Allie was about to launch into a hundred defenses of her relationship with Mikey, but Milos cut her off by saying, “Then we shall walk.”

Squirrel looked at him slack-jawed. “But-But—”

“Did he jusht say we’re walking?” asked Moose.

“Is there a hurry? No!” said Milos. “And it is a beautiful time of year. I see no problem in walking.”

“Yeah, yeah, but what about Jackin’ Jill?” said Squirrel. “We still gotta find her and teach her a lesson.”

“We will find her when we find her,” Milos said. “A few days won’t make a difference.” Allie couldn’t help but notice how he bristled at the mention of her name. Milos then looked to the highway. “We shall travel on the interstate—it will take us straight there.”

Squirrel shuffled his feet, and Moose just looked down, slowly shaking his head.

“If you have a problem with this, then leave,” Milos said to them sternly. He looked around, then pointed at a car just arriving in the Burger King lot. “There—a man and a woman in a Miata. Be my guest.” He gave them an elaborate but annoyed gesture. Moose and Squirrel didn’t move.

“No?” said Milos. “Then you will both kindly close your mouths, and accompany our friends to Memphis.” He turned his back on them and strode off toward the interstate.

Moose looked at Squirrel, and Squirrel hit him on the helmet. “What are you looking at, huh, huh?” He followed Milos, and Moose lumbered off behind him, all shoulder pads and shame.

Allie turned to Mikey. “Are you coming, or are you just going to stand there and sink?”

“Of course I’m coming.” Mikey pulled his feet out of the ground, and the two of them headed off after the others.

“You should thank Milos,” Allie said. “He just stood up for you.”

But Mikey clearly wasn’t in a thanking mood.

Mikey McGill had been in Everlost for a very long time, and had experienced a great many things. He had captained a ship, he had sunk to the center of the earth, and climbed back again, he had been a boy, a monster, and a boy once again. He had amassed a fortune of crossed objects, and had lost that fortune as well. He had endured. Yet through all of it, no experience was as confusing and unreasonable as the experience of love. He had denied for the longest time that he loved Allie. He had told himself their relationship was of no great consequence—that he was merely grateful to her for having saved him from being a monster. He had told himself that their companionship was merely a useful arrangement, while he considered what to do next.

All of these were lies.