Disassembled Creatures by Albany Walker

Author:Albany Walker [Walker, Albany]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albany Publishing
Published: 2022-10-26T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

When Mom pulls up next to me, Dad gets out of the passenger seat and lifts the handle of my car door. I watch him, then realize I need to unlock the door. “Come on.” He lays his hand on my shoulder.

Mom calls loudly, “Dad will drive your car. Get in.”

I understand what she’s saying, and even what I need to do, but I still move sluggishly. Dad helps me into the passenger seat of Mom’s car, and he even closes the door for me before she pulls away. I see him get behind the wheel of my car in the side mirror.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” She lays her hand on my arm and grips me tightly. I let my head fall against the seat.

Mom pulls under the awning of a hotel, and I look around. I haven’t been paying attention to where we were going. “We’re going to stay here for the night,” she tells me.

“Okay,” I agree.

“I need to book a room. Do you want to come in with me? It might take a few minutes.” She glances over at the well-lit doors.

“No.” I huddle in the seat, feeling cold even though my heat is on. “I’ll wait here.”

“Lock the doors. If anyone comes around just… just run them over,” she says, opening her door. I don’t think she was kidding. She doesn’t walk away until she sees me hit the lock button, and even then she’s in this near jog type of walk and looking over her shoulder to watch me like she doesn’t want to leave me alone for five minutes.

My eyes go unfocused as I look out the windshield. In my mind, I can see Ed and Mert Bigelow, our neighbors. They were always so nice. She made us pumpkin and zucchini bread from her garden every year. I scrub my hands over my face. I need to know what happened to them, but I don’t want to know at the same time.

A shadow passes by the car, and I pull my fingers back to see my dad standing near the hood. He’s on his phone, but that’s not unusual. It’s the frown on his face and the tight set to his shoulders that looks out of place.

I can’t quite make out what he’s saying, but his tone says enough. He’s pissed at whoever is on the other end of the phone. He takes a few more steps away from the car, and I notice someone walking at the other end of the parking lot, approaching the end of the building. The black shirt and stance are familiar. When he reaches the side entrance, he pauses under the light long enough for me to confirm it’s him. His head shifts just enough that it almost looks like he glances back at me.

He did say he just got to the area a few days ago, but what are the chances we’d end up at the same hotel he’s staying at? He moves his hand to the handle then hauls the door open before disappearing inside.

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