Chapter 868 Chapter 868
Ena checked behind her and then ran across the parking lot. Orson always parked in the same place, keeping his old car out of sight. She hadn’t looked since yesterday but was hoping the whole way there that his car was gone and he was back from wherever he had been.
She rounded the corner and slowed. The car was still there. She looked over her shoulder and checked if anyone was around. The diner was closed, and so was the grocery store. Most of everything was at this time of night.
She’d watched Orson hide the key in a little holder on the back bumper; he said shifters sometimes lost their packs and car keys. It was a smart idea. She ran her hand along the inside of the bumper until something slid with her hand. Pulling the little magnetic case off, she looked at it. It was as old as the car. If his car was still here, chances of him being at home were going to be pretty slim, but she still needed to go check.
Pulling the door open, it creaked. Getting in, she reached with her foot to see if she could touch the pedals. She couldn’t. She had no idea how to adjust this seat. She dragged her hand along the side and there was nothing there. Trying the front, she felt a bar and pulled on it. The big heavy seat slid even further back. It took three tries of rocking it to get it to move close enough she could drive.
Flipping her hair back from her face, she put the key in and turned it. It made a sound that told her it was most definitely not starting like that. Closing her eyes, she pictured when she’d come in with Orson a few times. He’d pushed the gas and almost danced on it when it was really cold out. “Okay.” She squeezed the steering wheel with one hand. “You’re going to start for me, aren’t you?” She turned the key and stomped on the pedal a few times. It was rough, rocking the whole car, but it went. She blew out a breath.
Yanking on the seatbelt twice to get it out, she put it on and then searched for the lights. She found wipers first and then headlights. It probably would have been faster to shift and run there, she thought.
Getting it into gear, she touched the gas, and the car roared and lurched. If she lived through this, she might just leave the car at his place. Going in a circle in the lot, she checked how steering it was. “I’m driving a tank as wide as the road.” She sat up straighter and then decided there was no way she could see over the entire length of the hood. Hopefully, there was no tricky steering because this beast would probably plow over mailboxes without slowing at all.
Going down into the dirt path road to where her clan still lived, the few that were left anyway. It wasn’t dirt at this time of year; it was mud, but it was rough enough that the car had no problem getting through it.
She almost took out a tree in front of Orson’s little house. She put it in park and then turned it off and looked at the building. It was old, falling apart in many places, but he was determined to stay here, along with the other two elders. Young families had gone a long time ago. The only members still here that were under forty, aside from herself were three men and one girl who had just had her first shift about a month ago. The only family Ena had left was her old aunt Heidi. She wasn’t sure how old she was, but she said her ashes were going to be planted in this awful place so she could feed the trees.
Getting out, Ena had to use most of her weight to keep the door open until she got both legs out. Closing it quietly wasn’t going to happen. She sucked in a breath and looked around at the other houses, hoping she didn’t wake anyone. No lights came on, so she figured she had succeeded.
Going up the old wooden stairs, she made sure to keep to the left or else fall through on the broken board on the other side. Orson never locked his house. He figured if someone needed something bad enough to steal it from him, then he was okay with that. Broken doors or windows he was not okay with.
She opened the door and then stood there. Now that she was here, it felt wrong being here without him. She’d stayed here before, but he had been home then. The roof on the decrepit house she and her aunt lived in collapsed last fall, so Orson had let them stay here. He’d even helped fix it because Aunt Heidi had insisted on it. It creaked all winter and there were more drafts than the year before, but extra blankets had made the nights better. The bathroom as the station was warmer than that place.
Closing the door, she wiped off her boots and then walked into the small sitting area. It was weird with the stove not going. The glow from the flames usually lit up the space. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked around. His place was very tidy. Where would he keep papers or something important?
She went to the kitchen and opened a few cupboards and drawers. She couldn’t get over how wrong it felt being here without him. If she could find some information, or whatever he’d told the Alliance, it would maybe point her in the right direction. She couldn’t help him when she only knew that Waylon Kamble took shifters. What did he do with them after that? Did he make them work on his farm? That wouldn’t surprise her at all, actually; the man had a slimy, privileged air about him.
She went over to his bedroom and stood in the doorway. This really felt wrong. Snooping in someone’s room was just wrong.
The groan of the front door opening had her spinning around, ready to fight whatever pushed it open. Her aunt stood there.
