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“An accident?” Dani tried to catch her breath and calm her heart. Thank goodness, Mark was already ensconced in his bedroom, and Thanksgiving break had started. He would stay in his room until noon tomorrow. “Are you hurt? I’ll take you to the ER. Let me grab my coat.”
What the hell was she thinking? She couldn’t take Heath to the hospital. They’d call the police as soon as the admitting staff put his name in their computer system. Heath had coded in the Oakfield ER after the accident.
“I’m not hurt.” Heath’s frown deepened. “I’m just really confused.”
“Honey, come inside. Let’s get you cleaned up.” She held out her hand. “We’ll double-check to make sure you’re okay. If you’re still dazed, it may be a concussion. I’ll call Wila—”
“Who?”
Crap, she’d forgotten she didn’t meet Penny, Wila, and Francine until after Heath’s death.
“Her son Derek is friends with Mark, and she’s an EMT.” She shivered. “Honey, it’s dang cold out here. Let’s go inside, and we’ll figure things out.”
“I-I woke up in the dirt,” Heath said. “I couldn’t find the car so I walked home.”
“I’m so sorry, honey.” Dani stepped closer, but he ignored her outstretched palm. “That must have been really scary. Come inside with me, and we’ll deal with it.”
He cocked his head and stared at something behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. The minivan. She had sworn up and down they were not going to be one of those couples when she was pregnant with Mark.
“Why is there a minivan in our garage?” Heath asked.
“I had a problem with my truck,” she said. “Please come inside, honey. It’s freezing out here.”
He continued staring at the minivan. “Neal Astin couldn’t give you a different colored loaner. Mark’s going to be teased by the other first graders.”
The scars on Dani’s heart ripped. “Heath, Mark is twelve now.”
That drew Heath’s attention away from the damn minivan. “What?”
“Honey, you couldn’t find your car tonight because you died in an accident six years ago.”
##
The truth stunned Heath long enough for Dani to guide him into the house. Part of her was glad she hadn’t moved though she’d thought about it after his funeral.
A lot.
She grabbed a clean washcloth out of the utility room, filled a bowl with hot water, and sat next to Heath at the kitchen table.
“I-I’m dead?” he asked while she washed the dirt from his face.
“Not anymore,” she said as she rinsed the washcloth. “It’s a rather long story, but the dead are rising from their graves because the Apocalypse has begun.”
“What?” Heath stared at her. “If that’s supposed to be a joke, it’s not funny.”
“I’m not joking,” she murmured while she worked on his hands. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah,” he admitted. “But can we start this discussion over? I did have an accident, didn’t I?”
“Yes.” She focused on the dirt between his fingers. Heath’s fingers. The last time she touched him was when she placed his wedding band back on his finger before his funeral. It was still there. “Dani, look at me.” He tilted her chin up until her eyes met his. “Please tell me what happened.”
She swallowed the huge lump threatening to choke her. “You-you were hit head-on by a drunk driver going the wrong way on the interstate.” Admitting the facts brought all the old pain back. Tears spilled over her eyelids and rolled down her cheeks. She’d been frightened of Heath coming back since that day almost a month ago when Penny’s dead mother-in-law showed up on the Hudson’s doorstep.
“Oh, baby.” He reached up and brushed away the wetness with the backs of his fingers. “I’m so sorry I left you and Mark alone. I never would have done that on purpose.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“And the Apocalypse stuff?” He cocked his head as he cupped her face.
She laid her hands on his and gently pulled them away. “There’s no way for you to believe me without seeing for yourself. But promise me, you’ll be quiet because Mark is asleep upstairs.” At least, she prayed he’d fallen asleep while listening to his music.
He frowned. “Show me what?”
“What I’ve become.” She slowly rose from her chair. “What I am.”
Those big blue eyes remained locked on her. She released a deep breath, bowed her head, and let the power wash over her.
“What the—” Heath scrambled off the kitchen chair, knocking it over in the process. The wood clatter loudly against the ceramic tile floor. “Dani?”
“It’s still me, honey.” She hated the way her voice rattled when she was Death, but it couldn’t be helped. “I’m one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
“But you’re not a man,” he protested.
“That’s why we all ourselves the Four Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse.”
“The Four Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse?” He didn’t look too sure, but he no longer wore the expression of insane panic.
“It’s a long story, honey.” She shrugged. “How about I make us some tea while I tell you about it?”
He cocked his head in the same adorable way he had when she told him she was pregnant, trying hard to reconcile reality with his preconceived notions. “Does this mean you raised me from my grave?”
“No,” she said. “The Fifth Seal broke as foretold in the Book of Revelations.”
“The Fifth Seal?”
“The Four Horsemen, or Soccer Moms in our case, are the first four Seals. The Fifth Seal is the dead believers rising from their graves.”
“Aw, crap! Are demons running around town again?”
Dani whirled to find Mark standing in the doorway. She spread her arms in a desperate attempt to distract her son.
“What are you doing up?” she snapped. “It’s a school night.”
Mark crossed his arms. “I’m not the one banging around furniture. You woke me up. And you don’t run around with all skeleton-y if demons aren’t causing problems again.”
“Go to bed, young man,” she ordered.
Instead, he marched over to the utility closet and pulled out his bright yellow and orange Super Soaker. “I can cover the demon while you interrogate him.”
“Mark?” Heath stepped around Dani’s left side. “Is that really you?”
“Dad?” Mark dropped his water blaster and ran straight into Heath’s arms.
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