Page 84 of Coven of Corpses

“Sorry, girl,” he said.

“It’s got a longer reach than I expected,” Demmy said.

He played cat and mouse, slowing down and speeding up again, leading the tree out to the long ribbon of 118. A couple of sheriff’s cars sat on the shoulder to either side of the entrance. The bubble lights sent red across the tree as it lumbered up the driveway after them. Cody could see the shocked expressions of the deputies inside the cars as they watched the tree stomp and shuffle onto the road.

“It’s starting to smoke,” Dieter said, craning his neck to see out the back window.

“It’s burning through the tree faster than a human host,” Tracey said.

“Makes sense,” Cody said.

“We need to be out of sight before it burns out again,” Tracey said. “We need a place to lay low and come up with a plan.”

“It knows where to look for us at most places,” Cody said.

“Margie’s?” Eileen suggested.

“It wouldn’t be right to put her or her business at risk,” Cody said. “We need to be away from downtown.”

“I know where we can go,” Demmy said. His expression was still and tight, fingers white as they gripped the steering wheel.

“Yeah?” Cody said. “Where?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there. Hold on everyone.”

Demmy hit the gas and the car sped up. Cody looked out the back window and watched the tree lag farther behind. Smoke now curled from its upper and lower branches. That was going to be a hell of a mess to clean up.

Turning forward again, he let his head fall back against the seat and let out a breath. What a fucking day.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Demetrius turned over a rock and smiled as a key glimmered in the dirt. He held it up and faced the Cadillac where the rest of their group watched through the windows.

“It’s still here,” he said.

He turned back to the door and slotted the key into the lock. Behind him, he heard the others getting out of the car. No alarm beeped when he pulled the door open, and no lights came on when he flicked the switch just inside. He’d canceled all of that the previous year when they’d closed down the office. But the space was still for lease, and Demetrius had forgotten about the hidden key until today.

“Come on, come on. Watch your step.”

He waved everyone through the back entrance of what had once been the Critter Catchers office. Cody came last, and they shared a sad smile.

“You kept a key?”

“I actually forgot I had hidden one until shortly after we closed shop. Then I kept forgetting to come get it.” He shrugged. “Best place I could think of for us to regroup and make a plan.”

“You’re amazing.” Cody got up on his toes, and Demetrius leaned down to meet him for a kiss.

Cody ran his hand down Demetrius’s chest, smiled, then stepped through the door. Demetrius followed, closing the metal door behind him, locking it, and pocketing the key. He walked up the short back hallway, past the utility closet and the bathroom on one side and the small break room on the other. Light from the pole lamps in the parking lot filtered in through the front windows, casting the rest of the group into silhouettes. The place smelled of dust and cleaner and the new industrial-grade carpet the realty company had installed once he and Cody had cleared out their furniture. With the desks and file cabinets gone, the space looked bigger. Now the only furniture was a cheap card table by the glass front door and a few folding chairs. Some inkjet printed pages with details about the office were scattered on the card table.

“This was such a good space for you boys,” Amelia said, smiling as she looked between them.

“Yeah.” Cody said, looking at Demetrius. “It was.”

Demetrius could see Cody’s pain and guilt just beneath the surface of his expression. He knew Cody felt responsible for them losing their business license, but Demetrius had never held it against him. Standing here now in the empty space that had once been such an important part of their lives, however, had opened a chasm of loss he hadn’t realized had been festering within him. They’d spent so many hours here, talking and laughing, arguing and making up, eventually touching and kissing once their relationship deepened. They made so many plans for their business, for themselves. And now it was all packed away in the basement of their house.

The toilet flushed, and the bathroom door opened. Tracey stepped out, the flashlight on her phone lighting her way as she dried first one hand then the other on her torn and dirty jeans. Everyone was looking at her.

“What? I haven’t had the chance for a pee break in a while.”