Free Creepers by Bret Tallent Page A

be able to tell her all of the things he never had.  He could tell her how he felt about her and his plans for the future.  Yancy wasn’t sure if he could tell her what was coming, but he had to try.  Moreover, he needed to try.  As hard as it would be he needed to warn her of the storm that was coming.  He had to explain it.  He needed her out of Lusaoka, and he had to protect her.  Yancy realized just then that he had to protect the reverend too. 
     
    ***
    Toby watched Yancy until he could no longer see the lights of his car.  He turned towards Tom and saw that Tom had been watching Yancy leave as well.  In Tom’s eyes was a sadness that Toby also felt, but would never admit to.  Losing a friend is hard, and Yancy had been a good friend.  Then, to have Yancy turn his back on them like that made it so much worse.  He felt betrayed, and that pissed him off more than anything.  It was a betrayal that cut him deeply.
    In his heart, Toby felt anger and a twinge of sorrow.  It was only because it was moderated with that twinge of sorrow that he hadn’t acted upon it immediately.  Toby reasoned that a betrayal was just about the worst offense one friend could perpetrate on another friend.  He felt the anger well up inside him, and it pushed out any sorrow that might have lingered.  At that moment, Toby turned and punched the rear fender of his truck.
    “Damn you Yancy,” he mumbled.
    “It just ain’t right Toby,” Tom said.
    “Shut it Tom,” Toby replied.
    Tom continued, “It ain’t right, and you know it.  Yancy’s our friend.”
    “Shut it now Tom,” Toby said, irritated.
    “Yancy’s our friend,” Tom repeated.
    “I told you to shut it!” Toby said as he grabbed Tom by the shirt.  He threw Tom to the ground and Tom landed flat on his butt.  The look of hurt and surprise on Tom’s face was almost comical, almost.  “Yancy made his choice Tom,” Toby continued, “and it wasn’t us.  Okay?”
    Tom sniffed a couple of times and stifled his desire to cry.  He wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt and said, “Okay Toby.  So what are we gonna’ do now?”
    “I’m thinking,” Toby said.  He leaned down and extended his hand to his brother.  “Here,” he said, “get up off the ground.”
    Toby helped his brother up off the ground then leaned back against the fender of his truck.  He thought long and hard about all that had just happened.  It didn’t change anything he decided.  He knew that Yancy wouldn’t rat them out.  If for no other reason than he was afraid of them.  They would just have to do everything themselves.  It made it a little harder, that was all.  He turned and put his arm around his brother’s shoulders.
    Toby said, “It doesn’t change anything.  We’ve still got to do what we’ve got to do.  I’ll continue checking out the blacks, and I want you to go keep an eye on that preacher and Terri.  Check out that church too; see what you can find there.  Ricky’s got to be around here somewhere, and someone’s got to know what has happened to him.”
    “You want me to go check out that church tonight Toby?” Tom asked.
    Toby thought for a moment then said, “No, not tonight.”
    “Are we going home now?” Tom asked as Toby climbed up into his truck.
    “Not yet Tom,” Toby replied, “we have an errand to run first.”
    “Okay,” Tom said as Toby turned the truck around.  Tom thought about his brother as they drove on to run their errand.  He loved his brother, but he could be so hard headed some times.  Tom figured that this stuff with Yancy would all just blow over.  He knew Toby would eventually cool down, and they would all be shooting cans again.  Tom didn’t think about Ricky.  He didn’t want to.  Tom didn’t like Ricky.  Up to now, he didn’t think Toby did all that much either.
    Toby glanced over at his brother; he had been so quiet since they left the woods.  Toby loved his brother, but he could be just so