The Hunter In Me

24 - Cookie

Hours later, the sound of Owen stretching and complaining woke me. "I shouldn't sleep that way; my back hurts and my ass is numb."

"You got too used to being in a young body; you'll need to be more careful since you're old."

Owen blinked slowly. "I'm twenty-two."

"Well, you were, fifty years ago; now you're made of dirt, so technically you're as old as dirt." I held up my hands. "That's science."

Owen huffed. "That's nuts. This is an actual body now, not dirt, and I didn't age as a spirit. I'm still twenty-two."

"You sound like a cranky old man to me."

Owen gawked blankly for a few seconds before cracking up. "Shut up. I'm hungry. Let's eat something."

After demolishing an entire box of protein bars and drinking three bottles of water, Owen announced he was full. We went outside and spent an hour throwing knives at a tree. It only took Owen a few rounds to get coordinated. Then he was back to normal, grouping the blades in the center of the target.

I threw and did well, but not as great as Owen. "Damn, man, I haven't had a body for fifty years and I still have better aim than you!" he said.

"That's alright, I'm improving; besides, you're the one practicing running around your yard, Bambi."

He shook his head. "I'm ready to hunt. How long has Lilla been asleep?"

I yanked the knives from the tree and wrapped them up. "She's been out since right after she made you this morning. It's getting dark, so about twelve hours?"

"That's not much, considering. The protein bars aren't cutting it. Let her sleep while we go eat dinner. Then, we'll wake her."

I walked toward the truck. "Okay, not in Ellersville, though. I can't handle running into anyone. There's a diner about twenty minutes from here. It's always empty, and the food is good."

Owen climbed in as I turned the key, and the engine roared. Opening the glove box, he pulled out my cell and passed it to me. "You should talk to your friends. It's been almost five days since—"

"I know. I'll check my messages later. Maybe I'll text Emily and Nolan."

"You said you'd call them before we left to find Catriona."

"And we're not on our way to her. We're going to dinner, so let it go." I immediately regretted my sharp tone; Owen was only worried about me.

"Just don't mess up your life."

I pulled onto the main road. "It's already pretty damn messed up. Can I have another hour before I deal with it?"

The rest of the ride was silent.

At the diner, the young waitress wiped the crumbs from the plastic tabletop before setting menus down with a smile and flitting off to get our water. Old country music played softly in the deserted dining room, and the smell of fried food lingered in the air.

The lack of customers was fine with our growling stomachs—our dinner was out within a few minutes. Owen's plate had about two pounds of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn. I had a burger with fries and a strawberry milkshake.

With the food in front of me, I realized I'd ordered Dad's favorite meal. My stomach rolled, and I pressed my fist to my mouth. I couldn't eat it.

Owen was halfway through his dinner when he asked, "Are you alright?"

"This was Dad's usual." I studied my plate. "It shouldn't hurt to look at it, right? It's just dinner."

He set his fork down. "I wish I could tell you it'll stop hurting, but it won't. One day, it'll ache less. He won't be your first thought every time you see a burger, but you'll still think of him a lot. I'm so sorry he's gone."