Darren’s call woke me at 2 in the morning. He had something he wanted to show me, wouldn’t say any more, and I stupidly went along with it. So here’s me, freezing, in the middle of the park, cursing Darren’s stupid face and these damned bunny slippers, which aren’t anything near insulating. Darren is staring at his watch.
“Darren…” I growl.
“Uhn,” comes his response.
“Darren!”
“Oh. What? Hay! Emme!”
“Yes Emme!” I say, “Emme cold! Emme’s feet wet. Emme unhappy, and somebody damn-well-better tell Emme why the hell she’s out here!”
“Well… in just a bit…” his gaze jumps rapidly between his watch, some unwieldy gizmo, and the empty park around us, “I… won’t… have to,” he finishes, “There!” and points past my ear.
Kra!.. the noise is cut short but it still hurt, and something round drops into the grass behind Darren. Exactly not where he pointed.
“Oh, huh,” he says, and goes back to fiddling with the technological-whatever in his hand. “HUH…”
I try counting good things that come with noises like that.