Passenger

Griffin kept watching his feet while he cupped one hand under his balls.

Ben said, “If he doesn’t open the door, we’re going to have to bust in.”

I saw Qui

“He’s got the place booby-trapped. It’s dangerous. We can figure something out.” I pounded my fist against the door. “Qui

We waited.

It poured.

Ben kicked the door. It made a sound like explosions inside the cavernous firehouse. If Qui

Griffin pressed up against me when the first boom of thunder erupted over our heads. Here in Marbury, it came so loud, you could feel thunderclaps echoing in the center of your guts.

“We need to get out of the rain,” Griffin said.

The water inched its way toward us, higher up the slope of the hill. I could see the worms slithering at its edge, like they could smell us standing there. And for a moment, I couldn’t help but picture the image of all those millions of black worms sprouting like weeds through the skin of the anguished Hunters.

I pounded a second time. “Qui

Another explosion of thunder. I could feel both of them—Griffin and Ben—jump at the sound.

And then, from above: “Billy? Is that you?”

The three of us looked up at the same time to see a scrawny redhead kid smiling down at us from his rooftop deck.

Qui

“You been a bad friend, Billy. You took from me. That just ain’t right. You should have did what I told you.”

Why was it that I always found myself wanting to punch him? At least the adrenaline rush of Qui

And Ben whispered, “‘Billy’? Who the fuck is Billy?”

“He just fucks with people,” I said. “Constantly. He’s a little fucking prick.”

Then I raised my voice so he would hear me. “I apologize for that, Qui

Qui

I looked down, whispered, “He’s fucking insane.”

Griffin pressed his body flat against the door. Qui

“I can’t leave them,” I said. “I’ve known them forever.”

“Okay. Well, good-bye then, Odd.”

And Qui

I kicked the door. “Fucking sonofabitch.”

“Is he joking?” Ben seemed unable to grasp Qui

Griffin stomped his foot down. I looked. With the heel of his shoe, he’d cut one of the black worms in half. “We need to get out of here.”

I raised my hand to pound again, but I gave up. It was no use. To Qui

“I fucking hate that guy.”

What could we do? The water was rising fast. We’d all be struggling against the worms in a minute. And that was a fight we’d end up losing. Our only chance was taking Qui

I sighed. “Fuck.” Then I bent over and began untying my bootlaces. Someone was going to have to wade out after the canoe, and I couldn’t expect Ben or Griffin to do it; not after all the shit I’d already put them through.

By the time I’d gotten my socks pulled off and managed to roll my pantlegs up over my calves, I already had one of those black things worming across the top of my foot, slithering up from between my toes. I pinched it, flicked it away, and daubed at the bead of watery blood left behind by its circular bite.

“Anyone else want to come with me?”

Ben and Griffin just stared at me like I was a lunatic. “This is going to be fucking fun.”

I took a deep breath, and was just about to step out into the water when the firehouse door opened and the redhead stuck his face out. And he was still pointing that speargun of his, directly at the center of my back.

“I’ll shoot anyone who touches my boat, Billy. That’s just how it’s going to be.”

I spun around, my hand clenched in a fist, ready to unload on him. “What the fuck do you want me to do, Qui

Griffin and Ben moved away from me, as near as they could get to the edge of the water. I couldn’t blame them for stepping back. It was a rock and a hard place, and I’d never expect them to take a shot that I deserved. After all, it was my idea to come to the fucker’s house in the first place.

Everything was my idea.

Qui

“Okay, Billy. No need using foul words. I was just seeing how you’d stand. Who you’d stick up for in the game. You know … yourself or your partners there. You are partners, right?”

I wanted to howl, to kick him in the teeth.

“Yes. We’re partners, Qui

Then Qui

Two more of the worms were on my right ankle, coming up. A third was already disappearing inside the left leg of my pants. I pulled it out through the hole in my knee, ripped it apart between my fingers. Then the other two. Both of my legs and hands were covered in blood.

I held my palms out, open to Qui

“What the fuck, Qui

Qui

“I was just measuring you up, Billy. You’re okay. You two partners got a good friend there. A real good friend!”

And Qui

Qui

But as I passed him in the doorway, he put his arm around my shoulders and whispered, “It would be better if it was just you and me, Odd. You’ll see. We don’t need them two, Billy. Okay?”

As he led me up the stairway to his living floor, Qui

“Thank you, Qui

And I knew then that if I ever had to kill Qui

Qui

“I told you we’d be friends, Billy. Told you.”

*   *   *

First he had to give my “partners” a grand tour of his palace.

Qui

“But you two Odds can sleep down on the floor. Don’t worry, I got plenty more bedding, which I intend is not going to be put to use for anything other than you two fellas sleeping on.”