I'll Stop the World (114)

Her mind turned to the night ahead, running over her plan yet again. After all the scheming and speculating she had done with Justin, it almost felt too simple. She and Noah would meet at her house first. Then they’d drive over to the school to intercept Bill and Veronica, who—if Justin’s story turned out to be true—would be running late for the debate because they’d stopped by Bill’s office.

Justin said the fire started around six thirty. So as long as they got there before then, they could stop the guidance counselor and his wife from going inside and make it back to the debate before the first question was asked. It would be like nothing ever happened.

Unless of course Veronica was at the debate already and Justin’s story was completely wrong. That’s what Noah was sure would happen. They’d go to the school, and no one would be there. Then they’d walk into the debate and Veronica would already be by Diane’s side, and everything would be fine. The school wouldn’t catch fire. No one would die or travel through time. Because Justin wasn’t from the future; he was just crazy.

Part of Rose hoped he was right. That would certainly be the easier path.

But she couldn’t shake her sense that Justin had been telling the truth all along. He was annoying and stubborn and immensely frustrating, but he wasn’t a liar. Something in her was sure of it.

She’d told him that she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. That she didn’t care what happened to him.

She guessed that was kind of true.

But that didn’t mean she’d ever stopped believing him.

The car sputtered again as Rose turned toward the water, with the lights of Wilson Bridge just visible through the trees. A second later, the steering wheel began to shake, followed by the rest of the car.

Rose straightened in her seat, her fingers gripping the steering wheel as her dashboard clock blinked an uneven 6:04, taunting her with just how little time she had left. “Please no, please not now, please, please, please,” she chanted over and over as the car bucked and shook like it was experiencing convulsions.

In response, the car coughed one last time, belching up a black cloud of smoke before it died. Rose kept the accelerator pressed to the floor, leaning forward as though she might be able to make it the rest of the way fueled by sheer willpower. She stayed that way until the Escort rolled to a stop.

For a second, Rose just sat there, her hands clenched on the wheel. She tried turning the ignition off and back on, tried pumping the clutch and the gas in turn, tried shifting into every different gear in the hopes that one of them might magically coax the car back to life.

Nothing.

Grumbling under her breath, Rose climbed from the car, slamming the door extra hard, as if that would somehow ensure that the Escort would feel properly guilty for stranding her out here. She looked up and down the roadway, but no cars were coming in either direction. Lisa and Charlene were long gone. And no one else knew she was out here.

Above her, the dark sky began to growl with the promise of an approaching storm.

Justin had said it would be raining. She tried not to think about that.

Just in case, Rose pulled an umbrella out of the trunk. Then she began to walk.





Chapter Seventy-One


KARL

Karl whimpered as the truck rumbled to life. He curled his knees to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut as the vehicle rolled away from the curb and picked up speed. Stinging wind slapped against the tarp over his body, and he pressed himself against the side of the truck bed to try to shield himself as much as possible.

Just stay calm, he told himself. If this truck belonged to one of the students or teachers at the school, they probably lived nearby. All Karl had to do was stay small and quiet until the truck parked, then walk back to town.

Maybe this would actually be a good thing. This way, Robbie would really have no idea where to look for him.

It started to rain, first a gentle spray, then a downpour. The tarp fluttered around him, doing very little to protect him from the pummeling rain. Karl huddled even smaller as he bounced around the back of the truck, his clothing quickly soaked from the water leaking around the edges of the tarp and splashing up from the bed.

How far had they gone? He was starting to worry they were driving too far away, but he wasn’t used to not being able to see anything. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Maybe they hadn’t gone that far after all.

The truck had turned a few times, but never slowed long enough for Karl to try to escape. His heart raced as he ran through worst-case scenarios in his head. What if the driver lived a hundred miles away? What if he got in an accident? What if he was a kidnapper and actually knew Karl was back here, and was taking him into the middle of nowhere to murder him?

That last thought spooked Karl enough to peek out from under the tarp, hoping to see something familiar. If he could figure out where they were, maybe it would be better to jump and run, as soon as the truck slowed down some. But rain sprayed into his eyes, making it impossible to identify anything in the dark.

He needed to sit up if he wanted a better view.

Holding tight to the edge of the bed, Karl pulled himself upright, looking around to get his bearings. To his surprise, he realized he actually did know where they were—the driver had just pulled onto Wilson Bridge, heading toward Karl’s house. This was perfect. Once the driver reached the stop sign on the opposite side, that would be the perfect place for Karl to jump out.