Wicked Tongue by C. L. Schneider

Author:C. L. Schneider [Schneider, C. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

“Two cheeseburger platters. Extra crispy fries.” The server sat their plates on the table. “Can I get you two anything else?”

Daniel kept a hand to the side of his face, hiding it, his body angled away.

Chloe flashed her a bland smile. “No. Thank you.”

“That’s good, hon. Because the kitchen staff will be gone soon. We’re closing in about an hour. That should give everyone time to finish up. I just hope that nasty business downtown doesn’t reach us first. I don’t even get what they’re all so crazy about. I know that damn alert scared everyone half to death. And the phones and internet being out don’t help none.”

“The internet is out, too?” Chloe broke in.

The woman nodded. “Still, rioting is a little premature. Don’t you think?”

“It wasn’t a riot,” Daniel said, earning the woman’s attention with the first words he’d spoken since they walked into the corner bar and grill. They’d made it to the plaza where Caleb suggested they stop to rest: the first exit off the highway. Chloe’s favorite shopping area. It was noticeably hectic, with the lot so full people were making their own parking spaces. The entrances were bumper-to-bumper traffic, with impatient customers scurrying nonstop in and out of the stores. Still, it wasn’t as bad as downtown. Yet.

The waitress lingered, waiting for Daniel to elaborate. “If it wasn’t a riot,” she finally asked, “what the hell was it?”

Chloe shrugged, playing off his ill-timed response. “We aren’t really sure.”

“You two were there?” Skeptical, she crossed her arms over her aproned chest and glanced between them. “I heard the cops blocked off the area and wouldn’t let anyone leave. How’d you get out?”

“It’s not the cops,” Chloe said. “The main roads are at a standstill, full of accidents and abandoned cars. The highway is nearly shut down. The lanes are barely moving. We had to walk.”

“All that way? Across the bridge?”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Chloe said, trying to douse the woman’s suspicion. She picked up a fry and ate it, hoping to convey their desire to eat and be left alone.

The front door opened, momentarily snagging their waitresses attention, as the hostess hurried up and turned the customer away. The man didn’t look happy, but he left without a fight. She locked the door after and flipped over the closed sign.

Worry stiffened the woman’s voice as she turned back to their table. “I’m just glad to get out of here, so I can get my kids checked out. Is that where you all are headed? To get tested?”

“Right after we finish eating,” Chloe replied with a bland smile.

“Well, don’t let me keep you.” With a curious glance at Daniel, the woman moved onto another table.

Chloe sighed in relief. She retrieved another fry and nibbled on it.

Daniel attempted to keep his face from view as he took a bite of the burger on his plate. Unquestionably, his body needed food. The parasite was still steadily leaching off him to grow. And now that nourishment was in front of him, it was nearly impossible to contain his urge to consume.

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