Daegelus | Book 1

Chapter Thirty | Flinnwick

⊳⊱ ♕ ⊰⊲

When a voice announced through the train speakers that they were approaching East Coast, Elijah got out of the truck and headed over to one of the carriage windows. He stared outside, watching as they raced past the desolate desert; the train was travelling on tracks so high up that he could barely see the horse-riding posses and small dusty towns below.

Eventually, though, the dried-up, cracked land faded, and tufts of grass began showing up. The huge bridge that the train was travelling on came to an end, and it followed tracks attached to the grassy ground and past a dense treeline.

Elijah watched the forest pass by, and as the train slowed, he spotted a pack of wolf walkers watching deep within the trees. He heard them speaking, asking one another if the train was going to bring trouble for them this time.

And once the train left the forest, it passed half a mile of flat grassland before entering a town. Elijah didn't know which town it was, but he didn't see any El'Vorian Horizons buildings, so it was unlikely that it was Flinnwick.

He returned to the truck and straightened his seat.

"Are we there yet?" Jake asked eagerly as he ruffled his blonde hair with his hand. "I'm starving."

"Be patient," Zoe mumbled and then looked at Elijah. "Don't forget about the phone thing."

The demon responded with a grunt of acknowledgement.

"I don't want Slappy's again, though. Maybe we can find a Dog Shack or something," the pardus continued.

"Hot dogs are so bad for you," Zoe protested. "They're made of—"

"Yeah, yeah, made of all kinds of leftover shit in factories. But you know what? I don't care. Hell, I'd eat all that shit before it got turned into a hot dog."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Would too."

"So you'd eat pig ears and cow feet and stuff like that?" she questioned with a grimace.

"Well...maybe not feet...but ears are fine," he said with a shrug.

"I don't think I could," Zoe mumbled.

The train then jolted and slowed dramatically, and when it came to a complete halt, the workers emerged from the upper level and started unclamping each vehicle.

"Should we get the phone or food first?" Zoe asked Elijah.

"Whatever's closer," the demon muttered.

"Wait, phone?" Jake asked.

While Zoe told Jake why she needed a phone, Elijah watched in the rear-view mirror as the huge doors on the side of the train opened. Two men began escorting the first car out, and once it departed the carriage, they escorted the van behind the truck. As the van left, Elijah started the engine, and then he followed the workers' instructions as they guided him out of the train.

The moment he was out and on the road, Elijah rolled down his window and took a breath of fresh air. It was the early afternoon, and the sun was high in the sky, but the air felt cold. The smell of the sea was strong, and seagulls squawked loudly in the distance. He looked for a sign that might tell him where he was—

"Lor-weck-sed," Jake tried to pronounce the station name. "Lor...eckstead? Lorry...stread."

"It's Lor-eck-stead," Zoe said irritated. "Lorweckstead. The W is silent."

"Oh..." Jake drawled.

Elijah rolled his eyes as he followed the road to its end and turned right, heading into the town. He drove slowly—which was the speed limit anyway—and eyed each store on either side of the road. There were a lot of tourist shops, cafés, seafood bars, and the occasional small grocery store. He didn't spot anywhere that might sell phones, though.