Whiteout (Book 3): The Numbing Read online

  The Numbing

  Whiteout #3

  Flint Maxwell

  Copyright © 2020 by Flint Maxwell

  Cover Design © 2020 by Carmen DeVeau

  Edited by Sonya Bateman

  Special thanks to Sabrina Roote

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions email: [email protected]

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The author greatly appreciates you taking the time to read his work.

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  Just when you think you've hit rock bottom, you realize you're standing on another trapdoor.

  ― Marisha Pessl, Night Film

  1

  Avery's Mills

  The dead man stared up at the dark sky.

  He was half-buried in the snow. His face was twisted in agony, and innards dangled from a wide gash in his midsection. Over his torso was a red winter coat; it was also shredded, and stiff feathers spilled from these jagged openings. I wondered what had done the shredding, what had done the…dismembering. The wraiths? Something else?

  Whatever it was had done quite a number on the guy.

  Poor bastard.

  Ell and Mia were waiting for my signal in the lot. I remembered how Mia told me about the red coat before I slogged toward one of the resort’s storage garages. She said I couldn’t miss it, and she was right.

  His name was Billy. He was the father of the baby she was due to have in about a month. I almost asked how he had died but refrained. Now wasn’t the time for that. We had to get the other snowmobile and get the hell out of here.

  I figured Mia probably killed the guy herself and didn’t want to admit it. That kind of thing, killing someone, puts a strain on a person. Then I thought about how feisty Mia was, and I doubted she gave a shit about blame or a guilty conscience, especially when you considered the circumstances. Upon our first meeting, Mia had shown me the nasty cut on the inside of her bottom lip. She had gotten it courtesy of Billy; the guy apparently had a mean right hook.

  I looked down at the body again, the face frozen in horror, and thought it was possible this guy might’ve deserved death. But no one, not even my worst enemy, deserved…this.

  We had gotten to know Mia a little better the night I first met her. She followed me into the station, through the broken glass door, and we were greeted by Ell, Stone, Mikey, and Chewy. All save for the dog were holding weapons.

  Well…calling them weapons is a stretch.

  Sure, getting cracked over the head with the frozen two-liter of Sprite that Eleanor had cocked behind her ear would hurt like hell, but I’d take that over getting shot or roasted by the bug spray flamethrowers we used against the wraiths.

  As for Stone and Mikey…their “weapons” were, for lack of a better term, comedic. Mikey brandished a cheap pink plastic razor. In his haste to find something to defend himself with, he hadn't even removed the blades from the plastic housing. When Stone gave him crap for it, Mikey shrugged and said it was better than nothing. That, I wasn’t so sure about.

  Stone leaned one hip against the front counter, crutch in his left hand, his right arm up and holding what he thought was a can of pepper spray. It turned out to be an air freshener called Midnight Lilac. The can was dark, and according to Stone, easy to mistake. When I laughed at the whole ordeal, he got a little defensive and said, “I bet it still stings once it’s in your eyes. Wanna find out, Grady?”

  I didn’t, not really, so I quickly introduced them to Mia. She raised an apprehensive hand and said, “Hi, everyone. It’s nice to meet ya.”

  You couldn’t tell she was pregnant beneath her many layers—eight months pregnant, at that. If anything, you might’ve mistaken her to be a little on the heavier side, but then you saw her face, which was almost gaunt from a lack of proper nourishment and sleep and all the stress, and then your brain got all crisscrossed trying to figure out why this thin-faced young woman was so…round.

  This brain crisscrossing was happening to both Stone and Mikey. You could see it plain as day in their eyes. Ell, on the other hand, either already suspected Mia’s situation or hadn’t done what Mikey and Stone had done, which, I’m disappointed to say, was exactly what you’d expect when a dude gets around a pretty woman. That is, they can’t help but look her up and down. It’s a DNA thing, right? Our cavemen brains searching for a prospective mate or some bull like that? Eh…debatable, but I strive to tell you the truest truths, and that was what Stone and Mikey did.

