Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
D emetrius was cold and shivering as he followed everyone else across the field to the road to meet the ambulance. One of the deputies stayed behind to take down the hipster’s statement and have him email a copy of his video to the sheriff’s department. They were all quiet but continually checked the night sky. More than once he heard Cody mutter, “Fucking bats.”
After Deputy Walsh had been taken off in an ambulance, Lucia questioned Demetrius and Cody. The majority of their answers boiled down to “I don’t know,” which eventually left all of them frustrated.
Finally, Lucia blew out a long breath, put her hands on her hips, and dropped her chin to her chest. She stared at the gravel shoulder as she said, “I really need help from the two of you with this. I don’t know what the hell that thing was or why it’s here, but it’s not friendly. And what the hell was up with all the bats?” She lifted her head and fixed first Cody, and then Demetrius with a steady look. “I need to protect the citizens of this town and my fellow deputies.”
“We know,” Demetrius said. “And we’ll help however we can.”
“Yeah,” Cody said. Demetrius was glad he had managed to restrain himself from a sassy retort.
“Thank you. Let’s all stay in touch,” Lucia said.
“Of course,” Demetrius said.
Lucia asked the deputy who’d walked back to the road with them to give them a ride to their truck. Demetrius let Cody sit in front since his legs were longer, and was grateful he’d done so when the deputy kept peppering Cody with questions about what they’d all just witnessed. Cody kept his responses short and noncommittal, once again impressing Demetrius. Not one sassy remark. Cody was probably even more exhausted than Demetrius, and tonight was the second time he’d been swarmed by bats.
The large tow truck had just arrived when the deputy dropped them off by their DPW truck. The deputy gave the tow truck driver directions to the impound lot, and Demetrius and Cody climbed into their truck and headed off. Cody pulled into the DPW parking lot just before eleven. Shrieky Pete’s motorcycle waited near the back of the building, and the low glow of a single light shone through a garage window.
“John must have left in a hurry,” Cody said as they climbed out of the cab. “He left a light on.”
The door was unlocked, and they stepped cautiously into the quiet, heavily shadowed garage. Their steps echoed, cold and desolate inside the big, empty space, and Demetrius shivered. The light came from John’s office area on the upper level, the soft glow devoured by shadows in the lower garage space.
“I’ll go up and see if John’s there,” Demetrius said. “I’m sure he’s heard about Spiffy and Pete by now.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll clock us out.”
Demetrius climbed the metal stairs and stood on the grated landing outside the office. The door was closed, but through the windows, he could see by the desk lamp the office was empty. The heavy clunk of Cody clocking them out sounded loud and intrusive. Demetrius turned to head back down the stairs when the door near the time clock opened, startling Cody. John stepped out, jumping when he saw Cody standing close by, and he hurriedly shut the door and locked it.
“Scared five years off my life,” John grumbled. “The fuck are you doing here?”
“We’re just getting back,” Cody said. “Did you hear about Spiffy and Pete?”
“Did I hear?” John snorted. “The whole fucking town has heard. Gonna be a zoo around here through Halloween now with all the monster lovers looking to get a selfie with the latest one..” He turned away from Cody and saw Demetrius standing near his office. “What the fuck are you doing up there? Get away from there.”
Demetrius quickly descended the steps and dodged around John as the big man stomped past him. “I didn’t go inside. I just went up to see if you were at your desk and make sure you knew about Spiffy and Pete.”
John stopped with one foot on the bottom step and glared at him. “I’ve heard, okay? I’ve heard. No one knows what the fuck happened, right?”
“Well, yeah, not really,” Cody said. “It was… “ Cody blew out a breath. “A lot happened tonight.”
“Right. So, until the sheriff comes out and says what happened out there, keep it to yourselves, got it?”
“Yeah, we’ve got it,” Demetrius said.
“Go home. Now that we’re down two men, I need you back here tomorrow.” His expression softened slightly and, Demetrius thought, turned a little sad. “Make it ten o’clock. You’ve had a long night, I know.”
They watched him go, climbing the stairs slowly, as if every step took effort. When he closed his office door behind him, they turned to go. Once outside, Cody shot a look toward Shrieky Pete’s motorcycle.
“What the hell is wrong with that guy? One of his team is missing with just a puddle of blood left behind, and he’s more cantankerous than ever.”
“You heard him,” Demetrius said. “He’s stressed out now that almost half his team is out of commission.”
“Yeah, but, come on. Show a little compassion.”
“There might have been a change in his wife’s condition, too.” Cody grunted in response.
They got into Cody’s truck and as he drove them through the downtown area, the garland lights twinkling. Demetrius was surprised at the number of people on the sidewalks. No business was open this late, not even Hollow Grounds coffeeshop, but small groups of people walked up and down Main Street, talking and laughing. Some took selfies by the lamp posts he and Cody had decorated days before. Many of them took turns posing by the sculpture the town had commissioned to memorialize everyone lost on a full moon years ago during the werewolf uprising.
“Fucking tourists,” Cody said with a snarl. “We live here and fight to keep people alive, and they come here and glorify the things we go up against.”
“Yeah, I don’t like it either.” Demetrius couldn’t help a big yawn. “Hopefully it’s bringing in enough revenue to make it worthwhile.” He yawned again. “What a day. I’m so tired.”
“Me, too.” Cody’s voice was ragged with exhaustion.
