Fear in the Flesh [2]

s e v e n

Windsor's had been cold and dark, but near the docks – they were worse. Salty air whipped at my face as I stepped out of the car and closed it behind me, tossing my hair into my eyes. I heard Leo clamber out as I turned around to inspect the stretch of pure American land before me.

It was – unremarkable, I supposed.

We were parked at some shitty motel and I couldn't stop thinking about that moment in the car, in which we'd stared at each other for a bit too long, verging on nonplatonic. Fuck that, I couldn't even start to think about that right now. Because that would mean Leo might like me back, and having that little piece of information stowed away somewhere in my brain was terrifying in itself.

No. I wasn't going to think about that. Instead, I pushed away those thoughts into the very back of my mind, so that they wouldn't have the gall to bother me again.

"What're we doing now?" I asked, not looking at Leo.

He skipped around the car, flipping the keys into his hand and back out again, back and forth. "I'll grab some ferry tickets to New York for tomorrow, but for now let's rest up. Plus, I couldn't miss this golden opportunity!"

I turned my head and arched a brow. "What golden opportunity?"

"Oh, you silly little tourist, I told you I'd take you sight-seeing, didn't I?"

The only shocking part about this all was the fact that he was absolutely serious. I glanced around, from the wet concrete ground and empty parking lot to the grey-white sky above. This wasn't exactly a vacation, but god – I supposed it was better than whatever flat my dad was shacked up in back home, putting all his bloody funds into Windsor's in hopes that they would cure his poor son of an abysmal attitude and shocking lack of self-restraint.

A school that I was currently running away from, being the ungrateful idiot that I was. But what did he expect me to do? Roll over and let them torture me?

No fucking way.

"Right. What could you possibly want to show me... here?" I said, turning an unimpressed gaze in his direction. "If I wanted cheap take-out and shitty wi-fi, I would've stayed home."

Leo looked a little put-out for a moment, and my chest twisted with guilt. Maybe I should've stopped being such a dickhead, but – well, it was a lot easier said than done. Maybe I was just built this way, dickhead genes ingrained into my bloodstream or some shit. Or maybe this was some sort of coping mechanism I created in order to...

Nope. Not going there.

Leo didn't look sad for long. He perked up quickly. "There isn't much here, I'll admit. But New York is just a day away, remember? I can't wait to show you."

Okay, I was going to act like that didn't make me feel all warm and gushy and disgusting inside. But I couldn't help my smile, and I didn't resist it either. Withdrawing my arms from where they were crossed over my chest, I followed him into the motel.

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It still made me unimaginably anxious to be hanging around in an old motel while the Frights and walkers tracked me down. I shifted on my bed and waited for Leo to return. He promised me he'd bring me back a few coins to call my dad using a payphone, but I didn't know how that would work internationally, and I was desperately hoping that he would have some answers.

Still, I could hear my dad's voice cracking in my ears. I knew what he was going to say, the cheap bastard – "you should've ridden it out" or "it can't have been that bad". Because the money mattered more and he needed to make it worthwhile.