I looked at Henry and he was sitting on the road, rubbing his temples again. He looked like he was in tremendous pain. I felt I needed to help him somehow so I went to him. I loved him, no matter what lies he told me. I couldn’t shut it off like a switch. Although, it would be much easier on the both of us if we could.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah. I will be.” His graying eyes looked cloudy. I knew there was something seriously wrong, and I was worried out of my mind. I knelt down in front of him, and brushed the hair off his forehead.
“Do you need some water?” I whispered.
“Uh, yeah, actually. That would be absolutely fantastic if you could grab me one.” He managed to give me a small smile. I spotted Sophie watching our exchange.
“I’ll be right back.” I rubbed my hand over his hair again. He sighed and leaned into my touch.
I headed to the back of the truck, and Sophie followed me. “What’s going on with him, Sophie?” I was angry and I wanted answers.
“I think he’s just dehydrated. He has been boozing it up quite a bit lately for some unknown reason.” She was implying his binge drinking was my fault? I felt the urge to wipe that snarky bitch’s face all over the pavement.
I looked at her with my best “fuck off” look, but I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. I knew if I had said anything, there would have been a battle to the death. I grabbed Henry a bottle of water, and went back to him.
“Here.” I opened the bottle for him, and knelt down to meet his eyes again. I gently touched his cheek. “Henry, please tell me what’s happening to you.”
He looked away, as if he was ashamed. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry yourself over me. Thanks for the water, love. I appreciate you grabbing it for me.” He gave me another little smile.
I looked at him for a moment. “I can’t help but worry. You are scaring me. I don’t know if you are sick or what, but I know it’s something. I will get it out of you, one way or another.”
“Elaina, love, please. I am begging you. Don’t worry yourself over me. I will be fine. We just need to press on.” He reached up and put his hand on my cheek. He was cold…Arctic tundra cold. I jumped back a little because it took me by surprise.
“Why are you so much colder than usual? Are you sick? Are you coming down with something?”
“No, no… I’m fine. Trust me.” I didn’t like the sound of that.
“I wish you wouldn’t lie to me. I just want the truth from you.” I know he wanted to tell me what was ailing him, I could see the desperation in his eyes, but something was stopping him. I wondered if it was me. I wondered if he didn’t want to say anything because he was afraid of how I would react.
“Please, I’ll be fine. Let’s just get rolling, shall we?” He stood up, grabbed my hand and pulled me up. He took me by the shoulders and asked, “How about you and Nick switch spots?”
I missed my Henry so much. I really wanted to be with him, but I was so unsure of everything right now.
“Please, love? I’m desperate for time alone with you.” He pouted, complete with his bottom lip sticking out.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine.” Sometimes he could really get to me, and he knew it.
I went over to Nick. He was leaning on one of the abandoned cars, his feet crossed, enjoying an old magazine he found. “Hey, Nick.”
He looked up at me and smiled. “Hey, sis.”
“I just talked to Henry and he wants me to ride with him. Would you mind riding with Claire and Sophie? He wants some alone time.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. He was concerned. “Only if that’s what you want.”
“It’s fine.” I was annoyed, and I crossed my arms in front of my chest. Apparently, he didn’t think I could make my own decisions. Obviously, he had never met me before.
“Okay, then.”
At that point, Henry spoke up. “Alright, ladies and gentleman. We are taking off. Sophie, Nick is riding with you so Elaina and I can have some time to ourselves.” Claire gawked at me. I shrugged. Then she shook her head. I looked down at the road, admiring all the little pebbles. “We’re going to continue until the next exit. It’s about ten miles. Hopefully, it won’t take us long. Depends upon what we run across. Once we get off the exit, we will pull over somewhere that looks safe. Alright?”
“Got it.” Sophie turned on her spiked heel and headed back to her truck, Nick hot on her heels. Claire stood and glared at me for a few more moments, then followed suit. I felt like I needed a shower after all of the dirty looks I was getting. Henry grabbed my hand and led me to the passenger side of his truck, like the gentleman that he was.
“Hop in, love. Buckle up. It might be a bumpy ride.”
“Great,” I said with not much enthusiasm.
“That’s my girl.” He half smiled. He started to give me a peck on the cheek, but then he stopped himself. I could see the pain in his eyes. I reached up and brushed my fingers down his cheek. He closed his eyes, exhaling as I slid my fingers over his stubble.
When he opened them again, they were swimming with tears. His eyes wandered about my face, searching for the answer to the question that was lingering between us. He looked down, and his jaw trembled. He looked back up at me, lips parted like he was about to say something. But then he just turned away and closed the door.
I had broken his heart. I absolutely crushed this already broken man. I couldn’t believe I did that to him. I wasn’t sure if we would ever be able to get back to what we had, and the doubt that radiated from him told me he felt the same.
He had secrets. Secrets that he desperately wanted to share but, for some reason, felt that he couldn’t. I don’t know if it was a trust issue or what. But whatever it was, it was killing both of us.
It was killing us, period.