  Mia caught Stone in the act, unfortunately. Not a good first impression. She glared at him and said, “I’d tell you to take a picture, but I’d rather kick you in the nuts.”

  “Huh?” Stone grunted, sounding almost like his cavemen ancestors.

  “You pretty much just humped me with your eyes, you pervert.”

  Stone quickly averted his gaze to the ceiling. “Oh…no, I wasn’t doing that.” He chuckled awkwardly. “As if I’d check you out anyway.”

  I stepped between them, mostly because I thought Mia would’ve in fact kicked Stone below the belt given the opportunity, handicap or not, and said, “Dude, just apologize.”

  After a moment he said, “Yeah, I’m sorry, okay? I was totally checking you out.”

  “Me too,” Mikey added. “Also sorry.”

  “Mikey,” Ell said, shocked. “Gross.”

  He threw up his hands. “What? I can’t help it! I’m a guy and”—lowering his voice—“she’s gorgeous.”

  “Play it cool, little homey,” Stone whispered. “You don’t wanna blow it before she can.”

  It took a moment for his joke to hit us, but when it did, you can imagine how we reacted: with lots of groans and head shakes.

  Stone said, “Sorry, sorry,” smirking.

  “Oh, believe me, it’s already blown,” Mia assured them.

  “Great, I’m gonna die a virgin,” Mikey moaned.

  Eleanor spun and darted away. “Okay, way too much information!”

  “You guys don’t hold back, do ya?” Mia said, grinning.

  Stone was nodding. “Yeah, we like to keep things real AF around here.”

  Mikey leaned over and whispered, “AF means as fu—”

  “I know what that means, I’m not a geezer like Grady and this perv over here.” Mia chuckled, shook her head. “But yeah, being honest, I appreciate the realness. And in the spirit of honesty, I should let you guys in on my little secret.” She nudged me with an elbow. “Grady already knows. He’s apparently Mother Theresa reincarnated or some shit, and I don’t think you can tell with all this crap I got on.” She waved a hand. “Whatever, I just think y’all should hold a vote after you see what I’m talkin’ about.”

  “A vote?” Stone asked, cocking his head. “What do you mean? A vote on what?”

  “On whether or not I can stick around with you guys.”

  The others exchanged confused looks, and then turned my way. I shrugged; it wasn’t my secret to tell.

  Mia unzipped her coat and made a show of poking her belly out.

  “Oh…shit,” Stone said.

  “Are you—are you pregnant?” Mi
key asked in a whisper.

  “No, actually. I just left an all-you-can-eat buffet.”

  I laughed.

  Mikey scratched his head and arched an eyebrow.

  Stone held a hand to his mouth and whispered, “She’s definitely pregnant, dude.”

  A few seconds later, Chewy came over and stood on his hind legs, sniffing curiously at Mia. I called him over to me. I gave him the ol’ It’s not polite to sniff strangers routine, and he barked his agreement. I scooped him into my arms and held him against my chest. God knew I needed every extra bit of warmth I could get after being outside in that arctic climate.

  “That’s amazing,” Eleanor gasped, practically skipping toward Mia, her face lit as bright as the sun once was. “How far along are you?” She took Mia’s hands in her own, and Mia kind of recoiled away. More in surprise than offense, I think.

  Given the little I knew of Mia’s past, I figured human contact of this kind was a foreign concept to her. I doubted she had received such friendly gestures since the snow fell, especially not from Billy, who had seemingly held nothing back when he decked her, leaving behind the nasty wound on the inside of her bottom lip.

  “I-I’m a little past eight months,” Mia answered Eleanor.

  Ell squeed and rapidly clapped her hands together. “How exciting!”

  It was exciting, I’ll give her that, and there wasn’t much left to be excited about. But it was also a bit…terrifying too. With her background, Ell knew a little about the medical field, but I doubted she could deliver a baby. Studying from books was one thing; actually doing it was something else entirely.

