Until an implacable voice spoke in her mind: STOP.
She obeyed immediately and without question. Whatever this presence was, it was many times more powerful than she. Defiance was not an option.
The voice spoke one more time: IT IS NOT YET TIME. NOW YOU WILL SLEEP.
The minions took over then, guiding her to the backyard of an uninhabited house, where she had spent the night. Jordan looked beyond the circle of animals and surveyed her surroundings. She saw the back of a small, one-story house. Some of its windows were boarded over. The barren backyard would need to be reseeded should the next owner wish to have a proper lawn. A sagging chain-link fence surrounded the rear of the property. The gate through which she and the minions had entered stood open. Another German shepherd crouched near it like a guard. No. Not like a guard. It actually was a guard. Jordan felt certain it would have ripped to shreds any intruder during the night. She wondered about this. Lamia didn’t want to see her, not yet, but she wanted her to be safe.
I came here to stop her.
Maybe to kill her.
So why not just kill me?
Maybe the answer was as simple as maternal love. Maybe Lamia did care for her in some twisted way. She supposed it was possible the creature did not relish the prospect of a confrontation with its daughter, one in which it might be forced to harm or possibly kill her. Jordan wasn’t at all certain this was true. It didn’t feel quite right. Whatever the truth was, she was left now with the matter of what to do next. And where to go.
She looked at the big golden retriever. Its grin widened and its tongue slopped out the side of its mouth. She sensed a genuine joy from the creature at her attention. A strong intuition told her this was the animal form of the beach ball creature from last night. She sighed at the thought. This whole situation was miles beyond fucked up. She couldn’t imagine a possible future beyond this day. Couldn’t imagine how she might slip back into her old life, the one devoid of strange creatures and grounded in everyday reality, a world that now seemed as distant and unreachable as the gates of heaven. But there was an odd comfort in knowing that this creature felt this simple, stupid love for her. That she was being looked after, guarded and kept safe.
She held out a hand and the dog came to her eagerly, smiling broadly as she patted its head and scratched its neck. “You’re a good boy. Christ, what am I saying, you’re not…look, could you do me a favor and stay in dog mode full-time? No offense or anything, but I really like you better this way.”
The creature’s only answer was to lick the back of her hand.
“Good enough.”
Time to get rolling.
Jordan still didn’t know what her next move should be, but she did know she couldn’t stay here all day. So she got to her feet and brushed herself off. She started toward the open gate and her new entourage followed her. The German shepherd guarding the gate greeted her with a friendly bark. She paused a moment to scratch the animal behind its ears, then continued through the gate.
A moment later she was standing in the middle of a narrow residential street. She saw a few cars parked in driveways and at the side of the street, but other than the distant buzz of a lawn mower there was little evidence of human activity. Of course. The kids were in school and the adults were at work. The emptiness creeped her out a bit. Knowing the reason for it didn’t help at all. After the shrieking madness of the night before, she craved the company of normal human beings. Stranger or friend, it didn’t matter. She’d be happy to encounter absolutely anyone unconnected with Lamia and her sick schemes.
She caught a flicker of movement in one of the parked cars. The Oldsmobile was parked a house down on the other side of the street. She moved a few steps toward it and was able to make out a human shape behind the wheel. It was hard to tell more about it because of the glare of the sun on the windshield. She couldn’t swear to it, but she was almost certain there’d been no one there a moment ago. This was a little strange, she supposed, but she wasn’t too worried. Nothing too bad could happen in broad daylight. Besides, she was tired and not up for another long walk back across town. Maybe she could hitch a ride. As she continued slowly toward the car, another shape popped up in the backseat and leaned through the gap between the seats. She still couldn’t make out much, but the person in the backseat seemed to be speaking in an animated fashion, gesticulating wildly for a moment before pointing a finger straight at Jordan.
Jordan began to feel a little afraid. She stopped moving toward the car. The golden retriever and one of the German shepherds sensed her fear and moved into position in front of her. Jordan’s heart hammered as her head filled with lurid visions of abduction and rape. How stupid she’d been to think nothing like that could happen in daylight. It happened all the time. Newspapers and A &E true crime shows were filled with such stories. She was suddenly very happy to have the minions arrayed around her. Then she remembered how she’d dealt with Angela and the sound of her own laughter startled her. She felt the power stirring within her again and knew she had nothing to fear from mundane human predators.
The Oldsmobile’s engine started and the black car rolled slowly toward her.
Jordan stood stock-still with her hands splayed before her, feeling that strange, potentially deadly energy crackle in her fingertips.
“Bring it on,” she whispered.
By now she almost hoped these guys really were would-be rapists. She was kind of curious to see what exactly she could do with this power.
The car rolled to a stop next to her. The driver side window slid down and she saw two skinny teenage boys staring at her with wide, frightened eyes. The boy in the backseat pointed a gun at her. The dogs snarled and leaned toward the car, readying to leap through the open window. Jordan touched the backs of their necks to calm them.
She looked at the boy with the gun and said, “Put that away, child. I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
The boy gulped. His hands started to shake, but he kept the gun aimed at her. “No. You’re one of them, aren’t you?”
The word “them” was invested with such contempt that Jordan knew at once what he meant. “I’m not one of Lamia’s followers, if that’s what you’re asking me.”
The driver frowned as he scanned the faces of the agitated animals. “We saw them follow you. All those animals. Like they were escorting you. You must be one of them.”
Jordan sighed. “Who the fuck are you guys?”
The boy in back laughed, but there was no real mirth in the sound. “We’re dangerous outlaws.”
“Right. Look, can you guys give me a ride?” She forced a smile. “I promise you have nothing to fear from me. I’m not one of them. I want to stop them.”
The teenagers conferred in whispers for a few moments. Then the driver cleared his throat and said, “We’ll give you a ride, but those animals are staying behind.”
Jordan considered this for a long moment before nodding. Then she went to a knee and whispered in the golden retriever’s ear. “I’m going away for a while. I’ll be okay. And I have a feeling you can find me again if I need you. Am I right?”
The dog answered with a single, emphatic bark.
“Good boy.”
Jordan stood and got in the car.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The first several minutes of the ride back from the Zone were very tense. Jake didn’t talk and Kristen allowed him some mental distance. He was grateful for both her company and her sensitivity. A lot of women he’d known would have pressed him to talk about what had happened right away. Her first overture was nonverbal. A hand on his leg. A gentle, reassuring squeeze. Jake let out a huge breath and felt some of the tension drain out of him.