Lee’s standing there in his jumpsuit, grinning at me, like he’s been waiting for me.
I don’t waste a single breath. I charge after him, pounding him into the ground. He doesn’t even try to fight me; goes down like a sack of grain. I haul back and punch him in the jaw so hard I hear it pop out of place. But still, he’s got that grin.
“Do it, Clay. I’ve been waiting for you,” he grunts. “Thought you’d come for Jess a lot sooner.”
In a burst of rage I head butt him. He falls back, stunned at first, and then starts laughing. “She was practically begging for it in the end.”
Picking him up off the ground by his jumpsuit, I slam him against the wall. I start wailing on him with everything I have, a rage so hot and full of acid, I want to put my fist straight through his chest.
“Blessed be the seed,” he says as he takes the blows.
I punch him in the gut and he doubles over.
He starts to sing. It sounds like a nursery rhyme. “The first to fall will pray, the second to fall has come to play, the third to fall will shiver and burn, the fourth to fall, a lesson to learn, the fifth to fall will eat his words, but six and seven will go to heaven, eight will be a grave mistake, the ninth will be for goodness’ sake, the final one to fall, the tenth will be the one to bind them all.”
“How do you know that song?” I shake him. “That’s Noodle’s counting song. Have you done something to Noodle?”
“I’m ready to eat my words.” He straightens up to face me. “Let me serve our lord.”
I haul back to punch him again, my fist trembling, aching for contact. His face is raw and bloodied, but still, he manages a smile. His eyes—the irises have all but disappeared. They’re pure black now. And what I see in their reflection scares the shit out of me. Who’s the animal now?
“Aren’t you going to stop me?” I pant as I look over my shoulder at Tilford.
“You deserve this,” he says with a dark glint in his eyes. “Courtesy of Ian Neely.”
“Neely?” I exhale as I let go of Lee. He collapses to the ground, a puddle of mangled flesh and broken bones.
“Do it, Clay,” Lee whispers, blood streaming down the corner of his mouth.
Lee wants me to kill him. Neely wants this, too.
But why? If I do this, if I take his life, will I be one of them? Is that how they’ll finally pull me in?
“Fuck you.” I spit on Lee. “I’ll let the good state of Oklahoma take care of you.”
On my way out, I smear my bloody thumb across Tilford’s star badge, which is pinned upside down. The sign of the Devil. “I know you’re one of them. Tell Neely thanks, but no thanks. Better yet … I’ll tell him myself.”
“Don’t leave me like this,” Wiggins screams. “You’re Cain and I’m Abel. Let me be the fifth. You have to finish it. Let me serve our lord.” His wail echoes down the hall.
57
I RACE down the stairs, a high ringing in my ears, the sound of my fist pounding Lee’s flesh, bones snapping, fluorescent lights pinging.
As soon as I leave the building, the cold air hits my split knuckles, making me wince, but there’s still acid and hate coursing through my muscles.
I start running. It’s like my body knows where I’m headed long before my brain can process it, but I’m heading straight for the Neelys’ house.
I can’t let him take Noodle from me.
“Noodle!” I scream as I barge into their house, tearing through rooms. There’s a grilled cheese on the kitchen table, cut into little triangles, just the way Noodle likes it. It’s still slightly warm in the center. They can’t be far.
I start to head upstairs to check the bedrooms when the sirens begin to wail. I freeze in my tracks. This is the first time I’ve heard the tornado alarm in my entire life. It sounds alien going into my eardrums, making my heart beat double time. Could Midland be getting its first tornado since the land rush? And what does that mean?
I know they set up a town shelter at the school, but some of the original houses have storm shelters. I go out back to look for a cellar hatch, and that’s when I notice how quiet everything is. Other than the mournful wail of the siren, there’s no cars, no kids playing or dogs barking. The air is completely still and humid, and there’s a sweetness. The wind chimes just hang there like broken bones. The dying leaves cling to the branches, unstirred. Everything feels suspended. The sky is the strangest color, green with swirls of peach. But the clouds circling Midland are the color of gunmetal … death.
“Noodle!” I scream into the void, but the stillness seems to swallow it whole. It’s like every living thing has vanished from the earth. Maybe they know something I don’t. Maybe this is the end.
I run back inside and grab a set of car keys dangling from a hook in the kitchen. I realize this is grand theft auto, but it’s an emergency. I have to find Noodle. I have to find anyone at this point so I can be sure all of this isn’t a dream.