The Sword and the Scythe

Chapter 19: Goodbye Town

Leroy drove the rental car toward the border to Freighton. Charlotte leaned her seat as far back as it would go, but she could still see the familiar trail of trees leading to the town over the dashboard. Her heart started racing as her nerves grew with every foot closer to home. She couldn't help worrying what would happen if someone saw her. It would be mortifying if Leroy was right. The fact that his being proved right would mean her getting thrown in prison was an afterthought.

Despite her fears, she was still comforted by the large brick archway with the wrought iron "Freighton" sign as they crossed the official town lines. The first homes past the entrance to town looked identical to the last time she'd seen them over four years earlier. It was comforting to know that changes in Freighton still took as long as she remembered. She was glad it was the dead of night, otherwise the sight of an unfamiliar car crossing through town would be prime gossip for several days—even longer when the driver looked as good as Leroy.

She looked up out the window at the old brick buildings even older than the man sitting beside her. The Gothic clock face on the church clock tower made a tear fall down her cheek. It surprised her—she had always hated the town, but distance had done something strange to her feelings toward it. She'd never expected to see her hometown again—even a reunion under such shitty circumstances was humbling.

"Well," Leroy asked, tapping on the steering wheel, "Where am I going?"

Charlotte told him to go down the main street of town, past the high school, and make a left. There was a part of her that was surprised that she didn't even have to think about it before she gave him directions. A few minutes later, they made the turn off the main street of town onto a quiet side street, then another left into the pine tree-lined driveway of her old house—the one she hadn't set foot in since her dad died.

Leroy put the car in park and got out. "I'll be right back." He disappeared, and a moment later, she saw him pull the garage door open from the inside. Then he came back to drive the car into the open garage. It wasn't until he'd parked the car and shut the garage door that Charlotte put her seat back up. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she got out of the car. She grabbed her bag out of the trunk and headed into the house.

In the darkness, the white sheets protecting the furniture from dust gave everything a ghostly appearance. The eerie familiarity of the house lit only by moonlight left an unsettled feeling in her stomach, like she was in a tomb.

As if reading her mind, Leroy said in a soft, reverential tone of voice, "I already tried the lights, but the power must be shut off. I can try to find a generator, or we could look for some candles."

Charlotte thought of the emergency preparedness kit her dad had kept in the kitchen. She dug it out from under the kitchen sink and pushed aside the candles and back-up box of crayons in favor of the battery-operated lamp they'd never once needed. Throwing the straps of her backpack over her shoulder and taking her suitcase in the other hand, she started up the stairs. Leroy trailed behind her with the lantern, lighting the way to her old room.

She threw the dust sheet off her old desk to set her backpack and duffel on top of it. Then she pulled the cover off her bed, relieved to find it was already made up with clean sheets. God Bless Mrs. Lewis. She sighed and looked around the room's soft pink walls, appearing to glow in the harsh light of the LED lantern. She chuckled at the old teen heartthrob magazine posters taped on the wall right next to her pillow.

"If you're all good here, I'll just head downstairs and get set up on the couch," Leroy set the camping lantern on her bedside table and turned to go.