When the Dead Come a Knockin'

by B. L. Brunnemer

  “I love that you don’t get all girly when you go on a date,” Dylan told me smiling. I snickered. I looked at Rory as I put on my jacket. My Uncle Rory was tall and still in shape even though he was in his forties. His copper hair was cut short to his head. His attractive face was frowning at Dylan, his brown eyes apprising.

  “Rory, this is my boyfriend, Dylan.” I introduced them, my voice slightly rough still. Rory’s eyes narrowed on Dylan. Before he could start in on the questions, I added. “Asher is the one who introduced us.” Rory’s face relaxed as he held his hand out to Dylan. Dylan shook it. It was all very manly.

  “Nice to meet you, sir,” Dylan said respectfully.

  “You too. Now, where are you going?” Rory asked his eyes going to me.

  “We’re going to have dinner, then hit game night with the guys. Be back at the usual time?” I asked hopefully.

  “Will Zeke be there?” Rory asked his voice deadpan. I smiled.

  “Of course,” Rory nodded.

  “Okay, see you then.” Rory turned and headed into the kitchen dismissing us. I rolled my eyes as we headed for the door. When we were outside, Dylan let out a long breath.

  “When you said he was a cop, I expected the third degree.” He admitted taking my hand as we headed for his truck. I grinned.

  “He already ran your name through the system, twice, and the fact that Asher introduced us didn’t hurt any either. Plus, Zeke will be there.” I explained. He chuckled. I let go and went to the passenger side of the old truck while he went to the driver’s side.

  “Alright, Sunshine, where are we going?” I smiled.

  “The best burger joint in town,” I said smiling. He chuckled as he pulled onto the road.

  “And how’s that gonna go with the whole food deal with Zeke?”

  “He’ll thank me. He’s a big burger guy.” I gave him directions to the Frosty Freeze that Zeke swore had the best burgers in town. It was a small cinder block building with a few tables inside and several picnic tables outside. Inside was full. “Ooh, looks like we’re outside tonight.”

  We hopped out and got in line. Dylan’s arm went around my waist as he stepped up behind me to read the menu. I smiled to myself. It was strange to only be dating him three days and not feel uncomfortable about him touching me so much. That had never happened before in my entire dating history. Especially not after that night in the park. When it was our turn to order, we stepped up. We both ended up with double bacon cheeseburgers and fries. I even ordered Zeke’s favorite. I paid since Dylan drove, and we took our number then moved with the other people waiting.

  “Why’d you order a second burger?” Dylan asked wrapping his arm around me again, this time I leaned back against his chest. “I know you can’t eat that much.”

  “It’s Zeke’s stop bitching gift,” I told him looking up at him. He smiled down at me. “If I don’t bring him one he won’t shut up all night.” He laughed. “So, how was your day?” I asked. He sighed.

  “Boring. And longer than it should have been.” He leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I was kind of excited to see you.” I smiled as his husky voice ran down my spine. I looked up at him over my shoulder. “How was yours?” He asked quietly.

  “Had an emotional talk with Asher this morning, so didn’t mean too. Had band practice with Ethan, and I think they’re insane.” I began. He chuckled. “Otherwise, the same. Excited to see you.” Then I realized something. “Oh God, we’re that couple.” He burst out laughing, his arms tightening around me.

  “No, that couple is sickening. They do that baby talk and shit.” He said. “We just curse a lot.” He said simply. I laughed. “So, how was band practice?” I groaned.

  “It was going great until the guys showed up to watch,” I said before I looked up at him wincing. “I messed up a bit after that.” He gave my waist a squeeze. “Turns out I need to sing with my eyes closed, or staring at Ethan,” I grumbled.

  “It probably takes practice Sunshine; you’ll get the hang of it.” He assured me before kissing the top of my head.

  “If their spot in the band rotation weren't in trouble I wouldn’t even think of doing this.”

  “You have a big heart.” He whispered down to me as he took a deep breath, his nose in my hair.

  “I’m starting to believe you,” I grumbled. He snickered.

  Our number was up, and Dylan let go of me to get it. We went to the empty picnic tables and sat down on top of one. As we ate, we talked about everything. It was our usual.

