Ruddy opened his eyes. The little bit of light coming through the blinds was painful.

  He wrinkled his nose. “Ewww, it smells like puke in here.”

  Freeman was sitting on Teri’s bed flipping through a magazine. He pointed to the five-gallon mop bucket full of vomit next to Ruddy’s bed.

  “Yeah, Lloyd and I took turns making sure you didn’t drown. Big as you are and being a changeling and all, we thought you could handle your whiskey. Sorry about that.”

  “I don’t usually drink hard liquor. Well, ever, really.”

  “You might should have mentioned that earlier.” Freeman chuckled. “We should have cut you off when you started singing the Star-Spangled Banner.”

  Ruddy swallowed. “I … I was singing? Oh, God ...”

  Freeman smiled. “Yeah. You burst into song, as they say. You have an impressive range. Have you had any training?”

  “No. My mom used to make me sing in front of the whole church but … ugh. I hated it.”

  “That’s a shame. You have a beautiful voice.”

  Ruddy turned red. “I … that’s not ... hey, where’s Teri?”

  “She stayed at our cabin with Sean. You were making a lot of noise, not that they needed an excuse to be alone. They’re a cute couple.”

  “You left them alone after what happened last time?” Ruddy sat up, then clutched his head. “Oooohhhh.”

  “Fred had a talk with Sean,” Freeman said. “He’s a good kid. There’s nothing to worry about. Think you can stomach a little breakfast?”

  “Uhnggh. Maybe after a shower.”

  Freeman sniffed the air. “Yeah, that’s probably best. I’ll leave you to it then.”

  Ruddy grabbed some clean clothes and staggered toward the showers.

  Maybe Cymber will be there. His stomach flipped. What happened last night? Did we … have sex?

  Probably not. He did remember kissing her. She’d pushed him away and said something about going slow, and then … as hard as he tried, there was nothing else to remember.

  Ruddy imagined a stumbling version of himself pawing at a horrified Cymber in front of the whole village. He winced. Why did I get so drunk?

  He looked around. You better not be eavesdropping, Xeke. There was no reply. Apparently being mortified was a great motivator for keeping a strong mental shield.

  There were about a half-dozen people in the showers when he arrived. He found an out-of-the-way stall and made sure the curtains had no gaps before he undressed. The hot water almost made him feel human again.

  “I’ve never seen Cymber that angry,” a male voice said from nearby. “She just took off. Have you seen her today?”

  “Allen said she went to Dallas with Dennis to pick up some supplies,” a woman answered.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “In the middle of the night? She didn’t even stay for the whole party. I wonder what happened.”

  Ruddy turned off the water before he’d finished rinsing the shampoo from his hair. He got dressed and slipped out the door, hoping no one noticed he’d been there.

  What did I do? What was I thinking? Guys who look like me don’t get to kiss girls as beautiful as Cymber.

  He wasn’t hungry anymore. He went back to his cabin and threw his few belongings into his bag.

  Corey’s Jeep didn’t resemble the death trap they’d arrived in. His was a modern four-door Grand Cherokee with gas cans strapped to the top next to a hardshell luggage rack. The back was open and Corey was arranging rough totes filled with supplies.

  Corey waved. “Morning. Just toss that bag in here wherever you see room.”

  “Where’d you get all this stuff?” Ruddy said. He threw his bag on top of the pile.

  “You can’t be too prepared travelling nowadays. Gas is hard to come by and road maintenance isn’t a priority out in the boonies. That’s one of the reasons these splinter groups out here are gaining so much traction. Hard to sell a centralized government if no one’s getting the benefits.”

  “Splinter groups?” Ruddy said.

  “Yeah. They’re practically the government in some places, especially farther west. But we’ll steer clear of them. They’re mostly nutjobs, and they don’t have much use for afflicted.”

  Corey tied another knot, then tugged on the ropes. “You had breakfast yet? We’ve got plenty of time.”

  Ruddy looked at his feet. “Nah. I’m not hungry. I’m going to wait here.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  Ruddy nodded. Guess he doesn’t know what I did to Cymber.

  “Let’s go eat,” Corey said. “You need to say goodbye to everyone. Trust me, you’ll regret it if you sneak out without saying anything.”

  “I don’t think anyone wants me there,” Ruddy said.

  “That’s ridiculous. Come on.”

  Ruddy raised his voice. “I said I don’t want to.”

  Corey shrugged. “OK, have it your way, big guy. I’ll bring you something back.”

  Corey sat down next to Xeke and April, his tray loaded with food.

  “Good morning,” Xeke said. He eyed Corey’s plate. “Hungry?”

  Corey nodded. “I’m not one to pass up free bacon. Have you talked to Ruddy today?”

  “No, I haven’t heard from him at all. He was pretty wasted last night. I bet he’s hating life today.”

  “He doesn’t think anyone wants him around. Did something happen?”

  April laughed. “Nothing happened at all. At least not between Cymber and Ruddy. Not for lack of her trying though. Ruddy passed out before she could have her way with him. She was not happy.”

  “So Cymber’s mad at him?” Corey said.

  “No,” April said. “Cymber’s mad at Fred for kicking everyone out, and at Freeman and Lloyd for getting Ruddy too wasted to fall into her bed last night, and probably at herself, too.”

  Corey chewed on a strip of bacon. “Well, he’s sitting out in the Jeep all by himself. He won’t come in for breakfast. He thinks everyone’s mad at him.”

  April shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. Xeke, you should go get him.”

  “Me?” Xeke said. “Why? Ruddy’s an adult. Why should I run after him every time he gets in a mood?”

  Corey and April stared at their plates.

  Xeke stuffed in a mouthful of eggs. “Jesus, can’t a guy enjoy his breakfast?”

  Spill it, Xeke, April said. What’s the matter?

  I don’t want to spend my last morning here trying to make Ruddy feel better. I’m leaving you and Tamara and Cymber and my whole family, and you guys are worried about how Ruddy feels?

  Don’t be silly. We’re all upset about you leaving. But you’re not sitting outside all alone.

  Why is Ruddy my responsibility? Xeke said. Hell, he’s older than I am. He can take care of himself.

  He might be older than you, but I don’t think he has a lot of experience with people. He doesn’t seem to understand how to have friends. Haven’t you noticed? Every time someone pays attention to him, he panics.

  So? He just needs to get over it.

  That’s easy for you to say. You’re a hottie. She squeezed his leg under the table. You walk into a room and all the women smile at you. Ruddy has the kind of face that makes a girl wonder if he might be a serial killer. I guarantee no woman has ever looked at him the way Cymber does.

  OK, you have a point, but what good is me telling him Cymber isn’t mad going to do? He may never see her again. If they had gotten together last night it would only make leaving that much harder. It’s better this way.

  Better that he leaves thinking she hates him? I doubt that.

  Xeke sighed. You’re right. I’ll talk to him ... after I eat.