Quill is unsummoned so fast that I decide I should use this threat more often.
“Now get on the people mover,” I demand, and boy does he scurry over and hop on. I follow him, dragging our luggage after me—seeing as he just ditched his when he leapt onto Quill—as I realize that I’ve found a new way to boss Torin around.
“Do you kind of feel like Lt. Lindsey is just trying to off us by sending us on a wild goose chase?” Mickey asks once we join him on the people mover.
After having watched that spectacle, I admit, “I’m not sure I blame her.”
“Why would we be chasing geese?” Torin asks. “Is this another sacrifice thing? Like we must sacrifice geese to ride on this thing you call the mile-high club? I am willing.”
“You know it’s called a plane, right? And yes, Mickey, she’s totally sacrificing us.”
“I’ll bring you back to life if you die first,” Mickey assures me.
“Uh… thanks… I guess. But if you bring me back to life to make me haul your ass around an airport, I’m going to ask that you leave me dead.”
“Fair,” Mickey says as the doors to the people mover open for us to exit. Just as Tommy is hauling Mickey out, one of the wheels on the suitcase snaps and goes flying. Mickey spills off the suitcase and tumbles back into the people mover while the rest of us pass through the doors and watch them shut. The people mover takes off with Mickey locked inside.
“I think he was supposed to get out with us,” Torin comments.
“Sure was,” I say as I see his face pressed against the glass a second before the people mover zooms out of sight. “Hopefully he hurries up or he’ll miss the flight.”
“I don’t think Mickey has ever hurried to do anything in his life,” Torin says.
“He hurries to bed,” I mutter.
Our group heads off without Mickey. Tommy seems rather relieved to just pull the suitcase after him, even if it’s missing one of its wheels.
“You do know you don’t have to follow his every word, right?” I ask Tommy.
“Yes… but I don’t mind. It’s very nice to live again, and I’m happy to do anything as long as I get to keep on living. Because of Mickey, I get to see my daughter and my granddaughter. It really is a blessing.”
“I’m not sure anyone has ever said Mickey was a blessing, but I’m glad you think so,” I say as we reach our gate. I find an area to sit and claim our seats while Torin heads over to the window and presses against it like a child looking out at something mystifying. Leaving the undead to watch our bags, I walk over to see what he’s looking at.
“So… we are going to let that box of metal and junk eat us, and then we’re going to force it to fly and hope it doesn’t kill us?” Torin asks, obviously quite perplexed by this.
“Pretty much.”
“I think we should walk.”
“It would take us days to get there.”
“There’s a problem with this?” Torin asks, his face scrunching up.
“Yes.”
He scowls. “I see no problem. It sounds fun.”
“You’d carry me the whole way?” I ask.
“Nah, you’d carry me.” Torin grins at this idea, surely thinking of the horrible unicorn bullshit that I’ve tried my hardest to erase from my memory. Torin has tried his hardest to never forget it.
Sighing, I head back to my seat, but Torin stays a bit to watch the plane before returning to me. About thirty minutes later, Mickey comes wandering up looking exhausted and a little frazzled.
“I saw your smile, Riley. I saw that fucking smile as I was viciously whisked off,” he grumbles.
“I also laughed,” I inform him, secretly happy he’s made it before the plane takes off. I would prefer him with us on this adventure.
His eyes narrow. “Evil.” The waiting area is filling up and with no spot left for him, he flops down on my lap, like this is my punishment for smiling.
