A Stranger's Touch by Roxy Boroughs Read Free Book Online Page B

French fries made him cough. He rocked himself andtried to hum. The tune came out in short, blubbery bits.
    He bit down and blinked. Crying was for babies. Not seven-year-olds. That’s what his daddy said.
    He wished his dad were with him now. He’d know what to do. Davie licked the salty tears at the sides of his mouth and rubbed his forehead, trying to come up with an idea.
    Maybe sneak into the front seat...
    Uh-uh, that wouldn’t work. If he moved slow, the woman was sure to spot him and run out. He’d have to jump into the front seat super fast. Like an action hero. Like Spiderman.
    He’d put one hand on the plastic divider between the seats and leap over it. Then he’d unlock the door, throw it open, and run.
    But to where?
    He looked out, past the dirt parking lot. There, in the shadows, grew a clump of trees. The kind they cut down to decorate at Christmas. He could run in and hide between the thick branches. The driver would come looking for him, but he would keep still. He’d pretend he was invisible.
    He’d done it at home, when his parents were fighting. And at school to avoid Billy Boehringer. He could play his invisibility game until the driver left. Then he’d go into the store and ask the man to help him find his mommy.
    As long as a bear didn’t get him first. Or one of the creatures the woman talked about. Like a zombie. Or a vampire.
    Maybe she was one herself.
    Davie brought his feet up onto the seat and wrapped his arms around his knees. His chest felt heavy, like he’d swallowed a big rock that hadn’t worked its way down to his tummy.
    He didn’t have a chance against a creature. He wasn’t Spiderman. He couldn’t run. Even now, he couldn’t breathe without wheezing. He reached into his jacket pocket for his inhaler.
    Dummy. He slapped his leg with his free hand. The inhaler wasn’t there. He’d lost it along with his knapsack.
    But he found something better. The stack of hockey cards he’d brought to school that day. Twenty-three of them. And his favorite was right on top.
    Jarome Iginla.
    Iggie was fast. And brave. He wouldn’t let some strange lady lock him in the back of a car, even if she was a vampire. No way. He’d body check her and skate off, moving so quick that she’d never, ever, ever catch him.
    Davie wiped his eyes and snuck another look at the store window. The woman stood at the counter, paying for something. He didn’t have much time. If he was going to get away, he’d have to forget about bears, and monsters, and move fast. He touched the Jerome Iginla card for good luck then readied his hand for the leap.
    A sharp noise threw him against the seat. He shrank back, his face scrunched up tight. He took a big gulp of air but couldn’t get it down into his lungs. Sweat sprang up on his skin, cold and sticky against his clothes.
    He found the courage to open one eye and steal a look out the window beside him. Sharp nails scraped the side of the car. Black lips curled over big, pointed teeth. A long tongue dripped with spit. The creature barked again.
    Then the front door of the car popped open. The driver plunked herself behind the wheel. The sound of falling coins tinkled against the change already on the floor. “Did you miss me?”
    Davie looked back at the side window, panting. The dog pushed away and dropped out of sight, leaving its nose print on the glass.
    “I got you some chips.” She tossed a plastic bag onto the seat beside Davie. “That should keep you going.”
    Two seconds earlier, Davie’s tummy felt as if he’d taken a turn on the school’s trampoline. Now, it made a loud rumbling sound. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. Lunch, maybe. Although, he wasn’t sure how long ago that was.
    “Go ahead,” the woman told him, as the car’s engine began to rumble. “Eat up.”
    Davie reached for the grocery bag and peered inside at all the stuff. A pack of gum, jujubes, a box of the same hair goop his grandma used, a bunch of