by Laura Hysell
“Wait,” Jared said, holding his knife up with one hand, the candle with his other. “You should grab a weapon, just in case. There’s a hammer on the table.”
“I have a knife right here,” I said, pulling the knife out of the sheath still on my side.
Jared’s eyes were wide as he held the candle up to my thigh, where the sheath was. “Where did that come from?”
“What do you mean? I’ve had the knife on my side this whole time,” I responded. “That vampire, Patricia, gave it to me. She said it was blessed.”
Jared held the candle close to me, looking at the knife with interest. “Blessed, huh? That could be handy.” He set the candle down on the floor. “I’ll go first.”
Jared moved in front of me, holding his knife with one hand while he slowly turned the door knob. He opened the door slightly, peering out into the hallway. After a second he opened the door farther and moved into the hallway. I trailed behind him, holding my knife in a death grip. Jared moved swiftly to the door across the hall and pressed his ear to it briefly before opening it and peering inside.
Jared shook his head and moved down the hallway, opening the next door. I followed quietly behind Jared, my eyes trained down the hallway. Kirk followed me like a silent shadow, mimicking my movements. There was no one in any of the rooms we found, so we quietly crept back the way we’d come in, moving stealthily through the giant room of cubicles in a crouched position.
We moved slowly and it seemed to take forever for us to reach the door that entered into the rest of the warehouse. There was a window in the door that Jared quickly peeked through, his eyes searching for any signs of vampires. He squatted back down and motioned for me to come closer. I shuffled up beside him and he leaned his head close to mine so he could whisper.
“I don’t see anyone,” he said softly. He motioned with his hands as he spoke, pinpointing locations for me. “Over there is where Sarah and her lackeys sleep. I always saw Justin being carted off somewhere past the cars, so if we move back that direction we can look for him on our way out of this place. I don’t know if the vamps are asleep yet or not though. It’s pretty open between here and the cars, so we’re taking a big risk. I think we should wait here just a little while longer. I think it’s close to sunrise.”
“How do you know?”
He shrugged and looked at Kirk, who was crouched down beside me. “Kirk was better at telling time than me, but I was getting pretty good at knowing when the sun rose and set. I guess when you’re life depends on it you pay more attention. Ask Kirk what time it is.”
I turned to Kirk. “Kirk, what time is it?” I asked, and although Kirk was looking right at me, he didn’t respond. “Rover, what time is it?”
“Master is asleep,” Kirk responded quietly.
“Master?”
Kirk bobbed his head. “Master Sarah,” he responded.
“That means it’s after sunrise,” Jared surmised. “The bodyguards and Jin will be asleep, but I don’t know when the old gangster sleeps. He always seemed to be up longer.”
“I say we go for it,” I replied softly. I was antsy to get out of there. “Is there any cover?”
Jared shook his head. “No, not really. Are you sure about this?” I nodded my head and held up my knife, indicating I was ready to go. “I’ll go first. You follow with Kirk. Stay down and move fast.”
Jared peeked through the window in the door once more before inching the door open. I scooted behind him and peered out as Jared ran at a crouch along the wall. I grabbed Kirk’s hand and pulled him behind me as I followed Jared’s path beside the wall. Jared waited until we had reached him before he darted across the warehouse, stopping next to Sarah’s pink car. He hunkered down and moved around the car, looking for any signs of danger. After he had decided the coast was clear, he turned and waved to us. I grabbed Kirk’s hand again and pulled him behind me as I ran at a crouch to meet Jared.
“I remember seeing them lead Justin through there,” Jared whispered, pointing to a set of doors on the far side of the warehouse. He pointed back past the truck and trailer we had come in to a set of large roll-up doors. “That way will take us out of here.”
There was little debate in my head as to which way to go. My brother could be just on the other side of those doors. I pointed across the warehouse and Jared nodded his head, not looking surprised at all by my choice. Once again, Jared ran ahead, his bare feet slapping softly against the concrete floor.
