Domino Falls Read Free

them an irritated look.
    â€œWhat can I say?” Darius said, grinning. “I can’t pass up a chance to party.”
    â€œTweedledee and Tweedledumber,” Ursalina said, just loudly enough for them to hear. By silent vote, Terry was elected the one to make the initial approach. Protective coloration. Even Ursalina, the only one of them with military training, seemed satisfied to let him lead. Maybe she reckoned that hanging behind was safer than walking out front.
    Terry walked within ten yards of the man, and stopped short. The man’s wide grin was unnerving, and Terry couldn’t quite read the look on his face. He seemed happy to see survivors,but there was something disturbing in his eyes. So what if he’s a little crazy? We’re all bugnuts by now, Terry thought. The man looked well-fed; in fact, he could stand to eat a little less. His clothes were grimy, but his skin and face were clean. He had somewhere to bathe. He didn’t stink.
    If he was just a survivor, like them, they might have to vote on whether or not to let him ride with them to Domino Falls. Terry, Piranha, Sonia, and the Twins had started out as only five, but they’d picked up Kendra and Ursalina since they’d left Camp Round Meadow. Now they might end up with more. But could they trust this guy?
    â€œYou out here by yourself?” Terry said.
    â€œMerry Christmas!” he said. “No, it’s me and my family. We don’t see many people, and I need some people today. Would you follow me back to the house?” He was already turning to walk up the road.
    â€œNeed people. Why?”
    The man stopped and turned. He winked. “Come on. It’s Christmas! Well, it’s almost Christmas, anyway. Can’t fault folks for wanting company at Christmas.”
    Christmas! Terry knew it was late December, so Christmas must be less than a week away. He’d felt a lack of holiday spirit in years past, but this year it felt ridiculous, maybe even irreverent, to think about Santa Claus.
    â€œHo, ho, ho,” Sonia said sarcastically. “Wonder what I’ll steal this year.”
    Ursalina snickered. “I could use some hair conditioner. Big-time.”
    â€œYeah, grab me that new iPad,” Piranha said. “The one with the freak alarm.”
    â€œShhhhh,” Kendra shushed them. Kendra was the youngest in their group, only sixteen, but she already sounded like theirmother. She moved closer to Terry, curious about the stranger. Terry held his arm out, rigid, to keep her from getting too close.
    â€œI’m sorry, sir,” Kendra said. “We’d forgotten all about Christmas.”
    The man’s grin vanished, and he suddenly looked grave. “Well, you can’t forget Christmas. No, sirree. Not in our house. Always been a very special day. Come on! We were just about to cut the cake, but I heard your engine. You’re the best gift of all. Guess you could say you’re what I’ve been praying for.”
    His grin came back, brighter than before. He turned and began walking again, expecting them to follow.
    For a moment, they all stood in silence, watching.
    â€œYou heard the man,” Darius said. “There’s cake.”
    As if that settled everything. In a way, maybe it did.
    â€œOkay, we’ll follow him,” Terry said. “But we’re getting back on the bus.”
    The bus trundled along behind their guide and the Twins’ motorcycles down the empty road to a narrow path, where the stranger veered east. All joking had stopped once they were back on the Blue Beauty, and Kendra was glad. Jokes felt like bad luck. She wasn’t afraid of the man, not exactly, but something gnawing at the edge of her awareness made her wish they had ignored him and driven on.
    A two-story white-frame house stood at the end of the road, its blue and white trim well-maintained, the front steps a bit weathered, almost ratty. The man stopped to make