“He stood in the middle of the road, probably thinking I’d stop. I stomped on the gas instead. I figured a three-thousand-pound weapon versus one shithead would be a win for the good guys. Why did Peggy have to grab the wheel? We could have made it. I know it. I would have run that bastard over.”
Jadee once again proved she was braver than most. “He would have just jumped at the last second and landed on your truck instead.”
“Oh.”
“There was no real way to avoid this. I’m so sorry. Your friends are gone.”
“I know.”
“Are you hurt?” He leaned a few inches forward, trying to get a better look at her face. He didn’t see any other injuries but she was kind of curled into a ball on the seat.
“He smacked me hard.” She tilted her head to show him the red mark. “Better my cheek than my throat, right? I guess he figured I was down for the count so he’d go after Peggy first. Poor Peggy. She didn’t deserve to die that way. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked her to get out of the truck to find me something sharp. I thought I might be able to take off his head.”
Her words stunned him, and it must have showed in his expression.
“I know. I was desperate and out of options. The front end was messed up good. I saw that much. I thought it might work to, you know…slash through his throat. I probably would have had an issue when I hit bone, though.”
She was in shock. It was obvious. He hesitated, not sure how to deal with that. He needed to get her out of the truck and somewhere safe. The motor home came to mind. It was the closest sound structure. He slowly reached for her jean-clad leg. He’d wiped off as much blood as possible in the grass before he’d shifted back.
“Jadee? None of this is your fault. You didn’t kill your friends. That soldier did.” She didn’t flinch away from him when he curled his fingers around her knee. “We need to get out of here. Can you walk?”
She licked her lips. “I think so.”
“Good.”
“Are we just going to leave them out there? Will they turn into one of those things? I don’t want that. Seeing Victor as a monster was bad enough. I couldn’t take that. Maybe Mark. He was always an asshole so I wouldn’t feel bad about having to kill him again, but Brent and Peggy would be rough.”
“They aren’t going to turn.”
“You’re sure?”
“I only smelled their blood on the bodies. Not his. He didn’t try to change them over.”
“Being bitten doesn’t do it?”
“No. Otherwise the world be overrun with Vampires and soldiers, since they feed off humans. They have to exchange blood.”
“Good to know.”
She was so pale that he worried. “Did he bite you?” He sniffed but didn’t pick up any blood coming off her from an open wound.
“Nope. I was just bitch-slapped by him.”
“The motor home is a few miles back. That’s where we’ll go.”
She shook her head, fear showing on her face.
“It’s the closest thing to us. Kar is there too.”
“So is Mitch.”
“He’s probably dead by now.”
“Kar was going to kill him?”
“He’s tired of dragging him around. We just needed every detail we could get about the Vampire who made him. I’m sure Kar was motivated enough to get those answers by now.”
“I could walk to the road and hitchhike out of here. I’m sure a car would come by at some point.”
“We don’t know where the master went. He could be in the next town. That’s why I suggested you not make any stops for as long as possible. It’s not safe. I want you to survive this, Jadee.”
She blinked back tears. “Yeah, I want that too.”
“Let’s go back to the motor home. I’m sure there’s food there, and the soldiers couldn’t break into it. It’s a safe location. I have things to handle and not a lot of time.”
“Clean up.”
“Yes. I have to come back here to bury those bodies and dispose of this truck.”
“It’s a rental. I have to tell them I hit a tree, file an insurance claim and—”
“Stop.” He halted her rambling. “We can’t leave any sign of what happened. There’s blood all over this vehicle. Don’t worry about anything, Jadee. We’ll handle it all. I’ll send Kar to where I left my Jeep and he can drive until he gets a cell signal. More of my people need to come here to wipe away any traces of what really went down. We have some experience at covering all our bases, unfortunately.”
“You’re going to get help from more Werewolves?” Her heart rate increased and so did her breathing. “They’ll come here?”
He wanted to correct her but didn’t. It was better if she knew as little as possible. “That’s why I want you inside the motor home. You’re safest there. I’m going to have you lock in and stay there until they’re gone.”
“They won’t find it?”
“I’ll make sure you’re safe. Are you sure you can walk?”
“Yes.” She squeezed the flashlight she still held with one hand. “Can I bring this? I’m tired of being blind at night.”
“Sure.”
He didn’t mind if that helped her cope with the situation. It would mess with his night vision a little but it would get her moving. Dawn wasn’t far off since it was summer, and traffic on the highway would increase during the daylight hours. Someone could make a wrong turn onto the dirt road and come across the truck and the bodies. He couldn’t allow that to happen.
“We need to go, Jadee.”
“Okay.” She straightened in the seat, turning on the flashlight. She opened the passenger door.
He hustled to reach the other side of the truck before she walked to the back section. He used his body to block her view of the carnage as much as possible. He didn’t even want to see them again, and he’d been raised in an entirely different reality than she had. Violence and death weren’t new to him.
She walked slowly but didn’t complain as he led her back to the motor home.