Kirk and I followed quickly behind Jared, who wasted no time before opening the door. We moved into a large room that had several filing cabinets in rows behind a long counter. It looked like a reception area, with a small waiting room on the other side of the counter. Banks of windows lined one wall, letting in a stream of early morning sunshine. We had still been moving hunched over, hiding behind any cover we could find, until we saw the sunlight.
Jared stood first, walking around the counter to stand before the windows until he was bathed in pale yellow light. I followed him more cautiously, looking in every direction. I spotted one door leading outside and another door in the waiting room that I pointed to with my knife. Jared nodded and walked to the door, opening it with a quick movement. He peered into the room and turned to look at me, shaking his head. I moved up beside him and looked in as well, seeing only a toilet and small sink.
I moved back to the windows and looked outside. We appeared to be in an old industrial complex, judging by the various brick and concrete buildings I could see. None of the buildings looked to be in use any more. Weeds had grown up around the structures, winding their ways through windows and doors that had long ago fallen off their hinges. Signs for various businesses still hung here and there in various states of disrepair. The building immediately beside the one we were in had an old sign for an auto repair shop lying on the ground in two pieces.
“If they took Justin out this door, then maybe they’re using one of these other buildings as well,” I said as Jared came up beside me. I pointed at the auto repair shop. “Let’s check in there. It’s the closest.”
Jared sighed loudly before looking at me. “We don’t even know if Justin is anywhere near here, or what might be lurking in these other buildings. In case you didn’t notice, Kirk and I aren’t exactly dressed for exploration. I say we put as much distance between us and this place as possible.”
“Sarah kept Justin close, didn’t she?”
“Yes,” Jared replied shortly.
“Please, Jared, let’s just look in this one building. Maybe we’ll find some clothes. We need money, clothes, a vehicle, a phone,” I began, ticking items off on my fingers before Jared grabbed my hand and stopped me.
“Okay, Izzy, you win. We’ll check this building, but quickly and we keep to the sunlight.”
I nodded immediately. “That’s fine,” I agreed, quickly moving to the door. Kirk was standing in the middle of the room, staring out the window. “Kirk, uh Rover, follow me and be quiet.”
“Yes, Master,” Kirk said as he moved up behind me. My heart fluttered at Kirk’s words and I cast a worried glance at Jared, who simply shrugged. One worry at a time, I supposed.
Jared led the way once more, but this time I stayed right behind him as we ran across the parking lot to the next building. Jared pulled the door open, leading us into a small office area with a single desk and two chairs that had been chewed up by mice. He quickly opened the blinds on the window, letting the sun illuminate the room fully.
An open doorway led into the shop area, but the sunlight only illuminated a small space in the doorway. Jared took a few steps into the shop and surprised me when he left the circle of sunlight. I stayed by the doorway, watching Jared race across the shop to a set of chains hanging on the wall. He grabbed the chains and pulled. I winced at the loud grinding noises coming from the top of the chain pulley, until I noticed the sunlight peeking through the bottom of the set of roll-up doors that was slowly lifting.
Once I realized what he was
doing, I ran to join Jared. I sheathed my dagger and pulled on the chain. Slowly, we raised the door until the shop interior was fully bathed in sunlight. I looked around, taking stock of the place. Tools were scattered here and there and I absently wondered if Sarah had gotten her torture tools from this abandoned shop. A set of coveralls was lying on top of a cabinet. I smiled to myself as I walked over and pulled the coveralls off, turning to show them to Jared. He grinned and walked over to me, snatching the coveralls out of my hand and quickly pulling them on. I searched through the cabinet, but couldn’t find any more clothes for Kirk.
“Justin’s not here,” Jared said as we finished searching the shop. “I found a bunch of keys though. Maybe there’s a car.”
I nodded my head, fighting back the tears that threatened as I worried about the fate of my brother. Was he close? Jared led the way out of the shop and around the building, where we came to a gravel lot with two cars in it. Jared held a handful of keys, sorting through the key tags to find the appropriate keys. “Here, try the Blazer,” he said, handing me a key ring. “I’ll try the station wagon.”
