Page 16 of The Totally Typical Tale of Mappy McMapface (Ghostlight Falls #1)
Chapter fifteen
Ghostlight Lake
Mappy
T he first thing I realize when I wake up is that Miguel is gone. The second thing I realize is that I’m dressed. The third thing is that I’m in the living room, not in my bed.
“Miguel?” I yell. No response. He wouldn’t leave. Not after that. Not without saying something. Unless… I check my phone. Fuck, I blacked out again. The last time this happened, he almost died. What if… no. Not going there.
Maybe I should’ve been listening more when he was trying to explain what happened. I definitely should’ve followed up instead of jumping into bed with him. Fuck. Staring at the bookcase, I know what I need to do, even as the headache starts to form.
Ignoring every instinct I have, I walk to the shelves and find the book that looks the worst to me. Sure enough, when I pull it, there’s a click, and the shelf unlocks.
Sliding the door open, I try to steady my breathing. There’s a logical explanation for all of this. It will all make sense. I just need to ignore the pain, which is getting worse by the second, and find Miguel, and everything will be okay.
He grabbed a book from the lab. So that’s where I need to go. Staying as far away from the machine as I physically can, I make my way to the table with a stack of books. One of them is open, and there’s a note with yesterday’s date on it.
Thankfully, this Carter guy leaves ridiculously detailed notes. Seems like a very irresponsible thing for a guy who is planning on committing crimes to do, but it’s working out for me, so who am I to question it ?
The more I read, the more concerned I get. When I finish the entry, I slam the book closed, grab it, and run out the door.
Downtown is a madhouse. Carter has disrupted the GPS somehow.
I haven’t had a chance to deal with the street signs that are still in my backyard, so it seems like the entire town is looking for me.
Would be a very convenient time for the town to start using paper maps.
Eli keeps trying to explain to people that it’s not a mechanical problem and bringing their cars to the shop won’t fix anything, but no one is listening to him.
Thankfully, I run into Angelina as I try to avoid the crowds.
I shove the book into her hands. She and her family live on the outskirts of town, but their friend, Encephalon, is a straight-up genius when it comes to tech.
He set up a top-of-the-line security system for them in a water tower, of all places.
“Can you get this to Encephalon?” She looks at the book, confused. “It explains what’s happening with the GPS, and I assume he’ll be able to undo it?” If anyone can, it’s that little guy.
“Sure, Mappy. Are you okay?”
“I need to get to the river fast.”
She tosses me the key to her e-bike. It’s no car, but with the traffic being jammed up the way it is right now, it’s probably the fastest option.
“Thanks, Lina!” I yell, running to where her bike is parked.
Weaving through traffic and probably making more than a few unsafe choices, I get to the river in no time. Dumping Angelina’s bike, I run up the riverbed. I don’t know what to do from here. I run downriver toward the lake. Maybe the Pez Club has seen something.
I don’t get the chance to ask them because I see a body washed up in the mud.
Kneeling beside him, I shakily place my fingers on his neck and breathe a sigh of relief when I find a pulse.
I don’t know how many times I can keep finding Miguel like this.
I sit next to him, holding his hand, unsure what else to do until he finally wakes up.
“Fuck, Miguel. You scared the crap out of me,” I say, instead of any of the nicer things that I probably should’ve said.
“I’m very hard to drown,” he replies, sitting up and coughing.
“I noticed.” He gives me a puzzled look. “And I’m really happy about it,” I add. “I realize this probably isn’t the time or place, but you look so fucking good in my pants.”
He bursts out laughing, looking down at the skin-tight, drenched sweatpants clinging to his thick thighs and cock. Well, he might not be looking at his cock, but I sure am.
We make our way back to Angelina’s bike, which luckily is big enough for the both of us.
Somehow, Miguel is less scarred from the incident than I am—nearly dying appears to be less traumatic than seeing someone you care about nearly die, or he’s just more emotionally stable than I am—so he rides, and I cling onto him.
Angelina isn’t downtown anymore, so I leave her keys at Kyle’s, assuming she’ll stop by there at some point. She usually does. Downtown already looks significantly less congested than it did when I left.
There’s a pinch at my ankle, making me look down.
“Encephalon, I see you were the right mouse for the job.”
He nods, raising his hands up, which I interpret as uppies. Once he’s at eye level, he looks suspiciously over his shoulder at Miguel. “Who else knows about Carter?” The blood drains from my face, and Miguel takes a step closer.
“I am very acquainted with the map,” he says.
Encephalon nods. “Given the amount of data in the journal you provided, I believe it is safe to assume there are others?” I nod.
“With access to the journals, and ample time, equipment, and funds”—he raises an eyebrow at me—“I believe I may be able to come up with something to keep him in the subconscious.”
My head pounds, feeling like it is going to explode. “Yeah, do it.”
“Any tips for now? I’d really rather avoid Carter, if possible,” Miguel says, rubbing a hand up and down my arm.
“Not without more data,” Encephalon says.