  I asked about his photography, he asked about my art projects. He told me about one of his friends trying to snowboard off the roof of his house; it did not go well for him. I told him about Zeke chasing Isaac through Miles’ house after a nasty prank involving paint that left Zeke covered. We had finished with our burgers, and I was still working on my fries when he became quiet for the first time tonight. I looked up at him; he was watching me with a thoughtful look on his face.

  “What?” I asked before eating another fry. He seemed to decide something. He scooted closer, till his thigh was touching mine.

  “Lexie, why are you living with Rory?” He asked, his voice quiet. My gut knotted, and my body grew tense. It was Dylan, and I was starting to feel like I could talk to him about anything. I took a breath.

  “Last October, my Mother came home high and drunk.” I began as I looked down at the asphalt of the parking lot. “She yanked me out of bed and beat the shit out of me.” He went still next to me. This wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I looked up at his face to see him frowning, his eyes cold. He did not like this story. “Cops came, I went to the hospital. Rory agreed to custody, and I was up here two days later. The next day I was back in school.”

  “Wait, so you were all bruised up when we met?” He asked confused. I nodded.

  “My entire back was black, blue, and purple. Even had some red thrown it.” I said matter-of-factly. He closed his eyes, his jaw clenching.

  “So, when Markus-”

  “Oh, yeah, that hurt like a bitch,” I admitted emphatically before eating another fry.

  “Did the guys know?” He asked quietly.

  “They found out later that week.” I shrugged and looked at him again. His eyes were running over my face.

  “Are you okay?” He asked, his voice was that low husky one that I was starting to love. I nodded, realizing that I wasn’t lying.

  “I wasn’t for a while. But I got some perspective recently, and now I know it wasn’t my fault. It was all on her.” I smiled, then met his eyes. “So, yeah. I’m okay. Well, except for my trigger. Which isn’t much of a problem.” His arm wrapped around my shoulders bringing me against him. He kissed the top of my head, a feeling of being loved washed over me. Whoa, it was way too soon for that. Damn it.

  “So, what happened to your Mother?” He whispered against my hair. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “She’s in rehab right now, but once she gets out. The DA’s office will be pressing charges. The trial will probably be this summer or next fall.” I hadn’t even told the guys that yet. Why did I feel this way about Dylan already? You need to slow down, Lexie. You can’t feel this way so soon. Dylan exhaled hard.

  “Fuck Sunshine, why doesn’t this feel like a first date?” He asked his voice rough. Apparently, he’d been thinking along the same lines. “We’ve only been together for three days, and we’re talking about shit that I wouldn’t talk about until at least the third week.” He grumbled. I snorted, I knew exactly how he felt. Then he added. “I keep touching you without even thinking about it, and I don’t usually get that comfortable with someone for at least a month.”

  “You too, huh?” I asked as I grinned up at him. He looked just as bewildered as I felt. “Ethan said something yesterday that made some sense to me.”

  “Please, any insight, because this is-”

  “Fucking weird, right?” I offered. He nodded emphatically. “Ethan said we were already basicall
y dating for the last two months, only now it’s official.” He thought about that. He blinked then looked down at me, his eyes warm.

  “That makes sense.” He said simply. He took a deep breath and looked at me. “Sunshine, I’m an affectionate guy, and I don’t always think about it. At least not with someone I care about. All my old girlfriends got used to it slowly over time, but you're getting all of it at once.”

  “Dylan.” I smiled gently at him. “I’m kind of in the same boat here. I’ve realized I’m a cuddler and I’m usually not that comfortable with a new person for at least a month. But with you I already am.”

  “Fucking weird, right?” He asked emphatically. I nodded my smile getting bigger as he continued. “Just know that if I touch you and you don’t want me to. Or don’t like it or-”

  “I’ll tell you real quick,” I said immediately. “I didn’t hesitate yesterday. Well, that wasn’t really not liking it, it was more ‘too soon, too soon.’” He smiled down at me.

  “Thank you, Sunshine.” He sighed and looked around the parking lot. “So, what did we just decide?” He looked back down at me his brow furrowed. I snickered.