I ran over to the dirty white Chevy Blazer and unlocked the door, climbing into the driver’s seat. I turned the engine over and smiled when it started right up. I left it running and jumped out of the truck, waving to Jared who seemed to be having no luck with the station wagon. Jared walked around the Blazer, examining it and kicking at the tires. He stopped by the open driver’s side door and grinned.
“Looks good enough,” Jared said as he pulled himself into the driver’s seat, setting the knife he still carried onto the center console beside him.
I walked around and opened the passenger door, pulling the seat forward for Kirk. “Get in,” I ordered, standing back while Kirk climbed in. As soon as was he seated, I pushed the seat back and climbed in, slamming the door behind me.
Jared drove the truck out to the main road and looked both directions before pulling out and driving west. After a few minutes we entered the rest of the town, which had few cars on the road yet. Jared pulled into a gas station and parked at the far edge of the parking lot. “Is there any money in there?” Jared asked, pointing at the glove box. “We have a little less than half a tank of gas.”
I opened the glove box and began rifling through it as Jared searched the center console. I found $1.25 in quarters and handed it to Jared before I climbed into the back seat, where Kirk was curled up with his arms wrapped around his legs. I looked over the back seat and saw a small, dirty blanket. I reached out and grabbed it, shaking the dust off before I pulled the blanket over Kirk.
There wasn’t much in the truck. The back of the truck was mostly empty, consisting of tools for changing a flat tire and a couple pieces of garbage. I moved my hand between the seat cushions and came up with a lot of garbage and a little more loose change, which I handed to Jared.
Kirk sat where I’d left him, with the blanket thrown over his legs and not doing much to cover his nakedness. I moved him around into a normal sitting position and pulled the blanket over his lap before buckling him into a seatbelt. He stared at me with utter devotion on his face, not saying a word as I maneuvered him around. I felt tears well in my eyes as I looked at the man I had once loved. There was no recognition on his face, just blank adoration.
“We have a total of $2.18 in change,” Jared said suddenly.
I quickly wiped at my eyes and turned around, sitting next to Kirk. “That won’t even get us a gallon of gas,” I replied.
Jared sighed, nodding his head. “I know. I’ll run inside and see if I can get directions and maybe some food. We’ll just have to make do with the gas we have already in the tank.”
Jared was back in five minutes carrying two large fountain drinks and a bag. He slid into the seat and turned to me. “There are some day old burritos and I don’t know what else in there. They just opened up and the manager was going to toss them, so he said I could just have them.”
“That was nice of him. Did you get directions?”
He nodded. “We’re in Idaho, but there aren’t many options at this point. We can just go west through Washington and back down into Oregon, but we’re not going to get far on the little gas left in this gas hog. We can get maybe 100 miles, 150 if we’re lucky. And you know when the sun goes down we’ll have vampires after our asses.”
“Then maybe we should call for help,” I mused. “Be right back.”
“Wait,” Jared said, grabbing my arm as I started to climb into the front seat. “You might want to wipe your face off a little first.”
I pulled the visor down and examined myself in the small mirror. My hair was a mess and I had blood streaked across my face. I remembered blood dripping down my wrists and onto my face. I had wiped it off, but it had just left a streak of dried blood. Jared handed me a napkin, and I spit on it before rubbing it across my face. When the blood was cleaned off I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to make myself more presentable.
“Better?” I asked, turning toward Jared.
Jared grinned, but nodded. “Sorry to say you won’t win any pageants today, but you look mostly normal.”
“Thanks,” I muttered acerbically before jumping out of the truck.
I ran into the store and found the manager directing a pimple-faced young man in proper cleanup of a spill. The manager, an older man in black slacks and a tan polo, looked me up and down, taking in my bare feet. I smiled timidly and waited until he approached me.
“Do you need something, miss?” he asked politely.
