The car was utterly silent for the next ten minutes as we all did our best to process what just happened.
Eli kept checking on me through the rearview mirror, and occasionally, he would eye his best friend with concern.
Even though they were on my naughty list for being drug dealers, I had to admit they weren't all bad. I could tell Eli really cared about Nico, and that their bond was strong. Nico shot that guy to save Eli, which told me he would do anything for Eli.
I couldn't get the poor Toyota girl out of my mind, and how dreadful it must've been for her to realize that her friends would be the ones to end her life. She didn't stand a chance against them.
This was all too much.
Trying to get myself together, my fingers combed through my tangled hair as I worked to pull it up out of my face. Long hair was so pointless sometimes. It always seemed to get in the way.
The memory of Jessica telling me she loved me multiple times before I ditched her was still haunting me. I'd just left her there, but in my defense, I had a good reason. It was hard to believe the truth about what Jessica would do when she came down from Hype, but I couldn't deny the evidence.
Hunched forward in my seat, I fought to keep myself under control. Eli was staring at me in the mirror again. I could always feel the heat of his eyes on me. It was like he had some special connection with me.
I tugged my attention away from Eli, glancing at Nico who was being oddly quiet. I'd only known Nico to be loud and boisterous. If tonight's events had played hell with my emotions, I could only imagine what Nico was going through, especially since he was partly to blame in this situation.
A strange, foreign part of me wanted to comfort Nico even if it was a lost cause.
"Nico," I chanced tapping him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Nico didn't answer.
Eli's gaze found mine again before a muscle ticked in his jaw. "You had to do it, Nico. You saw what he did to that girl."
Nico hit the dashboard. "It doesn't matter. I still killed him."
"Did you see his eyes? He had no humanity whatsoever. He was like a wild animal." Eli argued. "All he wanted to do is eat me."
I put my hand lightly on Nico's shoulder. "You shouldn't feel bad for protecting—"
Nico jerked away as his icy blue eyes slammed into me. "You have no idea how I feel, so just shut up. Both of you!"
Shock rushed over me. Only one person had ever looked at me that way, and I hated how it made me feel. I was done trying to help. Saying nothing would be better for now. I scooted as far from Nico as I could get.
Eli turned into a familiar neighborhood. It was a lot darker than I remembered, but I knew there was a place four streets over that I'd partied at last year.
When we finally parked in front of a very familiar small house, I recalled my morning walk of shame to the nearby pharmacy. My ass of a father had taken over two hours to pick me up, giving me plenty of time to question how I'd gotten to Eli's house the night before.
My impromptu visit to a place that brought back so many awful memories didn't help to calm my nerves. I was on full alert, examining even the tiniest of shadows in this overly congested neighborhood. The last thing I needed was to be trapped in an overly populated area when the poison of Hype took its toll.
"Um... how long is this going to take?" I glanced around to make sure there were no black-eyed killers on the loose. They could be anywhere.
Eli's nostrils flared. "We'll go as fast as her seventy-five-year-old feet can carry her. Is that okay with you?"
I cringed, tripping over my next words. "Uh... yeah. Sorry."
How was I supposed to know his grandmother was so old?
Out of nowhere, Nico backhanded Eli's chest. "Dude, relax. Miss Gina gets around just fine. Lilly's just freaking out."
Eli's irritation melted off his face as he closed his eyes. "God, I'm sorry, Lilly. I didn't mean to talk to you like that. I'm just a little on edge."
A little? I could argue that he was very much over the edge, but then again we all were. I nodded and continued to search for possible assailants.
"Keep an eye on Lilly. Gramma should already be ready to go." Eli said to Nico before shutting the door.
"Will you lock the doors, please?" I did my best to be polite even though I was flipping out.
Nico hit the auto lock.
I gazed into the darkness beyond a nearby streetlight, noticing a small movement that caused my entire body to tense.
Anything could be over there.
A brown and white cat sauntered into view.
My shoulders slumped as I let out a heavy breath. I was losing my mind.
This all had to be a bad dream, right? This couldn't really be happening.
Fear was definitely getting the better of me. Where in the hell were we headed and how long would I have to stay with them? Spending the end of the world with moody strangers wasn't exactly how I'd imagined my future playing out. I wasn't easy to get along with, and my moodiness plus their moodiness would be too much.
I mean, yeah, Eli wasn't a total stranger, and he'd saved me once upon a time, but these extenuating circumstances were extremely confusing, and who said I had to stay with them, anyway? It wasn't like I really had anywhere to go, but I didn't have to stay with them if I didn't want to, right?
