Page 31 of Anathema Codex

Willa reaches over and taps my thigh. When I look at her, she nods toward the windshield and I follow her eyes.

Welcome to Indiana. Crossroads of America.

I close my eyes as I nestle back in the seat and hope that the closer we get, the less I’ll have the same fucking nightmares every time I try to go to sleep.

Because even though Mom hated Lakyn, she seemed afraid of him finding us all the same.

TWENTY-TWO

Nightmares and Watersports

WILLA

I keep looking over at Aftyn while he dozes, waiting for another nightmare to wake him. It’s been a long time since he had nightmares about his whore of a mother, but whenever they start up… they always keep coming.

He’s already had two today, and I’m sure more are on the way. The nightmares are relentless, just like she was.

But it’s probably his own damn fault he’s having them again. We’re on this insane road trip to meet his dad, who was the only one person Aftyn’s mom hated more than him.

Lakyn.

She used to compare Aftyn to him all the time, scream terrible things, even though Aftyn had no control over who knocked her up. It wasn’t his fault she’s always been a whore, and that whichever john managed to get her pregnant didn’t hang around long enough for her to even pee on a stick.

I never put much stock in the shit his mom said about Aftyn reminding her of the man, but now that I’ve seen his photo… I can’t deny the resemblance. It’s almost creepy. And I’m sure the only reason she even knew which dick Aftyn belonged to was because of just how similar he looks to his dad.

“Where are we?” Aftyn grumbles, waking up and stretching. Sometimes I swear he can read my mind, like he knows when I’m thinking about him, but I’d never admit that to him.

“Just hit Missouri.” I only glance over for a second before I look back at the highway, but I saw enough. His shirt is halfway up his abs from the contorted stretch he’s pulling off in the passenger seat, and I know if he sees me looking, he’ll make a thing of it, so I do my best to distract him. “I’m surprised you didn’t wake up when we were going through St. Louis.”

“We’re already through Indiana?” he asks, sitting up straight and staring out the windshield like he’s not sure he believes me.

“And the bottom part of Illinois,” I add, and he scrubs at his face.

“Damn, Wills. You’re making good time.” Grinning, he tilts his head to the side to look at me. “Have my driving skills finally rubbed off on you?”

“Not at all.” Laughing, I shove his fingers off my knee so I can focus on the road, and he sighs like me rebuffing him is something new. It’s practically a running gag with us now, especially on this road trip when he hasn’t been able to keep his hands to himself whenever he isn’t in the driver’s seat.

He’s too easily bored.

I’ve always thought that about him. If the topic isn’t him, or if it doesn’t directly involve him, then Aftyn is most likely not paying attention. After another stretch, he settles against the window for a minute or two, but I jump when he suddenly jolts forward in his seat and shouts, “Exit here!”

“Where?” I ask, slapping his hand away when he grabs for the steering wheel, making us swerve for a second. “Are you fucking crazy?”

“There! Hurry up and exit!” He’s pointing at a big sign that says ‘Mark Twain National Forest,’ and I merge over.

“I’m going!” I snap, but I’m apparently not moving fast enough for him, because he goes for the wheel again. I manage to block his arm as I get in the lane for the exit, gritting my teeth against a scream of frustration. “Chill the fuck out, Aftyn! Do you want us to crash?”

“You almost missed it, Wills. Come on. I just want to be able to stretch my legs… and maybe some other things.” Aftyn grins at me again, but I just roll my eyes as I take the ramp off the highway, following the signs to the entrance of the National Forest.

The bitch in the backseat is awake now, sitting up and looking around like the idiot she is, and I start to think that this forest might not be a bad idea. It would be so easy to ‘forget’ her—or knock her unconscious and leave her in the woods. I’d just have to get Aftyn distracted. Make him forget about her long enough for us to be back on the highway, too far down the road to turn back for the roadside tramp.

“Hell yes, this is exactly what we need.” Aftyn rolls the window down, sticking his head out as we turn onto a central road into the forest.

“Where do you want to stop?” I ask, smiling at him as he hangs out the side of my car like there’s nothing else on his mind. So much better than his post-nightmare panic.

“Keep going. I don’t want to be able to hear the highway.” Pointing to the right at a fork in the road, he says, “Go that way.”

“Okay.” Shrugging, I follow his directions a few more times until the road gets a little rougher. It’s still paved, but much narrower and definitely not as smooth as the main one. The trees are closer too, and I’m not sure if we meet a car going the other way if I can pull off enough to let them pass. “See the right spot to stretch your legs yet?”

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