Henry was torn and broken, and it was my fault. My hands shook as I clasped them together in my lap. He climbed into the driver’s seat and rested his head on the steering wheel, trying to gather himself. I could see that his pain was not only emotional, it was physical. I needed to help him through it.
“Henry…”
“Not now, Elaina. I can’t handle it.” His voice cracked.
“But…”
“Just leave it!” he shouted at me. I just wanted to help him, offer him some sort of assistance in his time of need. Whatever that need may be, I would do it for him.
Henry jammed the key into the ignition and started the truck. I had thought the whole point of me riding with him was so that we could talk about everything. It was apparent that talking wasn’t going to happen.
I let out a loud sigh and turned toward the door. I heard him hit the steering wheel in frustration. He put the truck into drive, and we continued on to Unhappyville.
The highway was relatively open after the whole on-ramp debacle. We were still weaving in and out of lanes, dodging abandoned vehicles, but it wasn’t that bad. I was pretty surprised that the highway was as clear as it was. Most of the people who were trying to flee became stuck at the city on-ramp.
We were almost to our exit and I turned and looked at Henry. He sensed me staring and gave me a sideways glance. Then he refocused back on the road. He cringed and rubbed his temples again, grabbing his aviators and pushing them on his face. The tension between us was obvious, but I still loved him and cared about his well-being.
“Still have a headache? Is there anything I can do?”
“Yeah, still have a headache.”
“Do you have any pain relievers in here? Is it a migraine?”
“No and no.” He rubbed the back of his neck. I was so worried. Something was seriously wrong. I worried that he had some sort of terminal illness or was about to stroke out. Then I remembered the vials and needles in his pack.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah.”
“What are the vials and needles for?” He stiffened. “I took your pack, and there were some in there.”
The seconds ticked away while I wa
ited for a response. Henry chewed on his lip as he wrestled with his thoughts. He took a couple deep breaths, and I thought he was about to let everything out.
I sat silent, but not patient. Then I decided to add a few more words into that tangled web of thoughts that was wrapping around and choking off his mind. “My thought is anything that is in your pack would be for use in the moment. I can’t see why you would carry needles for the moment, unless you were sick or something.”
“Well…” Then he whispered, “Fuck me.” God, I wished that I could. My body missed his. He did know how to formulate intellectual sentences. I had heard them before. But he seemed at a loss here. “I must have forgotten to take them out at some point when I found them.” It was a plausible answer, but I had a feeling that he was feeding me yet another line of bullshit.
Goddamn it, I wished he would just tell me the truth. He wouldn’t even look at me. Couldn’t he see how much all his deception was tearing us apart? What the fuck was wrong with him?
“There is so much you don’t know, or would not understand. And now is not the time to discuss all of this.” I was pissed, and my attitude was about to come to the forefront and stomp all over the conversation.
“When will it be time? You keep saying shit like that, but you never give up the information. How do you know that I wouldn’t understand? Do you think that you are so far above me intellectually that little old dumb Elaina couldn’t get it?”
“No! That’s not what I’m saying.” He growled in frustration. “Because, Elaina…just fucking because!” he shouted, and then grabbed his head. I recoiled toward the window. “I’m sorry,” he whimpered. “It’s a lot more complicated than you think. I can’t just blurt out whatever it is you are looking for. There is so much to it. It needs a lot of detailed explanation and background information.” He inhaled sharply, then rubbed his temples. I could see his joints stiffening. His muscles seemed tight, and life was fading from his face.
“Henry, please tell me what’s wrong. You’re hurting, or sick, or something. There is something wrong with you! You are scaring me!”
“Shit,” he whispered to himself. I could see his struggle, and I could see it was paining him to keep whatever it was from me. I felt sorry for him, but I deserved to know what was going on. Yes, I felt entitled.
“Complicated or not, Henry, I deserve to know what is going on with you!” I yelled back.
He cringed. “You do, and I understand that you do. But…”
“But what?” I was so pissed.
He was lost. He began rambling. “If I confide in you, I will break the trust of many people. Many would get hurt or killed, including us and everyone around us. I can’t risk that.”
“The trust of others? Who gives two shits about the trust of others, Henry? And you can’t tell me? What the hell?” I threw my hands in the air.
“Ugh! Damn it!” He slammed his fist down on the steering wheel again. “Please. Please just give me some time to figure this out, okay? Just drop it for now.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Please, I beg you…” He paused again. “Let’s just concentrate on devising a plan to get to your parents’ house.”
“I’m so fucking worried about you,” I mumbled.
“I know. I’m sorry I’m doing this to you.” Then he choked out, “To us.”
I was incensed that other people knew of his health circumstances, but he couldn’t tell me? I would bet my last sheet of quilted toilet paper that Sophie knew. I didn’t respond to him. I just stared out of the windshield.
Henry drove us down the off-ramp, and there was a gas station across from it. He looked around, pulling straight across into the lot. Sophie pulled up next to us. He turned to me after he shut off the truck.