Kar pushed away from the front of the RV when they finally approached. The soldier wasn’t with him. His friend arched his eyebrows, staring at Lavos’s underwear then at Jadee. He uttered a soft curse under his breath.
Jadee once again proved she was braver than most. “He would have just jumped at the last second and landed on your truck instead.”
“Oh.”
“There was no real way to avoid this. I’m so sorry. Your friends are gone.”
“I know.”
“Are you hurt?” He leaned a few inches forward, trying to get a better look at her face. He didn’t see any other injuries but she was kind of curled into a ball on the seat.
“He smacked me hard.” She tilted her head to show him the red mark. “Better my cheek than my throat, right? I guess he figured I was down for the count so he’d go after Peggy first. Poor Peggy. She didn’t deserve to die that way. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked her to get out of the truck to find me something sharp. I thought I might be able to take off his head.”
Her words stunned him, and it must have showed in his expression.
“I know. I was desperate and out of options. The front end was messed up good. I saw that much. I thought it might work to, you know…slash through his throat. I probably would have had an issue when I hit bone, though.”
She was in shock. It was obvious. He hesitated, not sure how to deal with that. He needed to get her out of the truck and somewhere safe. The motor home came to mind. It was the closest sound structure. He slowly reached for her jean-clad leg. He’d wiped off as much blood as possible in the grass before he’d shifted back.
“Jadee? None of this is your fault. You didn’t kill your friends. That soldier did.” She didn’t flinch away from him when he curled his fingers around her knee. “We need to get out of here. Can you walk?”
She licked her lips. “I think so.”
“Good.”
“Are we just going to leave them out there? Will they turn into one of those things? I don’t want that. Seeing Victor as a monster was bad enough. I couldn’t take that. Maybe Mark. He was always an asshole so I wouldn’t feel bad about having to kill him again, but Brent and Peggy would be rough.”
“They aren’t going to turn.”
“You’re sure?”
“I only smelled their blood on the bodies. Not his. He didn’t try to change them over.”
“Being bitten doesn’t do it?”
“No. Otherwise the world be overrun with Vampires and soldiers, since they feed off humans. They have to exchange blood.”
“Good to know.”
She was so pale that he worried. “Did he bite you?” He sniffed but didn’t pick up any blood coming off her from an open wound.
“Nope. I was just bitch-slapped by him.”
“The motor home is a few miles back. That’s where we’ll go.”
She shook her head, fear showing on her face.
“It’s the closest thing to us. Kar is there too.”
“So is Mitch.”
“He’s probably dead by now.”
“Kar was going to kill him?”
“He’s tired of dragging him around. We just needed every detail we could get about the Vampire who made him. I’m sure Kar was motivated enough to get those answers by now.”
“I could walk to the road and hitchhike out of here. I’m sure a car would come by at some point.”
“We don’t know where the master went. He could be in the next town. That’s why I suggested you not make any stops for as long as possible. It’s not safe. I want you to survive this, Jadee.”
She blinked back tears. “Yeah, I want that too.”
“Let’s go back to the motor home. I’m sure there’s food there, and the soldiers couldn’t break into it. It’s a safe location. I have things to handle and not a lot of time.”
“Clean up.”
“Yes. I have to come back here to bury those bodies and dispose of this truck.”
“It’s a rental. I have to tell them I hit a tree, file an insurance claim and—”
“Stop.” He halted her rambling. “We can’t leave any sign of what happened. There’s blood all over this vehicle. Don’t worry about anything, Jadee. We’ll handle it all. I’ll send Kar to where I left my Jeep and he can drive until he gets a cell signal. More of my people need to come here to wipe away any traces of what really went down. We have some experience at covering all our bases, unfortunately.”
“You’re going to get help from more Werewolves?” Her heart rate increased and so did her breathing. “They’ll come here?”
He wanted to correct her but didn’t. It was better if she knew as little as possible. “That’s why I want you inside the motor home. You’re safest there. I’m going to have you lock in and stay there until they’re gone.”
“They won’t find it?”
“I’ll make sure you’re safe. Are you sure you can walk?”
“Yes.” She squeezed the flashlight she still held with one hand. “Can I bring this? I’m tired of being blind at night.”
“Sure.”
He didn’t mind if that helped her cope with the situation. It would mess with his night vision a little but it would get her moving. Dawn wasn’t far off since it was summer, and traffic on the highway would increase during the daylight hours. Someone could make a wrong turn onto the dirt road and come across the truck and the bodies. He couldn’t allow that to happen.
“We need to go, Jadee.”
“Okay.” She straightened in the seat, turning on the flashlight. She opened the passenger door.
He hustled to reach the other side of the truck before she walked to the back section. He used his body to block her view of the carnage as much as possible. He didn’t even want to see them again, and he’d been raised in an entirely different reality than she had. Violence and death weren’t new to him.
She walked slowly but didn’t complain as he led her back to the motor home.
Kar pushed away from the front of the RV when they finally approached. The soldier wasn’t with him. His friend arched his eyebrows, staring at Lavos’s underwear then at Jadee. He uttered a soft curse under his breath.