Once they arrived home, Cody went to shower and Demetrius put together a bowl of bruised fruit he’d bought at a discount from Ike’s Market for Trevor. He filled it halfway with water and carried it outside, pausing just beyond the side door to check the night sky. Nothing threatening appeared to be circling overhead, no tall, pale figure with wings and no cloud of bats, so he continued out into the yard. Trevor wasn’t in his shelter, which didn’t really worry him. He was a raccoon, after all, and liked to forage. Demetrius left the bowl just inside the door of the shelter, and turned back toward the house. A tall figure stood in the driveway, and he jumped. His heart raced and tingles ran up his spine and across his skull. Seconds later, he realized it was Cody, and let out a shaky breath.
“You scared me,” Demetrius said.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to. I didn’t want you to be out here on your own.”
Demetrius put his arms around him. Cody hugged him tight, and the warm, familiar feel of his body helped slow Demetrius’s racing heart. Cody smelled of body wash and fabric softener, and it caused a swell of emotion inside him. Cody smelled and felt like home.
“What’s going on around here?” Demetrius said into Cody’s shoulder. “This time?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I.”
Demetrius looked up, happy when Cody leaned down to give him a soft kiss.
“I’m wiped,” Cody said. “You ready for bed?”
“Just need to shower. I’ll be right there.”
Once Demetrius finished showering and had brushed his teeth, he double checked the doors were locked then quietly entered the bedroom. Cody lay on his side facing the wall. Demetrius made sure he’d set an alarm on his phone and plugged it in before sliding into bed. He put his arm around Cody and smiled when he pressed back against him. It wasn’t often Demetrius was the big spoon, and he tightened his arm slightly around Cody’s chest.
He pushed the fear and terror of the evening to the back of his mind as he focused on the immediate and more important things: the feel of Cody beside him, the comfort of the mattress they were still paying off, the familiar sounds of their home in the night. He drifted off to sleep and dreamed he stood in the middle of Main Street while terrible creatures swooped down around him and grabbed up those he loved. Faceless groups crowded the sidewalks, talking and laughing and taking photos as each person he cared about was snatched away.
He awoke with a jerk and a gasp. It was still dark, but he’d rolled away from Cody at some point, and was chilled because he’d also kicked off the covers. His heart pounded, and his mouth was dry and sour. The mattress dipped as Cody rolled toward him. A big arm slid around Demetrius’s waist and tugged him in tight against the long, strong length of him.
“Okay?” Cody whispered, voice slurred and scratchy with sleep.
“Better now,” Demetrius whispered back.
Cody kissed his ear, whispered, “Love you,” then settled back into sleep.
Demetrius’s heart steadily slowed, and he placed a hand over Cody’s, amazed as always at the size difference. He stared into the darkness surrounding them and tried to will himself back to sleep.
Demetrius slid into the booth at Margie’s and sighed. He hadn’t slept well, and he felt he was dragging himself through the day. Cody sat across from him, looking a little less tired, but equally stressed.
“Scraping up roadkill,” Cody grumbled as he glared out the window. “Again.” A group of tourists wearing headbands with werewolf ears walked past, talking and laughing. “And there goes another fifty bucks worth of trinkets and trash.” He turned back to Demetrius. “I still say we deserve a cut of all the profits this town makes.”
“Parson’s Pharmacy can’t keep the authentic imitation silver bullet charm bracelet and necklace in stock,” Demetrius said.
“And here I had family heirloom silver melted down.”
Margie approached their table as another clump of out of towners entered the diner. She smiled and slid into the booth next to Demetrius.
“How are you boys?”
“I’m crabby,” Cody said, tipping his head toward the loud group of new arrivals. He waved a hand toward Demetrius. “And he’s working on a bad night of sleep. Just to give you fair warning.”
Margie leaned in over the table and looked between them. “I heard about Spiffy and Pete. And Deputy Walsh.”
“Word travels fast.”
“I’m shocked,” Cody said.
“Oh, yes,” Margie said. “Isaac Wilkerson and his police radio are a font of information.”
“Those seniors,” Cody said with a grin and a shake of his head.
“What do you two think it was?”
Demetrius shrugged. “We don’t know. We didn’t get a very good look at it, but it was scary as hell.”
“And it was strong,” Cody said. “It was able to grab Deputy Walsh, lift her into the air as she struggled, and carry her a few miles.” He grimaced. “And don’t get me started about the bats.”
“Bats?”
Before they could respond, the door opened and Zenona entered. She paused to look around and her face brightened when she saw them.
“Zenona’s here,” Demetrius said as she approached their booth.
“Hey, Doc,” Cody said.
Margie slid out of the booth and smiled at Zenona. “You can sit right here and talk while I go take care of these visitors and give them a lesson on how to correctly wear their werewolf ears.”
Zenona sat beside Demetrius and looked between him and Cody. “Are you two all right?”
Cody frowned. “Why? What have you heard?”
“I heard about the attacks last night, and that the two of you were smack in the middle of it again.”
“We’re fine,” Demetrius said. “They haven’t found Spiffy, from what I’ve heard. Anything you can tell us about Pete?”
“He’s not under my care, but from what I’ve heard, he’s not able to say much. I think he’s still in shock. He just keeps repeating the Lord’s Prayer.”
“Better than that music he blasts from his motorcycle,” Cody grumbled. He caught Demetrius’s look and shrugged. “Well, it is.”
Zenona looked up as Margie approached, shaking her head.
“Those kids just don’t get it,” Margie said. “Glorifying all the terrible things we’ve all lived through.”
“Kids these days,” Cody said.
They gave Margie their orders, and she headed for the kitchen. Zenona stared at the tabletop a moment, then asked, “Do you two have plans tonight? After sundown?”