Page 18 of Jacob Michaels is Dead

“Right.” I nodded, one hand steering and the other clenching Lucas’ hand. “Without them, it’s a dangerous place.”

“Yeah,” Lucas whispered. “I don’t really get what you mean by that.”

I sighed.

“I don’t know if this is true or not. Okay?” I glanced at Lucas. He nodded sharply. He understood. “But…the Kobolds were tied to, uh, magic that was, uh, tied to the land there. They’re gone now. The magic is disappearing. If they’re gone, and the magic is disappearing—or gone now—something bad is going to happen. I just don’t know what.”

“That’s…”

“Batshit crazy?” I laughed nervously.

“Well, yes.” Lucas chuckled with me. “But it’s also not much to make a plan on, Rob. If we don’t know what’s going to happen, how do we decide what we should be doing?”

“We know that…he…is coming.”

Lucas breathed out heavily, a moaning, hissing sound.

“What?”

“You said before that I met him, or might have met him, or that the Barkley’s have something to do with him,” Lucas mumbled. “I just don’t remember. I mean…not everything.”

“What do you remember?”

“Anytime you mention him, I can visualize him in his cloak. The hood. Red, glowing, piercing eyes. But I don’t know why or what memory that comes from.” Lucas shivered. “That has to mean that I have seen him before. Met him. Right? Otherwise, how would I be able to visualize him?”

“I don’t know. Is that something maybe you just know so you can see him?”

“No.”

“Then I assume that the Barkleys are just as involved as the Wagners, right?” I nodded. “You must have met him. I think you met him when you were a child. I had a dream…or vision…or something, Lucas. When you were a child.”

I glanced over to find Lucas chewing frantically at his lip.

“We’re close to it.” Lucas looked up. “Let’s just go to my house. Right there.”

Lucas’s hand slipped from mine so that he could point at the road up ahead. Sure enough, the turn to Lucas’ house was coming up. Giving Lucas a nod, I eased my car into the turn and headed towards Lake Erie.

“Will we be safe there?” I asked nervously as the dirt road caused the car to bounce and shimmy. “I mean…a whole window is missing.”

Lucas snorted.

“I just want to get my phone.” He said. “We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, babe.”

“It’s as safe as anywhere else, I guess.” I shrugged. “But why do you need your phone?”

“Maybe I can call mom or dad.” He explained. “Maybe they will—”

“Maybe they will what?” I turned my head to look at him, urging him on with my eyes.

“Shit.” Lucas winced. “Rob. Look.”

“What?” I turned my head to look out of the windshield.

Red and yellow light was what I saw before I realized I was looking at flames shooting into the sky ahead. Something big was on fire. And there was only one thing at the end of the dirt road that was big enough to create a fire massive enough to be seen that far away. Lucas’ house was on fire. Surprisingly, Lucas didn’t punch the dashboard or bang his head against his window. He didn’t show any signs that what we were about to drive up on had affected him in any way. As we drew closer to his property, and we pushed past the line of trees, we could finally see the base of the fire. Lucas’ beautiful home on the lake was an inferno.

“Oh, shit, Lucas.” I moaned as I slowed the car to a stop, at least thirty yards from his house. “Oh, fuck. I’m so sorry. What—”

“Jason.” Lucas’ eyes were like daggers as he stared out of the windshield towards his burning home. “His fucking pack did this.”