Page 14 of Corpse Roads

“You got a name? I’m Sanderson.”

Licking my dry lips, not a single sound escapes.

“You’re in the hospital. We found you last week. You were pretty banged up. Care to explain what happened?”

He scans over me, cataloguing everything on display. My left arm is encased in thick plaster while the other is bandaged in places. Every inch of my skin is bruised and marked with deep scratches.

Sinners don’t ask questions, Harlow.

They submit or pay the price.

Pastor Michaels’ voice is so loud in my head, I jerk upright. The machine next to me explodes with a loud beeping as I pull at the wires across my chest. It sounds like a heartbeat, wild and out of control.

“Calm down or we will be forced to sedate you!”

My lungs stop functioning. It’s like the devil is sitting on my chest, resolving to claim the pitiful remains of my life. The room is fading fast with each second that I can’t breathe.

I’m too overwhelmed by the light, the voices, the sheer presence of real, living people. I can’t trust them. Pastor Michaels is coming for me. He will torture me to the very last second of my life for running.

“What the hell is going on in here?”

This voice is harsh, barked, terrifying. A tall, muscled mountain slams through the door with an ominous crash. His broad shoulders brush the door frame as his two furious eyes eat up the room.

Everyone takes a collective step away from him. The giant’s fearsome scowl sweeps over them all, condemning each person with a hate-filled glance.

“This is none of your concern,” Sanderson says with a visible gulp. “I’m just doing my job.”

“She’s our client. You’re out of bounds. The superintendent signed off on the order ten minutes ago.”

“This is my jurisdiction!”

He takes a threatening step towards Sanderson. “I have the authority to toss you out and break your legs while doing it. This is your final chance to leave.”

The deep, throaty boom of his voice fills the room with dread. With each person that’s thrown out, the vice-like grip on my lungs eases. I take my first breath as the door slams shut on Sanderson’s glare.

Smoothing a huge hand over his mop of glossy, black hair, the giant turns to meet my eyes from across the room. Brilliant orbs of raw amber stare back at me with curiosity.

The violent threat that hardened his voice isn’t present in his gaze. I don’t find evil or malice there. Beneath the obvious hardness, there’s something... inexplicably soft.

“Hey there. Sorry about that. You should put the oxygen back in, it’ll help with your breathing.”

With trembling hands, I surrender. The wires won’t let me out; there are too many of them. I grab the one I tore out and slot the two nozzles back into my nose.

I’m met by a flow of pure, clean air, and I force myself to take a breath. The giant inches even closer, stopping at the end of my bed. He’s huge, an immovable boulder blocking my only exit.

“It’s okay,” he offers in a remarkably gentle voice. “No one is going to hurt you. Sanderson won’t be back.”

Nostrils flaring, he demonstrates breathing in, then blowing the air back out through his wide, chiselled lips. I follow his direction with well-practised obedience.

A small smile tugs at his mouth, but he doesn’t allow himself to become distracted from instructing me until the beeping machine quietens. My heart stops hammering my painful ribs so hard.

“There you go. Better?”

I manage a small, timid nod.

“My name is Enzo Montpellier. I work for a private security firm, and we’ll be keeping you safe from now on.” He glances around the room. “Do you know where you are?”

All I can do is nod again.

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