  “We just said fuck it; we’re cuddlers. So, we’re going with it.” I summed up. He nodded.

  “That’s what I thought, just checking.” I burst out laughing, and he wasn’t too far behind. We were so weird.

  It wasn’t long before the snow started to fall, and we walked to Dylan’s truck. We hopped in and headed over to Asher’s. I saw the girls’ cars as we parked down the street. I grumbled.

  “What?” He asked, shutting off the truck. I gestured at Trisha’s car.

  “Trisha’s a bitch. She told me things are going to change in the group, specifically my relationship with Asher.” I shook my head; I didn’t want to believe it could happen. But that stupid little part of me was still annoying as hell.

  “Tell Asher.” I shook my head.

  “He likes her, and it’s not going to work anyway.” At least I hoped it wasn’t. “So, what if she doesn’t like me. I won’t cry over that.” I said as I unhooked my seatbelt.

  “Sunshine.” Dylan’s voice was patient as I looked over at him. “It doesn’t matter if she likes you, it only matters if she’s nice to you. If she can’t do that, then Asher will dump her ass faster than you could blink.” I shook my head.

  “He likes her, and I don’t want to fuck that up,” I told him honestly. He had an odd look on his face. “What?” He smiled at me. Then crooked his finger at me.

  “Come here. I need to tell you something.” I highly doubted that, but I slid on the bench seat a bit closer. His fingers held my chin, his thumb just below my bottom lip. The butterflies started flapping. He leaned closer and brought his lips to mine. My heart slammed in my chest as I brushed my lips against his. It was a sweet, soft kiss that made my stomach flip. When he pulled back he didn’t go far; his eyes ran over my face as he grinned at me. “You have a big heart, Sunshine.” His voice was that husky, low one that ran down my spine. Shit. I felt my face turning pink. “And I love making you blush like that.”

  “You don’t know how you’re making me blush like that.” I pointed out.

  “I think I’m narrowing it down.” He smirked at me.

  “Shit,” I said with feeling. Dylan laughed at me as he let go of my chin. We got out of the truck. I made sure to grab Zeke’s stop bitching gift. I almost slipped on the snow as I tried to get to the shoveled walk but Dylan saved me with his hand on my arm. “Thanks, I’m always slipping in the snow.” He just shook his head and smiled as I reached the sidewalk. Dylan took my hand as we headed down the street towards Asher’s. He was telling me a joke when I felt a chill down the back of my neck. My heart dropped as my lungs grew tight. I felt my wrist and realized I forgot my beads at home. Fuck. I tried to look around without making Dylan suspicious. I spotted him. It was fucking Herbert. Shit. He was striding towards me looking pissed off. We reached Asher’s house. I had to make a decision.

  “Oh,” I pulled out my cell phone and pretended I had a call. “It’s Rory.” I looked at Dylan. “Go on in; I’ll just be a minute.” He looked around the block, I did too, except I saw Herbert and he didn’t.

  “I’ll wait for you.” Dylan offered. My heart melted and then clenched as Herbert got closer. I handed him Zeke’s food.

  “No, hon, it’s cold go on in. It’ll probably only be a second.” He nodded reluctantly and headed up the stairs. I acted like I answered the phone. “Hey, Rory.” I watched Dylan walk into the house and turned around. Herbert was only a few feet from me. I kept my phone to my ear. “Look, Herbert, I’ve found a way to move you on, I just need more time to set it up,” I told him quickly. His eyes grew bright. I felt another chill go down my neck. Are you fucking kidding me? I looked down the street to see Carl Mason striding towards us. What, are they forming gangs now? My body jerked as he came too close. I backed up and held my hand up. “Carl, I just told him, now I’m telling you. I found a way to get you to move on, but it’s going to take some time to set up.” I grunted in pain as I felt both their deaths at once. My head was throbbing now, with the both of them standing there. I stepped back again. They stepped forward. Fuck! “I can help, I just need to link to the Veil now.” That seemed to register. I stepped back again. This was fucking insane! My head throbbed, and my face ached. I had tissues out before blood hit my lip. I was thankful my barriers held against both of them, or I’d be super sick. As it was my stomach was rolling.

