Stay Together Chapter 21 by Maira Dawn
Chapter 21
(COPYRIGHT©2024 MAIRA DAWN)
Emily’s eyes narrowed as she watched Andrew saunter away. What was his problem coming over here and asking what was wrong? If he had any sense at all, he’d have figured out by now that the problem was him.
He moved through the group like a predator, scanning everyone as if he assessed their vulnerabilities. His calculating gaze flicked her way for a moment, sending shivers down her spine.
Yet the others in the group nodded at Andrew or gave him a friendly glance.
She shook her head. No one else sees it.
Well, at least she had Dad on her side. A small smile played on her lips. He’d pretended to be asleep when Andrew strolled over here, but she knew better. Dad had been listening to every word.
Too soon, the fifteen minutes of rest were up. The group rose, some stretching after a brief nap, and gathered their things to continue their journey.
Emily kept her eye on Andrew while keeping her distance. She glanced at her mom and dad, who walked together a few yards in front of her. It was time to tell them what she knew.
After jogging up to them, she kept her voice low and said, “Hey. Umm . . . so Dad, you’re right. Andrew is . . . I don’t know. Weirder than usual.”
Liz looked surprised. “Has he always been weird? I haven’t noticed anything odd about him.”
“It’s subtle. But it’s there. And since all this happened,” she said, waving her hand around, “it’s worse.” She explained his stalking behavior yesterday in the crowd and what he had said about loving the violence of this upside-down world.
James instantly frowned and shot a glare at the boy.
“Dad! Stop being so obvious,” Emily fiercely whispered, tugging at his arm.
“I sensed something was wrong. I just didn’t realize it was that bad. We need to keep an eye on him.”
Elizabeth’s brow furrowed. “That comment is weird. I hope he would only say that because he thought it would impress you, for some reason. He has a serious crush on you, Em. Did you know that?”
Emily’s faced flamed. “I suspected, but I hardly give him the time of day. Sooo . . . I hoped he’d get over it.”
Her mother patted her on the shoulder. “I agree that his behavior is odd enough to keep an eye on him.”
After traveling a couple of miles down the road, Andrew paused several times to gaze into the forest. Turning to the group, he announced, “I’m going to scout ahead,” and departed without waiting for a reply.
Michael stared into the woods. “What did he see?”
“That’s what I’m wondering, son.” He turned to the others. “We’d better stay alert. I wish he would’ve told us what he saw.”
Andrew had been absent for quite some time. Emily assumed he had used the pretext of scouting ahead as a way to take a bathroom break. However, he had been gone far too long for that to be the case.
He reappeared as the sun dipped in the sky and the tree’s shadows began stretching across the road. She spotted him cutting across a field, moving quick. He was holding something in his hand and he swung his arm back and forth.
Her heart thumped hard and fast. She’d really hoped he wouldn’t come back. She exchanged a nervous glance with her father.
When Andrew got closer, James asked, “What took so long?”
“I got turned around.” Andrew’s gaze flitted to Emily. “It’s safe up there though, and I found something useful.” He lifted his arm, showing off his prize.
Elizabeth eyed it with apprehension. “Where’d you get it?”
“Bunch of crap left on a farm back there,” he said, grinning. He swung the long-handled hatchet back and forth a few more times. “Figured we could use it.”
James stepped forward, a deep frown covering his face. “You sure you should’ve taken it?”
“Like I said,” Andrew replied. “Nobody around. Nobody to complain.”
“Looks sharp,” James said, eyeing the hatchet.
The boy grinned. “Yeah, it is.”
“It’ll be useful to use when we need to gather firewood.”
“It will.” The kid gave the hatchet an intense glance, an eerie smile on his face. “And other things.”
Emily looked at her father. His dark eyes mirrored the alarm she felt.
Her mind raced. She’d been right to keep an eye on Andrew. This just proved it.
As the others gathered around, the unease seemed to spread. They all fell into step, the tension thick as fog around them. Michael stuck with the family. The only one blissfully unaware of the trouble brewing in the undertones of their conversations.
But all Emily could see was that long-handled hatchet swinging back and forth, back and forth, as they walked. And Andrew’s eyes watching.
At the next rest stop, Emily sat with her family and studied Andrew from under her eyelashes. Her mind raced. Suspicions clawed at her thoughts.
Her mother leaned towards her father and whispered, “Andrew ramped up to a weapon fast.”
James nodded, eyes never leaving Andrew. “Too fast.”
Emily knew they all felt it—tension twisting tighter around them like a coiled spring ready to snap. She felt more at ease about her dad’s next topic of conversation, even if it had its own uncertainties.
Raising his voice to be heard over the other’s conversations, James announced to the group, “If I estimate correctly, we only have about two hours before we get back home. I guess we’ll all be splitting up soon.”
The reality of the upcoming goodbyes seemed to settle over everyone like a gentle, melancholy cloud.
“I’m already missing Will,” Nancy said with a wistful sigh. “And he only left a few hours ago. I’ll miss all of you, too. It may have only been a couple of days, but I feel like we’re family now with everything we’ve gone through.”
“I feel the same way,” Liz added, her tone full of sincerity. Most of the others nodded their heads, a silent chorus of agreement, as they exchanged smiles over the memories they’d made during the short time they’d been together.
“I can’t believe we’ll be home tonight!” Michael giggled, his face lit with excitement.
“It’ll be different,” Emily said, not wanting him to be too disappointed. “No electric, probably no water. So don’t expect it to be a lot different from what it is here.”
“I’ll have my nice cushy bed! And there might be some juice left in my chargers for me to play a video game! That’s a lot compared to being on the road.” His eyes sparkled at the thought of his own room instead of resting on the ground.
“Well, you’ve got me there.” Emily smiled and tousled his hair. “I wouldn’t mind my cushy bed, either.”
Suddenly, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and quickly looked at Andrew. He watched her - with a strange, intense expression. Something dark and unfathomable. Something she couldn’t place.
An icy shiver raced along her spine. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill creeping through her. He made her skin crawl.
She wanted him gone.
Continued . . .
Please remember this is a developing story and in a rawer state than what I publish. As such, it has only been self-edited and you will see some errors.
In addition, some changes may occur between now and publishing, including major storylines. I try to avoid this, but it sometimes happens.
Maira Dawn’s Novel News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I welcome your kindly worded feedback. :)