Page 77 of Grave Danger

Demetrius was staring out across the lobby and saw a familiar face. He stood up and waved to get Agatha’s attention. She smiled and hurried up to them. He let Cody hug Agatha first, patiently waiting as Cody held her for a full minute before releasing her. He moved in and hugged her as well, then directed her to sit in the chair he’d occupied.

“We just found out about Jugs,” Cody said. “How is he?”

Agatha crossed her arms and gave a quick shrug as tears glistened in her eyes. “He’s the same. Well, he’s worse than when you saw him, but he’s the same as when we got here.”

Cody, Zenona, and Agatha started talking about Jugs’s condition and how it had steadily worsened after the funeral. Demetrius listened, but he looked around the lobby, taking in the potted plants, the coffee kiosk, the memorial plaques, and some craftwork by local artisans. His thoughts drifted from the conversation, going back to the steady advance of the zombies. So far there had been no zombie sightings near Buford Heights cemetery, only at Eternal Rest. Would that change in the near future? Or was there something special about Eternal Rest that was driving these reanimations?

“Hey, you still with us?”

Cody’s voice brought Demetrius back into the moment, and he smiled as he blushed. “Sorry. It’s been an eventful day.”

“You didn’t get scratched or bit, did you?” Agatha asked.

Demetrius held his arms out and turned them to show his unmarked skin. “No. They didn’t get close enough.”

Zenona’s phone buzzed and she looked at it, then glanced at Cody. “It’s Lucia. She wants to talk with you.” She looked at Demetrius. “Both of you.”

“Yeah, pretty much expected that,” Cody said with a heavy sigh. “Let’s get this over with.”

A short time later, Lucia approached their group. She looked stressed and more on edge than Demetrius had seen her in a long time. Lucia looked around for an empty seat, then picked up one end of a two-person bench that sat a short distance away and dragged it closer. The feet of the bench screeched along the tile floor, and everyone in the lobby stopped to look in their direction. When she was satisfied with the new position, she dropped the end of the bench with a loud smacking sound and sat on it.

“You’ve been doing more upper body workouts,” Cody said.

“Now’s not the time, Bower,” Lucia said, her voice low and close to a growl. “Tell me everything you know about the continual shitshow at that cemetery, and every detail of what happened to Deputy Zellmer.”

“You want the truth?” Demetrius said.

Lucia fixed him with a hard stare. “The truth.”

Demetrius exchanged a shrug with Cody. “Okay.”

They took turns telling Lucia everything they knew, starting back when Cody had hit the mayor. Lucia knew a good portion of it, of course, but Zenona and Agatha hadn’t heard many of the earlier details, and their eyes slowly widened.

“It’s been going on that long?” Zenona said, leaning in and dropping her voice to a whisper. “Are you serious?”

“Just as serious as when we were trying to keep the town from becoming one big dog kennel for werewolves,” Cody said.

“What the hell is the deal with this damn town?” Agatha pressed her lips together, then said, “You need to go back to the cemetery and get your truck, right?”

“Yeah,” Cody said, glancing toward Lucia who stared back at him. “If it’s not impounded.” He snapped his fingers and sat back, smiling slightly. “Oh, one more thing. Any update on the Cadillac?”

A muscle under Lucia’s left eye twitched, and she clenched her jaw. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in her lap. Her lips moved slightly, and Demetrius wondered if she was stating some kind of mantra or simply counting to ten. After a short pause, she opened her eyes. “She lost us over in Harriettville. But we’ve got a BOLO out for her, and that car tends to stand out.”

Cody laughed, and it sounded harsh and hard as it echoed in the open space of the lobby. “A ninety-something-year-old woman gave you the slip?”

“Cody…” Lucia said. “Do you want to get your goddamn truck back or not?”

“If it’s not covered in zombie guts,” Cody said.

“The situation at Eternal Rest is under control. I’ll call ahead and tell the team on site to release your truck to you.”

“Thank you,” Cody said, getting to his feet and looking to Demetrius. “Ready to go?”

Demetrius stood, surprised to see Agatha on her feet as well.

“I’m going, too,” Agatha said. “You need a ride to the cemetery anyway, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess we do,” Cody said, looking toward Lucia. “Unless we’re allowed to borrow Deputy Zellmer’s cruiser again.”