Arianna Rose: The Gates of Hell (Part 5) by Jennifer Martucci, Christopher Martucci Read Free Book Online Page A

passed since his comment.  “Well, you have a nice day,” she added as she swiped her bag and made her way out of the market with Desmond in tow. 
    Once outside, Desmond said, “Charles seemed like a nice kid.”
    “Yeah, if you like the squeaky-clean, zombie type,” she frowned and bobbed one shoulder. 
    “What do you mean, zombie?  He seemed like a clean-cut teenager, the kind every parent dreams of, you know polite, employed—”
    “All right, all right, I get it,” Arianna interrupted.  “You want to date Charlie.”
    “No,” Desmond ground his teeth and said.  “I don’t.  I just think that this might not be the right place.  Is it possible?  Is it possible that this is not where Darius is or was?”
    “Desmond, you know as well as I do that anything is possible.  But my visions are accurate, and so is this weird GPS magnet that totes me around.  I didn’t ask for it, but I have it, and I believe in it.  This is the place.”   Arianna took a breath and glanced around.  She raked a hand through her hair.  “I saw death, just death all around me.  Darius is probably on his way as we speak, and you never know, maybe the universe cut us a break and we made it here before him.  Maybe we’ll stop him today and end things.”
    Desmond parted his lips to speak, but clamped them shut when an old woman approached them.  Stooped and ambling with a cane and wearing a flowered dress in a style Arianna hadn’t seen in many years, the woman waved a hand with gnarled fingers. 
    “Oh aren’t you a handsome couple,” the old woman crooned.  “I haven’t seen you two around, and I’ve lived here for sixty years, moved here right after I got married.  I raised four children who still live here and have twelve grandchildren.  Oh, but listen to me prattling on about myself!” she stopped her own rambling.  “Are you visiting family?”
    A response evaded Arianna.  As if sensing her loss for words, Desmond spoke.  “No, ma’am, actually, we’re thinking about moving here.”  He added a charming grin for good measure. 
    “You kids would love it here!” the old woman gushed.  “It’s a wonderful place to raise a family, and take it from me; I know.”  She smiled warmly, her blue eyes spry and twinkling with energy.  “Well, I best be getting on my way.  Have a nice day.  I hope to see you around,” she added over her shoulder after she’d passed. 
    Arianna and Desmond watched as she shuffled down the sidewalk, greeting everyone that walked by her as if they were the oldest and dearest of friends. 
    “She was sweet,” Desmond commented.  “Maybe we should stay here and raise our kids.”
    She whipped around to face him.  She couldn’t tell whether or not he was serious.  “Stay here?  Kids?”
    “Yeah, we could buy a house back on that nice street with the view of the harbor, get married and get you pregnant.”
    His face was still unreadable.  Arianna didn’t know what to say.  Up until now, their lives had consisted of surviving one day at a time, one breath at a time in some instances.  A future with marriage and a house and children had never been discussed.  Saving humanity had taken precedence over domestic planning. 
    “Ah, judging from that terrified look on your face, I’m guessing you haven’t thought about any o f that.  I don’t want to scare you.  Forget I mentioned it, okay,” he said and started walking without her. 
    “I want those things,” she said quietly.
    Desmond stopped and turned so that all she saw was his magnificent profile.  Haloed in brilliant, buttery light, there was no doubt in Arianna’s mind that Desmond was heaven-sent, divine.  A slow smile rounded his cheeks, and Arianna’s heart skipped a beat.  In that moment, she allowed hope to creep into her soul, to calm the raging worry stirring her insides.  The town was safe thus far.  Nothing bad had happened yet.  She felt confident that she arrived in time to