If he was part of the cult, surely he would’ve said by now. He must just be some creep.
I’ve encountered plenty since we left the cult...heck, I encountered plenty fromwithinit.
Mom’s voice comes to me.“You’re so smart, Ruby. They fooled us all. But they couldn’t fool you. And you were only a kid.”
That’s not true. They fooled me for a long time. And I’ve still got some hang-ups, some lingering self-hatingcrap.
My thoughts are spiraling, leaping around too quickly, as though wanting to settle anywhere that isn’t right here.
“You have a lovely day, too,” he says, but he doesn’t walk away.
I don’t want to turn my back, making myself vulnerable, though I’m not sure what I’m going to do if he leaps at me.
He’s taller, bigger, and clearly stronger.
Ramsey, I scream in my mind.Ramsey, help me. Ramsey.
It’s so silly, a girlish fantasy. It’s not that sort of helpless thinking which has kept Mom and me alive and safe for the past two years.
“Well...,” I try for another smile. “Have a lovely day.”
He takes another step forward, glancing around the street, grinning when he sees we’re still alone.
Beyond him, the main road is busy with traffic, but nobody glances down here.
There’s an alleyway to the left. If I have to run, it’ll be there.
He’s blocking the path back to the main road.
Can I somehow get around him?
“You already said that,” he snaps. “But to be honest, I’m not having a lovely day. I’m having a really bad fucking day. And I think you can help with that.”
I open my mouth, meaning to give him some snappish response, to try and scare him away. But all that comes out is a shuddering breath.
I wince, cursing myself for the show of weakness.
But I can’t stop thinking about how helpless I’m going to be if this man tries to hurt me, not just scare me.
“What do you want?” I say, hating how small my voice sounds.
“I want you,” he says. “I want your smell.”
“My....”
I trail off, shaking my head. Surely I didn’t hear that right.
“Mysmell?”
“You see,” he says, still with that evil smile. “I’m on my way to becoming somebody. They called me pathetic for the tattoo. A tattoo of a wolf but no real wolf. But you’re my ticket. Your workplace. Your apartment building. The supermarket you visited a couple of days ago...his scent, which meansyourscent brought him there. Or something else about you. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to become a legend.”
I have no idea what to say; his confusing words mean nothing to me.
“Either way, people will know my name now. They’ll hear Jerry Flowers and say,Hell, he did it. He really did it.But first, you have to come with me.”
I swallow, knowing there’s no going back. He’s ranting about crazy things. His name almost made me laugh when he saidFlowers.
It’s just sonotthe name I’d expect him to have.