AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, no, we’re not going to die. We’re not even going to get hurt. We’re going to wait out the storm and go home in the morning.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.
My phone chirped, and I picked it up. The message was from Codrin, and it was clear.
“TURN ON YOUR LIGHTS.”
Chapter seven
Foramoment,Ididn’t understand. Then, I put Emily against a seat and lunged for the lights. In an instant, they were on. At the same time, I unlocked the doors. I thought about opening one, but that didn’t seem like a good idea. Too much snow and cold.
The driver’s door was jerked open, spilling snow into the vehicle. The person who stuck in their head looked more South Pole seeker than a Chicago resident. He pulled up his ski to reveal…Codrin.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “Can you walk?”
“We can walk,” I answered.
“Hold on.”
He closed one door and opened the other side. In a moment, he had gathered Emily in his arms.
“Follow me,” he said. “Stay close. It’s not far, but the storm is brutal. Don’t get lost.”
I nodded. “I’ll be right behind.”
“Turn off your lights.”
I turned off the lights and climbed out, locking the car behind me. I wasn’t sure why I locked it. Habit, I supposed. The wind howled past my face. The hard snow stung, and my cheeks immediately began to ache. Codrin’s large SUV idled a few yards away, and I was never so happy to clamber into the second row. That was where Codrin put Emily, and I gathered her in my arms. Codrin slipped into the front, lowered the hood on his parka, and pulled off his ski mask.
“Are you hurting?” he asked, cranking up the heat. “The seats are heated, so turn them on.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“Don’t thank me yet. You’re not home. The roads are impassible for most vehicles. We have to move as quickly as we can. In another hour, nothing will move.”
“You’re taking us home?”
Yes “I’ve already prepped my house. Water is dripping, heat is on. I suspect I’ll lose power before daybreak. The dripping water will keep the pipes from freezing.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“I can tell you’re from the South. Frozen pipes often burst. When that happens, you get water damage. That’s expensive. So, we’ll set up your house before I leave.”
What is your home address?
I provided him my address and he added it in his map.
“I can’t tell you how thankful we are.”
“Try to relax. This will be slow going. Luckily, it’s not all that far.”
I hugged Emily, who drifted back to sleep. And I watched as Codrin lurched out of the lot and onto a street.
There was very little to see. The snow whipped through the headlight beams, creating a kind of aura of reflected light. Codrin expertly weaved his way around abandoned cars and trucks. I had never seen anything like it. Driving in a hurricane was bad, but at least it was warm. If we had to walk in this maelstrom, we might die. I didn’t talk, as I didn’t wish to distract Codrin. His concentration was intense, and I felt that strange power he possessed. It was as if he possessed some sort of laser focus. There was one thing and one thing only in his head. I had the feeling I could sing the Star-Spangled Banner, and he wouldn’t even hear it.
“I’ll get the garage door,” I said as we approached my house. I recognized that much.