Maybe I could use a bit of my bill money to get a motel room for a while. After everyone was cured, I would go back to school and get back to my normal life. I didn't know when that would be, but it was a good start.
"Did you see the license plate on that Toyota?" Nico's question caught me off guard.
"No," I whispered.
"North Carolina."
There was no need to respond. We both knew the truth. Hype was being distributed anywhere and everywhere at this point.
"I know I'm going to sound whacked, but I think they're like some crazy form of zombie or something." Nico twisted to look at me. He was deep in thought. "But they have black eyes, and they're fast. I don't know if they're dead or alive, but I know they're sick in the head."
I curled more into myself. "Maybe they'll be better in a few days."
Nico scoffed. "You really believe that? Did you see them eating that girl? From the video and pictures, we thought they were just extremely violent, but that dude with the mohawk was hungry and relieved when he ate that girl. Now the junk food frenzy with Jess and the guys is making a lot more sense. Jess said we smelled like cookies. She and the guys begged for sweets nonstop, and then they hated how the food tasted. They were only craving what they thought we smelled like. They wanted to eat us, Lilly."
My nose scrunched. "That's disgusting."
Nico's forehead wrinkled. "I know."
After all I'd seen tonight, I knew this disease turned perfectly reasonable people into black-eyed monsters that were extremely hungry for humans. The disease was easily contagious through a bite. Delia had changed in minutes. This was all so sick and twisted, and I had no real answers.
The front door of Eli's house opened, and a short round woman in a purple housedress walked out. Eli locked the door and followed her as he struggled to carry two very large over-packed suitcases.
Nico unlocked the car.
Eli opened the back door for his grandma, and she slid in next to me like she was nowhere near seventy-five. Her dark hair was neatly woven into a long, thick braid, but she had some streaks of silver that were actually very attractive. I hoped one day I could look like her. Her wide eyes assessed me like I was the most interesting person she'd ever seen.
"Hi, Miss Gina." Nico grinned. "I hope you baked your famous banana bread for the road. I've been dreaming about it all week."
"Oh, Nicolas," Miss Gina released a hearty laugh. "You know how I love your appetite, but hush, my boy. I have a new friend to meet, don't I?"
Nico chuckled. "Oh, yeah, this is—"
"Lilly Flower." A big toothy grin spread across the older woman's pretty face. "I thought I would die before I met you, child. I've seen you so many times, but I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."
"I'm sorry. Have we met?" I studied her large brown eyes, trying to understand what she was talking about. I'd never seen her before in my life.
"Oh, no, child. Forgive me. I'm Eli's granny, Miss Gina. We've never met in this life, but I've been waiting for you. I'm so happy that you're finally here." When she clapped, her multiple bracelets jingled and her smile never faltered.
I smiled, trying to understand what she meant. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Gina."
Eli closed the trunk, reminding me I needed to figure out how to ask if he would drop me off at the nearest motel.
When Eli got in the car, Mrs. Gina leaned forward to squeeze his shoulder. "Tell my Lilly Flower she's staying with us at the cabin. She wants to go to a motel which will get her killed, and we're just getting to know each other."
Everyone glanced at Miss Gina.
"How did you know I want to go to a motel?" I stared at her in fascination.
"Oh child, that's not all I know." Miss Gina sent me a playful smile. This woman was full of surprises.
Eli's heated gaze fell on me. "You don't want to stay with us?"
Okay. This was a lot more uncomfortable than I expected, especially when I didn't want to say anything disrespectful in front of Eli's grandmother. "It's not that I don't want to stay with you guys, it's just that I... um...."
Nico laughed. "She has no idea why she's running. She's running just to run. It's what she does."
I sat up, glaring at Nico. "Excuse me? You know absolutely nothing about me!"
"I know Elijah and Nicolas are a lot to handle, but they're good boys, Lilly Flower. Come stay with us for a week, and if things don't go well, we'll find you a new place to stay, okay?" Miss Gina's warm hand rubbed my knee as she gazed into me with her all-knowing eyes.
How could I say no to that?
I nodded. "Okay."
"Good. Now that we have that settled. Nicolas, I must ask, how many people did you invite?" Miss Gina's eyebrows raised in question.
Eli's brow narrowed on Nico. "Who the hell did you invite? This isn't a fucking party!"
Like there wasn't an argument going on up front, Miss Gina sat back, reaching for her seatbelt. "Oh, don't forget to buckle up, dear. It's the law, you know?"
**Please VOTE and COMMENT**
Thank you so much for reading!
💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