  I certainly couldn’t, and I’d bet good money Stone or Mikey couldn’t either. That left Chewy, and…well, yeah. We were screwed if we didn’t get somewhere with proper medical care.

  “Eh,” Mia said, “I used to be excited. Not so much now, y’know, with the shitshow we’re currently the stars of.”

  “Oh no, it’s gonna be perfect.” Ell grabbed her hands again and stared into Mia’s eyes. I’d never seen Eleanor so serious before. “I promise you that, Mia.”

  Unable to meet Eleanor’s stare any longer, Mia found something interesting on the floor and focused on that instead, mumbling, “Thanks.”

  “Uh-uh,” Ell said with a shake of her head. “Look at me, Mia.”

  Reluctantly, Mia did.

  “It’s all gonna be okay.” Ell swept her gaze over us. A blind person would’ve seen the danger in her eyes if we gave the answer she didn’t want to hear. “Right, guys?”

  We agreed in unison. Did we believe it? Mia said it best: Eh…

  The two women parted. Mia turned slightly away, brought a hand up to her face and tried to nonchalantly rub away the tears before they fell. We all saw it, I think, but no one pointed it out.

  Mia cleared her throat. “You guys are nice, ain’t ya? Accepting and all that.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Told you.”

  “Wait a second,” Stone said. “I thought we were gonna vote.”

  Ell hit him in the shoulder with the back of her hand. “Ignore him. And welcome to the family.”

  Outside at Avery’s Mills, the snow falling all around me, I stared at Billy’s eviscerated body longer than I should’ve. I felt my sanity (what was left of it, anyway—and by the way, there wasn't much) slipping as I did. The human mind isn’t equipped to deal with such horrors, yet there I was taking it all in. It was one of those terrible car accident scenarios. You know, don’t want to look, but you can’t look elsewhere.

  My eyes felt frozen in place. I don’t think I could even blink. In my head, I tried picturing all the various scenarios that could’ve resulted in this, and none came to mind.

  On our first night with Mia, Ell got her situated at our little campsite in the middle aisle while I tried to get another fire going. It took a minute, but I did, and once the flames started dancing, almost all of our worries melted away because that warmth was too sweet.

  I stood, pointed to Mia. She was leaning back on the shelves. Orange light flickered on her face, but for the first time since I met her, she looked relaxed. At peace, maybe.

  “Skittles and jerky, right?”

  “Oh shit, yeah. I almost forgot!” Mia replied.

  I snapped my fingers. “On it.”

  “What the hell…” Stone said as I walked past. “‘Skittles and Jerky,’ is that, like, your new porn name or something? I like it, just not as much as your old one.” He tapped his chin and turned his eyes toward the ceiling. “What was it again?”

  “‘Gaydy’?” Mikey answered softly.

  Stone burst out laughing. “Not bad, Mikey, not bad. I was thinking something more along the lines of ‘Knob-Gobblin’ Grady,’ but you’re definitely on the right track.”

  “Grow up,” Eleanor said. “Both of you.”

  From the candy aisle, where I was plucking the Skittles off the shelves, I said, “I’ll echo Ell’s sentiment.”

  “Chill, Grady. We’re just joking,” Stone said, but then he whispered something else, probably another inappropriate and incorrect dig at my sexuality, and he and Mikey got to cracking up again. Even Mia joined in. I rounded the corner and took my spot by the bucket fire. Eleanor was trying to hide her smile. Must’ve been a real zinger, but I didn’t ask what Stone had said. Chances were I'd probably heard it before—and would hear it again.

  I handed Mia the Skittles and the beef jerky. “Might wanna let them warm up around the fire. You don’t wanna break your teeth.”

  Seeing the hunger in Mia’s eyes, I doubted she’d be so patient; and sure enough, she ripped open the packages and stuffed a few Skittles and a couple pieces of jerky into her mouth. Her jaw worked overtime chewing the stuff, but after a few seconds, I think she just swallowed it mostly whole.

