Rose stood when she saw him, and Pike slowed to a walk. She still had the eyes. Smart, and complicated, and completely alive. Maybe that’s what drew him to her. The life in her eyes.

She said, “He’s dead.”

“I’m sorry.”

Rose picked up Rainey’s pistol, stepped over his body, and opened the Prius.

“Rose.”

She smiled, the smart eyes glittering.

“You’re not going to do anything.”

Pike stopped, hoping she wouldn’t push it.

“Put down the gun.”

“I can’t give up that kind of money. I lived like a rat for that money. Don’t you see? It’s mine.”

“Three hundred thousand isn’t that much.”

She cocked her head, and something played in her eyes that left them angry.

“If only you knew.”

She turned back for the car, and Pike started toward her.

“Rose.”

Her gun came up, and Pike went for his weapon, but two shots snapped past him even before his gun cleared its holster.

Pike saw the bullets hit her, how her shirt puckered and rippled. He saw her eyes flutter, and her mouth open as if she didn’t know what had happened. She reached up to touch something that wasn’t there, then fell.

Pike did not go to her. He turned and saw Elvis Cole, still holding his gun. Pike saw the tears spill down Cole’s face. Pike watched his friend cry, and neither of them moved.

Chapter 49

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Daniel

Daniel saw dancing lights, and thought they were Cleo, but the lights raced toward him, right up to his face, then tromboned away fast as a gunshot, then snapped into hyper-sharp focus. Daniel saw branches. Branches, pine needles, twisted gnarled deformed warped scrub oak branches like arthritic fingers with leaves.

Tobey cried, “Daniel?”

Cleo whimpered, “Daniel?”

Daniel felt himself shrinking, like the world was growing larger and he was getting smaller, and Tobey and Cleo were farther away.

Daniel said, “Guys?”

Tobey said, “We’re looking, dude, where are you?”

Cleo said, “Daniel, aniel?”

Daniel struggled to get up. He fought like a werewolf with a zombie eating its neck, but the zombie was winning.

“Tobey? Cleo? Where are you, you, you?”

Daniel tried to keep his eyes open, but the light grew so bright it turned black.

Tobey screamed, “Daniel, come back!”

Cleo shrieked, “Where is he, is he, is he?”

Daniel tried to answer, but could not, and knew the boys heard only silence.

Tobey said, “Cleo?”

Cleo said, “Tobey?”

“Going?”

“Gone.”

“…”

“…”

Daniel no longer felt his body, or the earth beneath him, or the air that kissed his skin. He felt like nothing within nothing, and knew he would miss the guys, Cleo and Tobey, his only true and dear friends.

Chapter 50

50