“It only moves at night,” said Morris. “If we make it to dawn and it still hasn’t attacked, then we’ll have all day to try your plan.”
“Is it true that it only moves at night?” she asked Mike for confirmation.
“Yeah,” said Mike. “And I have to agree about trying to hit it while it’s tired. I shot it a couple of times and it really did seem to slow it down. I just couldn’t finish the job before it had a chance to…eat.”
“Well how about you guys do that, and we’ll just keep going south?” asked Melanie.
“It’s after him.” Morris cocked a thumb over his shoulder without turning around.
“So we’re going to your cousin’s house to have a big gunfight against the supernatural Methuselah, and you plan to use my nine-year-old son as some kind of bait?” asked Melanie. “I can’t go along with that.”
“That monster is not going to give up,” said Mike. “Do you know how many people he’s killed already?”
“Okay, we’ve had enough,” said Melanie. “Even if everything we’ve said here turns out to have some basis in truth, we’re done talking about it in front of my kids. They’re frightened to death already.”
“We need a plan,” said Mike. “I agree it’s not perfect, but…”
“Enough,” said Melanie.
They drove in silence for several miles before the chime from the SUV made most everyone jump. Even Morris pulled away from the noise; Davey was the only one who didn’t flinch.
“I think that means we’re low on gas,” said Mike. “The little pump light is on, and the needle’s just hovering about empty.” He peered at the gas gauge as if there was a chance of some mistake. They had already driven fifteen miles further than his predicted fifty miles.
“There’s an exit in a couple of miles,” said Morris.
Mike shut off the cruise control and let the vehicle’s speed drop a little as they exit neared. He pulled off to a small town built around the intersection of Route 1 and the Interstate. After stopping, Mike turned right and flipped on his turn signal at the first station. He waited for oncoming traffic to clear so he could make his left.
“Anyone got a card?” he asked.
“I lost my wallet,” said Melanie.
“Pull to the next station,” said Morris.
“How come?” asked Mike. Even though he didn’t have funds to purchase the gas, the price was cheaper at the closer station and he didn’t make a move to pull down the road.
“Not as much cover,” said Morris. “We’ll be able to spot anything coming.”
“We just covered seventy miles in an under an hour,” said Mike. “Even at the fastest we saw him run, we’d have an hour before he caught up, and his average speed is way lower than that.”
“You’ve underestimated him before,” said Morris. “I’ll pay for the gas, but down at the next station.”
“Okay, fine,” said Mike. He turned off his signal and pulled away.
During the conversation, Davey began to move in his seat. He shed his mom’s arm from his shoulders and retrieved her wallet and keys from his back pocket. He straightened in his seat and turned towards his mother.
She took then and looked into his eyes. “Hey, honey,” she said. “Are you feeling better now? You seemed a little out of it for a while.”
“Mom,” Davey began, “I’m so sorry about all this.”
“Oh, honey, no,” she shook her head and blinked back the tears welling in her eyes. “This is not your fault. Don’t ever think that.”
“It is, though,” said Davey, his voice strangled by emotion. “I can’t even feel where he is anymore. He could be anywhere.”
“He’s far away.” Melanie smoothed his hair. “We drove away, just like you wanted. Now he can’t get us.” She leaned over and kissed his young forehead. “Right?”
“Yeah,” said Davey. A troubled look crossed his face.
“Okay guys.” Melanie addressed the front seat with her new resolution. “We’re getting off here. Thank you for your help, but I’m taking my kids to my mother-in-law’s house.”
“Thank god,” Susan said.
Mike had the wheel cranked to the right as he pulled into the Morris-approved gas station, but he slammed on the brakes at the news. “What?” he asked. “The danger is not over. We need to stick together so we can be ready for this thing when it comes.”
“What you’ve told me so far is that you need Davey so that you can have a chance at fighting this thing. I don’t have any intention of fighting. We’re just going to keep moving. What time is it? Midnight? She’ll be thrilled to hear from me.”
“Mom,” Davey whispered, “it’s not far enough.”
“It’s okay honey,” she said pulling in close to a tight conference with her son and daughter. “We’ll get Grandma’s car and keep moving. In the morning we’ll call the police.”
Davey and Susan nodded in agreement for the first time that evening.
“Melanie, please,” said Mike. “You have to listen to me. You don’t know how dangerous this thing is.” Morris reached across the center console and touched Mike’s elbow, but Mike had one more plea—“Please come with us. We’ll help you stay safe.”
“Thanks, but no,” said Melanie. “Although I appreciate the offer.”
The SUV flowed with tension as Mike pulled up to the pump and shut off the engine. In the back seat, Melanie organized her children and led them all out her door. In front, Mike sat behind the wheel.
Morris exited the vehicle, shut his door, and rounded the front to pay for the fuel. Melanie herded her kids towards the small store and had covered ten feet when Mike came trotting after.
“Wait, Melanie,” he said, holding out his hand. “At least take Ken’s phone. You won’t have to call your mother-in-law collect.”
In each of her hands Melanie held a child’s hand. She didn’t relinquish her grip to reach for the proffered phone. From his back pocket, Davey produced his mother’s phone. He tapped her on her arm.
“Thanks, dear,” she said. She let go of his hand to shove the phone in her purse. “We’re all set, thanks,” she said to Mike.
Mike nodded and walked back to the SUV, leaving Melanie to resume her march to the store. When he got back around to the other side, Morris had already started pumping the gas. Morris watched neither the pump display or the handle, his eyes focused on the empty lot just past the small parking lot.
“I’ll do that,” said Mike. “You go talk to her. She trusts you more than she trusts me.”
Morris turned over the pump handle to Mike, but didn’t move towards the store. Instead, he walked to the rear bumper with eyes still riveted to the spot where the glow of the station’s lights ended and the shadows began. “Give her a little time,” he said.
“I’m not sure we have that much time,” said Mike. “Do you see something out there?”
“Don’t know,” said Morris. He moved a few feet away from the truck, stepped between the pumps, and shielded his eyes from the glare of the overhead lights. “Probably a deer.”
Mike let go of the pump handle and stepped to end of the truck. He looked off in the direction that had drawn Morris’s attention and then turned to the building to check on Melanie and her kids. They stood off to the side of the store, within a few feet of the register, and she held her cellphone to her ear. From her flailing hand, he guessed she was having a very interesting conversation with her mother-in-law.
Looking back to his right, Mike saw that Morris had moved even farther away. He now stood almost next to the pumps of the other island. Morris broke his gaze with the night and shrugged slightly as he headed back towards the truck.
“We’ll wait here until her ride comes,” said Morris. “Then let them know that we’ll follow for a few exits to make sure she’s okay.”