Page 55 of Johnny

“Is he?”

“Well, I’m gonna see him. But you’re not.”

“Why?”

“Because you need clothes. And we need food. So you’re gonna go shop while I meet up with my

friend.”

“For what? Lunch? Drinks?”

“Both,” he says. “You can fend for yourself, right?”

And there it is. The perfect opportunity to just walk away. Cut my losses, get off this ride, and be

thankful that I’m still alive and look at this whole thing as sort of a second chance. My father would

want me to get away. He would. If he were here he’d tell me to take my chances on my own. Just

disappear and never look back.

We made lots of contingency plans. Every week he’d drill me on what we would need to do if the

Way ever caught on to what we were really working on down in his private lab. A whole list. And I

could tick every single step off that list without even blinking, that’s how well I’ve been prepared for

this day.

But… everything is weird now. The dungeon. My near-death experience. Johnny Boston.

None of this was ever on the list.

But then again, everything seems to be working in my favor at the moment. So maybe seeing this

through with Johnny is how it’s supposed to go down?

Maybe this is how I save us?

“Yeah,” I say. Answering his question. “I can fend for myself.”

“Good,” he says, getting to his feet. “I’m gonna shower. How long’s the ride into Freeport?”

I glance at the map and do a rough distance calculation. “Two hours, maybe?”

“Perfect. Call me if you need anything.”

And with that he jumps down the stairs that lead to the bedrooms and disappears.

Maybe I’m overreacting? He doesn’t seem stressed out. Not like he was last night. And he

certainly is trusting. Letting me navigate. I could be taking us anywhere.

Maybe I’m reading him wrong? Maybe he’s not insane?

I decide to wait and see. Follow him once we get to Freeport. See where he goes, who he meets.

Because that’s good information and that might afford me more opportunities.