Yesterdays Gone: SEASON TWO (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER) (Yesterday's Gone)

right now.”
    Paola nodded, then hugged her mom and headed toward the Quiet Spot.  
    Desmond was grateful to Will for taking care of Paola, even if that wasn’t what he was trying to do. With Will, you never really knew. Now if only Will would disappear, too, he and Mary could finally start talking.  
    “Everything okay?” Will addressed them both, but he was looking directly at Mary.  
    She nodded, then said. “I think I’m like Luca – a heavy case of nerves.”
    Will told Mary everything would be okay, that it was always hardest in the valley of a dip, and a few more random things that made little sense to Desmond. He had no idea how much they meant to Mary, and until they were alone he’d have little space to find out. Will seemed even weirder than normal. Though, if he thought about it, Desmond thought everyone seemed a little weirder today. That meant it was probably him. No one was weird in a way he could put his finger on, except Mary.  
    Mary was weird because she’d never seemed so far away.  
    Will said his goodbyes.  
    To Desmond’s relief, Mary said, “I really need to talk to you, Des,” a second later.  
    Desmond smiled. “Thank Christ, I’m not crazy. I could tell something big was on your mind. What’s up?”
    “Not here,” she shook her head. “It’s big and I want to know we’re alone. Let’s find somewhere less crowded.”  
    “Fine by me,” Desmond said, taking her hand.  
    They made it two steps before they were stopped by John, with the new stranger standing beside him.  
    “Desmond, Mary,” John bowed his head after each name, “there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” The stranger stepped forward and John said, “This is Boricio. The Good Lord has led him to us. He feels he is home now, here at New Unity, and would like to contribute to the congregation and The Sanctuary as much as possible. You two remember what it was like to be new; I was hoping you might oblige to make Boricio feel as much at home as you were made to feel upon arrival.”
    Perfect.
    Desmond stepped forward and shook Boricio’s hand, then introduced him to Mary. Something about the stranger made him bristle, but Desmond had no idea what, and couldn't exactly trust his instincts since he was smart enough to realize he was acting paranoid. He should at least wait for the guy to give him a reason before hating him automatically. Of course, Desmond would have disliked pretty much anyone that John introduced him to at the exact moment he was about to finally get some alone time with Mary to find out what’s had her acting distant all morning.
    “So what brought you here?” Desmond asked.
    Boricio looked around the compound as though he owed his breath to the safety of its walls, even though he’d only been behind them for a few hours. “I have to confess that I believe Brother John here hit a home-run at the batting cages. The Good Lord must have led me to you just this morning. There’s no other explanation. I was lost, and figured I’d probably never be found again, wandering through the woods with no idea where I was or where I could go.”  
    Boricio shook his head and rubbed the crease in his forehead. “Had a bad run-in with a group of wild folks not too far from here just a while back. It was a guy and two girls, took me in like we was family. Lived there a while, until they got all sorts of sinful ideas and tried to lure me into the rat’s nest of their evil ways. I left as soon as I could, straight out the back, but they gave chase. Tried to kill me. I managed to escape, but just barely. And only because The Good Lord saw fit to deliver me here.”
    Boricio looked around The Sanctuary in silent gratitude again.  
    John said, “Boricio has fought off many of the Demons, too.”  
    Boricio nodded like his neck had fresh batteries. “Sure did, been fighting them since the late of last October. Should’ve known there was evil in the house of sinners since there were so many Demons around their part of the woods.” Boricio waved his arms around the courtyard. “Aren’t none of them here, though. In fact, I was getting chased by two of them Demons just this morning while I was following The Good Lord’s path to your blessed doorstep. But soon as I was spitting distance from the gate, both them Demons turned back around, screaming that horrible scream, like a banshee ripping off a bandaid. They went running off in the opposite direction like they found a shortcut