  “You will be the first ones to cross, just give me time,” I promised them. They both backed off. My stomach gave another hard roll. Oh shit. I turned and ran in the house I didn’t bother closing the door before I was running up the stairs and into the open bathroom door. I heard my name being called, but I didn’t care. I dropped to my knees in front of the toilet ready to puke. Feet sounded on the staircase. I focused on breathing, through the pain and nausea. My head was throbbing in time to my pulse, my nose still bleeding and stomach still rolling, but I didn’t throw up, not yet at least.

  “Lexie?” Dylan’s worried voice rolled over my ears. Oh God, don’t let me puke in front of my boyfriend. Warm hands pulled my hair away from my face as I kept breathing.

  “I’m fine. I just...” I clamped my mouth shut as another roll went through my stomach. I felt blood soaking through the tissues, I grabbed more from my pocket and added them to the wad.

  The hands in my hair disappeared, water was running somewhere in the room. There were more footsteps on the staircase. My hair moved again, and a wet washcloth was placed on my neck. Oh, that felt good. It helped.

  “A minute, just...” I kept breathing; this nausea wasn’t going away.

  “One or two?” Asher asked from the doorway.

  “Two, not puking yet.” I groaned, my head still throbbing. Asher opened the medicine cabinet. I was fucking miserable. I focused on breathing.

  “What does she need?” Dylan’s voice was growing hard. I wanted to touch him to tell him it was okay but another wave of nausea rolled over me.

  “This is an Ally kit, well, everyone else calls it a Lexie kit.” Asher’s voice was next to us. I held out my hand waiting. I listened to the wrapper then felt the tablet in my hand, popped it in my mouth and started chewing. It tasted like cherries. I held my hand out again. “Really?” Asher asked, his voice surprised. I nodded still not opening my eyes. The wrapper tore, I felt the tablet and popped it into my mouth. The taste of cherries increased. My stomach was starting to stop cramping. While I waited for it to stop, I listened to Asher explain the kit.

  “We have these everywhere, in our cars, in our book bags, and in every bathroom in everyone’s house.” I took a deep breath as my head pain finally started to ease. My stomach stopped cramping, so I sat on my butt and rested my back against the tub. “What I gave her are nausea tablets. Today she needed two, she usually only needs one. Everything else in here is from a couple new drug trials, so she can’t tell you the names. Confide
ntiality was part of the contract to get her into those trials. However, the white crystalline medicine stuff is for if she drops to the ground. So is this not so clear, watery liquid. We have two in case someone breaks one.” I took a deep breath and was finally not so miserable. “If she drops like a rock and blood is pouring from her nose. That’s a three. You open a vial and pour it into her mouth. She’ll go limp, and she’ll be out. But the part where damage can happen will be over. Then you call Rory or one of us.” Asher explained matter-of-factly. I never knew that Asher could lie so well. My head was hurting less, so I lifted my head and opened my eyes a bit. The light hurt my eyes, but I knew it would get better. “If she’s running somewhere, it’s usually a two. A one is-”

  “A nosebleed,” Dylan said.

  “Right, if it’s a two, she’s usually sick before anyone gets in here. The nausea tablets are for after her stomach is empty and still cramping. Today, she’s nauseous but not puking. And for a two, that’s damn good.” I gave him a thumbs up and opened my eyes again. The light hurt less. Asher snorted. “When she moves off her knees by the toilet, she’s always done puking. She’s dealing with head pain now, and light hurts her eyes. And when she starts opening her eyes like that...” I blinked owlishly at the tiled floor while ignoring them. “That means the pain is almost gone and she’s just got the nosebleed left.” I watched out of the corner of my eye Asher eyeing Dylan, who was watching me.

  “You guys have it down to a system. How often does this happen?” Dylan’s voice was demanding. Asher ignored it.

  “Ones, happen every other day I think, Ally?” I held up my thumb. “Yeah, every other day. They aren’t a big deal and usually go away in ten minutes or less. Two’s have been more often than normal lately, but it’s tapering off I think. But it has been three days since her last one.”