Ashton Memorial Read Online Free PDF Page A

fear up her spine.
She spun to see Dalton rolling down his window. She let her breath
out and bent down to his level.
    “What is it, baby?” she
said.
    “I have to pee,” said
Dalton.
    “Me too,” said Maylee from
across the back seat.
    Angie sighed. “Fine. Go
behind the car.”
    “What?” said Maylee.
“There's a bathroom right there!” She pointed at the side of the
station.
    “Maylee, I can't let you
guys out of my sight right now. Those things are everywhere. So
either go behind the car where I can see you or wait until we get
gas and I can go with you.”
    Maylee scowled and sat back. Dalton squirmed
and looked at Angie.
    “Mom?” he said.
    “Yeah baby?” said Angie.
“What is it now?”
    “I don't just have to
pee.”
    “Gross!” said Maylee,
pulling away from Dalton.
    Angie sighed. “You mean
number two?”
    “Double gross!” said
Maylee.
    Dalton nodded. “And I'll
need toilet paper to wipe.”
    Maylee stuck her fingers in
her ears. “La la la la!”
    Angie looked at the gas station. Park was
nearly to the door. It would be a few minutes to get the gas pump
going, then several after that to fill the tank. She looked back to
Dalton. Maylee removed her fingers from her ears.
    “Bad?” asked
Angie.
    Dalton nodded.
    Maylee leaned forward to
look at Angie. “It's daylight now. We can see those things
coming.”
    Angie sighed and looked at Dalton. He was
squirming and clutching his stomach.
    “Fine,” she said. “But
hurry. And if you hear the slightest thing, even a bird, you get
the hell back here.”
    Maylee nodded and undid her
belt. She opened her door and climbed out. She reached back inside
and pulled out her bat. “Damn,” she said, shutting the door. “It's
cold out here.”
    “Just hurry,” said Angie,
looking back to the station. Park was opening the door. “Before
Dalton has an accident.”
    “Double ultra-mega-gross.”
Maylee walked over to Dalton's door. Angie stepped to one side as
Dalton opened it and climbed out. Maylee took his hand.
    “I don't need my hand
held!” said Dalton, snatching it away.
    “Hold your sister's hand,
Dalton,” said Angie. “I can't have you guys getting
separated.”
    Maylee held out her hand
and Dalton scowled at it. Then he grabbed hold. “I'll be sure to
use that hand to wipe, then let you hold it on the way
back.”
    “Gross times infinity,”
said Maylee.
    “Go, guys, now,” said
Angie. A raindrop hit her hand and she looked up at the clouds.
Another hit her cheek and she looked back to her kids. “Before I
change my mind.”
    Maylee set off across the lot, pulling
Dalton with her. She had her bat in her other hand. Angie hoped she
wouldn't need it.
     
    * * *
     
    Park pushed open the glass door and stepped
inside. He looked around, letting the door swing shut behind
him.
    The lights were on, one of the fluorescent
tubes giving off a slight flicker. Static blared from behind the
counter. Park guessed it came from a radio.
    “Hello?” he said, just in
case.
    Nothing.
    He took a step farther inside and saw blood.
A pool of it, just outside one of the aisles. Red smears ran from
the pool, up the aisle and out of Park's sight.
    “Fuck me sideways,” said
Park, sliding the rifle strap from his shoulder. He readied the
rifle and took a cautious step toward the blood. Static blared. The
flickering florescent tube was giving Park a headache.
    He took another step and drew near to the
aisle. He looked back outside through the window. Angie was waiting
for the gas to turn on. Maylee was leading Dalton across the lot,
toward the side of the station. To the bathroom, Park figured.
    Park turned back to the
blood. “You better just be blood,” he said. He drew in a breath,
cocked the rifle and rounded the corner.
    The smears ran to a body. A young man, maybe
a teenager, was sprawled face down in the aisle. The blue vest on
the teen's back told Park he'd been working the counter. The large
shallow hole in the teen's head told Park he was