Page 67 of Elemasters

“No seaweed brain. You and Chris,”

“… did you just quote Percy Jackson at me?”

“Don’t judge. Those books are cute and if you clocked the quote that means you read them too,” Chloe giggled, “but my point is, both of you are really passionate and you care about each other more than anything else in the world. And sometimes that turns both of you into insufferable assholes,”

Dustin sighed, slumping against the back of the chair.

“Yeah… you’re right. I shouldn’t have talked to them like that; I just have no idea what the fuck I’m supposed to do. I’m completely helpless and it’s driving me insane,”

“I know how you feel, we all do,” Chloe assured him, “I’ve known you and your blockhead brother since we were kids. Things might not have worked out between us romantically, but I’ll always love Chris deeply as a friend. I’m rattled, Bailey’s rattled, even James is worried out of his mind. I know you’re used to carrying everything by yourself, but we’re not your parents. We’re not expecting you to solve this all on your own,”

“She’s right,” James said as he and Bailey stepped outside, “we’ve been a team since the night we first ran into that bank of fog while we were running from the cops, and that’s not changing now,”

Dustin pulled himself off the lounge chair and breathed deeply.

“I’m really sorry I was rude to you baby, I know you’re just trying to help find solutions. And Bailey, I never should’ve said that shit to you, and I hope you know I don’t think you only care about Chris because you two had sex,”

“I know Dusty, but hearing that from you still hurt. Especially right now,” Bailey said, wiping a stray tear the moment it threatened to fall. He pulled her into a strawberry scented hug.

“It won’t happen again, I swear,”

“Now that everyone’s reconciled, I say we get this show on the road,” Chloe hopped to her feet and joined the group by the back door, “using Dustin like a compass to narrow down Chris’s location is our best lead so far, so let’s stop sitting around on our admittedly plump asses and get to it,”

Dustin gasped when Chloe playfully squeezed his butt cheek, and for the first time since all this went down, everyone let out a laugh.

Doom and gloom might’ve been on the horizon, but at least Dustin had a group of losers to march into Hell with.

Chapter 26

There's a Light That Never Goes Out

Bailey’s pickup rattled violently as it tore down the two-lane highway, its tires hissing against rain-slick asphalt and its rusted frame groaning every time they went over 60mph. Dustin sat beside her in the passenger seat, his patience wound tight enough to snap in two. He had one hand gripping the cracked vinyl seat and the other pressed to the cold window as he tried to concentrate through the headache pounding behind his eyes. In the truck bed, James and Chloe were left to brace themselves against the jolts and bitter wind, their muffled voices occasionally swallowed by the rush of the road. Somewhere out there, Chris was still alive. Dustin had to believe that. So, he clung to the faint static buzzing at the edge of his senses where his brother should’ve been, silently begging for it to get stronger before the road, and what was left of his hope ran out.

“Sorry I keep asking… but I’m about to ask again,” Bailey said softly, keeping her eyes on the empty stretch of road ahead, “are we getting any closer? We’re still heading in the right direction, right?”

“Yeah, at least I think so,” Dustin replied, still psychically reaching for that prickly sensation, “the feeling isn’t getting stronger yet, but not weaker either so… that’s something I guess,”

Bailey didn’t have time to respond before Chloe knocked on the window behind them. Dustin turned and slid it open.

“I’m so sorry to derail this rescue mission, but your boyfriend seriously needs to pee. I’ve had to talk him out of whipping it out and pissing all over the highway like three times,”

“I can pull off at the next exit,” Bailey said softly, “we could all probably use a little break… and some shitty gas station coffee,”

She did as she said she would, turning off the highway and ending up at some unnamed gas station in the undeveloped expanse of nothingness between Pacific Cove and Seattle. The moment they parked, James hopped out of the truck bed and sprinted into the store, while Chloe followed to get coffee and snacks for everyone.

Dustin leaned against the truck, sighing heavily.

“So… what else is eating you?” Bailey asked, slumping against the truck bed next to Dustin, “obviously your missing twin is the number one problem, but I feel like there’s more that you’re keeping to yourself,”

Dustin wanted to resist giving an answer, but he knew Bailey far too well. She’d just persist until he cracked, and he didn’t have the energy to be evasive anyway.

“I guess I’m just… frustrated with myself. For even caring this much. Chris literally tried to burn me alive, and yet here I am serving as TwinkGPS so we can save him,”

Bailey stifled a snort.

“Sorry, that’s a new one. But to the point; I know how it feels to always find yourself back in the same place over and over again, no matter how many times that place has hurt you. I can’t defend Chris for what he almost did to you, and I won’t try… but I’ll say that when we find him, the two of you need to have a long and serious talk and hash this shit out once and for all,”

“And you really think talking it out will work? Have you met my brother?”