Sheep's Clothing by Gary Lewis (free ebook reader for pc txt) 📕

swipe slashed his right shoulder then his left. Vance turned with a roundhouse punch that could have taken out a brick wall. It didn't connect. Thrown off balance, he reached behind for anything to catch his fall as the beast missed a final swipe for his face.

Vance fell into the dark hole of the well, plummeting into its abyss as his head cracked against the stone wall before splashing into the shallow bottom. He tried to raise his blood covered face, but was unable to see a thing. A horrible howl blew from above, reverberating through the vertical stone tunnel. The world faded as Vance's face fell into the muddy pool and all became blank.

Chapter 19

#Sarah#

Sarah rolled awake from the comfy cushions that engulfed her as memories of the night before flooded her mind through the migraine that permeated her skull. Her phone lit with notifications. With a swipe of her thumb, David's name popped up in her inbox. "Sometimes I just don't understand you. After what happened… then you just rush me out the door." She then read Terry’s post in the group chat. "Willy Perkins is dead. The Big Buck Hunting Club is on the warpath. Tony and Vance's dads are both dead, Vance and Officer Benning both missing."

Sarah slowly lowered her phone as reality kicked in. "Hey," she fired a quick text to David. She waited, staring at the screen until it timed out and went dark. She considered calling, but waiting a few minutes seemed best.

Her slightly sore legs popped as she rose to her feet and stretched. Not even coffee could fix the heavy lethargy that hung over her entire body as she strolled through the kitchen, searching for a morsel to devour. Her ear twitched at the sound of footsteps pounding up the steps until a hard knock startled her and she shut the refrigerator door.

As Sarah rounded the wall dividing the kitchen from the living room, her front door swung open and David rushed inside. "Just who in the hell invited you to just storm inside like that?" Sarah asked while she studied David's nervous face.

"I was just worried about you, Sarah," David swung his arm out to raise his palm. "You heard about everything that happened, right?"

Sarah bit her lip for a moment as she studied him carefully. "That’s what it's about... isn't it?" she asked slyly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" David asked with a touch of childish whine that aggravated her further.

"Wanted to make sure I was being human at home?" she asked, waiting out David's long drawn pause as he studied the ceiling for an answer. "That's what I thought." She turned back toward the fridge.

"I mean, it did cross my mind, but I still think-"

"Think what?" Sarah interrupted.

"Look, Vance's dad is dead. The only reason Tony is in the picture is because Vance brought him up. Why would Tony contact him now and nobody else? Now Pops is dead and Benning, who'd been eyeing Vance..."

She already heard the news, but hearing him say "Pops," really made it click together. "I'm sorry about your step dad, David."

She watched his eyebrows press as he looked away. "I don't really care. He wasn't so great in the end anyway." It wasn't a very nice thing to say, but she understood why he would feel that way.

"I'm sure there's more there that will come out later," she said, looking up at him. She reached for his hand as his eyebrows relaxed and a light smile grew larger around his face.

“I saw you managed to get some work done on your yard,” David said, pointing his thumb back behind him.

Surprised that he noticed, Sarah let a little of her smile out from its usual hiding place as she gracefully strolled toward the fridge.

While she slowly walked, David remained anchored to the spot where he stood as he spoke with conviction. “I’m sorry I didn’t help you with it.”

Sarah’s smile tightened and she glanced back with a wink. “You did.”

David’s voice grew more confident. “It sure looks nice in here too,” he said, looking her up and down with a smile.

Sarah faced the fridge to hide the huge smile that she could feel stretched across her face. He finally got it.

“Listen,” David said. "We could just split town. Run away." Sarah pressed her lips tightly into a smile that dared not rise into a giggle. "What?" David asked with a suspicious glance.

Sarah’s mouth still pressed into a silent giggle. "Are you saying we should run away together?" she laughed.

"I just mean that we need to get out of here and take care of ourselves. Jan too."

Sarah could feel the pit of her stomach apply heavy gravity to her face, sweeping her smile out from under her.

"What is it babe?" David asked.

"Babe?" Sarah raised an eyebrow at him. "Now you're going to get all baby on me?" She hissed as she turned her back to him, retrieving a few burritos from the freezer before walking right past him, intentionally avoiding eye contact. Sarah slung her frozen meal in the microwave while David pulled out his phone.

"Who's that?" she asked as she watched him hold the phone to his face.

"Terry," he whispered.

She pulled her plate from the microwave, flipping the burritos before throwing shredded mozzarella on top and putting them back in.

"Yeah. Hey," David said on the phone. "So, I was thinking. Maybe we should all leave town for a while." Terry's voice was barely audible from where she stood, pretending not to listen. "What do you mean? How can they even do that?" David's voice seemed to rise with frustration as he slapped the counter. "I mean, it's not even on the news." Sarah's mind began to wander with the possibilities. "Yeah. I know," David said before pausing to listen. "Well, I think it's him, but I guess either way we should definitely check it out."

She had almost entirely forgot about her breakfast by the time the microwave beeped. Sarah watched David lower the