The Tree Beasts by E R Fallon

Author:E R Fallon
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: darkstroke
Published: 2020-06-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Neil had kept the van running in the cold air while Katie called home. White exhaust coughed out of the tailpipe.

“Everything okay?” he asked as she stepped back in.

“Yeah,” Katie said. “I think so.”

They rode farther into the town and Neil pulled into the church’s crowded parking lot. It took him a few minutes to find a parking spot at the back. The afternoon was still bright, and they walked up a stone pathway to the small white church. Katie followed Neil into the community room.

People were seated on fold-out chairs in a circle, with a thin, sandy-haired man with a tan face clearly the leader of the group. Styrofoam cups were stacked next to a coffee urn with a plate of frosted cookies on a card table at the other side of the room. Everyone had a Mark on their temple and turned to stare at Neil and Katie entering through the back door.

Katie found two empty seats for them. Neil waved to a raven-haired woman he seemed to know. From the way the pretty woman greeted Neil, it was clear she had feelings for him, and it was also clear he had no idea how she felt.

The leader nodded at Katie and Neil and began the meeting by introducing himself as Landon. He asked that each person introduce himself by their first name only before they spoke because it was important that each person remain anonymous. He mentioned the gathering was free-form, with the only rules being you couldn’t interrupt someone while they were talking and you couldn’t ask someone questions after they were done speaking.

Matt, a pleasantly chubby man, raised his hand. Landon nodded at Matt and he was the first to share his story. “I first found out I was a Reader when I was a kid, from a family friend who was also one. He took me under his wing. At first I thought it meant I was some kind of deity. Then I found out our only skills are that we’re able to read and get the memory high. Some skills, right? Feeding off someone. How sick is that? We’re all freaks here. Sick freaks—”

Landon cut him off. “You can speak freely here, but I have to say something to the entire group. Please don’t demean yourselves or anyone else.” He eyeballed Matt. Landon turned back to the group. “We’re all at some stage of recovery, and we can try to understand our mistakes, but we can’t erase who we are. And, remember, it’s a good idea to stand up so the group can hear you while you’re speaking.”

Matt leaned back, crossed his arms and didn’t resume his story. Katie sensed Landon wouldn’t push him to finish because that’s how the group seemed to work.

Neil’s dark-haired beauty stood and told everyone she was Tracy. “I’m not going to lie. Sometimes I miss it. But I used to hate how it could get pretty cliquey. You can have the Mark but not have read,

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