Chapter 52
W andering like a phantom through the night, Nick traveled to the Overseer’s house. A widely spaced series of lanterns illuminated the narrow dirt path along the way.
He had no weapons. He’d left the shotgun back at the estate, having run out of ammo anyway, and he’d let the others keep the rifle. Neither of those firearms would have been any use in a fight against the Overseer.
He didn’t know how he understood such things. A powerful sense of intuition guided him. It overrode reason, logic.
Maybe he was just too tired to think anymore. Emotionally, mentally, and physically, this had been the most grueling day of his entire life.
It’s not over yet. The most difficult part is yet to come.
He came around a bend in the path. The Overseer’s small house lay ahead, standing within a grove of trees. It had been restored just as the other structures had been. Flickering light shone through the front window.
His grandfather’s pickup truck was parked near the house. The vehicle looked thoroughly anachronistic in such a setting; it was akin to discovering a rocket ship in the midst of a remote African village.
Nick slowed his pace, his feet suddenly feeling as if they were cast in lead. He didn’t want to find out why Grandpa Lee had crossed over the bridge and come to the Overseer’s house. Grandpa Lee was supposed to be home, locked in for the night. He didn’t belong here.
All of us bear the curse . . .
Despite his dread, Nick’s feet carried him forward.
Crossing the yard, he walked past his grandfather’s truck.
A tarp covered the flatbed, something that hadn’t been there earlier when they’d driven the pickup .
. . but Nick averted his gaze from the vehicle, unwilling to consider what his granddad’s presence here meant to him, meant to everything.
To set them free, you have to kill him . . .
The porch’s floorboards were firm under his feet, though he felt as if he might collapse at any moment. He dropped his hand on the doorknob.
He turned it, pushed open the door.
The Overseer stood across the room, in front of a flickering hearth. He looked over his shoulder at Nick.
“Welcome home, son,” his grandfather said.