Only The Dead Don't Die | Book 4 | Finding Home Popovich, A.D. (any book recommendations txt) 📖

his tongue when her attitude quickly melted into despair at Mateo’s sudden grayish-blue skin tone.

“We need a miracle.” Ella dropped to her knees and laid the Archangel Michael pendant he had given her over Mateo’s chest. She murmured frantically in Spanish, praying.

Time for some good news. “Guys, guys, Luther gave—”

“The Andara! It’s the miracle that visited my dreams.” Twila took the glass shard from his hand. “Ooh, it tingles with the Prima Matra!” She awed. “Didn’t you feel it?”

“It did get kinda hot.” How did she know what it was called? “Get this, Luther’s Voodoo aunt has been the guardian of this magical crystal-like glass for decades. Now, Luther is—” Backstory overload. Luther could explain all that later. “Anyone have a cup?” He tried remembering everything Luther had told him. “We’re supposed to steep the crystal-glass in water. Like a teabag. But in the moonlight or sunlight.”

“It’s too late,” Ella bemoaned. Mateo’s face had turned a shade bluer. Dying before their eyes.

Dean handed him a tin camping cup from his pack. Scarlett quickly filled it with water from her canteen and then put the Andara into the cup. “It is powerful.” She seemed enthralled by it.

He’d try anything to save his son. Even if it was just the placebo effect. Not sure what to do next, he simply watched Twila dip her fingers into the water and then sprinkle Mateo with it.

“I’ll pour some of the infused water in a bottle.” Scarlett unzipped the pack on Ella’s back. “Did you pack a bottle in your go-bag?”

“Uh-huh,” Ella mumbled. Her go-bag was filled with newborn stuff.

Justin threw up his hands. “What about the moonlight and sunlight part?”

“The crystal is still charged,” Scarlett said optimistically.

Twila snatched the Andara and began hovering it over Mateo’s body. “Ooh, he likes it when I sweep it over his cute, little baby chakras.” Twila giggled.

Justin couldn’t stop rolling his eyes.

Twila grimaced. “How can you be such a hardheaded poop? You know more than anyone—how powerful crystals are. They use them in computers.”

“That’s science. Not magic,” he retorted caustically.

“Why do they use crystals in computers?” Scarlett asked.

“Yeah, tell me that, Mr. Computer Guy,” Twila egged on.

“Uh, as an oscillator.” Justin had never really thought about it.

“Why not use some electronic gizmo?” Dean butted in.

“Duh,” Twila blurted. “Because crystals are perfect power sources.”

Ready to contradict whatever Twila had to say, Justin quickly added, “It has something to do with the frequency they give off.”

“Exactly,” Scarlett said. “Frequencies, or rather the energies they emit can be harnessed. Not just for computers but for people as well.”

“Huh, I never thought of it like that. Crystals actually work on people,” Justin sheepishly conceded. “Amal-zing!”

Twila stuck out her tongue. “Told you!”

“Alrighty folks.” Dean glanced at the baby warily. “All of this—is enlightening. However, we can’t stay here. They could ambush us.”

“I’m not done working on baby Mateo,” Twila whined.

“Guys, Dean’s right. We should wait for Luther on the bus,” Justin stated firmly. It was idiotic to stay in the Forbidden Zone with hordes searching for them.

Dean frowned quizzically. “So, Luther is coming back?”

Justin nodded. “I think so,” he mouthed with uncertainty.

Dean gave him the grouchy grandfather grimace.

“You know Luther. It’s not like I could stop him,” Justin clapped back in his defense.

“What was so damned important?” Dean harped.

“Luther went to the lodge.” Justin let out a long breath. Suck it up and just tell them. “To see if Mindy and Starla somehow survived.”

“Oh.” That shut up Dean. He paced around, shaking his head and rubbing his chest. “Tell me ’bout the bus. Diesel or gasoline?”

“Gas. It’s a 2016. With a ninety-eight-gallon tank, three-quarters full.”

Dean always seemed to have a map for wherever they were, which he spread out on the register’s counter. “That might be just enough petrol to get us there.”

“Get this,” Justin continued, hoping to cheer Ella. “It’s got four beds, a propane stove, oven, mini-fridge. And—wait for it—a flushing toilet,” he announced like it was the presidential suite. “It’s even got a shower.” His news only earned him pensive smiles.

Dean was more interested in the map than the bus. He cursed under his breath. “Detouring ’round the Forbidden Zone adds another blasted two hun’erd miles.”

“Um,” Justin stalled, reluctant to give them more bad news. “Another thing, I ran into my ex-coworker DiNozzo. He warned X-strain armies are digging tunnels into the inner Zones. And the power grid goes down at midnight, so expect more lockdowns.”

Scarlett’s hands flew to her face. “We have to get to Tent City before then . . .”

Ella dropped the bottle. “Is that even possible?” She looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. He could almost hear her heart thudding in her chest.

“And they started the 6G rollout.” 6G made 5G look like analog. “Which means facial recognition. And brain chips, and—”

“All right, son.” Dean clapped his back. “One crisis at a time.” The apprehension in his voice gave Justin the willies.

Twila screamed. Scarlett rushed to her while he and Dean brandished their weapons. “I see little eyes everywhere! Watching,” Twila trilled with closed trembling eyelids.

“Well then, let’s get on that bus,” Dean said as calm as ever. “Where’d you park it?”

“Next to the Frito-Lay warehouse.”

“It should take us roughly two hours to get to Tent City, being we’re so close to the highway,” Dean stated. “Adding an hour cushion—Luther’s got three hours to get here if we’re to get there before midnight.” Dean set the Rolex’s alarm.

Soft cooing trickled through the barbershop.

“It’s working,” Ella cried out. She rambled off in Spanish with tears clinging to her lush lashes.

“Yay!” Twila pirouetted around the room while the rest of them rushed to Ella’s side.

Mateo’s skin tone had returned to normal. The