“I need to call someone in Oregon,” I replied softly.
“You’re with the other young man, in the coveralls.” It was a statement not a question, but I nodded anyway. “You two in some trouble?” His eyes drifted to my bare feet once more.
I nodded again. “I have friends in Oregon who can help, but I’m not sure how to find them. I have a name and I think he lives south of Portland, near Estacada. I’m afraid I lost my cell phone and I don’t have his number.”
The manager stared at me for a moment before he motioned for me to follow him to an office at the back. He sat down at a computer and turned it on. “What’s the name you’re looking for?”
“Jed Harris,” I responded, leaning over the desk to peer at the monitor.
The manager typed the name into the search directory. There was one person listed as Jed Harris and several as J. Harris near Estacada. In addition, there were another 98 matches in the Portland surrounding area. I had my fingers crossed that luck was on my side today. The manager picked up a phone and dialed the number on the first listing, handing the phone over to me as it began ringing.
A man answered on the second ring. “Hello?” I didn’t immediately recognize the voice, and my heart sunk.
“Jed?” I asked. “Jed Harris?”
“Jed’s out back. Who is this?” the man asked.
I took a deep breath, praying I had the right number. “It’s Isabella Howerton.”
“Isabella?” the man exclaimed and I heard shuffling noises and talking in the background.
“Izzy,” Mark’s voice said over the line.
Utter relief filled me at Mark’s familiar voice. “Yes, it’s me. Oh, Mark.” I stopped talking as tears began flowing down my cheeks.
“Izzy, it’s okay. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay,” I replied, trying to stifle my tears. I took a couple deep breaths before I was able to speak coherently. “I need your help. I’m heading back to Oregon, but I won’t be able to make it all the way. Can you and some of your friends meet me somewhere?”
“Caller ID says you’re at a gas station in Idaho.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yes, we can get maybe 100 miles on the gas we have.”
“I’ll give you a credit card number and you can fill your tank up. It’ll take you most of the day, but you should be able to make it here tonight with few stops.”
I thought about that, and while it soun
ded like it would work there was a nagging worry in the back of my mind. What if we were still on the road after dark? Would Sarah and her goons come after us? Patricia was still out there somewhere, and then there was the worry about my brother. Was I leaving him behind? What would Sarah do to him? Would she take her anger out on him?
I turned to the manager. “My friend is in the Blazer. If I give you a credit card number can you run it and fill our tank?” The manager paused briefly before nodding his head. Mark relayed the credit card info and I wrote it down on a scrap of paper and handed it to the manager, who left to go fill our truck.
As soon as the manager was out of the office, I ran around the desk and sat down at the computer. I pulled up a map of our location, and eyed the best route. “How quickly can you get to Walla Walla?” I asked Mark.
“What’s going on Izzy?”
“I don’t have time to talk about it, but we need to get out of this town and somewhere safe. I don’t know if we could make it back before it’s fully dark, and I don’t want to take that risk,” I felt the tears threatening again. Was there anywhere even safe? I knew I’d feel safe with Mark and the werewolves around, but was I leading them into more danger?
Mark sighed loudly into the phone. “You just disappeared, Izzy. Vampires attacked us and suddenly you were gone. I thought…” he trailed off, and I felt a pang of guilt at the pain I had caused him.
“I don’t have time to explain it all, but I think my brother is here. I’d just stay here and wait for you, but there are others with me and they need help. Besides, I really don’t want to be caught alone after dark.”
Mark was quiet on the other line for several moments. “Vampires,” he muttered angrily. “We can be in Walla Walla by 3:00 pm; 2:00 pm if we hurry. Meet me at the first hotel you see when you enter town. I’ll find you there.”
“We’re in an older white Chevy Blazer,” I replied just as the manager entered the office. “I have to go. See you soon.”
“Be safe,” Mark replied and I hung up the phone. I quickly scribbled Jed’s number on a paper and thanked the manager before rushing back to the Blazer to hopefully put some distance between the vampires and us.