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head was heavy with their presence. I walked to Boggs and sat beside him. I took his hand in mine and he looked at me through heavy eyes.
    “How’s the pain?” I asked.
    He squeezed my hand. “Better.”
    My heart was aching seeing him like this.
    “You’re a bad liar.”
    “No, really, the morphine’s helping. God you’re beautiful.”
    I rolled my eyes at him. “Do you want some water?”
    He shook his head side-to-side. “Is Susan ok?”
    “She’s in rough shape,” I said truthfully. “We’re hoping she pulls through.”
    “I should go to her.”
    “Shhhh. You need to just stay still. Nate’s with her.”
    “Nate? He’s ok, right? And Abbey?”
    “ Yeah, just fine. Bobby and Gus too.”
    “Good.”
    He closed his eyes again. Bobby knelt down next to us and handed me a cold, damp washcloth. I took it, smiling my thanks to her, and set it upon Boggs’ forehead.
    Outside, a little girl started calling out “Red Rover Red Rover, send Adelaide on over!” It was followed by group laughter; malevolent laughter.
    I shivered. I looked immediately to Gus, knowing that when he was so ill after being stabbed, he had muttered that name. He looked pale and angry.
    “Boggs,” I whispered into his ear. “I need to go talk to Gus for a minute.” I kissed his cheek and made my way to where Gus had been busy sorting through the medical supplies.
    “Gus?”
    “Hmm?”
    “Who was she? Adelaide?”
    He paused what he was doing, and after taking a heavy breath he looked at me.
    “My sister.”
    “When you were so sick, you called out her name. I hadn’t wanted to ask you.”
    He grunted. “I don’t talk about her. I haven’t in many years. But you know you can ask me anything.”
    “If you ever need to, I’ll listen.”
    He took hold of my uninjured hand and squeezed. “I know, darlin’. I know.”
    “We should get back to Susan and Boggs,” I said.
    “I’ll go take a look at Susan. I want to talk to Nathan about our next move. We need to think about getting out of here.”
    “Ok.”
    He leaned over and kissed me gently on the lips. His touch made my insides felt like they were on fire, almost as if I had been cold and unaware until his lips touched mine. By the way he tensed, I knew Gus had felt it too. We touched foreheads and just took in each other’s scent and warmth for a long moment.
    “I love you,” I said so quietly that I could barely hear my own words.
    “And I you,” he breathed back.
    I found it hard to catch my breath, needing to be with him but knowing I had to let go. Knowing we might die. My moment of feeling an overwhelming love was interrupted by the sound of Susan coughing. We both stood quickly and went to her side.
    “Nate, Brother, let me look her over?”
    “She looks bad, Gus.”
    “Abbey, honey, let’s go see about Boggs while the guys tend to Susan?” suggested Bobby.
    The girl stood but was quiet. I could tell she was quickly withdrawing into herself. I walked with them to Boggs’ side.
    “He’s sleeping,” I said quietly. “That’s good.”
    The crying outside began again; weeping. My head was beginning to pound from the constant torment of the dead. Their noises were now joined with that of heavy wind and loose sand beating against the building. The dead children all began screaming; this time a fearful shrieking that hinted of something even more evil approaching.
    “Nooooooo,” moaned Abbey. She sat beside Boggs, hugging her knees, rocking back and forth. “It’s something bad.”
    “I feel it too,” said Bobby, clutching at her own chest.      
    I collapsed to my knees, the pain inside my head suddenly so intense that I had trouble breathing. While I had felt the children filling my mind with their presence, I hadn’t been able to see through their eyes. Now, though, something was approaching the motel. It was consuming my own visions with its own. The picture before me was of the dead children running and hiding. They seemed terrified.