Where Silence Gathers (Some Quiet Place #2)(22)
Forgiveness angles his body toward me, and now his expression isn’t so detached; his dark eyes burn and brand my soul. I wait, thinking I’ve finally gotten to him, but after a moment he only tilts his head back and focuses on the struggling moon.
It’s strange to think that all this time, Revenge was my only companion while someone else waited on the sidelines for a weakness to show. Now that Nate Foster has been released, and I finally have a chance to right the wrong that was done to my family six years ago, that weakness has revealed itself. Forgiveness is water through a crack in a dam, the sensation of fear on a stage when all the lights are shining down, a beam succumbing to all the earth’s weight in the mines. I open my mouth to once again tell him to get out of my life—
“Alex.” There’s something different about his tone, a razorlike edge when before it was soft as a cloud. Tensing, I follow his gaze to the road. A car is parked by the curb, lights and engine off. There are abandoned cars all over Franklin; that’s not what’s unusual. What’s unusual is the fact that there’s someone sitting behind the wheel, a dark silhouette turned toward us.
Whoever it is, they must see that I know I’m no longer alone. Without warning, the engine roars, the lights flare, and the tires squeal. I stand and watched the taillights disappear—the two glowing red squares look like angry, accusing eyes. It reminds me of what happened on the road with the Taurus. I shiver, rubbing my arms. Within seconds, the car is gone.
There’s an irritating, flicking sensation at the back of my mind. That silhouette seemed so familiar …
“Do you know who that was?” Forgiveness asks.
I keep staring at the empty road. Unease stirs in the pit of my stomach. How much did they see? To anyone else, my conversation with Forgiveness would have looked like I was talking to air. This town is full of crazy people; I’m not worried about being locked away. But once again I think of the Taurus from days ago, the shattering mirror. These aren’t coincidences. Someone is watching me.
Someone knows.
NINE
“Oh, say can you see! By the dawn’s early light!”
“Just get in the car, Georgie,” Briana sighs. Together, she and Mark lower our friend into the backseat. Georgie nearly stumbles into him during the process. I would offer to help except I’m not entirely sober myself just yet, so I get into the passenger side and shut the door.
“What so proudly we hailed at … something, something!” Georgie hiccups and leans against the window. Rolling her eyes, Briana digs into Georgie’s pockets for the keys, her arms jutting at awkward angles to reach them.
“If you wanted to get in my pants, all you needed to do was ask,” Georgie slurs. Ignoring this, Briana gets in. She’s our designated driver tonight, since she only had half a beer. Smart and good to a fault, that’s our Briana.
Mark is still in the back, helping Georgie lie down. His eyes meet mine. “Are you all right?” he asks.
“Fine.” I force a smile.
“Well, if you need anything, call me. Okay?”
“We will, Mark,” Briana says. After another moment of hesitation, Mark eases out and shuts the door. Then he stands back, hands shoved in his pockets. As Briana settles behind the wheel, she lets out a breath. Her bangs lift and fall. “So, did you have fun?”
The engine comes to life and Briana smiles at me, but it looks strained. When I hesitate, she adds, “You weren’t around for most of the night. Did you meet up with someone in the woods?”
We reverse, and then we’re heading home. Mark disappears into the darkness. Listening to us, Georgie giggles. She’s always been a happy drunk. “Rendezvous in the woods, huh? Go, Alex! Living life to the fullest. Was it Mark? He was really excited to see you, you know.”
Neither of us responds, and Georgie starts singing again, drowning out Elvis. Even drunk, she has a nice voice. We don’t speak for the rest of the way, me because I’m thinking about that silhouette watching me and Briana because silence is more natural to her. Then my apartment is towering over us, blocking the moon, and stillness fills the small space. The engine idles and Briana leans across me to open the door. Good thing, since I would probably have trouble with the handle. “We’ll pick you up tomorrow,” she says, giving me a meaningful look. No arguments, it says.
I flap my hand at her. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t let your brother touch my car. Love you, nerd. Later, skank.”
Georgie blinks, trying to look indignant and failing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she slurs.
“Tell that to Billy Jenkins.” I slam the door before she can come up with a response. Briana gives me one last wave. Georgie has her face flattened against the window, smearing the glass with her saliva as she tries to convince both of us she doesn’t like Billy. The taillights vanish when they turn the corner.
Quiet.
Something crashes in the distance. The sound echoes as I whirl to face it. One of the garbage cans in the alley is tipped over, its insides spilling out onto the ground. The light at the top of the pole flickers. My heart skips a beat and I remember shattering plastic and lurking shadows.
Fear is already beside me, of course, his elbow brushing mine. “What kind of person are you?” he muses, head tilted. “Are you the type to go look for the source of that noise … or will you run?”