  Stone looked absolutely mortified. He even suppressed a gag, which I thought was some stellar acting. All those performances of Helga’s romance books had paid off.

  “Jesus, that makes Crown Apple look somewhat appetizing. What is wrong with your brain to think eating Skittles wrapped in Jack Links is a good idea?”

  Through a mouthful, Mia said, “Fuck off,” but it sounded more like hfuguff.

  “Don’t knock it until you try it,” I told Stone, who promptly feigned another gag, this one right in my face. I fanned his breath away and told him it was too bad he hadn’t accidentally sprayed that Midnight Lilac in his mouth earlier.

  “Leave her be,” Ell warned in a venomous voice. “Or you two are sleeping outside.”

  Stone and I went silent.

  A few minutes later, once we were somewhat under control, I asked Mia to tell us about the places she spoke about outside. The Cities of Light.

  “Me and Billy, we were staying in a hotel off the highway about a month back,” Mia said. “Place was empty except for us. It wasn’t a nice place, but the heat was still running for some reason, and there was a bunch of food stored in their kitchen. Enough to last us a few weeks, anyway. Billy and me were in bed, watching a DVD we got from the lost and found. Some mob movie. Goodfellas, I think—not exactly my type of movie, but it helped pass the time. Then we heard a loud banging from the lobby. Billy grabbed his gun and went downstairs. I was right behind him, all wrapped in the hotel sheets and scared as fuck.”

  She paused for effect here. We were all listening carefully, leaning forward, wondering what was going to happen next. Truth be told, I needed a story. No longer able to read the saucy romance novels on Helga’s bookshelves, withdrawal was beginning to settle in.

  “We thought it was one of those things at first. ‘Rages, I call ‘em. Yeah, yeah, I know you all call ‘em wraiths or monsters. Spare me. But it wasn’t one of those. The sun was shining a little bit, and you know those dickheads hate light.”

  “Who was it?” Mikey asked, hugging his knees. Chewy’s bulging eyes somehow bulged wider, like he wanted to know too.

  “It was the fuckin’ Griswolds,” Mia answered.

  “T
he Griswolds?” I asked.

  “You ever seen National Lampoon’s Vacation? You know, the one with Chevy Chase and that nerdy kid from The Breakfast Club?”

  Stone and I nodded; Eleanor said she thought she’d seen it, but didn’t remember it (to which I said we needed to fix that ASAP); and Mikey had no idea what Mia was talking about.

  “The Griswolds! That was their name in the movie, yeah?” Mia said, waving a hand holding an empty Skittles package. “Whatever, it’s beside the point. I called them that because they reminded me of ‘em. And because I never got their real last name. It was a mom, dad, and two kids. They were all wearing big ol’ parkas and backpacks. The one kid, the youngest, was about six or seven and the snow damn near came up to his chin. Poor thing. They were traveling south, said they heard something on the radio a couple days after the first storms. Government broadcast talking about refugee camps. They called ‘em ‘Cities of Light,’ and the closest one was in Kentucky, not too far from the Ohio border.”

  “Why didn’t you go with them?” I asked.

  A ripple of uncertainty passed through Mia’s features. She wouldn’t meet my eyes, but, after a long moment, she answered. “This is a place of honesty, right?”

  Eleanor nodded.

  Mia shrugged. “So I should be honest, I guess.”

  With a shake of her head, she told us how the family stayed the night in the hotel, a few rooms down from where her and Billy were staying. They got real buddy-buddy with them. They even talked about grouping up and heading south together. It seemed the logical thing to do rather than aimlessly wander the frozen wasteland in search of shelter and food and the comfort of others.

  “But Billy,” Mia said, “he got this idea he was gonna rob ‘em in the night while they were asleep. I didn’t want him to do it. I won’t lie and say I begged him not to, but I was against it, that is God’s honest truth. Maybe I could’ve tried a little harder, warned the Griswolds, but I didn’t.” She absentmindedly swiped her tongue along her bottom lip. “Billy wasn’t the kind of guy you wanted to make angry.”