He pauses. “Should I—uh—slow down?”
“You should keep driving.”
“Right.”
A human shape suddenly lurches into the headlights. Simon curses, slamming the brakes. The cruiser skids sideways. The figure hits the ground and rolls.
“Get the lights,” I order, already pushing my door open.
Rain sheets across us as we approach the man. Middle-aged. Wild eyes. Pajamas plastered to his skin. It’s the loon we saw earlier.
Simon lets out a long sigh. “Pastor Gide. Again.”
“You know him?”
“Town doomsday prophet. Usually harmless, but tonight…” Simon gestures vaguely. “He’s been out screaming about angels and fire since sunset.”
Perfect. Another casualty of unregulated magic.
Pastor Gide stares between us, blinking rapidly. “Did you see it? The sky cracked open. Judgment’s coming.”
“I’m thrilled for you,” I mutter, helping haul him upright. My head throbs harder now, magic trying to brace against the surge rolling through the valley. “Simon.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got him.”
We get Gide onto the shoulder, out of the road. The man wobbles but stays upright.
Simon grips his arm gently. “Pastor, you need to go home. Lock your door. Stay inside until morning, alright?”
Gide nods, mumbling something about the veil thinning, then wanders off toward the trees.
“Does he do this often?” I ask.
“Only when the town’s magic spikes.” Simon climbs back into the cruiser. “But tonight? Everyone’s jumpy. Even I can feel it, and Betas aren’t usually sensitive to the magic.”
I slide in after him. “Drive.”
The quarry opens up like a wound in the earth, floodlights cutting through the rain. Cars are scattered everywhere—students’ pickups, abandoned coolers, shattered bottles. Music equipment lies half-submerged in mud. A bonfire pit still smokes despite the downpour.
Of course. Leave it to Willowbrook to hold a party beside an unstable ley rupture.
“Looks like a whole pack of idiots had a field day,” Simon mutters. “But it seems the sheriff is nowhere in sight. I can try calling him, but the radios are kind of dead.”
“Fuck! Do people party here a lot?”
He looks at me before shaking his head. “Sheriff Wilder tries to keep people away from here as much as he can, but sometimes… you know?”
“With unbonded Omegas? This place needs to be cordoned.”
I know I have said the wrong thing because his shoulders seem to stiffen. “This was no one’s fault.”
“But the unbonded Omegas?—”
“That’s bullshit. Excuse my language, Mr. Thorn, but that’s bullshit. I know the Council believes the unbonded Omegas in this town are the reason for the surges, but there are other unbonded Omegas in other towns. What this town has that those others don’t is this damn quarry. The ley lines hum with magic even when left alone. So, with all due respect, this was just an unfortunate natural disaster.”
He’s being defensive. It’s well known that this town, for whatever reason, is very protective and fond of their Omegas. Despite reports that their magic is what’s contributing to the instability of the pool of magic, they swear it’s a natural disaster.
So, I also know it will be a complete waste of time arguing facts with the deputy.
