Getting Home

Part 10

The Civic slowly and silently rolled to a stop.

Great. Just what we needed.

I finally had a chance to fish the key out of my pocket, now that I wasn't surrounded by super craziness. I mentally crossed my fingers and toes and put the key in.

It started right up.

Thank god.

I had so many questions—but I knew I wouldn't get much from Henry. And where to even begin?

Just go to Jorge's.

I reached for my phone to text him before realizing my phone was now broken and buried somewhere back in that horrible, disgusting alley.

It's okay. Just keep going.

We drove on. The Civic was riding bumpy now—there was also a wonderful new constant clunking coming from the back that reminded me of a train—but overall, it still drove okay. Clouds had begun to gather above, shading the quiet, peaceful residential street we were slowly rolling through in a moody, dull and lifeless gray. The cold, biting winter air blew and swirled around the inside of the car, coming in through where the rear window used to be, the brisk smell of an oncoming cold sharp rain permeating the air.

What in the hell did you get yourself into, Ava?

There was no way this was a dream—but how could any of what I saw happen? Henry super strong? Right. Some kind of dark entity chasing us? Sure.

Whatever.

But I had seen it.

We pulled up in front of a typical suburban house with a large and sprawling (and brown and patchy) front lawn. Ancient-looking, cracked concrete steps led up to a path that cut through the yard to the front door.

A front door with a huge, iron exterior screen on it.

I turned the Civic off. The sudden silence was surreal—the only sound was the ticking of the engine cooling down.

I shifted to face Henry—at the exact same time he did towards me. Our bodies moved at the same time, our eyes meeting in a perfectly synchronized mirrored motion as our knees almost touched.

We spoke at the same moment.

"Henry, I didn't—"

"Ava, I'm sorr—"

His eyes were so beautiful—they weren't silver anymore, but instead a new subtle crystal-blue. His face was like... a sculpture. Perfect and pleasing from every angle... it made my heart feel like it was going to explode out of my chest.

But in an amazing way, like an infinite, tidal tsunami of waves that—

OMFG Ava we are NOT doing this right now.

Henry was looking at me—I mean, really looking at me. I had never seen him look so serious and piercing as he did now. And I'm not even gonna lie...

It was really sexy.

"It's... growing," Henry said, focusing hard. "Evolving."

"What?" I said. "What's growing, Henry? That thing?"

"It's getting stronger. I can feel it. Sense it." I saw fear and frustration brewing behind his eyes before he dropped his gaze from mine.

"It's adapting... will find me. Soon."

"Why? How?"

"I don't know!" He smacked the top of the dashboard out of frustration, lowering his head so his hair fell over his face.

And leaving a large, sunken dent above my glovebox.

"It's okay, Henry," I said softly, reaching out to pat his hand. A part of me wanted to grab it and hold it tight, even in the middle of all this craziness going on outside us... I knew there were so many more important things going on, but...

God, I loved holding his hand.

Then I remembered what that same, powerful hand had done.

I slowly pulled away.

"How are you so strong, Henry?"

He peered at me through the hair dangling over his eyes. "...strong?"

"You can pick up and move, like, heavy things—things that nobody can. We're not built like that—like you. You could easily hurt somebody and not realize it."

Hurt me.

"I would never hurt Ava... never hurt you."

I bit my lower lip. His speech was definitely improving, right? Maybe his memory would too. But after what I had just seen him do...

How easily could he kill someone without meaning to?

"I know you wouldn't hurt me, Henry," I said. "Not intentionally. But I need you to promise me something."

He gave me that look again—not the confused puppy-dog look anymore, but instead a much more serious, inquisitive, studying look that was really growing on me.

But then my mind flashbacked to the alleyway—Henry standing over a broken man seconds from ending his life as easily and unemotionally as stepping on a dry leaf.

"You can't hurt anybody else," I said. "Like—like... what you did to those men back there."

"Why?" he said. His eyes were focused and contemplative, his voice flat.

"Because... because you might have killed them. You can't just go around killing people here."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't."

"Why?"

"Because you just can't." I sighed.

"They were hurting you... hurting Ava."

His eyes went from cool and calculating to a pure rage brewing behind somebody's eyes before I had never seen before... it was a little scary.

Okay, a lot scary.

We sat in silence, still next to the sidewalk outside Jorge's house.

"If you kill someone here they'll punish you for it, Henry," I said finally. "They'll... they'll take you away. Or kill you, if you won't go. With you, maybe even worse." I nervously bit my lip. "Just try not to touch anybody here, okay?"

Except me. Please. God yes touch me.

A yellow furry dog head suddenly popped out between our faces, happily shaking its head and panting in a big grin.

"Okay, first off how and why the hell is the dog in here?" I said, smiling and scratching behind his matted and floppy ear. The huge smile on my face pulled weirdly on my cheeks.

It's been a long time since I petted anything.

It felt nice.

"Friend," Henry said. "He's... my friend. Safer for him inside here. Shelter."

The iron front door of Jorge's house suddenly and violently slammed opened.

Jorge came storming out in all his glory, yelling wildly, his hands waving angrily in the air, stalking straight towards us.

"Putas and pendejos, always with the fucking pendejos!" He was practically screaming as he made a bee-line across the yard.

Uh-oh, I thought.

Here we go.