Shelter (Solangelo)

Chapter 27

Rain pelts the windshield faster than the wipers can sweep it away.

"Welcome to the Oregon Coast in October," Will mumbles, staring out his window. He's been quiet the past hour, and it catches Nico off-guard to hear him speak.

Jules-Albert jerks the steering wheel as they hit a puddle the size of a lake, the car veering to the side before he manages to right it again. In the rear-view mirror, his eyes shine with delight, and Nico can't help wonder if their zombie driver isn't enjoying the inclement weather a little too much. Up ahead, the red-and-blue-lighted sign for a Chevron gas station acts as a beacon reminding them there is a world outside the gloom and limited visibility of the car.

They pull into the station and Jules-Albert gets out. He's whistling. It gives Nico the heebie-jeebies.

Lou Ellen turns around, staring at them over the back of her seat. Nico looks from her to Will. Will's silence lingers in the air like stale smoke.

"What's up?" Lou Ellen asks. Nico's not sure if she's asking him or Will, so he defers and elbows Will in the ribs.

"Hmm?" Will says, seeming to only just realize he's been asked a question.

"Where are we?" Nico asks.

Will picks at his jeans, enlarging a hole in his knee. "We're here. This is it. A couple more miles down Beach Loop Drive and we'll be at my old house."

"That's a good thing, right? Or did you want to find a hotel instead and see about going back tomorrow?" Nico's not sure putting it off another night will do anything but make Will even more withdrawn, but he wants to be supportive.

Amazing what difference a few months not spent alone makes.

Jules-Albert climbs back in the car, looking irritated, and drums his fingers on the steering wheel.

Nico looks at him and asks, "Qu'est-ce qui se passe?"

Jules-Albert rolls his eyes and frowns at Nico in the rearview mirror, mumbling, "Ils ne me laissent pas faire le plein moi-même!"

He glares out the window, lowering it enough for the attendant to hand him the receipt, and then rolling it back up as if he wants to take the guy's fingers off.

Nico chuckles.

"What was that about?" Lou Ellen asks as Jules-Albert starts the engine again.

"He's pissed because they won't let him fill the gas tank on his own."

"Yeah, no self-serve in Oregon," Will says absently.

They pull back onto the highway and Nico peers out the rain-flecked windows at the shadowy trees he's just able to make out. They're bent sideways with the force of the wind.

Jules-Albert pulls to a stop a couple of minutes later, though none of them move to get out. The house is nondescript. If they hadn't been looking for it, Nico might not have noticed it was there. It's boxy and covered in weathered grey tile panels, making it blend in with the storm. There's a smaller house to the left, though it looks much the same – perhaps a renovated detached garage. The shades are pulled down in all the windows Nico can see, and he wonders if it might be empty.

Will takes a deep breath and releases it. "Let’s get it over with," he says and opens his door. Lou Ellen and Nico follow him, shouldering their backpacks.

Nico waves to Jules-Albert and is surprised to receive a salute in return. Jules-Albert idles the engine as they walk up the sodden path to the front porch, the cuffs of their pants getting wet and spattered with mud.

As they climb the stairs to the porch, finally sheltered from the rain, Lou Ellen looks back at the car. "What's he doing?".

"I dunno," Nico answers, bemused. "Waiting to make sure we make it inside?"

"I meant to ask earlier – do you know how he pays for gas?"

"Hades gave him a credit card to cover expenses for driving me around."

Lou Ellen giggles. "Sorry. I don't know why that's funny."

"It's nerves," Will says. He seems to be bracing himself. He opens the screen door and knocks, but it's not a normal knock. It's more like a pattern of short raps. He stands back and waits.

"What was that?" Lou Ellen asks, and Nico's glad she did; he wants to know, too.

"A secret signal," Will explains. "When mom was working, she'd leave me with the girls sometimes, and I wasn't supposed to answer the door unless it was the signal."

The sound of a lock being drawn back makes them take a collective breath. The door opens a crack and a young girl peeks out. She's probably around nine or ten, with sandy blond ringlets framing her face. Her blue eyes grow huge. She blinks several times as if she's expecting what she's seeing to change. "Will?" she whispers. "Is it really you?"

"Hey, Cassie," Will says, his voice strained with emotion. "Is Mom home?"

Cassie shakes her head, glancing suspiciously at Lou Ellen and Nico, and then at Jules-Albert.

"These are my friends," Will explains. "Can we come in?"

She startles as if only just realizing they aren't already inside. "Yes, hurry," she says, gesturing to speed them up.

Nico waves again at Jules-Albert, and the Buick takes off down the highway.

He follows Lou Ellen and Will into the house, and Cassie slams the door after him. She turns the lock on the doorknob, fastens the bolt, and then draws the chain.

"What's wrong?" Will asks. Nico can hear trepidation in his voice. "Where're Sam and Liz?"

Cassie takes a deep breath and throws her arms around Will. He hugs her back, eyes raised at Nico. Nico gets his message. There's something wrong with how Cassie is acting and Will doesn't have a clue what it is.

"They're upstairs hiding in our fort." She pulls back, looking up at him. "I'm so glad you're back. Mom never believes me when I tell her you're still alive."

"Cassie. Why are they hiding?" Will asks, holding onto her shoulders at arms length.

She blinks back the tears forming in her eyes, then whispers so Nico can barely hear: "there are monsters."