The Last Handful of Clover - Book 2: Gifts Both Light and Dark

2.01 Beautiful Dreamer

June 8, 5:30 pm

I'm already beginning to dislike this little prick, Richard thought.

Billy Travers was heading south on State Street, and the older ghost was struggling to keep up.  The boy was moving fast through the streets of Salt Lake City—too fast for conversation, and to Richard's annoyance, the kid didn't even look back to see if he was following. He obviously took it for granted that Richard was there.

The arrogance of that assumption irked him.

And where the hell were they going? They were heading south, and that was directly away from Keith. Richard could feel that insistent tug now at the back of his head, and he hated the feeling.

I've literally turned my back on Keith to follow this kid, he thought. And it literally hurts.

Finally, Richard had had enough. He put on a burst of speed and caught the boy just as he was getting ready to cross 17th South. He was relieved to find that the ability to touch the ghost boy had remained, as he grabbed his arm and twisted him around. Billy was the first thing Richard had touched since all this began, which actually moved when he pushed.

"Okay, that's enough," Richard said, panting a little. He noticed the boy didn't seem winded at all, and he also didn't look surprised that Richard had stopped him. The look on his face told Richard that he had been waiting for him to do it. The rush hour traffic was zooming past on State Street, but fortunately, there was almost no one on the sidewalk.

"I think I've followed you far enough," Richard said. "If I'm going to come with you, I think I deserve some explanations! Who the hell are you, and what..." Richard struggled to find the words. "What the fuck do you want with me?"

The boy was creepily calm as he looked at Richard, and then at the hand holding his arm. Richard self-consciously dropped it.

"I promise to explain it all, Richard. But we have to hurry." The boy had a faraway look in his eyes as he gazed into the southwest.

"Hurry where? Where are we going? And how the hell do you know my name?"

The boy didn't seem to hear. He was lost in his own thoughts for a moment. "She's been there all morning. And if she still is, I think what is going to happen could be... important."

Richard couldn't keep the impatience out of his voice. "I don't understand. Who are you talking about? And where?"

The boy looked at him and gave a half smile.

"We're going to Valley Fair Mall. To the theaters there."

It took a second for that to register on Richard's memory. "The Megaplex? The place where that guy stabbed all those people a few days ago?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Richard, I said I'd explain everything to you, and I will. But not now. Now we have to hurry. Come on."

The light had changed, and steady streams of cars were heading both directions on State Street. "The traffic is getting too thick. We need to get off the streets," the boy said. "I know you've discovered you can run quickly, but you've also discovered that when you do, bad things can happen."

Richard squinted at him. "South Temple."

"Yes. South Temple. It was a FedEx truck, but you probably didn't see that."

"No, I didn't. But I felt it." Richard paused for a beat, remembering the moment of that impact, and all that followed. "I saw you. You yelled to me. You were there."