Being Butch Green || ✓

Chapter 28 - A Graveyard of Feelings

"So?" Hailey asked once I'd reached her.

"We're taking a trip to the graveyard and we'd better go now before those assholes spot us."

She nodded, and with extreme caution, we scooted out of the dazzling tent of wonders. Across the grass field, we slid in behind a large building. I scouted the crowd of clowns whilst Hailey watched the tent, waiting for the men to emerge. When they didn't after some time, we deemed it safe enough to continue. We moved our way through the parade of hungry clowns as they fed on innocent hotdogs.

"Do you think they'll come after us?"

"Absolutely. We're walking targets," I confirmed. "They want that file. And they'll kill us to get it."

"Right. Well, I hope we don't die."

I stared at her. "Me too. I'm not really in the mood for meeting Jesus anytime soon."

"Whelp, no one's immune to death," she frowned, "and that's honestly disgusting!"

I followed Hailey's gaze as she spotted a clown eating with his mouth open so that bits of food fell out between his lips.

"Yup," I replied, grabbing her shoulder. "Come on."

Once we'd gone through the thinned-out crowd, I picked up the pace, jogging down the street in aching agony. It was getting warm despite the grey cloud gathering. The gum leaves had faded into the most beautiful shade of purple and the hedges of people's gardens had gone a dark green against the white picket fences. Rosanna wasn't anything special, more of an ancient, decaying sub-suburb of Melbourne. The sooner we found the graveyard, the sooner we could head back out towards the medical lab.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Nope," I said, looking up a street sign. "But keep your eyes peeled for Smith street."

Jack could be lying dead in some stingy medical lab and there was nothing I could do about it if I didn't find Henry. I didn't know how I'd react if I ever found his body all twisted like those from the file. I wanted to see him again - to know he was okay. I felt a hole forming deep within my chest.

I scowled. How had I let myself get so attached? I'd waited for him to change my entire life, and now that I had glimpsed that changed, I clung onto the hope that it would stay.

"What are you going to say to Henry?"

I turned to look at Hailey and shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, you better think of something."

"Like what?" I snapped.

"Someone's moody."

"I'm allowed to be. I got shot. Remember? And now we're on this friggin' wild goose chase because of Maggie!"

"Maggie? What the hell does she have to do with this?" Hailey snapped back.

"Everything. She shot me!"

"And she saved you!"

I scowled. "Really? You call this saved?" I pointed to my arm, feeling the burning sensation return. "This is not what being saved looks like! It's a preconceived idea that the world is all fine and dandy!"

"All fine and dandy?" she scoffed, mocking me in a stance that I never want to be confronted with again. "Why are you such a jerk?"

"You're the one following me around! The exits over there!" I clamoured, pointing to the end of the road. "I don't even know why I'm rescuing them!"

Her mouth fell open. "Because of Jack!"

"Screw him!"

"You can't blame all your problems on other people, Butch. Learn to take some responsibility!" she hissed, pushing past me. "You're an idiot to think for a second that you can just walk away from it all! You have a second chance! That's something most people would kill for!"