Blackwater Springs

Chapter Thirty-Five

1

    Audrey watched the house burn from the safety of the road.

    It started as a flicker in the distance, then grew in intensity until she could almost feel the heat from the truck. Bradley moaned from the backseat. When the roof collapsed, she started the truck and pulled out, leaving the flames in the rearview mirror.

2

    Audrey pulled the truck's gearshift up to "park" in front of the truck stop. The sign advertised it was home to "The Best Rib Sammich for Miles", in letters big enough to see for miles.  Her legs were stiff from sitting in one place so long; she wa She turned on the map lights and looked at Bradley.

   Evie had put him on his back, to slow the bleeding. She must have put some kind of spell on him, though, because he hadn't moved at all. At least, not that Audrey could tell; he looked to be in the same position as when they'd left Blackwater Springs. His cuts were even healing, and at an advanced rate. When Audrey had climbed into his truck, blood had been oozing from the marks. Now, they seemed more like week-old scrapes. Even the deep ones had scabbed over. It had to be Evie's doing.

    "Bradley, wake up." She cupped his cheek, and he stirred under her.

    "Am I dead?" he whispered through parched lips. His eyes remained closed, as if he was afraid of the answer.

    "No, we're at a diner, and you need something to drink. Do you have a shirt or something to put on, so we can go in without getting thrown out?"

    He opened his eyes. "Why am I shirtless in the first place?"

    "It's a long story. I'll tell you once we net something to eat." Thank God he didn't look at his chest.

    Bradley sat up. "God I'm stiff," he muttered to himself. "There should be a white one under the passenger seat, in a grocery bag."

    Audrey pushed cans and paper cups to the front and reached under the seat. She pulled out a few empty bags before finding the one she was looking for. "Here," she tossed him the shirt, and he pulled it over his head, wincing when he lifted his arms.

    "I'm so sore," he said, after seeing Audrey's look of concern. He pushed his arms through the holes and pulled it down his torso. His knuckle grazed one of the scabs, and he looked down.

    Audrey watched his features shift from shock, to disbelief, to horror. "What happened to me?"

2

    The coffee was lukewarm, which was more then Audrey expected from the diner. She and Bradley were the only people inside, other than the cook amd the waitress. The look the older woman shot them when she brought their orders said that the diner wasn't used to patrons before six in the morning.

    "So, what happened at your house? The last thing I remember was being pulled away from you. Then I woke up in my truck."

    "Do you want the shirt version or the long one?"

    "The long one. I want to know everything."

    Audrey told him what happened, omitting the part where the demon raped her. When she was done, both their plates were empty, and the waitress had refilled their cups twice.

    Bradley stared at Audrey, his mouth agape. "So, you saved me," he said when be was able to speak.

    "I didn't. That was Evie."

    "But you burnt down the house."

    "To the ground."

    He thought for a moment before he said, "How did I get here?"

    "I drove," she said. " I took the backroads. We've only stopped once, so I could put my clothes on. Right now, we're about three miles outside of Lexington. You can stay with me and my grandparents, if you want."

    "That's fine. But only until I get my own place." He smiled at her. "Then, I'm gonna show you how a real man treats his woman."  He took her hand.

    Audrey returned his smile. She'd escaped Blackwater Springs and John. This was her new start.