ourselves?”
April considered the question. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s called a joke, little girl,” Wes said. “Let’s pony up to the table and have us a nice relaxed meal…”
A faint low rumbling sound traveled through the hallway behind us. A chill went shooting down my spine, and, by the looks on the others’ faces, they were experiencing the same sensation.
“Wind,” Tyrone said to himself as much as to any of us.
Wes chuckled nervously. “A relaxed meal may be too much to ask for, but let’s give it the old college try.”
We approached the table like we were all attached at the shoulders. The Throwaways appeared to be afraid only because we were. That is to say they weren’t afraid at all. They were mirroring us.
We sat at the table and pulled power bars and nuts from our backpacks.
“Ration, people,” I said. “The Walmart had been ransacked a couple of times before we got there. I got a feeling we’re going to find fewer and fewer supplies from here on out.”
They didn’t argue, and I didn’t watch over them like a hawk as they ate. I had issued my warning. It was up to them to listen to me or not.
As we ate, the mansion settled. Creaks, cracks, pops, and countless other noises seemed to sound off endlessly. Part of me thought the house was issuing a warning. It wanted us out.
I was in the middle of scaring myself by reliving every ghost story I had ever heard when Gordy nudged me. The subtle touch of his elbow on my arm startled me at first. I gave him a hateful glare.
“Dude,” he whispered. “Look at no-face guy.”
I complied with his request. The Throwaway with no face sat nearly motionless next to Tall Boy. “What about him?”
“You notice something different?”
I looked closely at No Face. He was on the other side of the large table, and the room was poorly lit, so I leaned forward. I scanned him up and down… and then I spotted it. There was a small bump in the center of his blank face. I squinted and zeroed in on the bump. “Was that there before?”
Gordy said, “No,” without hesitation, and then he added, “I’m almost sure it wasn’t.”
I shook my head. “Probably was. Had to be. We just didn’t notice it.”
“He’s changing,” Gordy said. “Or she, or whatever it is.”
I looked at him. “Into what?”
He shook his head slowly and said “What do we do?”
“We don’t do anything,” I said breaking off one last piece of my power bar. “Keep your on eye on… it.”
He sneered. “Me?”
I smiled and nodded.
“C’mon, let someone else do it. What about April or Ty?”
“It’s not like I’m asking you to marry it. Just watch it.”
He growled. “But look at it. It’s creepy.”
“If it makes you feel any better, it probably feels the same way about you.”
“He does not,” Tall Boy said. He was sitting next to No Face.
Gordy and I squirmed. We had unintentionally gotten louder and louder as we talked. The Throwaways and everyone else in the room had heard us.
“He wishes for me to tell you he does not find you creepy, any of you.”
I scowled at Gordy.
He smiled nervously. “Cool… Nothing personal. It’s just the whole…” he waved his hand over his face. “I’m just used to… stuff being in this general facial area. Sorry.”
With dinner out of the way, the question was what to do next. It was nighttime by now. Traveling in the daytime was dangerous enough. Doing it in the dead of night was insane. No one wanted to stay in the Biltmore, and it was fairly clear the enormous house didn’t want us there either. We had to choose between an almost certain danger outside and what could be an imagined danger in the house. The house won.
“I say we go exploring,” Lou said.
“What?” Gordy replied. “Are you nuts?”
“Yeah, I gotta say I don’t see the sense in that at all, Lou,” Wes added.
“I’d rather know what we’re dealing with than sit around here and wait for something to
April considered the question. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s called a joke, little girl,” Wes said. “Let’s pony up to the table and have us a nice relaxed meal…”
A faint low rumbling sound traveled through the hallway behind us. A chill went shooting down my spine, and, by the looks on the others’ faces, they were experiencing the same sensation.
“Wind,” Tyrone said to himself as much as to any of us.
Wes chuckled nervously. “A relaxed meal may be too much to ask for, but let’s give it the old college try.”
We approached the table like we were all attached at the shoulders. The Throwaways appeared to be afraid only because we were. That is to say they weren’t afraid at all. They were mirroring us.
We sat at the table and pulled power bars and nuts from our backpacks.
“Ration, people,” I said. “The Walmart had been ransacked a couple of times before we got there. I got a feeling we’re going to find fewer and fewer supplies from here on out.”
They didn’t argue, and I didn’t watch over them like a hawk as they ate. I had issued my warning. It was up to them to listen to me or not.
As we ate, the mansion settled. Creaks, cracks, pops, and countless other noises seemed to sound off endlessly. Part of me thought the house was issuing a warning. It wanted us out.
I was in the middle of scaring myself by reliving every ghost story I had ever heard when Gordy nudged me. The subtle touch of his elbow on my arm startled me at first. I gave him a hateful glare.
“Dude,” he whispered. “Look at no-face guy.”
I complied with his request. The Throwaway with no face sat nearly motionless next to Tall Boy. “What about him?”
“You notice something different?”
I looked closely at No Face. He was on the other side of the large table, and the room was poorly lit, so I leaned forward. I scanned him up and down… and then I spotted it. There was a small bump in the center of his blank face. I squinted and zeroed in on the bump. “Was that there before?”
Gordy said, “No,” without hesitation, and then he added, “I’m almost sure it wasn’t.”
I shook my head. “Probably was. Had to be. We just didn’t notice it.”
“He’s changing,” Gordy said. “Or she, or whatever it is.”
I looked at him. “Into what?”
He shook his head slowly and said “What do we do?”
“We don’t do anything,” I said breaking off one last piece of my power bar. “Keep your on eye on… it.”
He sneered. “Me?”
I smiled and nodded.
“C’mon, let someone else do it. What about April or Ty?”
“It’s not like I’m asking you to marry it. Just watch it.”
He growled. “But look at it. It’s creepy.”
“If it makes you feel any better, it probably feels the same way about you.”
“He does not,” Tall Boy said. He was sitting next to No Face.
Gordy and I squirmed. We had unintentionally gotten louder and louder as we talked. The Throwaways and everyone else in the room had heard us.
“He wishes for me to tell you he does not find you creepy, any of you.”
I scowled at Gordy.
He smiled nervously. “Cool… Nothing personal. It’s just the whole…” he waved his hand over his face. “I’m just used to… stuff being in this general facial area. Sorry.”
With dinner out of the way, the question was what to do next. It was nighttime by now. Traveling in the daytime was dangerous enough. Doing it in the dead of night was insane. No one wanted to stay in the Biltmore, and it was fairly clear the enormous house didn’t want us there either. We had to choose between an almost certain danger outside and what could be an imagined danger in the house. The house won.
“I say we go exploring,” Lou said.
“What?” Gordy replied. “Are you nuts?”
“Yeah, I gotta say I don’t see the sense in that at all, Lou,” Wes added.
“I’d rather know what we’re dealing with than sit around here and wait for something to
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