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“Is Derek with you?”
“No, wh—”
“He's gone. ” He lifted something that glinted and it took a moment for me to recognize it as Derek's watch. “He had the alarm set for 2:45. When it went off, I woke up and found it on my pillow. His bed was empty. ”
Rae's fingers closed on my arm. “But Derek's not coming, right? Let's just go. ”
“Did he say anything to you last night?” I whispered.
Simon shook his head. “He was asleep. I didn't wake him. ”
“Maybe he's in the bathroom,” Rae whispered. “Come on, guys, we have to—”
“I checked the bathrooms. And the spare room. And the kitchen. Something's wrong. Something happened to him. ”
“If it did, would he have left you the watch? Maybe…” I struggled for a reasonable explanation, fighting the rising panic that said there wasn't one. “Maybe he's afraid we'll try to drag him along at the last minute and we'll wake someone up. ”
“Speaking of which…” Rae said with a pointed look at the ceiling.
Simon and I looked at each oth
er and I knew, as logical as my explanation was, Derek would know Simon couldn't leave without making sure he was okay.
“Guys…” Rae said.
“You two go,” said Simon. “I'll find—”
“No,” I said. “I will. ”
“But—”
I lifted my hand to cut him short. “What good will it do if I get away and you don't? It's your dad. You know how to find him. ”
Simon's gaze slid to the side.
“What?” Rae turned to me. “Forget Derek, Chloe. He's not coming, remember? He'll be fine. We have to go. ”
“I'll find him and come after you,” I said. “We'll meet behind the factory, okay?”
Simon shook his head. “He's my responsibility—”
“Right now, your dad is your responsibility. You can't help Derek—or me—if you can't find him. ”
Silence.
“Okay?”
His brows knitted, and I could tell that it wasn't okay, that he hated to run.
“You have to go,” I said.
He took my hand, wrapped his fingers around it, and squeezed. I'm sure I turned as red as if he'd scooped me up in a kiss.
“Be careful?” he said.
“I will. I'll find him, then I'll find you. ”
“I'll be waiting. ”
* * *
Simon took my backpack. It'd be a dead giveaway if I was caught carrying it. If I stashed it someplace, I might not get a chance to retrieve it.
We had the security code—Derek had written it out for us, together with instructions and hand-?drawn maps. I could take that as proof that he hadn't planned to be here when we left, but I knew it was just Derek being Derek, leaving nothing to chance.
So why take off and risk Simon not going? My last memory of Derek flashed past—standing in his bedroom doorway, bathed in sweat, barely able to focus—and I knew what had happened.
If Simon saw him like that, he'd know how sick Derek was. If Simon knew, Simon would stay. No question. So Derek had done the only thing he could—holed up someplace, left the alarm on, and prayed Simon would go. A slim chance versus no chance.
So where was he? I headed to the basement first. The door was closed, light off, but he wouldn't leave any sign if he was hiding. The laundry room was empty. The door to the closet was locked.
Last night, when we'd gone on our walk, he'd gulped down the cold air. When we'd returned, his fever seemed gone and I'd chalked it up to the Tylenol kicking in, but maybe the cold air had been enough. If he was desperate for a quick fix, he'd go outside, in hopes of cooling down enough to see Simon off.
I stepped onto the back porch. The quarter moon had slid behind clouds and it was as dark as the upstairs hall. I could make out the glimmer of lights at a neighbor's, but the towering trees blocked all but that faint glow.
My gaze swept the black yard, seeing only the pale box that I knew was the shed. It was colder than the night before, and my breath hung in the air. The only sound was the creak of branches, as steady and monotonous as the ticking of the grandfather clock.
I took three tentative strides across the deck. By the time I climbed down the steps to the concrete pad, I could make out more pale shapes in the yard—the bench, a lawn chair, the garden angel, and a soccer-?ball-?sized blob near the shed.
An engine revved and I froze, but it was only a car passing. Another two slow steps. I glanced over my shoulder and considered dashing back in for a flashlight, but Simon had taken the only one I knew about.
I peered around. My lips parted to whisper Derek's name, then closed. Would he answer? Or hide?
When I drew closer to the presumed ball, I saw it was a big white sneaker. Derek's. I scooped it up, looking about wildly now.
A blast of wind struck me, so cold it made my eyes water. I rubbed the icy tip of my nose as the wind moaned through the trees. Then the wind died down… and the moaning continued, a long, low sound that made the back of my neck prickle.
I turned slowly. The sound stopped. Then came a stifled cough, and as I wheeled toward it, I saw a white sock peeking from behind the shed.
I dashed over. Derek was there, deep in the shadows, on all fours, his head and upper body barely visible. The stink of sweat rolled off him, and the breeze brought a sharp, bitter smell that made the back of my throat constrict, reflexively gagging.
His body tensed as he retched, a dry, ragged heave.
“Derek?” I whispered. “It's Chloe. ”
He went rigid. “Go away. ” The words were a guttural growl, barely intelligible.
I stepped closer, dropping my voice another notch. “Simon's gone. I convinced him to go on ahead while I found you. ”
His back arched, arms stretched out, pale fingers digging into the soil. A low moan, cut short by a grunt.
“You found me. Now go. ”
“Do you really think I'd leave you like this?” I took another step forward. The stink of vomit made me clap my hand to my nose. I switched to breathing through my mouth. “If you're throwing up, that's more than a fever. You need—”
“Go!” The word was a snarl and I staggered back.
His head dropped. Another moan, this one ending in a high-?pitched sound, almost like a whimper. He wore a T-?shirt, bare muscles bunching as he gripped the ground again. His arms darkened, as if a shadow passed over them, then reappeared, pale against the surrounding shadow.
“Derek, I—”
His back arched, stretching so high I could see the rigid line of his spine, T-?shirt pulled tight, muscles writhing and rippling. Then he sagged, his panting breaths as ragged as the rustling leaves.
“Please. Go. ” The words were a deep mumble, like he wasn't opening his mouth.