“We will discuss this in the near future. I promise you. Just know that I love you with everything that I have, and I have your best interests at heart right now. I want to tell you, believe me when I say that. This is tearing me up.” His voice cracked. “It’s tearing us up.” He looked up toward the roof and exhaled, trying to hold back his emotions. I saw him wipe his cheeks with his sleeve. “I can only hope that, someday, you will take me back and wear your ring again.” He paused. I know he wanted to curl up into a ball and cry like a baby because I did, as well. “Please, just stay put for now.” Back to business, I supposed.
“Aye, aye, captain,” I mumbled. I didn’t even look at him. He grumbled something unintelligible, and made sure his Sig was loaded. Then he jumped out, and went to the driver’s side of Sophie’s truck.
I decided to stay put, doing what I was told to do for a change. I got out my Sig and checked to see how many rounds were left. I rotated around in my seat, scanning the area for anything living or undead that could possibly be roaming out there.
Chapter 15
S
ophie got out and slammed the door shut. She put her hand on Henry’s back, giving him a quick rub, and guiding him away from the trucks. They stepped several feet away for another one of their private discussions, scanning the area while they talked.
“So what’s the plan, Stan?” Sophie narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you all right?”
Henry shook his head. “I’m hurting big time, and we just had another major fucking fight.” His jaw trembled, and he jammed his thumb and forefinger under his aviators and into his eyes to stop the tears from pouring out. “It’s not looking good for us. It’s bad, Sophie. I’m feeling hopeless at this point. It’s killing me, but I’ll still do anything I can to protect her.” He fought his emotions with a valiant effort. After several long and loud exhales, he looked back at Sophie.
“Henry…I’m so sorry. I can see how much this is hurting you.” It thrilled her that Henry and Elaina were fighting, but she didn’t want to see him so upset.
“I love her so fucking much.” He groaned in pain as he spoke.
“Is it your joints? You look like you are stiff.”
“Yeah. I think every single one is screaming.”
“Shit.” She lifted up his aviators and didn’t like what she saw.
“Tell me about it. I almost feel like I’m going to fade out soon. It’s becoming unbearable.”
“We need to find you a fix, or we are going to be in some serious trouble.”
“Yeah, sooner rather than later would be great. I’d prefer to stay on this side of the earth.”
“Maybe we should tell them? One might volunteer for a draw.” Sophie was getting really concerned because Henry was looking really bad. His body was stiff, and his eyes were faded.
He shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. You were right before. It’s not the right time yet. Elaina is still really pissed at me, and barely talking to me. Once we get to her parents’ place, I can pull her aside and talk to her about it, get her to understand. I know she would be willing to defend me. Then we can go from there.”
She could see the torment it was causing him, and decided to change the subject. “Well, how do we get to their parents’ place?”
“About a mile up the road, we will come to the middle of the village. The first light is a four-way. We have to turn right and go down about a block. It’s on the right.”
“All right then. I’ll follow.” Sophie looked around at the gas station. It was a rather decent sized convenient store, as well. “You want to hit up this place first?”
“Sure.”
“Maybe there’s someone inside you can drain.” She let out an evil chuckle.
“Yeah, I can only hope. Sadly, if there is, I’m sure Elaina will refuse to have sex with me later. Christ, it feels like it has been an eternity since we’ve been together.”
“I’m always available.” She winked at Henry.
“You know I won’t do that to her. She’s it for me. It’s Elaina or no one. I don’t want anyone else ever again.”
“Right. Well, I was just kidding anyway.” She wasn’t, but he didn’t need to know that. “Let’s tell them what our pl
ans are.” Sophie walked to the front of the trucks where she could see both groups and waved them out.
***
Henry walked gingerly behind Sophie. I caught a glimpse of him, and he looked to be in a considerable amount of pain. Each step causing him more and more distress. I didn’t want to care so I didn’t show him I was concerned. I was just so angry.
It was pretty quiet outside. I looked over at Claire, knowing that she was probably disgusted with me for choosing to ride with Henry. Quite frankly, I was disgusted with myself. It set us back further than before. The black hole in my chest seemed to be getting larger by the second.
Stupid fucking love. It was going to kill me.
I looked down as I felt Claire wrap her warm, slight hand around mine. Maybe she forgave my momentary lapse of stupidity. I hadn’t forgiven myself yet, though. I shouldn’t have ridden with Henry because our relationship was hopeless. We weren’t ever going to see eye-to-eye on this whole thing. I was going to be lost watching him for the rest of our lives, unless he decided to leave me. He and his girl, Sophie, would probably run off into the sunset together.
“Alright, clan,” Sophie said. “We’re going to check out this store before we take off again. Two of us will stand guard outside and the rest of us will go in. Then, we’ll head to your mum’s.” She looked at both Nick and me. “Volunteers?”
“I’ll go in.” I was still pissed at Henry so I knew that I could take my anger out on an undead if there were any inside.
“In,” Nick said curtly, as he looked at me and nodded.
“Claire and I will stand guard.” Claire nodded at Sophie. I looked over at Henry, and he was leaning against the push bar on his truck, rubbing his temples. Okay, fine, I did care. It killed me to see him in so much pain. I was such a damn softie.
“Henry’s not feeling well.” He looked up at me. “Maybe he should stay in the truck, and let us handle this.” The tension in the air was thick. Sophie looked between the both of us.
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