Regardless of how they had died—murder or something more natural—the corpses didn’t last long. There was no slow progression of decay and decomposition. Shortly after their death, the people of Brinkley Springs returned to the ashes and dust from which they had originally sprung.
And then, eventually, even the dust disappeared.
***
Donny stood beneath the tree in Esther’s front yard and looked both ways down the dark street, trying to figure out which direction Levi had gone in. Nothing moved. Even the wind had stopped. He listened for footsteps, or any other sound that would give away Levi’s presence, but there was nothing. The silence made the tiny hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He’d been scared and nervous many times in Iraq. Hell, he’d been scared every day. But those fears were nothing like what he felt tonight.
And not all of it had to do with what was happening in the town.
He glanced back at the bed-and-breakfast, hoping to see Marsha peeking out the window at him, but the curtains remained closed. His heart sank, but what had he expected? He wished he could tell her how he felt, wished desperately that he could find the words to explain his revulsion from Brinkley Springs and his steadfast refusal to linger here any longer than he had to—even if it meant never seeing her again. But every time he tried to tell her, all it did was lead to miscommunications and further hurt feelings. It would be better for her if he just left again. She was stronger now. It wouldn’t affect her the way it had the last time he’d left. She’d get through it. She was older now, and she had Randy and her—
Well, she didn’t have her parents anymore, did she? After tonight, she didn’t have anybody left at all, other than her little brother . . . and him.
Something twisted in Donny’s gut. He felt a hot flush of anger and resentment that his decision to leave had now been made even more difficult. How could he abandon her now, in the aftermath of all this? He hated himself for feeling that way and would never have admitted it out loud to anyone, but the emotions were there all the same. What the hell was wrong with him? Had the last few years fucked him that goddamned bad? Was he so self- fucking centered that when his ex-girlfriend’s parents were murdered, the only thing he could think of was how inconvenient it was for him?
Ashamed, he had a sudden urge to run back inside, take Marsha in his arms and apologize to her.
What was he doing out here, anyway?
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
Donny gasped but did not scream. He was too startled to scream. He spun around quickly, pulling his arms in tight over his midsection and kicked out with his foot. The blow swept by Levi but didn’t faze him.
“Jesus fucking Christ, dude! You scared the shit out of me. Don’t you know not to sneak up on someone like that?”
“Language. I don’t mind cursing, but neither do I appreciate you taking the Lord’s name in vain.”
“Sorry. You just really spooked me.” Donny straightened to his full height again. “So, what . . . ? You can read minds, too? How did you do that?”
“I have my ways.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have crept up like that. I mean, damn . . . I could have killed you just now,
Levi.”
“No, you couldn’t have.”
“You sure are a cocky bastard, Levi.”
“I’m not cocky. I’m confident. Arrogance is a sin. Being prepared isn’t. Now what are you doing out here? I told you to stay inside the house.”
Donny grinned. “And I told you I don’t take orders anymore.”
Levi stepped closer, until his forehead was only inches from Donny’s chin. As he stared up into the younger man’s eyes, Donny saw the anger in his expression—and something else, too. Fear. Levi was afraid, he realized, and that only increased Donny’s own uneasiness.
“Do you think this is a game? This isn’t some comic book or movie fantasy, where we defeat the bad guys with no consequences during the battle. I meant what I said, Donny. I can’t protect you out here. I need you to go back inside, for my own sake as well as yours.”
“I can handle myself, Levi. Trust me on that.”
“I know you can. I have no doubts about your abilities, and I’m sure you’d be good to have at my side in a tough situation, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then what are you talking about? What do you mean when you say for your sake as well as mine?”
Levi’s voice softened. “I . . . I have enough blood on my hands. Enough ghosts following me around. I don’t need to add any more.”
“Me either, Levi. You think I don’t know about guilt? You think I don’t know what it’s like to kill somebody—I mean, what it’s
Levi stared at him for a moment. His expression changed, and for a moment, Donny thought the older man was going to cry. But then his features smoothed out again.
“Okay,” Levi said. “I’m still not sure I understand your motivations, especially when you have a fine woman waiting inside who clearly loves you. In truth, though, I appreciate the company. It’s not often somebody walks this road with me. But understand me, Donny. Your fate rests squarely on your shoulders. I can’t protect you beyond the house. I can mask our presence somewhat, so that we can move about unmolested. But we’re not going to be evading them for long. I need to confront them. That’s the only way I’ll get the information I need to stop this.”
“Well, let’s get to it, then. We can go find them or we can stand around here talking all night long. Which is it going to be?”
“You’re not afraid?”
“Of course I’m afraid, Levi. I’m fucking terrified. And so are you. I can see it on your face. But if you think you’ve got a way to stop these . . . whatever they are, and I can help you do it, then I say we do it already.”
Levi nodded. “Let’s go. I have to find something first.”
Donny followed him across the street, resisting the urge to glance behind them and see if Marsha was watching. A part of him hoped that she wasn’t, but an even bigger part of him would have been disappointed if he turned and didn’t see her. He hesitated, his steps faltering. His legs felt heavy.
“Do you happen to know which—?” Levi paused, noticing Donny’s discomfort. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Having second thoughts?”
“No,” Donny insisted. “I’m fine. What were you doing out here, anyway? Myrtle looked outside right after you left, and said she didn’t see you. We thought you’d gone.”
“I was, but then I remembered that I had to do some shopping first.”
Donny frowned. “Shopping?”
“Yes, in a way. I was trying to figure out which one of these homes belonged to Myrtle. I’m certain that, given her proclivities, she probably has what I need.”
“Proclivities? You mean all that New Age stuff?”
“Yes.”
“So why not just knock on the door and ask her?” Levi shrugged. “At the time, I was worried that if I returned, I’d have to argue with you about not coming with me again. But now that you’re here anyway . . .”
Donny pointed across the street. “That’s her house, over there.”
“You don’t want to go back to Esther’s either.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“It is to me,” Levi said as they crossed the street.
“And to Marsha, I would assume. And to anyone else who has eyes and has ever been in love.”
Donny’s ears began to burn. His skin felt flushed. “I don’t mean to pry,” Levi continued, “but it’s clear to me that you love her as much as she loves you. What’s the problem?”
“I don’t want to hurt her anymore.”
“You hurt her once? Infidelity?”
