The Tiger and the Moth

Chapter 23

Emily and Delilah continued on this path of the trees and the farms.

"I have to tell you something," Emily said.

"Sure," Delilah said. Her teeth were still chattering.

"I think Donald is dead. When I turned around as we were leaving, I saw him floating in a puddle next to his house," Emily said. Delilah and Emily continued to walk in silence.

"Do you think he was electrocuted? What about lightening?" Delilah asked.

"Could be..." Emily said. They walked in silence, looking around them. Emily's brown hair was stuck in her face and the sweat lining her forehead was glistening. Delilah was sweating too. The rain stopped but the humidity was more severe. Around them

"Where are we?" Emily asked.

"This is suppose to be Biloxi, but the other side of town. I haven't been here in a while," Delilah said. They continued to walk. The humidity from the storm and the running earlier was making them tired. Delilah was trailing behind Emily, her mouth open and breathing hard. Emily slowed down and turned around. She walked with Delilah. They walked for what felt like an hour. Emily looked around at the rain that was falling lightly.

"It's beginning to rain again," Emily said.

"We should stop here and rest," Delilah said. They found a little fruit stand at the foot of a driveway of one of the farms. It was open. They went inside and sat on the bench under the overhang. Emily leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Was this really happening? she thought. Was that a tiger or was that some kind of illusion? Emily could hear Delilah resting also. After a little while, Emily could hear Delilah start to stir.

"We should make our way back to the Crescent," Delilah said.

"Do you know which way to go?" Emily asked. She looked out onto the road. It was pretty isolated except a few houses and farms.

"I think so," Delilah said. "This road should take us back." Delilah stood up and was stretched. They began to walk on the road again. The misty rain brought out a lot of the green overgrowth. It grew onto the road like the forest was trying to break free of some invisible fence around it. "What's on your hands?" Delilah said pointing to Emily's hands. Emily looked down at her hands.

"I don't know," Emily said. It was dusted with the black salt. As she held her hands out, the rain was melting it away. She brushed her hands on her pants, but it still stayed. It reminded Emily of the dark sand back in Pacific Palisades.

" I don't think the animals are following us anymore," Emily said. "Was that really a tiger?"

"It must of gotten loose from the zoo," Delilah said.

"It was bizarre," Emily said.

"We should stay on this road," Delilah said. "Michael and my dad know we aren't back yet so they'll be looking for us."

"Maybe we could find a phone," Emily said. They continued to walk on the road, until they reached a house that looked like someone was home.

Outside was a farmer driving his truck down the small road. It was the first car they've seen on the road so far. They waved their arms and he pulled over. He looked at them with grey eyes and a face that looked cracked and red.

"Can we borrow your phone?" Delilah asked. The farmer looked down and pulled a phone out of his pocket, handing it to Delilah.

"Thank you!" she said. She dialed her dad's number. Emily looked at the farmer while Delilah was waiting for the call. He looked suspicious. "It's just going to voicemail," Delilah said. "Thank you anyways." She handed the phone back to the man.

"If you girls need anything, I know the storm really got people in a bad place. Got a water pump and extra food in front of the house," he said pointing to a nearby farm with house painted white and green. "You help yourselves."

"Thank you," Emily said. The farmer began to roll up his window. "You don't happen to be related to Kat who works in Biloxi, do you?" Delilah said.

"Kat's our daughter," the farmer said. "Do you need a ride back to town?"

"Yes!" Delilah said.

They hopped in the back of his pick up truck and they took off down the road.

On their way, he slowed down the truck all of the sudden.

"No!" he cried out. He pulled the car over and they got out of the truck. He brushed his hand over the small wire fences near the porch.

"What happened?" Delilah asked.

"Animals broke out," he said. He took his hat off and slapped it on his side. Emily was amazed at how quickly these gates would tear apart under her own hand when she touched it too. The rust was bright red and orange and were broken in sections from upwards to about twenty feet long. "These animals could break apart from them at any time, so why now?" Delilah said. "No offense."

"Doesn't make sense," he said. "I need to tell my wife. You can come with." They got back in the truck and drove up his driveway to main house. Emily was hot and uncomfortable in her clothes and they stuck to her. In front was a table set up for a fruit stand. It had red and yellow tomatoes, cucumber, eggs and roasted peanuts.

"Help yourselves," he said. It should only be a minute. They grabbed a handful of peanuts each and sat on the front porch eating the peanuts.

He was in there for a while, so Emily started to walk towards the fence and stumbled into the lumpy ground nearby. She continued walking, over and inside the dips in the ground. She looked around and saw small cement stones that were flat and barely faced upward. It was a graveyard. A very old one, Emily was sure of it. That's when it hit Emily. She ran back to the house to Delilah.

"The woods around Donald's home could of been a graveyard because of the church, right?"

"I can't get through to the hotel either," Delilah said. He held a home phone, one that must of come from Kat's parents' house. "You're talking about Donald's house?"

"Yeah!" Emily said.

"Like it's haunted or something?" Delilah said. "It's possible."

"I don't know about that... I guess so," Emily said.

"I remember reading something about the church but it got burned down," Delilah said.

"Let's try calling Michael at the Crescent again," she said. She picked up the dial phone and punched the hotel number in.

"How do you memorize numbers like that?" Emily asked. Delilah shrugged her shoulders. The phone rang. Delilah handed the phone to Emily. 
"Crescent," Michael said.

"It's us," Emily said. "Emily and Delilah."

"Oh thank god. Where are you?" he asked.

"Well other than getting chased by a loose tiger by Donald's house, we're good and far away. We're at a farm outside of town owned by Kat's parents. Emily and I don't have our phones. What's going on there?" Emily said.

"I have bad news... The Crescent is almost flooded and we had to evacuate a few hours ago. I took Emily's stuff, and your dad managed to get her car to work and drive it away. Highway 90 is a mess," Michael said.

"I'm not sure how to get to you. We are headed to New Orleans anyways and I've been thinking that it might be best if you try to get there too," Michael said.

"Where are you now?" Delilah asked.

"We are at the center of town, near where the festival of lights happened," Michael said.

"Tell Kat that we're staying with her parents," Delilah said.

Michael laughed. "Get here when you can," he said.

Delilah hung up. 
"Okay so we have to make our way back to the center of Biloxi," Delilah said. "Let's just ask her parents." After a few moments, Kat's father came out of the house. Delilah explained the situation to him.

"Sure I can give you a ride there. On the way, if you both could help me look for the cows I've lost," he said.

"Of course," Delilah said. They got back in the truck, and drove down the driveway, making their way back to Biloxi.