Page 92 of The Sinner and the Gunslinger
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An hour later, we’re still on the same bumpy dirt road. The weather is warmer. The snow is gone. The countryside is green.
“I’m hungry.” Leila’s first words are strained.
“Check in the back.” I keep my eyes on the road, my hands on the wheel.
She unclips her seatbelt, leans over the back of the bench seat, and searches the narrow cavity behind us. I’m sure I saw some bags left there when we got in the cab.
My bravado evaporated about a half-mile back. Since then, in the quiet bumpy cabin, I’ve been re-enacting our escape. Orlov and his family have to be okay. I’m almost certain Asmodeus wasn’t there, and if he wasn’t, then Flauros probably wasn’t. The more I think about it, the more I’m certain Asmodeus infected the villagers to slow us down. Or maybe they were actually demons.Christ, I don’t know. All I can do is go with my gut.
I glance at Snuggles laying on his side beside me in the middle of the bench seat. The fluffy maniac is still tied to Leila’s backpack, staring back at me with his single unblinking button eye.
“You really here to help?” I raise an eyebrow at him, daring him to speak. When no answer comes, I return my gaze to the dirt road and shake my head in disbelief, mumbling under my breath, “A fucking teddy bear protector. All these years I thought it was that red bracelet.”
“Maybe it was both.” Leila slides back to face the front with a scowl on her face. “No food.”
The passenger window is open a crack, shooting air into her shiny dark hair. A little tuft keeps catching and lifting, sending snatches of her fruity shampoo into the air. It’s enough of a hit to my soul that my endorphins flare. I feel slightly better.
“Check our packs,” I suggest. I think I had some protein bars in mine.
She sighs dramatically and starts rifling through our bags. I hate seeing the defeat in her eyes.
“They’ll be okay, wildcat.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Faith.”
She scoffs.
“I’m serious. They know the right way to cast the spells now. I saw Claudia running salt around the house. She’s badass.”
“She is... but the spell didn’t work for Snuggles.”
My jaw clicks shut. We thought the blood was the missing factor in why their wards didn’t work. But failed to realize ours didn’t contain Snuggles either. “Maybe he truly is good. I mean, that spell was for demonic entities.”
“You’re right.” She finds a protein bar, unwraps it, and takes a bite before handing it to me.
I bite straight from her offered hand. “Thanks.”
Another few minutes of silence pass as we eat. The dirt road turns to asphalt. Houses and farms dot the countryside as we pass. Ahead in the distance, a winding road leads up the hill to where Helwing’s church is supposed to sit.
As I turn onto the road, Leila frowns. “I missed.”
“What?”
“The infected back at the village. I missed.”
I shrug. “It happens. Don’t worry about it.”
“I don’t think you understand.” She taps her pocket. “I have one bullet. If I get this relic against all odds, manage to load the bullet into the chamber, and fire—I have one chance. I can’t miss.”
My hands tighten on the steering wheel. “You’ll be fine. Focus on your breathing. Take the time to line up your target. Keep your stance stable and your eyes on the prize, even after you squeeze the trigger.”
“Follow through.” She nods thoughtfully. “I think that’s where I go wrong.”
I glance at her. “I watched you run one day at the abbey. You attacked that path like it was just another obstacle in your way, while Mercy ran as though something chased her. You’ve always been able to do anything you set your mind to. I believe in you.”
