A Gathering of Crows (37 page)

Donny kissed Marsha’s head. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I think I have.”

Still smiling, Levi climbed up into the wagon and reached out a hand. Donny shook it. His grip was still firm and strong.

“I hope,” he said, “that you can do the same one day, too, Levi. I hope you can go home for good.”

“Thank you, Donny. That would be nice, but I’m afraid I walk a different path, and I must go where it takes me.”

“Take care, Levi.”

“You, too, my friends. Good luck to you both.”

He took Dee’s reins in his hands and flicked them.

She began to trot, and the wagon rolled slowly behind her. The sun cleared the treetops, climbing into the sky. In the distance, Levi heard the sound of motors. He glanced back once as they rounded a corner. Marsha and Donny stood with their arms around each other, watching him leave. Levi raised his hand and waved. They returned the gesture. It occurred to him as he watched the young couple fade from view that maybe Brinkley Springs would live again. Maybe they were the seed that would spark new growth. Maybe the town would get a second chance at life.

His smile faded as he remembered Donny’s final words.

I hope you can go home for good.

“I hope so, too,” Levi whispered. “But I don’t know that I’m ready yet.”

Dee whinnied and tossed her head.

“Come on, girl.” He flicked the reins again. “We’ve still got a long way to travel before we even consider going home.”

BRIAN KEENE is the author of over twenty-five books, including
Darkness on the Edge of Town, Urban Gothic, Castaways
,
Kill Whitey
,
Dark Hollow
,
Dead Sea, Ghoul
and
The Rising
. He also writes comic books such as
The Last Zombie, Doom Patrol
and
Dead of Night: Devil Slayer
. His work has been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French and Taiwanese. Several of his novels and stories have been optioned for film, one of which,
The Ties That Bind
, premiered on DVD in 2009 as a critically-acclaimed independent short. Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as
The New York Times
, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com,
Publisher’s Weekly, Fangoria Magazine
, and
Rue Morgue Magazine
. Keene lives in Central Pennsylvania. You can communicate with him online at www.BrianKeene.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Keene/189077221397 or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BrianKeene

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