

“Yeah, hi. Is Tracey Mumm working today?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, she’s not. May I help you with anything?”

Cody looked past him, down the short hallway behind the circulation desk. The gated and locked door at the end of the hall led to the artifacts room where they kept a number of older books. The room was climate-controlled and secured, and Tracey was the one who managed the collection. He knew Robert, helpful as he was, wouldn’t be able to let him inside.

“No, thanks. I just needed to speak to her.” Cody started to turn away, then looked back. “Is Heath in today?”

Robert made an apologetic face and shook his head. “Sorry, he’s out today as well.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Cody turned for the door but stopped abruptly and nearly tripped over a short woman standing directly behind him. He let out a quick shout of surprise and was shushed from all directions. Ducking his head as if avoiding enemy fire, he waved and whispered, “Sorry. Sorry.”

“Hey there, Stretch,” Clarabell said, grinning as she looked up at him. She wore baggy black jeans and a bright green hoodie over an XL t-shirt showing Godzilla painting his nails while sitting in the midst of a trampled city. Her Doc Martens were still decorated with UFO stickers.

“Don’t creep up on me,” Cody said. He stepped around her, heading for the door.

Clarabell, of course, followed him outside, adjusting the messenger bag around her shoulders. “I came here to talk to Tracey as well. We’ve been working on something, and I haven’t heard from her.”

“Yeah? Well, I saw her last night, and she was pretty scattered,” Cody said. He pressed the unlock button on his key fob and the truck beeped.

“Saw her where? And what do you mean scattered?”

“Get in and I’ll tell you.”

Cody got in behind the wheel and Clarabell clambered up into the passenger seat and pulled the door shut with a heavy exhalation. She turned sideways in the seat and looked at him.

“Spill the tea,” she said.

He made a face. “Don’t say that.”

“God, you’re so grumpy all the time. Just tell me what you know.”

He told her about his encounter with Tracey and Heath at Bulk & Beyond the night before.