You Can Sample You Can Save Me Part Two
You Can Save Me: Carnival of Mysteries, Part 2 of Chapter One:
And then I heard it. In my mind. Calliope music.
I’d never gone to see it. I hadn’t done much exploring. I’d only gone from my trailer to my booth and back for however long I’d been employed there. Didn’t seem long, but then, time did weird things at the carnival.
“The Troubadour’s Talking Board,” Kal said. He gripped my arm a little tighter as he brought me back up to standing. “The booth in the arcade. I know you.”
“That’s right. That’s me. Well, it was. I left. Got something I gotta do.”
Ryan grabbed Kal’s arm. “The promise. Babe, we have to help him.”
Kal continued to stare down at me, and though he seemed good—the big man oozed honor from his pores—he was a scary guy. His hand could have wrapped around my bicep twice. Or my throat. He looked from Ryan to me, and then he let go of my arm.
“We shall help you along your path.”
Seemed like a strange way of saying “sure, we’ll give you a ride,” but I’d take it.
“Thank you.”
Ryan gestured to the truck. “Hop in.”
Kal remained at my side and when we reached the cab, he opened the front of two doors. I’d never seen a pickup with two sets of doors before. This thing was unreal.
“You ride up here,” Kal said, taking the guitar from me. “I’ll be right behind you. If you hurt my husband, I will hurt you.”
“God, Kal. That’s hot, but babe, don’t scare the kid. We promised we’d help him.”
“Promised who?” I asked as I climbed into the tall pickup. “And I’m not a kid.”
Kal shut my door after I sat, and then he climbed in. I turned my back to the door. I didn’t like having him behind me. Didn’t like anyone at my back, especially after what had happened to land me at the carnival in the first place.
“I think you know,” Kal said as Ryan started the pickup. “Ryan and I are married because someone else made a promise to help us on our path. Ryan made a promise to Mr. Ame. Now we will do the same for you.”
I’d known cats who lived together, maybe even called themselves husbands, but marriage couldn’t happen between homosexuals. This was all too much. It was like I’d left one odd place and wound up in another.
But what he said about promises put my purpose front and center in my mind.
I sighed and turned just a bit, still able to see Kal out of the corner of my eye as he sat in the middle of the backseat. He rested a hand on the seat behind Ryan’s shoulder, his fingers tangling in the man’s shoulder-length copper hair.
“Thank you for stopping,” I said before I let my eyes drift closed. I needed to rest. I would need my strength when we arrived.
“What’s in Buttonwillow?” I heard Kal ask Ryan.
“All I know about it is there’s a pair of rest stops on either side of the highway. Creepy-ass place. Every time I stop there, I’m sure a murderer is going to jump out of the bushes.”
You don’t know how right you are.
As I drifted off, my last customer of the night came back to me…
Out 8/21! You can enter to win a copy of book one through Goodreads Giveaway!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D...
And then I heard it. In my mind. Calliope music.
I’d never gone to see it. I hadn’t done much exploring. I’d only gone from my trailer to my booth and back for however long I’d been employed there. Didn’t seem long, but then, time did weird things at the carnival.
“The Troubadour’s Talking Board,” Kal said. He gripped my arm a little tighter as he brought me back up to standing. “The booth in the arcade. I know you.”
“That’s right. That’s me. Well, it was. I left. Got something I gotta do.”
Ryan grabbed Kal’s arm. “The promise. Babe, we have to help him.”
Kal continued to stare down at me, and though he seemed good—the big man oozed honor from his pores—he was a scary guy. His hand could have wrapped around my bicep twice. Or my throat. He looked from Ryan to me, and then he let go of my arm.
“We shall help you along your path.”
Seemed like a strange way of saying “sure, we’ll give you a ride,” but I’d take it.
“Thank you.”
Ryan gestured to the truck. “Hop in.”
Kal remained at my side and when we reached the cab, he opened the front of two doors. I’d never seen a pickup with two sets of doors before. This thing was unreal.
“You ride up here,” Kal said, taking the guitar from me. “I’ll be right behind you. If you hurt my husband, I will hurt you.”
“God, Kal. That’s hot, but babe, don’t scare the kid. We promised we’d help him.”
“Promised who?” I asked as I climbed into the tall pickup. “And I’m not a kid.”
Kal shut my door after I sat, and then he climbed in. I turned my back to the door. I didn’t like having him behind me. Didn’t like anyone at my back, especially after what had happened to land me at the carnival in the first place.
“I think you know,” Kal said as Ryan started the pickup. “Ryan and I are married because someone else made a promise to help us on our path. Ryan made a promise to Mr. Ame. Now we will do the same for you.”
I’d known cats who lived together, maybe even called themselves husbands, but marriage couldn’t happen between homosexuals. This was all too much. It was like I’d left one odd place and wound up in another.
But what he said about promises put my purpose front and center in my mind.
I sighed and turned just a bit, still able to see Kal out of the corner of my eye as he sat in the middle of the backseat. He rested a hand on the seat behind Ryan’s shoulder, his fingers tangling in the man’s shoulder-length copper hair.
“Thank you for stopping,” I said before I let my eyes drift closed. I needed to rest. I would need my strength when we arrived.
“What’s in Buttonwillow?” I heard Kal ask Ryan.
“All I know about it is there’s a pair of rest stops on either side of the highway. Creepy-ass place. Every time I stop there, I’m sure a murderer is going to jump out of the bushes.”
You don’t know how right you are.
As I drifted off, my last customer of the night came back to me…
Out 8/21! You can enter to win a copy of book one through Goodreads Giveaway!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D...
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