“I was wondering when you were coming back.” She sighed. “Where’s Orson? He hasn’t been home in a week.”
“I don’t know.” She went over to the door and closed it tight. “I haven’t seen him.”
“I was afraid of that. He shouldn’t have gone nosing around.”
Ena looked at her. She looked frailer in just a week. “How are you Auntie? What are you doing awake now?”
Her aunt snorted. “The noise of his car woke me.” She rubbed her shoulder. “Aches, don’t let me sleep much anyhow.”
Ena nodded. “I’ve been waiting for someone from the Alliance to come, but they haven’t yet.”
“Crazy old man called them? What does he think they’re going to do? Our kind has been disappearing for as long as I’ve been alive. What does he think they’ll change?”
“I don’t know. After he talked to them, he was all pumped up and believing. I’ll wait for them—” she looked around. “I came to see if he had a number or information here so I can contact them.”
“If you do that, you don’t tell them your name, do you understand?”
Ena nodded. She’d grown up hearing every way to be careful and unnoticed. “I won’t tell them more than they need to know, Auntie.”
“Good. Good.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. “I’ve been carrying this with me all the time. Orson gave it to me last fall and told me if anything happened to him to open it.” She held it out.
Ena looked at it. “Did you open it?”
She shook her head. “What am I going to do with whatever he has to say?”
Ena sighed. She wasn’t wrong. Aunt Heidi hadn’t left their lands since Ena was a small child. She took the envelope. It was wrinkled and creased. She went over to the small lamp in his sitting area and turned it on. The bulb flickered, but it didn’t die. Leaning over by it, she opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper.
“What does it say?”
“Hang on. His writing is hard to read.” Ena scanned it and then started at the top line again.
If you’re reading this, then I have gone missing. Waylon Kamble takes our kind and many other clans too. I have gotten close enough to see them with my own eyes. When I know enough about those he has taken, I will call the Shifter Alliance and tell them. I will put the number on the back of the page.
Ena flipped it and there was a number written down. She turned it back over.
I know you’re old, Heidi and you will stay here until your last day, but you need to tell Ena to go. She is so young and full of life. This is no place for that beautiful girl. Tell her to pack her bag and go live her life. She knows how to be careful, so I expect she will have one hell of an adventure.
I hope to see you again, Heidi.
Her eyes filled with tears. She blinked and then folded the page back up.
“What did he say?”
Ena cleared her throat and tucked the envelope in her pocket. “That he saw other shifters that Waylon had taken and was going to call the Alliance. He put the number, so I’m calling them again.” She sucked in air. “He told you to tell me to pack my bags and go live my life.”
Her aunt nodded, a small smile on her face. “We talked about you a lot.”
Ena looked around. “I’m going to get Orson back. I know that slimy Waylon has him. I’m going to call the Alliance and get him back.”
Her aunt looked around. “I’ll have to keep the scavengers from picking through all of his belongings if he’s gone too long.”
Ena went over and ducked her head down. “I think you should grab whatever you need and stay here while he’s gone. Keep an eye on his stuff.” She looked at the stove. “That stove will keep you good and warm.” She saw her aunt was thinking about it. “I’ll come right now and carry back whatever you need.”
“Someone should watch his things. He has old books; those twits would likely use to light a fire.”
“Yes.” Ena nodded. “Let’s go get your stuff.”
“Okay. He’ll owe me when he gets back.”
Ena opened the door. At least her aunt would be warm and dry until she could get some help finding Orson. The problem with Waylon’s place was it had a long lane that was open. Anyone would see you coming if you tried to go up it. There were treed areas, but they were scattered, hard to get to unseen, and not close enough to anything to see inside.
“I will have to bring our food over. If I leave it there, they’ll take it.”
“We’ll bring everything if we have to. I don’t know what shape Orson will be in when I get him back, so he might need you to watch over him for a while.”
“Crazy old man. Doing things his old body has no business doing. I haven’t shifted in years, but that old fool still insists on doing it even though he has to rest for days afterward.”
Ena smiled. She’d never realized how much they cared about each other. She thought of the others that were still here, and it made sense. They were the only two left that had any sense at all. “You’ll have to tell him that when he’s back.”
“Oh, I will. You just watch me do it.” Her Aunt scoffed.