The Grim Reaper's Dance

“Hey! Wait!”

Casey stiffened. Two teenage boys, laughing, ran past her, knocking her sideways into a young mother with a stroller. Casey made her apologies and watched as the boys caught up with the girls they were chasing. Would she ever be free of worry that someone would find her? Cops or Pegasus or her family? Or Yonkers and his men?

Angling away from the stream of people, Casey walked through the library parking lot and down the alley. The backs of the buildings had signs with the names of the businesses, and Casey stopped at Luciano’s Pizzeria. A Dumpster sat at the side, and Casey slipped into the shadows behind it. From her vantage point she could see only a short stretch of the alley coming up toward the restaurant, and nothing in the other direction, both of which made her uncomfortable. The rest of the little area behind the restaurant—room for two parked cars, plus the Dumpster —was full-up.

“Anyone coming?”

Death perched on top of the Dumpster, playing an African drum with a steady beat. “Nope. Hope Bailey can convince the others to come this way.” Thump. Thump.

“I’m not worried about her. What about the other direction?”

“Nada. Well, some woman’s emptying out her trunk, donating things to the little thrift store, but she looks like she’s about eighty. “ Thump. Thump. “I don’t think she’s a threat.”

“Can you stop with the drum? I can’t hear footsteps if you’re doing that.”

“You just aren’t a music lover, are you?”

“Shh.” Voices were coming down the alley. Young, loud voices.

Casey made out Sheryl’s words first. “It’s creepy back here. I don’t know why we can’t just go in the front, like normal people.”

“We’ve never come this way before.” Johnny. “How do we even know which place is the right one?”

“Signs, Johnny, see?” Martin. “They tell you which store it is.”

“Oh. Never noticed that.”

“We’ll miss the crowd this way,” Bailey said. “Someone said we ought to try it.”

“Who said that?” Sheryl again. Pouty.

“I did.” Casey stepped out from behind the Dumpster.

Sheryl shrieked and grabbed onto Terry’s arm. Terry had been startled, too, but mostly looked pleased that Sheryl was touching him. Martin laughed out loud. Bailey surveyed her friends with narrowed eyes.

And Johnny looked terrified.

“What are you d-doing here?” His head whipped back and forth, as if he expected to see someone else— someone he didn’t necessarily want to see.

Oh, Johnny. Casey met Death’s eyes, and Death shrugged helplessly.

“We can’t meet at the shed anymore.”

“Why not?” Martin sounded surprised.

“Somebody else knows I’ve been staying there, and it would be better if they didn’t find me. Or you.”

“Who knows?” Martin asked. “Who told them?”

“Also,” Casey said, ignoring his questions, “I wanted to return this to Terry.” Casey held the phone out. “Seems I can’t use it anymore.”

“It’s dead?” Terry took it and pushed the power button. “I just charged it before I gave it to you.”

“No, it’s not dead. But I have a feeling I was supposed to be.”

“No,” Johnny breathed. “No, they said—”

Bailey’s mouth dropped open. “Johnny?”

“What is it?” Sheryl said. “What’s going on?”

Casey was going to try to keep things calm and ask Johnny to explain, but Bailey stepped up and punched him in the arm. “How could you?”

“Whoa, whoa.” Martin grabbed Bailey around the waist, barely avoiding the fist she re-aimed at Johnny. “What’s going on here? What did Johnny do?”

Tears overflowed Bailey’s eyes, and she shoved away from Martin, stalking several feet away.

Casey gave a grim smile. “You want to explain to them, Johnny? And tell us just how much danger we’re all in?”

“We’re not…I mean they’re not…” He stopped, looking miserable.

“Johnny,” Martin said. “What did you do?”

Johnny stepped back so he was against the brick wall of the building and sank to the ground, his head in his hands.

“Johnny, come on!” Terry stepped closer, his phone in his fist, as if he were going to throw it as his friend.

“Guys, stop.” Sheryl pushed past them both and hunkered down beside Johnny. Her expression was surprisingly gentle. “Johnny, what happened? It’s okay. You can tell us.”

Johnny raised his head and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “I didn’t mean to…I just wanted…”

Sheryl put a hand on his knee. “It’s okay, honey. Tell us.”

Bailey had come back to the circle, but stood apart from the others, her arms crossed tightly over her stomach. She stared at the ground, but Casey knew she was listening to every word.

“My dad,” Johnny said. “He was talking about this lady that ran away from the hospital. I mean, the other doctor was talking about her. About you.” He glanced up at Casey, and then quickly away. “He said this other doc was checking you out and you took off. The doctor was worried about you—that you were hurt—and then he thought he saw you back at the hospital, but you didn’t stop. I told Dad he didn’t have to worry, because you were fine.”

Casey closed her eyes and gave a small, humorless laugh. Poor Johnny. He just wasn’t too bright.

“Johnny, you idiot!” Terry said. “Can you not keep a secret for two seconds?”

“Terry!” Sheryl’s voice was sharp. “He didn’t do it on purpose. It slipped out.”

“Maybe. But what did you do next?”

Johnny sniffed. “I didn’t do anything. My dad about jumped down my throat asking what I meant and where I’d seen you, and…and he threatened to ground me for two months if I didn’t tell him. Two months!” He looked up at his friends. “I wouldn’t be able to see you guys forever! All I would be able to do would be go to school and football.” He shuddered. “Can’t you see? I had to tell him! Because what if…” He glanced at Casey. “What if it was true, what Sheryl said that first night? That she’s bad?”

Bailey growled. “What did you tell him, Johnny?”

He swallowed. “That I’d seen her. That she was hiding out in your shed and we were helping her.”

Bailey’s nostrils flared, but it was Martin who said bleakly, “You gave up our place, John. We can never go there again.”

“Of course you can,” Sheryl snapped. “It’s not like this is going to go on forever. She’ll leave, and we’ll go back to doing what we always do. Or, you guys will, since I’ll be in freaking Timbuktu.”

“But they know,” Terry said. “They know about the shed.”

“Just my dad,” Johnny said. “He’s the only one.”

Casey clicked her tongue. “Really, Johnny? Is he really the only one?”

Silence hung in the air.

“Who else, Johnny?” Bailey’s voice was flat.

“Well…” He looked at his hands. “Dad made me tell Dr. Shinnob, who wanted to know all about how you were looking. He said he wasn’t going to come after you, because it was your choice and all whether you came in. But then…” He stopped.

“Johnny,” Bailey said.

“Dad made me go to the cops.”

“The cops?” Casey said, her voice louder than she’d intended.

“Yeah. He said you were wanted for questioning, so I needed to tell them what I knew.”

“When was this?”

“Yesterday morning.”

“After I got those reports,” Martin said.